#anyways make way for awards season Z

[agendabymooner]

ollie on thin ice(man) || ob8 (+ kr7) scenario

ollie bearman x raikkonen!ofc (ft. dad!kimi raikkonen)

EXTENSION TO ICE ICE BABY (SMAU)

ANOTHER RECOMMENDED READ: STOP THE WORLD I WANNA GET OFF WITH YOU (KIMI R. SMAU)

Summary: It was the Formula 1 summer break, meaning that The Iceman’s two driving children, including his beloved Romania ‘Aroma’ Raikkonen, were home. This also meant that a certain Ollie Bearman would make his presence known to the Raikkonen household- which was unpleasant for Kimi’s part.

Content warning: Dad!Kimi being protective, Andrea Kimi Antonelli is addressed as ‘Kimi’ by the Raikkonens but is addressed as ‘Andrea’ in narration, humour, wooing, Ollie wanting to cry really bad, Antonelli x Raikkonen!OFC (Rooney)

Note: this might not make sense to most but… enjoy regardless xx read the recommended fics for more context.

a - n masterlist // o - z masterlist

if you’d like to get on one of my taglists, check this post out

For Kimi, it was never a problem to have people over.

 He was retired and he pretty much had nothing all day but to spend some time with his kids all while his wife, the Academy Award winning director Vera Coppola, worked on days end while she travelled to New York for a week. 

It was a life he loved to live, really.

To have people over was a usual case for the Coppola-Raikkonen household, as Kimi had three children that were at the age when friends and peers were important. 

Kimi and Vera always thought that it was much better that they allowed their children to have friends over than having them go out and about at night— better be free at home than rebellious and endangered, right?

It was now the summer break of this year’s F1 season, which meant that his two children were also home and didn’t need to be travelling with their mum to wherever the next race was.

It meant that they didn’t need to do their schoolwork on the plane while their private tutors sat with them on the way to wherever. 

It gave the two young racers the break they needed from competing, anyways. If there was something that Kimi knew, it was that his eldest daughter and oldest son had the same drive as him. 

Though, if he was being honest, his son was more like him in terms of interviews and personality in front of the camera. But still… both were racing out of pure joy.

Thank goodness, their mother was a Coppola and Kimi made millions before this. 

“Dad, Kimi’s here,” Johann-Lauri Francis Coppola-Raikkonen, or simply Jo, announced as the fifteen year old walked into the living room where Kimi and his two younger kids sat. 

Andrea Kimi (whom Kimi was never confused with whenever Jo or any of his children said the name ‘Kimi’ as they addressed their dad as ‘Dad’) made his presence known to Kimi as he waved, “Good afternoon, Mr. Raikkonen.” 

“Ah! Andrea,” Kimi nodded. “Nice seeing you. When did you get here to Italy?” 

“Hm… We just got back from Nice two hours ago,” Andrea replied with a purse on his lips, “Mamma and Papa made sure I got here in time. I even brought an overnight bag.”

“Okay,” Kimi said with a nod, “Johann, did you clean your room?”

“Yes, dad,” Jo replied.

“Do you want me to order food later?” Kimi asked.

Just the mere utter of the words ‘order food’ had Kimi’s second daughter running from the home library to the living room.

“Dad? Why is it that every time Kimi’s around we always order food? Why can’t we order food when Kimi’s not here?” 

Rooney Italia Coppola-Raikkonen, at the age 17, never once enjoyed the presence of Andrea. But that was because they were both at that age when pissing each other off was just a phase. Now here she was, complaining about Andrea getting a special treatment.

“Bwoah, he is a guest, Roo,” Kimi answered plainly. “Mama isn’t here right now, and I’m sure you’d like some pizza too, no?”

“For dinner?” Rooney whined. 

“You can order off the menu and tell me later,” Kimi negotiated, making Roo jump excitedly. 

“Nice,” Roo said with a grin before she glared at Andrea, “You suck, Antonelli.”

“Rooney Italia—“ Kimi was about to scold his daughter, but she had already sped off to the home library once more.

Kimi sighed, watching the two teenage boys head upstairs to Jo’s room. Kimi looked down at his little boy and his toddler girl. Both little kids were less of a menace than the older ones, thankfully. 

Betty-Elina was suckling on her pacifier when she looked at Kimi and raised her comfort blanket up to Kimi’s chest level.

“Thank you, kulta,” Kimi told Betty with a grin. He turned to where his youngest son was. 

Henrik was snoozing on Kimi’s lap, not even minding the noise that his big siblings were making just about now. 

God. What a life he was living. 

Somewhere in the mansion, rather down the hall of the east wing, was a quiet muffling sound of a girl who was speaking to herself. Well, Romania Eleanor was barely speaking to herself.

She was streaming. It was her first stream ever since F2 had gotten to her system. 

Having to fight her friends to keep her second position before the season ends told her enough about how taxing racing could get. Thus she did the second best thing to racing and streamed cozy games to her fans.

Aroma, once she heard a knock and a creak of the door, looked over to see her younger sister Rooney. She paused her game, trying to see what the girl wanted all while her stream remained running.

“What’s up?” Aroma asked.

“Dad‘s going to order food,” Rooney started but was quickly cut off.

“Let me guess: Antonelli?” Aroma quipped.

Rooney huffed out, “As always.”

Aroma knew that the two, for some reason, hated each other’s presence. Or rather, Andrea Antonelli was simply amused at the one sided beef Rooney had with him. 

But regardless, the ART Grand Prix driver chuckled as she nodded. Aroma said, “If Dad is ordering from Signora Leona’s restaurant, can you ask if I can have some seafood fettuccine Alfredo?” 

“Got it,” Rooney raised a thumb up before she left the room. 

Aroma watched Rooney leave and shut the door behind her before she sighed, proceeding to play her Animal Crossing as she spoke to her stream, “It’s like I’m watching a cringe version of enemies to lovers.”

Ollie Bearman was never scared of anyone.

Anyone but one person that wasn’t his parents: Aroma Raikkonen’s father, Kimi.

He’s heard stories about The Iceman and how he couldn’t care less about anything that didn’t involve him nor his children.

Sure, for most people it wasn’t a scary thought. But in some ways, the British man was involved with Kimi Raikkonen’s eldest daughter. 

That alone was a scary thought. He’s had a crush on Aroma since they started racing together, back when Aroma raced around Europe while her mother Vera took her to travel. Ollie was a welcome face to everyone in the Coppola-Raikkonen household. 

But god… People called Kimi ‘The Iceman’ for a reason, Ollie thought. 

Kimi’s icy stares and cold demeanour were always directed to Ollie and no one else. Ollie knew the difference between ‘icy’ and ‘indifference’ especially when it came to Aroma Raikkonen and her ‘wholesome’ father. 

News flash: Ollie called bullshit on Kimi being a sweet man. Kimi’s stare could burn holes and Ollie could rot on them— so much for being the ‘Iceman’. 

Now here Ollie was in Italy, hoping to hang out with Aroma…

To sum it up: Ollie and Aroma had some sort of thing going on. One that Ollie wouldn’t dare show to Kimi because god only knows what the Finnish driver could do to the Brit. 

Anyway.

Ollie patiently stood in front of the Coppola-Raikkonen home, his posture still calm. He had just rung the bell, now he was patiently waiting for anyone to answer. 

He didn’t expect for the patriarch to answer the door, his brown eyes meeting Kimi Raikkonen’s blue eyes. 

Ollie grinned and politely greeted, “Mr. Raikkonen-!” 

“-You’re not the delivery man,” Kimi stated bluntly. 

Well… Ollie stood there awkwardly and nodded, “I am not, sir. I am here for Romania.” 

“…Bwoah?” Kimi asked, his head tilting as he watched Ollie nod in confirmation. “I was not told.” 

“I- uh,” Ollie’s demeanour grew awkward and uncomfortable as he stammered, “She- she didn’t tell you?” 

Now this could go two ways: The British driver would have to go back to his accommodation in Milan and wallow in self-pity because Aroma Raikkonen had completely forgotten about their plans during the summer break OR he would die in the hands of Kimi Raikkonen because Kimi’s daughter had forgotten to tell her father about the said plans. 

Either way, Ollie knew he was screwed. 

Kimi stated, his typical indifference seeping through his voice, “I can check with her.” 

Ollie sighed in relief and smiled politely, “Thank you-“

Kimi had already shut the door on Ollie, making the younger man sigh and wait by the front porch for five minutes…

Then five turned to ten…

Then ten turned to fifteen. There was no sign of Kimi. No signs of Aroma either. 

Ollie sighed and took his phone, trying to ring and text Aroma. There was nothing. So he did the next best thing and rang the only other guest in the Coppola-Raikkonen household. 

“Ciao, Ollie,” Andrea Kimi Antonelli spoke from the other side of the call, in the background was a multiplayer game of FIFA.

“Hey Kimi, listen,” Ollie started and looked around while he spoke, “You’re inside, yes?”

“Yes,” Andrea said shortly as he let out a ‘Idiot! Johann!’ “Anyway, why do you ask?”

“I’m outside—“

It seemed like Ollie was distracting the boy from an intense online game with him and Kimi Raikkonen’s eldest boy Jo. Because the next thing that interrupted Ollie was a, “Andreaaaa! What did you do?!” 

“Listen, if you’re looking for Aroma she’s streaming— okay, ciao!” Beep.

Ollie was on the verge of tears; Being left alone in front of the house of the girl he was wooing (supposedly) by her father wasn’t in Ollie’s bucket list this summer break. He could have sworn that Kimi Raikkonen hated him. 

Now he did the last best thing: pay his way into the house.

[OLIBEAR8 HAS DONATED €5: “i just spent money so you can open the gate for me] Aroma listened to her text to speech donation as she was preoccupied from playing her game and paused briefly. “Huh?” She asked and looked at the text. 

She didn’t even realize who it was until she saw the donor. It was Ollie. 

“Ollie..?” The moment she peered down on her phone she saw the countless notifications on the screen. 

oli 🐻: hello 👋

oli 🐻: miss maam 🤓🤓 i’m downstairs

oli 🐻: if u see this i’m stranded downstairs. i can hear ur little siblings laughing at whatever ur father is saying

oli 🐻: if u see this i’m also prolly dead lmaoooo plz come downstairs

5 missed calls from oli 🐻

oli 🐻: aroma 😭 please i’m begging

“What the hell…” Aroma trailed off before asking aloud (particularly to no one), “Did Dad not even realize you’re at the front?” 

But it seemed like she was heard by a certain individual who remained watching her stream at the front porch since he donated once more.

[OLIBEAR8 HAS DONATED €5: “he did but he doesn’t like me”]

“Oh my goodness,” Aroma muttered and paused her stream, standing up as she said, “Dad needs to stop with the Iceman act already!” 

“Dad!” 

Maybe her father had good intentions, Aroma thought, but she knew better. Her father might be reserved half the time, but it didn’t mean that he had a hidden agenda when it came to her dating life. 

So much for being a ‘cool father,’ right? 

♡ moony’s reminder 🅶 (general): @hiraethrhapsody @avaleineandafryingpan @enhacolor @roseandtulips @woweewoowa @magnummagnussen @happy-nico @architect-2015 @hiireadstuff @biancathecool @scorpiomindfuck @stinkyjax @youdontknowmeshh @hyneyedfiz @decafmickey @lightdragonrayne

#ollie bearman fluff #ollie bearman imagine #ollie bearman #ob8 #formula one x oc #formula one imagine #formula one fluff #kimi raikkonen imagine #kr7

[50centexecutivembaclass]

I got 2018 GQ Man of the year honors shared with me as Henry Goulding thank you to him for accepting that award for us m I've been getting man of the year since 2015 - 2020 then got 2021 , 2022 that one I got from Jail , Time magazine man of the year 2022 shared honors with New York Yankees player Aaron Judge and named the 16th captain of New York City in New york city history thanks to the New York Yankees and Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees 2022 all the while in prison I got those awards true story probably one of the first to get awards and bring the world toward me wherever I'm at and congratulations to my cannabis stores in New York City I sponsor them just pull up in your truck or Benz run in the store where Kay Jewelers was at Down Town Brooklyn New York and buy some weed run in the store get your sneakers from the Jordan store 🏬 then your clothes from Macy's and get you some good weed where the Kay Jewelers was at and do you brother enjoy yourself things are getting much better , anyway this is my schedule for 2024 and imagine a school that teaches these subjects from a black royal couple Jay Z and Beyonce the Carter family .

Roc Nation university

My 2024 daily schedule - Recording artist

school schedule on Roc Nation campus everywhere I go is there campus

My personal class schedule :

Operation management for dummies Small business for dummies Quality control for dummies Retail business kit for dummies Music business for dummies Home recording for dummies Management Branding for dummies

Class upon class and so much subjects to learn this year balanced with staying fresh and getting athletic , just learning academics and athletics after physical fitness training then working and recording music . I'm moving on from this page now hopefully helps everywhere that needs it this is my last post on my social media page .

This page is very true

Very true sponsored by Jay Z , Kanye West , Beyonce Knowles Carter and their daughter Blue Ivy and me their son the new son Allen Henry aka Free World Allah aka SIR we sponsor this page thank you it has been fun thanks .

You are welcome for my help on this page to the people MK Michael Drayton keep your career going we love the music and your style please keep us in tune your music is hot and I support it and I know your fans love your music you going platinum true story your music hot we friends for life love your old brother and friend we will always be brothers to each other friends congratulations on your wifey and all that you doing real good living good music good and stress out of your life he good music good greatest quotes about good old friend of mines , thanks for everything . I believe in sportsmanship playing the game fair I got my second chance and second stage let me play let me compete let me play my sport rap music is my sport and I got a second chance and second stage for it , congratulations to Vado and our mutual friend MK Michael Drayton making his way back to the stage and music recording booth player and coach for real I learned a lot from him when we grew up together his mother and aunts and cousins raised me where family and sometimes sadly that don't change I'm still family to our aunts , cousins , nephews and nieces all in Chicago and New York City and happy to see ESPN announce his return to the stage , music videos a d recording congratulations to Harlemites Cam'ron , Jim Jones , Dave East , MK and it is excluding me this season I'm going left with ROC Nation Jay ordered me to get my education my second chance at that getting my life together I finish that on time I get to play with my other teammates over there at Roc Nation , but congratulations to my old stomping grounds and them make it back to the front of the room and front of the stage and ESPN announcing it that is big congratulations now I go off in my journey and my process .

My story

A beautiful woman got my heart a couple of beautiful women got my heart I think you know them they are famous girls famous women , wish me luck with a good life I'm looking toward my curse being broken so I could do what I love record music either way I am going to record and perform music like my second stage said I rather just do it without this curse on me this voodoo hex I want them off me so olI could live my life in peace but I'm going ahead with my projects later this year and compete that is the only revenge or vengefulness I would of felt but I'm focus and see only good things about me my perspective is fixed about everything about me I finally love me and it is all because of God my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that is major putting God first in my life now it make life all the more better for me now thank you for letting me share that with you goodbye 🫂 and take care of yourself 💖 .

#Youtube

[destinyc1020]

👀👀

Wow.....

Laaawwwwd.... V is out here again being messy!! 🤣😂

🤣😂

Geez... what on earth did Austin do to her? 😅

Ummm... am I the only one who keeps getting the impression that she's not quite over him or their breakup? 🤔 👀

I keep saying, when you are totally OVER someone, they don't even occupy your thoughts, and you're not needing to go on social media to throw shade at them, and you're not making subtle jabs about them in interviews, etc. 👀

The opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference. Jmho 🤷🏾‍♀️

Sis isn't over him lol 😆 At least, that's the impression she's giving off. 👀

It's been like over 3 years since their breakup.... And the awards season is over!! 😅

I wouldn't think it strange if it were like 6 months or even a year after their breakup. But, it's been 3 years since their breakup, AND she's been in a rlshp with another man for at least two years since then. 👀 Idk, I just feel like when you're totally over an ex or a situation, you just aren't giving it THIS much energy and thought. Austin must still occupy her thoughts on some level lol. 😅

I just hope for her mental, emotional, and even physical health sake that she can just let it go. 😔 Believe me, holding on to resentment only hurts YOU in the long run. Ask me how I know? 😏

She's an engaged woman, and if I'm happy in my new rlshp, I'm not thinking about my ex, that's for sure. 😅 I just wonder what her fiancé thinks.... 👀

Trust me....I'd be saying the SAME exact thing (cuz I'm not afraid to keep it real lol 😅) if Tom and Zendaya (heaven-forbid!🙏🏾) were to break up again tomorrow, and 3 YEARS after the breakup if Z were still making cryptic posts shading Tom, or liking posts about exes, or throwing shade at Tom in interviews, etc, I'd be like....

"You know good and well you're not over Tom if you're doing stuff like this, especially if you're doing this stuff while engaged to another man!!" Rofl 🤣 🤣

Whew boy.... Anyway....

I actually feel sorry for them, especially since they were together for so long, and they both went through such challenging life events together (her father dying due to cancer, his mother dying due to cancer). 😔

I'm not saying he should have stayed with her if they weren't compatible anymore, but I get the impression that he probably didn't handle the breakup in the best way....especially if he was overseas prepping for "Elvis" when it happened. 😔 Or, maybe she had hoped that at some point they would get back together and they didn't. 👀 🥴

Either way, she's definitely feeling wronged. I don't even recall her being like this after the Zanessa breakup rofl 😂

Anyway, I feel like they just need to have it out and have a come to Jesus meeting or smthg lol, cuz it's so obvious there's some unfinished business there boy... 🫣

I said the same thing about TZ. Sometimes you can just feel it. 👀

Whoooosaaah...... chiiiiile.....

🥺

#real talk

[tabloidtoc]

OK, December 21

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Queen Elizabeth cancels Christmas

Page 1: Big Pic -- David Beckham in an ad for Haig Club 

Page 2: Contents 

Page 4: Bella and Olivia Jade Giannulli -- life on their own -- find out what Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli’s daughters have been up to while their famous parents sweat it out in prison -- Bella has been so stressed out and felt she deserved a trip with her buds so she went to a luxury resort in Santa Barbara over Thanksgiving weekend 

Page 6: It’s been a little over a year since Felicity Huffman was released from prison after serving her time for role in the college admissions scandal but she is finally starting to get her life and career back on track -- initially she was nervous about working again given the controversy and everything that went down and she seriously wondered if there would be anything out there for her material-wise but she shouldn’t have worried as she landed a part in an upcoming pilot in which she’ll play a recently widowed owner of a Triple-A baseball team and she’s really excited about the show 

Page 7: Kristin Cavallari is fed up with Carrie Underwood’s meddling in her divorce from Jay Cutler -- after Kristin called time on her seven-year marriage Carrie and her husband Mike Fisher who used to be Nashville couple-friends to both Kristin and Jay have taken Jay’s side and since then there’s been some snide stuff said that’s made it clear how Carrie really fills about Kristin -- while Jay spent Thanksgiving with Carrie and Mike, Kristin filmed a wine-fueled Instagram Live and Carrie finds this type of thirsty behavior on social media incredibly lame and she’s saying it’s obvious Kristin cares more about upping her profile than making any type of family peace 

* After nearly 60 years in showbiz Cher has a different aspirations -- since traveling to Pakistan to help a mistreated elephant from a local zoo be relocated to an animal sanctuary she’s saying this is her new mission to help endangered species in third world countries and campaign for other good eco causes -- Cher spends much of her time cooped up and bored in her Malibu mansion and her trip made her realize there’s a world out there that needs her help 

* Mark Harmon of NCIS is all work and no play these days and nearly two decades in the same TV gig as Leroy Gibbs has only made things worse as the responsibilities of the show seem to wear heavier on Mark by the year and even on a break you can’t get him to crack a smile or tell a joke; he’d rather go lie down in his trailer -- off set Mark and his wife of 33 years Pam Dawber get along because they’re such homebodies and Mark can usually be found working on his cars in the garage or relaxing in the yard and he cherishes his quiet time but people have stopped inviting him out because he’s known as Mr. Boring 

Page 8: Dolly Parton is spreading Christmas cheer far and wide with a new TV special and album and Netflix movie but at her home in Tennessee the holiday spirit is decidedly lacking because Dolly is forgoing her favorite 40-year-running traditions which are filling her house with trees and driving her nieces and nephews and their kids around her farm in golf carts dressed as Santa and handing out presents because of her concern for her husband Carl Dean who has Alzheimer’s disease and he’s in a high-risk group for coronavirus so she’s restricted the property to just them and two staff members -- it breaks Dolly’s heart to have to cancel her big annual celebration and she’s still decorated her home to the nines but it’s a lonely feeling knowing the family won’t be there to see it 

* Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton are proving themselves to be perfectly postmodern parents by raising their kids Prince George and Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis with firm rules for TV and electronic use -- Kate who recently revealed she’s fielded her share of temper tantrums actively attempts to stave off meltdowns with a strict rewards chart and the kids have to earn screen time -- Kate prefers to keep them busy with activities like board games and hikes and baking which the children enjoy anyway

* After spending the last several years living a relatively low-key life in his native England Russell Brand is desperate to have a bigger presence in Hollywood but his wife Laura insists he stay put -- Russell’s craving SoCal living and the copious acting jobs and event invites that came with it but Laura prefers their British life outside the spotlight with their young daughters -- while some work has come to him in England like the upcoming Death on the Nile if he had his way he’d make a more aggressive career push in L.A. 

Page 10: Red Hot on the Red Carpet -- stars stand out in festive green dresses -- Carly Pearce, Angela Bassett, Zendaya 

Page 11: Jodie Comer, Adriana Lima 

Page 12: Who Wore It Better? Melissa Gorga vs. Jennifer Lahmers, Abigail Spencer vs. Hailey Bieber in Max Mara, Olivia Culpo vs. Aurora Culpo 

Page 14: News in Photos -- Brooke Burke with Christmas ornaments that will be auctioned by non-profit Operation Smile 

Page 16: Audrina Patridge brought along her daughter Kirra’s favorite toys for a picnic in Beverly Hills, Padma Lakshmi visits The Vitamin Shoppe in NYC, Brandy at the BET Soul Train Awards 

Page 17: Kelly Rutherford felt the love from her dogs in L.A., Shawn Mendes out for a walk in Miami 

Page 21: Robin Wright and husband Clement Giraudet held hands while riding their bikes in L.A., long-time friends Gabrielle Union and Snoop Dogg unpacked ingredients delivered by Shipt 

Page 22: Josh Duhamel on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Karlie Kloss on her new Adidas collection 

Page 24: Vanessa Hudgens snuggled up to her beloved pup Darla while at the park in L.A., Jay-Z taking a walk around the island in Hawaii 

Page 25: Kimora Lee Simmons and her children handed out food to residents of a housing complex, Prince Jackson safely helped a community church distribute food to those in need 

Page 26: Inside My Home -- Ariel Winter’s stylish setup 

Page 28: Like most Garth Brooks and wife Trisha Yearwood have had a challenging 2020 but their 15-year marriage was put to the test this past summer when the country superstars’ daughter Allie tested positive for Covid-19 -- they were worried sick and had to go into quarantine themselves and not being able to hold Allie’s hand was terrible for both of them but fortunately Allie’s case was mild and Garth and Trisha’s tests came back negative 

Page 30: Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott who have amicably coparented their daughter Stormi since their split last year and recently spent Thanksgiving together as a family are drawing up plans to have another baby together in 2021 because both of them want to give Stormi a sibling ASAP and neither can imagine going through this process with anyone else -- the exes are figuring out a contract to specify their family plans that will protect Kylie’s money and outline coparenting terms more formally and give them each an agreeable share of custody if things don’t stay as rosy down the line

* They’ve costarred in five films and have proclaimed they’re each other’s work wives and are finally single at the same time so pals of Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis are urging the longtime friends to give it a go romantically especially now that Jason has split from Olivia Wilde -- Jennifer always says Jason makes her laugh the way no one else can -- while Jason’s primarily focusing on coparenting his kids he’s long harbored warm and fuzzy feelings toward Jen and he would love to ask her out but the only thing holding him back is the potential to ruin their solid friendship

* Love Bites -- Johnny Galecki and Alaina Meyer split, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky dating, Jonathan Bennett and Jaymes Vaughan engaged 

Page 31: Matthew Perry’s loved ones are worried the Friends star has made a rash call by suddenly getting engaged to literary manager Molly Hurwitz -- the on-off two-year romance between Matthew and Molly has been dysfunctional from the get-go and Matthew’s way more into this than Molly who seems to love him more like a brother

* A rough year for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle including inter-family strife and a move across the pond and a devastating miscarriage has only strengthened their bond -- after Meghan revealed she and Harry had miscarried in July the two were quite overwhelmed by the outpouring of compassion and the response not only validated their decision to go public a thousand times over but it also helped them grow even closer -- they’re determined to put this behind them and try for another baby at the earliest opportunity but more than anything else it’s really underlined how they belong together as soulmates 

Page 32: Cover Story -- Queen Elizabeth’s holiday shake-up -- inside the monarch’s heartbreaking decision to call off the family’s annual Christmas celebration -- the queen will celebrate the holidays at Windsor Castle in Berkshire for the first time in more than three decades -- while the queen is upset not to have the company of the younger royals this year she has to think about her and Prince Philip’s health 

Page 36: Katie Holmes’ season of joy -- how Katie is spending the holidays with her new love Emilio Vitolo Jr. 

Page 38: Mistaken Identity -- with these celeb look-alikes it’s deja vu all over again -- Carrie Underwood and Reese Witherspoon, Daniel Radcliffe and Elijah Wood 

Page 39: Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon, Amy Adams and Isla Fisher, Lucy Hale and Selena Gomez 

Page 40: Interview -- Tommy Lee’s new beat -- the veteran rock star opens up about his latest solo album and his new fan base 

Page 42: Gal Power -- how Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot gets into superhero shape 

Page 43: Fight Club -- these buttkicking superheroines pushed themselves to new limits -- Brie Larson, Scarlett Johansson, Danai Gurira 

Page 46: Style -- Zendaya for Lancome’s new mascara 

Page 48: Sleek activewear from celeb-loved label Gigi C Bikinis makes it easy to look like a star when you work out 

Page 49: 5 minutes with Adrienne Bailon 

Page 54: Entertainment 

Page 58: Buzz -- Disney Holiday Singalong featuring Ryan Seacrest, Katy Perry, Pink and daughter Willow, Ciara and her kids Future and Sienna 

Page 60: Sound Bites -- Nelly on feeling disappointed with placing third on Dancing With the Stars, Kaley Cuoco on husband Karl Cook’s social media presence, Megan Fox on first meeting boyfriend Machine Gun Kelly 

Page 61: Paul McCartney on why he doesn’t like taking pictures with fans, Cardi B joking about how her 2-year-old crashed her selfie video 

Page 62: Horoscope -- Sagittarius Vanessa Hudgens turned 32 on December 14 

Page 64: By the Numbers -- Dan Levy 

#tabloid #grain of salt #tabloid toc #tabloidtoc #queen elizabeth #prince philip #duchess kate #kate middleton #katie holmes #emilio vitolo jr. #tommy lee #gal gadot #dan levy #meghan markle #prince harry #matthew perry #molly hurwitz #jennifer aniston #jason sudeikis #kylie jenner #travis scott #garth brooks #trisha yearwood #ariel winter #felicity huffman #kristin cavallari #jay cutler #carrie underwood #cher #russell brand

[theexleynatureblog]

Tundra Trouble

A dramatic population increase in “Light Geese” is threatening sensitive tundra habitat.

What are Light Geese?

"Light Geese” are actually three separate species of goose named after their mostly-white plumage. They include...

Ross’s Goose

The Greater Snow Goose

And the Lesser Snow Goose.

The main different between these birds is size (which can overlap) and slight variations in color. If they are this hard to differentiate in photos, imagine how it much be for duck hunters to identify them. Don’t worry! None of these birds are threatened in any way. In fact, the problem is the exact opposite...

Tundra Geese

All three of these species breed and nest in the tundra habitat of North America.

The little spots of red on this map signify where the geese nest in the spring. All three geese nest in the same kind of habitat: Tundra.

Now, let’s talk about Tundra.

Tundra is a kind of biome found in cold climate or very high elevations. It is dominated by mosses, roots, and tubes, all ‘short’ plants without deep roots. This is because of a permanently frozen layer of the soil, known as permafrost.

Plants that live here also have to deal with low precipitation, and a growing season that can lasts between 50 to 60 days, or about 2 months. This makes the biome incredibly fragile. If something were to come along and remove all the plants or disrupt the soil, it could take many years for the foliage to recover, if it does at all. Compare this biome to a place with a longer growing season, like the Midwest United State. All the grasses can be removed by grazing and burning, and within the same season, new seeds can take root, and within a couple of years, the grassland is completely back to normal. This is why oil and mining projects in the artic are a big deal, because the kind of damage we see them cause in relatively robust ecosystems will be so much worse in a tundra.

Tundra’s have relatively low biodiversity - there’s only a handful of species that live there in the productive months, and even less in the winter. However, it is a major producer of birds, especially migratory species. Breeding habitat is critical for every species. Tapering with it can directly alter a population’s ability to replace itself with the next generation. It is far more effective to reduce a population by tapering with habitat than removing individuals through hunting.

Light Geese and the Tundra

Like I said earlier, all three species of ‘light geese’ are not threatened. In fact, their population has boomed significantly. Since the 1970′s, the population of light geese has grown by more than 300 percent, and continues to increase by 5 percent each year. According to an article on Ducks.org, waterfowl managers estimate the total population is up around 17million.

Now, is this actually unnatural based on science? It’s hard to say. We don’t really know if this population number matches historic numbers, because we didn’t really take bird surveys until the late 1900′s. Some bird populations, like the extinct carrier pigeon, was so big they would supposedly black out the sky. Maybe, ecologically, we are suppose to have millions of light geese. But there is one thing we do know: they are over-grazing the tundra.

That little square of green once covered a much larger area. Researchers protected it with nets to keep geese out, and all the red in the picture is bare overgrazed soil. Geese don’t just eat the green, the dig up the roots, preventing new growth. Once an area is grazed up, the flocks move to another green space and repeat the cycle. There is nothing much left in terms of food or habitat for other animals on the tundra.

But how?

Nature has ways of balancing populations with available resources. When resources are used up, populations go down until resources go up again. So how did the light geese population rise to the point of environmental destruction? If you guessed agriculture, you’re right!

The later half of the 1900′s came with a boom of farmer productivity thanks to new machinery and chemicals. It helped support a booming human population, and apparently, geese as well.

Usually, migratory birds loose weight during the migration. They have to depend on their fat storage for through the summer and winter to make the 1,000m+ trips. It serves as an important environmental pressure: only the best equipped birds will survive the trip, and have the opportunity to pass on their genes. Lack of food fuels competition between individuals to establish dominance or territory, and at the same time reduces competition as it weeds out unfit individuals. Take the pressure away, and you are a step closer to the light geese problem. Light geese actually gain weight during their migration thanks to all the food available. By the time they return to their nesting ground, a lot of individuals are healthy enough to breed and rear offspring.

The parental habits of light geese are another piece in the problem puzzle. They all practice lifelong monogamy, and both parents are constantly around to guard the young. The young themselves are precocial, meaning the are fluffy and walking around almost immediately after hatching. They can even feed themselves. The only thing the parents need to do is fight off predators - and geese do this exceptionally well.

There are nest predators, like owls and foxes, but they are only able to take so many. Predation alone never has much of an effect on a population - it has to be coupled with a signifanct habitat factor. For example, if you released a fox into a small pen of 10 geese, the fox would immediately reduce the population in the pen. But, if you released a fox onto a large plot of land full of 100 geese, the single predator would never be able kill all of the geese. This is of course, a small-scale example. 

Another problem is the flocking. Snow geese flocks can easily exceed a hundred individuals. This makes it easy for hunters to shoot a large amount of birds, but the thing is, they have to get the birds within range first. Duck hunters lure flocks over a body of water by setting out wooden decoys. Since birds feel safer in large numbers, they are drawn to the groups of fake birds. This works if you, for example, put out two decoys, and it attracts a lone duck. However, a flock of over a hundred is not going to find any reason to join a fake flock of 2. To decoy for geese, hunters need a lot of decoys, which is more expensive and time consuming.

Geese are also uncannily smart. They live long lives and can remember places where they were shot at, so avoid them in the next years. That means that most geese that end up shot by hunters are the younger, inexperienced ones who do not contribute much to the population anyway.

Solutions

Managers and researchers are currently searching for ways to fight this problem and protect the tundra, while also not totally wiping out light geese populations. One of the most effective ways to reduce the population would be to disrupt the breeding habitat, but that’s option is not likely. Remember: the tundra is a delicate ecosystem. No disturbance could be significant enough to affect the light geese and not effect other species. Targeting food supplies isn’t realistic either - we can’t poison the tundra grasses, and we can’t throw giant nets over crop fields.

The usual solution to overpopulation of a game animal is lessening hunting restrictions. Hunters can take over a hundred geese in a season - if they can get a flock within range. But that leads to another issue - who wants to carry, clean, and process over a hundred birds? Ammunition availability and prices are another concern. 

Another factor that makes any management work in the tundra difficult is accessibility. There are few towns and fewer roads that give people access to nests, so sending in people or dogs to collect/destroy them isn’t always a practical option. Article on possible solutions.

Fish and Wildlife’s suggested lists of actions:

Expanding hunting seasons/limits

Expanding hunting methods (allowing electronic callers).

Far north harvesting.

Egging.

Increase incentive to harvest by award programs, donations, market hunting.

Improve private land access.

Information and education programs.

Bird trapping and culling by wildlife managers.

Refuge management.

Sources

https://www.fws.gov/birds/management/managed-species/light-geese.php#:~:text=Ross's%20geese%2C%20lesser%20snow%20geese,to%20remain%20at%20high%20levels.

https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/tundra.php

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13280-019-01308-5

https://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/pdf/management/snow-geese/light-gooseFEIS-QAs.pdf

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-46487-z

https://www.wildfowlmag.com/editorial/whats-the-best-method-to-control-the-snow-goose-population/280168

#ornithology #birds #geese #hunting #wildlife #wildlifebiology #biology #arctic #tundra #grazing

[doomonfilm]

Ranking : Christopher Nolan (1970 - present)

From the moment he kicked the door down on the scene with the breathtaking Memento, the name Christopher Nolan has rung synonymous with high thinking, high level and high entertainment film.  He always finds fresh and unique ways to tell stories, be it visually, narratively, or some combination of the two, and many of his conceptual deep dives have opened real conversations in regards to different aspects of space and time.  For an artist, the impact the Christopher Nolan has had on the populous as a whole is impressive, which is why after recently seeing Tenet, I felt it necessary to take a look back at all of his films and determine where they stood in relation to one another (in my eyes). 

11. Insomnia (2002) As stated with every instance of ranking the work of a director, there’s always one film that’s got to take the bottom of the list hit, and for Nolan, it was Insomnia.  The film in itself is not a bad one, and it does offer some strong visuals in regards to the unrelenting amount of sunlight that one experiences in Alaska, but it does suffer not only from being a remake, but a remake that pales in comparison to the original.  For my money’s worth, Nolan works best with original ideas, with one specific trilogy standing as an exception to that notion.

10. Memento (2000) While not his debut film, this was the film that put Nolan on the map.  The story is unique and intriguing, and the manner in which it is told really makes it work, as a standard A to Z telling of the film would eliminate much of the dramatic tension felt.  That being said, this film suffers from a similar fate to that of films like The Sixth Sense : it’s cool the first time you see it, it really wows you the second time you see it, and then further viewings find diminishing returns in regards to the experience of the “gimmick” (for lack of a better word).  Definitely worth seeing if you’ve never seen it, or are looking for a gateway into the work of Nolan, but underwhelming when held up against his future work.

9. Batman Begins (2005) As previously stated, Nolan (in my opinion) works best as a writer/director of original ideas, so like many, I was slightly surprised when he was tapped to handle the Christian Bale edition of the Batman movie canon.  There wasn’t so much doubt about his ability to pull things off visually, but with such a beloved franchise and character in his hands, there were thoughts about whether or not his style would translate in a way that an already dedicated fanbase would appreciate.  Batman Begins was an effective table-setter for his Dark Knight trilogy, but due to the necessity of having to address an already familiar backstory, many of Nolan’s best ideas would have to wait until the sequel.

8. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) This film found itself the unfortunate victim of an all too familiar national tragedy in the form of a mass shooting during an early screening, forever putting a sort of black cloud over the film as a result.  That being said, the film was a stellar entry in the Dark Knight trilogy, anchored by an instantly iconic Tom Hardy performance.  If this film was attributed to any other director, it would possibly stand as one of their top works, but Christopher Nolan is a man of such depth and style that The Dark Knight Rises merely stands as above average output from a creator who is pulling back a bit to fit the Hollywood ideal (or his version, anyway) of a comic book film.

7. Following (1998) Quite possibly the most personal of all Nolan films, which makes sense, considering it was his first.  It was the buzz that this film generated during the 1997 festival season, along with an already completed script for Memento, that turned Nolan from an aspiring director to a household name.  Following gives us a bit of insight into Nolan’s creative process, presenting us with a highly stylized version of an observational writer, forever receptive to the stimulus around him.  The look of the film displays Nolan’s eye for location and cinematography, and the non-linear nature of the story served as a sneak preview to a format of storytelling he would soon master and manipulate beyond our ability to initially understand.  Though a bit on the short side for a feature film, it is certainly a fun ride with much indication of where its creator was headed.

6. Interstellar (2014) Throughout the 2010s, it seemed that Nolan was hell-bent on warping our brains through the entertainment medium, and after the warning blast that Inception was, Interstellar served as a sort of thematic and spiritual double-tap for our psyche.  Nolan took the basic structure for a story of familial, unconditional love and skewed it by thrusting our protagonist into the uncharted depths of space, skewing his perception of time so radically that the people he loved became old while he did not age, which in itself is enough of a heartbreaking concept to build a film off of.  Add to this the fact that we are presented with (to the best of our knowledge, anyways) the most photo-realistic depictions of a Black Hole and a tesseract, and the end result is a powerful genre-blending journey that stands in rare company, with films like Tarkovsy’s Solaris and Kubrick’s 2001 : A Space Odyssey serving as the closest points of comparison.

5. Tenet (2020) When you have a track record like that of a Christopher Nolan, it is inevitable that people are waiting on your downfall, and with 2020 changing the way we take in films, many tried to seize this opportunity and label Tenet as this moment in time.  To me, this is an absurd stance to take... not only is Tenet one of the most intriguing films I’ve seen in years, but its efficiency in storytelling trims away so much fat that we are left with archetypical characters with subtle amounts of depth shepherding us through a narrative line that folds in and overlaps on itself numerous times.  With this premise set and our characters deeply devoted to their functionality (though not at the expense of performance), we are left with the spectacle of some amazing choreography and in-camera special effects work that makes you really and truly have to stop at times just so you can try and process what it is you are seeing.  Hopefully, in repeat viewings, the “gimmick” won’t take precedence over the film itself, as I believe there is enough going on outside of the visual trickery to keep one interested time and again.

4. Dunkirk (2017) It’s no secret that Christopher Nolan has the talent to build vast, textured and deeply imaginative worlds with his films, but up until the point of Dunkirk, Nolan had not attempted a “period piece”.  Luckily for us film lovers, Nolan decided to try his hand at that style in the form of a war movie, and the result was the extremely moving and powerful experience of Allied troops in World War II caught in a situation where death seemed inevitable.  Despite the vastness of the beach and sea we are shown, the feeling of being trapped permeates through and through, and it is enhanced by stellar cinematography and practical effects.  Even with a cast full of familiar names and faces, the experience of hopelessness created soon eliminates the familiarity that comes with star power, and we are left with nothing but our investment in the story.   

3. The Dark Knight (2008) Simply put, The Dark Knight really has no business being as good as it is.  You’d think that its placement between the two trilogy bookends would give it a transitional nature, potentially only existing to move the story forward to its conclusion.  What we are given, however, is one of the most nuanced looks at heroes, villains, anti-heroes, and just how much those roles can alternate based on the perspective of those applying the title.  For all of the horror that the Scarecrow character brought, or the pure intimidation of Bane, The Dark Knight gives us a complex agent of chaos in the form of Heath Ledger’s instantly iconic (and tragically final) performance as the Joker.  All of the pacing issues that weigh down the other two films are completely absent in this middle offering, and the movie hangs around in your mind well after the final credits roll.  To many viewers, this film set the artistic benchmark for what a so-called “comic-book” movie had the potential to be.

2. Inception (2010) For many, Inception marks the culminative peak of all that Christopher Nolan brings to the table as a director and storyteller.  His ability to coherently weave together a narrative that deals with the perception of time as one goes deeper and deeper into the psyche is impressive in its own right, but the amount of breathtaking nuance, visual effects and mental gymnastics used to tell the story would bring a lesser director to their knees.  If The Revenant and 2015 served as the culmination of Leonardo DiCaprio finally receiving much-deserved recognition as an actor via an Academy Award, then Inception feels like the starting point for that final leg of his journey.  Everyone brought their A-game to this table on both sides of the camera, leaving us with a true visual and storytelling spectacle for the ages. 

1. The Prestige (2006) Irony is a funny thing... I bring that up because Christopher Nolan has literally taken on (and, in some ways, conquered) space, time and perception in his films, all of which would be incredibly lofty concepts to illustrate and visualize, let alone make entertaining.  With all of that in mind, it’s ironic that his best film would be one that does not rely on all of the aforementioned lofty aspects and visual tricks.  The Prestige, at a base level, is a story about jealousy and how it can drive you mad, but it’s the way that this story is told that makes it possibly the best film in the Nolan canon.  Christian Bale’s performance (or performances, at the risk of spoilers) is enough to put this film in a class of its own, but the balance that Hugh Jackman’s performance brings to the overall equation keeps you guessing on whom we are supposed to root for right up until the final frame.  The triangle of love triangles in this film further serve to build up the eventual scale of damage that is presented when everything falls completely apart on both sides of the narrative coin.  Most importantly, like any good magic trick, the film sets you up with expectations, only to wow you in the end.  If you had to pick one Nolan film to watch, this would be the one that I recommend, hands down and without question.

Who knows where Christopher Nolan plans to take us next.  I, for one, would not consider myself clued-in enough to hazard a guess on this, but I would almost certainly put money on the fact that wherever he chooses to take us, he will entertain us and amaze us, if not both at the same time, as he always does.

#ChiefDoomsday #DOOMonFILM #ChristopherNolan #Insomnia #Memento #BatmanBegins #TheDarkKnightRises #Following #Interstellar #Tenet #Dunkirk #TheDarkKnight #Inception #ThePrestige

[stereostevie]

The Rap Grammy Nominations Are Weird As Hell | Nov 25, 2020 11:12 AM BY TOM BREIHAN

The very first time that the Grammy Awards recognized rap music, it was an utter fiasco — a clear case of an aging pop-music establishment failing to understand this vital new youth music that had sprung up and rewritten the rules. For the 1989 awards show, the Grammys added one rap category, Best Rap Performance. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince won it for “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” beating out LL Cool J and Salt-N-Pepa and Kool Moe Dee and JJ Fad. The show didn’t deign to recognize Public Enemy, N.W.A, EPMD, Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane, Eric B. & Rakim, or Ice-T, all of whom had released classic albums within the voting window. The award wasn’t televised, and most of the nominees, Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince included, skipped the show, attending a “Boycott The Grammys” party instead.

Since that night, the history of rap at the Grammys has been a series of baffling, embarrassing decisions. It’s Steely Dan winning Album Of The Year over The Marshall Mathers LP. It’s Gretchen Wilson winning Best New Artist over Kanye West. “It’s weird and it sucks that I robbed you.” It’s also a history of rappers getting angry over the Grammys: “I never let a statue tell me how nice I am,” “You think I give a damn about a Grammy?” In 2019, Drake showed up to accept Best Rap Song. In his acceptance speech, he talked about how the Grammy voters weren’t necessarily the right people to define rap success. The broadcast cut him off mid-speech. Earlier this year, Kanye West, a man who once cared more about Grammy Awards than anyone else not named Neil Portnow, tweeted a video of himself pissing on one of his Grammys. (The Grammys still nominated West this year, for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album.)

Yesterday, the Grammys nominated Freddie Gibbs and the Alchemist’s Alfredo in the Best Rap Album category. That’s great! Freddie Gibbs is a great underground rap success story, a guy who bet on himself and kept doing great work in his own lane even after multiple major-label situations fell apart. Gibbs has never made a hit song in his life, and he’s gotten himself into a position where he doesn’t need to make hit songs — where he can just follow his instincts and keep his own style intact. Alfredo isn’t my favorite rap record of the year. (Even in the field of Alchemist-produced 2020 rap albums, I’d give the slight edge to Boldy James’ The Price Of Tea In China.) But the nomination for Alfredo is still a very cool surprise, the kind of thing that I would’ve never expected to see from the Grammy nominating committee.

And yet Gibbs’ nomination doesn’t exactly announce a new golden age of Grammy rap consideration, a time when Recording Academy voters are finally figuring out how to approach the genre. Instead, his nomination points toward something else: An institutional recognition of middlebrow, middle-aged, respectable rap music.

All of this year’s Best Rap Album nominees are Black men between the ages of 35 and 47. The oldest nominee is Nas, who is now on his fifth Best Rap Album nomination and who has never won the award. (The Best Rap Album Grammy didn’t exist in 1994, when Nas released Illmatic, but there’s no way in hell that Nas would’ve won it anyway. The Academy would’ve given the award to Coolio’s It Takes A Thief or something.) The youngest nominee is D Smoke, a former high school Spanish teacher who is also the brother of the TDE R&B singer SiR. D Smoke made his way into Grammy contention after winning the first season of Rhythm + Flow, the Netflix rap-competition show. (Two of the three judges from Rhythm + Flow, Cardi B and Chance The Rapper, have won Best Rap Album themselves. T.I., the other judge, has been nominated three times and never won.)

D Smoke isn’t exactly a revered or popular rapper, and I have’t seen anyone calling his perfectly-OK album Black Habits a masterpiece, though the man has certainly done better than anyone could’ve expected from a rap reality-show winner. But D Smoke raps exactly like a diet version of Kendrick Lamar, so his nomination works as a clear indication that the Grammy voters really, really wish they had a Kendrick album to nominate. D Smoke is also up for Best New Artist, alongside fellow rappers Chika, Megan Thee Stallion, and (I guess) Doja Cat. Presumably, Megan’s Good News would also be nominated if it had come out early enough to be eligible. Meanwhile, Chika hasn’t released an album, and Doja Cat is nominated in the pop categories, not the rap ones.

Instead, then, we’re looking at five guys hovering around the age of 40, all of whom are respected technicians with boom-bap inclinations. Jay Electronica, who’s nominated for A Written Testimony and who should probably be considered the front-runner, is technically a New Orleans native, but nobody thinks of him as a Southern rapper. (Jay-Z is all over A Written Testimony, to the point where anointing Jay Electronica feels a bit like throwing awards love to Jay-Z in a year with no Jay-Z album.) All the albums up for Best Rap Album are, at the very least, solid. A couple of them, Alfredo and A Written Testimony, are very good. But this is still a remarkably stodgy list — one that shows that the whole middle-aged respectability fetish that’s long plagued the Grammys is now embedded in its rap voting wing.

Freddie Gibbs and Nas and Jay Electronica and D Smoke and Royce Da 5’9″ are all gifted rappers who have done great work. Most of them could justifiably be considered legends. But none of them really show the world where rap music is, let alone where it’s going. By recognizing those albums, the Grammys have pointedly elected not to recognize something like Lil Baby’s My Turn, which is probably 2020’s most popular album in any genre and which is also a fine example of the 808-heavy depressive melodic-goo rap music that currently dominates the genre’s mainstream.

Other hugely popular, artistically important albums are also absent: Lil Uzi Vert’s Eternal Atake, Roddy Rich’s Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial, Polo G’s The Goat, Gunna’s Wunna, Rod Wave’s Pray 4 Love. Instead, the rap albums getting nominated are the 2020 equivalents of the Steely Dan album that famously beat Eminem. That’s not an indictment of the nominated albums. It’s an indictment of the stuff the Recording Academy values. It’s also a cautionary look of how things might look if the Recording Academy ever gets its way, if rap comes to rely on accepted ossified skill-sets instead of its current state of constant, furious stylistic evolution.

As someone who’s around the same age as this year’s Best Rap Album nominees, I’m not all that amped to see emotionally troubled, pill-gobbling 20-year-olds dominating rap music. But those kids are crucially moving the genre past whatever old men like me might want it to be. Fortunately, there’s at least one Grammy category that has done a pretty good job capturing where things are right now, and that’s Best Rap Song. The list of nominations there — Lil Baby’s “The Bigger Picture,” Roddy Ricch’s “The Box,” Drake’s “Laugh Now, Cry Later,” DaBaby’s “Rockstar,” and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” — isn’t necessarily perfect, but it’s a fairly accurate representation of the kind of rap that moves people right now. I don’t know why the division between the Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song nominees is so stark. Maybe it’s a signal that the album is increasingly irrelevant. Maybe it reflects two different voting bodies. Either way, it’s striking.

Look, the Grammys are weird. They are always going to be weird. Fiona Apple’s Fetch The Bolt Cutters should’ve been the biggest lay-up in the world, but it isn’t up for Album Of The Year. Instead, the Academy’s voters went for Coldplay and Jacob Collier and a deluxe edition of a Black Pumas album that didn’t even come out in the eligibility period. “Rockstar” and “Savage” are both up for Record Of The Year, but Post Malone’s Hollywood’s Bleeding is the only album that’s even rap-adjacent that’s nominated for Album Of The Year this year. I thought for sure that Lil Baby’s My Turn would be the token rap album that would inevitably lose to Taylor Swift. Instead, we didn’t even get one of those, and My Turn got snubbed even in its own category. Nothing makes sense.

But this year’s Best Rap Albums nominations still show a weird alignment between Grammy Voters and a certain streak of real-hip-hop rap conservatism. Watch out for that. Nothing good, except maybe a Freddie Gibbs Grammy win, will come out of that.

FURIOUS FIVE

1. Roc Marciano – “Downtown 81” It’s not on streaming services yet, but Roc Marciano’s new album Mt. Marci is out in the world now, and it is marvelous. (I can’t tell you whether the digital download is worth the $40 that Marci is charging on his website. Make your own financial decisions.) Right now, the only song out for general consumption is one of the few that Marci didn’t produce himself. (It’s a Jake One beat.) But otherwise, “Downtown 81” is exactly the sort of laid-back, intricately worded deadpan splendor that you can expect to hear on the LP, whenever it goes wide. So maybe that’s worth the price of a full tank of gas.

2. Meek Mill – “GTA” (Feat. 42 Dugg)

Meek Mill released his Quarantine Pack EP on Friday, and the track currently getting the big push is the downbeat Lil Durk collab “Pain Away.” But the real thrill here is in hearing Meek and 42 Dugg getting bracingly urgent over a Detroit-ass bassline.

3. Chief Keef & Mike Will Made-It – “Status” Sosa and Mike Will have evidently chosen to name their new song after this column. Gentlemen, I see this tribute, and I appreciate it. I love you too.

4. Willie The Kid & V Don – “Mother Of Pearls” (Feat. Eto) This is pretty.

5. Statik Selektah – “Play Around” (Feat. Conway The Machine, 2 Chainz, Killer Mike, Allan Kingdom, & Haile Supreme)

Once upon a time, maybe 13 years ago, I was apparently such a recognizable and influential part of the New York rap press that Statik Selektah noticed me at an MOP show, introduced himself, and tried to get me to listen to his mix CD. All these years later, Statik is a globally acknowledged boom-bap specialist with enough juice to put three of the world’s greatest middle-aged rappers on a track together. I’m proud of Statik. I bet he gets nominated for a Grammy someday.

#alchemist #chief keef #d smoke #freddie gibbs #grammys #grammy awards #hip-hop #jay electronica #meek mill #mike will made-it #music #nas #rap #roc marciano #statik selektah #stereogum #willie the kid

[favefandomimagines]

Secrets Out (t.h.)

Summary: you and Tom have been dating since Civil War and people have been shipping him and zendaya nonstop (even worse than before) it’s put you in a bad place with Tom, so much so, you didn’t tell him you were going to be in a huge movie until Jimmy Kimmel announces it.

It was no secret that you were not a fan of the constant shipping between your boyfriend, Tom Holland, and Zendaya. You knew it was all in good fun but when you see a news video on YouTube about them secretly dating, it gets on your nerves.

Tom has been preoccupied lately with press for Far From Home and you were so proud of him, but that included him being with Zendaya more than you. Hell, you were in the movie too and you don’t spend nearly as much time together as those two do.

Which is why you forgot to tell Tom about landing a role in the movie revival of Bonnie and Clyde. And you were very excited and grateful because you were cast as the lead role and that doesn’t happen everyday. You were going to tell him but he was only home for about five minutes and you were in the shower.

Jimmy Kimmel would be the first time you’ve been together longer than five minutes, in the past week. Were you going to be petty? Yes. You were jealous and felt under appreciated and unloved so of course you were going to be petty.

“So, Y/N, it’s obvious you are an incredible actress,” Jimmy started, switching the conversation to you. “Thank you, Jimmy.” You said with a gracious smile. “And that leads me to the announcement that you’re going to be in the newest interpretation of Bonnie Clyde.” He said.

The audience cheered and Jake, Jacob, Cobie and Zendaya gave you words of praise and were very happy for you. Tom on the other hand was completely blindsided by the news. ‘Why didn’t she tell me?’ He thought.

“Yes I am! I’m playing Bonnie and my friend Cody Christian is going to be Clyde and Martin Scorsese is directing and I am so so excited. Especially to be somewhat new in this industry, to work with a director as amazing as Martin Scorsese is a huge dream. I’ve been asking Zendaya to pinch me for the past week because it doesn’t seem real.” You explained.

Zendaya smiled at you as she gave you a small hug.

“And you and Cody are going to have to play a couple with tons of chemistry so it helps that you’re friends.” Jimmy added. “It does help, yeah. Especially since we’ve worked together on All American.” You said. “With the director and the writers, it’s quite possible this could do well during awards season.” Jimmy pointed out. “That’s what we’re hoping. And we just want to put a new, modern spin on such an infamous true story.” You replied.

“If anyone is going to win an Oscar, it’s Y/N.” Zendaya interjected. She was genuinely happy for you and you two were always close friends. She knew you were hurting over all of this Tomdaya stuff so she was trying to make you feel better.

You smiled back at her, happy someone you loved was acknowledging what you did.

“Well, congratulations and I can’t wait to see it when it comes out.” Jimmy told you.

The show was over and you were on your way back to your house. Though Tom wasn’t with you because he decided to go out with Zendaya and Jacob.

Your blood was boiling that you just landed a huge role in a movie that could potentially be nominated for an Oscar and he couldn’t care less.

Arriving home, Tessa greeted you and followed you to your shared room with Tom. You quickly changed your clothes but you were still livid with your boyfriend for giving you the impression that he didn’t care about you or your accomplishments.

You had this huge problem of rage crying when you got too worked up. And that’s exactly what happened once you sat down on the edge of your bed.

As you were violently sobbing in your bedroom, you heard the doorbell ring. You wiped your eyes and made your way back downstairs, Tessa still in tow.

You opened the door and Zendaya stood on your front porch with pillows, blankets, movies and ice cream in hand.

“I thought you were going out?” You asked. “You could use some girl time. Plus, Tom is pissing me off with how he’s been treating you.” She answered. You smiled sadly at her as you let her inside.

After a couple hours, inevitably watching every Nicholas Sparks movie, you spoke up.

“You know I love you, Z, but this whole Tomdaya thing really sucks.” You said. “I know. And I’m so sorry that he’s been unintentionally neglecting you. I’ve tried to shut down the rumors but his fans can be very persistent.” Zendaya explained. “Yeah, trust me I know. Ever since Civil War they’ve either loved me or hated me.” You said.

Unbeknownst to the both of you, Tom had gotten home five minutes prior. You looked up at the TV and examined the scene from A Walk to Remember.

“At this rate, I’d have to win the Oscar in order for him to want to spend time with me.” You commented. “I think we need to go on a girls trip. Maybe New York, see a broadway show or we go to Miami and just enjoy the beach.” Zendaya suggested.

You laughed at her suggestion and were honestly happy that she wanted to get your mind off of it.

But Tom felt guilty. He didn’t mean to neglect you and make it seem like he didn’t care. He loved you more than anyone and he didn’t know you felt this way. Probably because he was always so busy you didn’t get the chance to tell him.

“God, this feeling sucks.” You said with a sad laugh. Zendaya gave you a reassuring smile before you heard someone clear their throat.

Your head snapped in that direction and saw you Tom standing in the entryway. “Uh, I’m gonna go. But call me if you need anything.” Zendaya told you.

“Thank you.” You told her quietly before walked towards the door. “Fix this, Tom. That girl loves you and if you lose her, you’ll regret it.” She whispered to him before leaving.

Tom looked back at you and saw that you weren’t facing him anymore but scrolling on your phone.

“Y/N,” He started. “‘Zendaya secretly dating co-star, Tom Holland?’ ‘Tomdaya taking the world by storm.’ Oh and here’s my favorite headline, ‘why Tom Holland should be with Zendaya instead of Y/F/N Y/L/N.’” You said.

Tom closed his eyes tightly before walking over to where you sat. “They’re just stupid headlines.” He told you. “To you, they’re stupid headlines. To you, it’s just hanging out with your costar all the time. To me, Tom, it’s not having my boyfriend around when I get a role in a huge movie. Or it’s when he forgets my birthday.” You snapped.

“Your birthday is-“ He started before he realized he had missed it. “Two days ago. When you were at Disneyland.” You said.

“I am so sorry, love. I’ve been so busy with all the movies and I know it’s not an excuse but,” Tom pauses as he looks at your expression.

You were hurting when you should be celebrating your accomplishment.

“I love you, Y/N. I love you so much and I’m so terribly sorry that I’ve been neglecting you so much. I’ve been a terrible boyfriend but I hope you can forgive me.” He added, teaching to grab your hand.

“Of course I forgive you, Tom. I’m not going to throw a four year relationship down the drain because you’re bad at multitasking.” You joked.

Tom laughed at you before leaning forward to kiss you softly.

“So tell me about this movie.” He said. You smiled as you moved the carton of ice cream from your lap. “Well, it starts filming in Texas in a couple months. And then we’ll move to Western Nebraska and then Louisiana to finish it up.” You explained. “And are you excited?” He asked.

“I’m so excited. This is my first big movie that could win an Oscar.” You answered. “I am so proud of you, love. I really am.” Tom told you. “And I’ll have to come visit you on set.” He added. “Oh but of course.” You teased.

Tom was about to lean in again when your phone buzzed. You picked it up and saw that you were tagged in yet another post about Tomdaya.

“What is it?” Tom asked. “An instagram post about you and Z. ‘Tom and Z were so cute on Jimmy Kimmel! I didn’t even notice that Y/N was there too.’ Wow that hurts.” You read aloud. “Okay, this needs to stop.” Tom announced as he grabbed his phone.

“What are you doing?” You questioned. “Making sure that everyone knows that you are my girlfriend and it will stay that way.” He answered.

You waited in silence for a bit until you were tagged in another post, posted by Tom.

@tomholland2013: I want to give a well deserved shout out to my lovely girlfriend Y/N. If you haven’t already heard, she’s going to be in a new Martin Scorsese film and I am beyond proud of her. She deserves this more than anyone and I love her 3000 😉😉 @y/f/n_

You read the caption and smiled up at him. “I love you too.” You said. “Well, I’d hope so.” He joked. You leaned in and pressed a loving kiss to his lips before Tessa jumped up in between you two.

You both laughed but let her do it anyways. “Now I got both my girls.” Tom commented. You smiled lovingly at him before you cuddled into his side.

#tom holland x reader #tom holland imagine #tom holland #marvel #peter parker #peter parker imagine #spiderman #zendaya #far from home #imagine

[oscar-isaacs-number-one-bitch]

“Assassination Nation” Movie Review

It’s difficult to pin down one specific way to describe Assassination Nation. The sophomore effort from writer/director Sam Levinson (son of legend Barry Levinson) is so chock full of energy and pure, unadulterated, gen z-style righteous fury that any focus on one particular genre, even insofar as the film’s brief exploration of those genres, really doesn’t play much into the overall narrative or even thematics of the film’s central premise (which, believe me, is absolutely one of the most visceral experiences you’ll have this year) except to show the audience that “hey, bet you thought we wouldn’t go there/include that, did you?” In fact, the most apt description of any genre this film might be pinned to is more of a feminist pulp horror/satire, a genre which, between this and Coralie Fargeat’s Revenge, is getting a serious boost in 2018, and justifiably so. This means that what we’re left with as an audience is more an experience and a message than an actual story, but one that’s told with such creativity and commitment to the more absurd parts of what story it has that it starts to feel just real enough to be legit.

The big central conceit of the plot is (at least at first) more a play on the idea of character assassination than a literal one (though that does become part of it later on) as an unknown computer hacker begins targeting a few select people and dumping all of their person data onto the internet for the public to view, and because this is conservative small-town America (at least as far as the older characters in the film are concerned), this information happens to contain a lot of explicit and often overtly sexual material not only inconsistent with but often in direct contrast to the views these characters claim to hold. The problem is, they’re not the only targets, and once the hacker starts targeting the younger inhabitants of the town (most of them teenage girls from a local high school), including our four main characters (played by Odessa Young, Suki Waterhouse, Hari Nef, and musician Abra), eventually people start looking for someone to blame due to the high paranoia and “concern” for public safety. Somehow (in a way I won’t spoil here), the target gets turned on these four teenage girls, and because this is a town called Salem (yes, that’s literally the name of the town), this is going to go down almost exactly how you might think it does.

If two paragraphs ago is where I laid out what kind of film this was, this is the one where I lay out what kind of impact it has and what makes it impactful. I won’t concede it being perfect or even particularly well-made in terms of editing, production design, screenwriting, or even character development, but it is damn near impossible to deny the impact that the film has on the viewer upon the introduction of the end credits. This is not your typical fun grindhouse teenage slasher type of horror satire. The film’s opening 30 seconds literally include an entire barn-full of trigger warnings for blood, violence, homophobia, transphobia, fragile male egos, more violence, blood, and gore, nationalism, mob revenge, and explicit reference to sexual assault and coercion.

What makes all of these so potent though, is that this is the generation raised on the “fun,” stylized kind of violence, taking on that kind of violence as their own, but presenting it realistically, hence the trigger warnings right at the beginning. None of it is pretty, none of it is fun, and very little of it is actually positive right up until the very end. The actual murders that occur are gruesome and heinous, the bloodshed is harsh and uncompromising, and the notion of a town called Salem trying to find seemingly any excuse to turn its literal rifle scopes on teenage girls as the central problem to something that is not only in no way their fault couldn’t be less subtle or poignant if the main character’s name had been Abigail or a Proctor family had been present. In order to even sell most of this, the burden is placed on the performances by our four central characters, and these actresses do an admirable and impressive job not only selling it, but getting you to buy into the deluxe package (particularly in the cases of Hari Nef and Abra, who themselves are completely three-dimensional characters not just subjected to being “the trans and black ones.”)

In fact the greatest positive takeaway from the whole endeavor is the sheer energy of its underlying thematic weight of a feminist power fantasy. The pulp horror/satire not only serves as a jumping off point for the fury of its pacing and visceral aggression of its explicitness, but also as a springboard for its narrative literally playing itself out not only as feminist pulp horror narrative, but as explicit message to the Trump administration and those who continue to support the ideals held up by it in this day and age that they know how these people tend to treat/judge the opinions, dreams, hopes, wishes, and even bodies of teenage girls, and not only are they justifiably and righteously angry about it, they’re not taking this lying down, no way in hell. That’s a level of boldness you can only get in these in-your-face, “maybe cult hits someday” types of films that come out between the summer movie season and the winter awards rush, and it really has to be seen to be believed. It’s more of an experience than it is a film proper, but filmmaking has never been, nor should it ever be, one kind of thing, and making films grounded more in an audience experience than a story in their own right, is sometimes necessary to remind us of that fact. I was damn glad I actually got to catch this one before it left my local theater.

There are a few negatives to the film; I didn’t forget about those, although it’s difficult to really care as much about them afterwards. The editing is a bit jarring sometimes, some of the other supporting characters are pretty shallow even for purposefully not having much to them in the first place, the script (while certainly hyper-aware of shallow teenage conversation nuances) isn’t exactly the best, most of the characters don’t really change and what change there is barely registers, and the whole mystery of who the actual hacker is eventually gets lost once the film reveals that it’s really more of an introductory piece to what the film is actually trying to say, so the story point just kind of drops until a very sudden turn at the very end that doesn’t exactly feel earned, but again, this is more of an experience than a film proper anyway, so who’s really counting.

This is the kind of film that will definitely define the lines of a generational divide in terms of how much one appreciates and understands what it’s attempting to do/trying to say, and also in terms of personal enjoyment (basically it’s one that your parents might think is terrible, but certain members of your extended family might think is still pretty interesting even if they don’t fully enjoy it themselves). It’s certainly not for everyone, and definitely not for the faint of heart (if the abundance of trigger warnings in the teaser trailer and opening 30 seconds didn’t give it away), but it’s definitely an experience worth having if you can handle what it throws at you in terms of sheer, visceral, feminist rage. Perhaps the greatest “well that was unexpected” experiment in filmmaking in 2018, it may not be the best of the year by a two-point shot, but it should definitely be counted among the must-sees.

I’m giving “Assassination Nation” a 7.9/10

#Assassination Nation #Movie Review #The Friendly Film Fan #Odessa Young #Suki Waterhouse #Hari Nef #Abra #Sam Levinson #Movie #Film #Review #2018 #New #Horror #Satire #Feminist #Pulp Horror

[recentanimenews]

CR Features Argues About Anime of the Year!

Anime Awards voting end on Friday! We've been super pumped because of the community's reactions to the nominees. However we have gotten so loud with our individual opinions on who we think should win that we’ve been told to duke it out via written words instead of continually disrupting our coworkers (sorry fam).

  We've hit every category in the Anime Awards and this is the last installment in our argumentative saga. So we're gonna  get down to the nitty gritty of Best Film, Best Director, and finally ANIME OF THE YEAR. Let’s down to business!

Best Film

My Hero Academia: Two Heroes

This is admittedly the area where I feel least qualified to deliver a prediction, but I nonetheless feel very confident. Just based on box office it’s likely the one everyone has seen, so… Anyway, My Hero nailed its theatrical debut with an original story that felt plausible and made great use of the existing characters. All Might literally flexing on the villain is one of the greatest moments from the entire series only made possible by this film.

-Peter Fobian

The Night is Short, Walk On Girl

When I think of what constitutes an amazing film, I like to think of how the overall package leaves me feeling after I watch the whole thing. I usually want a film to leave me wanting more, but satisfied with the story I’ve been told, and for anime films, I want to see amazing, crisp visual storytelling tied to great voice acting and musical packages. For 2018, no film really left me feeling that way other than The Night is Short, Walk On Girl. The musical number alone was worth checking out the film for, and the movie also captured a lot of that joy of life style of film that usually gets talked about for college and early adulthood films.

-Nicole Mejias

My Hero Academia: Two Heroes

Before My Hero Academia: Two Heroes, I’d never been in a theater for an anime film that had such an excited audience. Usually there’s this reserved feeling of “Okay, we got this far. We’re seeing anime at an actual theater and if we play it cool, maybe this will happen again.” But thanks to the popularity of My Hero Academia and the growing appreciation for anime in America and I was faced with an audience that treated My Hero Academia: Two Heroes like a WWE show. There was so much cheering and love and when I left, I was just so happy to be an anime fan.

-Daniel Dockery

Liz and the Blue Bird

There isn’t any dialog for about the first ten minutes of Liz and the Blue Bird. It opens with one of the main characters’ footsteps ringing out into the air, and then a piano melody begins playing to the beat tapped out by her shoes. The music and imagery play off of one another in a way I’ve literally never seen in a movie before. It was so beautiful that the majority of the audience I saw it with was in tears LITERALLY BEFORE ANY CHARACTER SAID ANYTHING. This is truly the best possible movie Sound! Euphonium could have received. It’s one of the best anime experiences I’ve ever had, and I love it a lot.

-Cayla Coats

Best Director

Tatsuya Yoshihara for Black Clover

If a director is the champion of a production, I can’t think of anyone more deserving than Tatsuya Yoshihara. He’s gone above and beyond to make Black Clover a success and it’s really shone. Just following him on Twitter, you can see he lives this series and his extracurricular efforts to elevate the production are well known. His bringing in animators of all types and levels of experience to deliver the surreal experience of episode 63 is something I hope to see more regularly from Black Clover in the future.

-Peter Fobian

  Masaaki Yuasa for Devilman Crybaby

  Devilman Crybaby left me a blubbering mess by the end of it, and I hated Masaaki Yuasa for it. My only real exposure to Devilman came when I was younger and watching old VHS tapes of anime, and back then I just saw Devilman as this dark and action filled story; in Devilman Crybaby, Yuasa certainly didn’t shy away from those aspects, but he found a way to make the story even more tragic as the ending drew near. The blending of Science Saru’s visual style with Go Nagai’s manga, topped with the amazing soundtrack, is a package that could only really be created by someone with a keen eye.

-Nicole Mejias

  Akira Amemiya for SSSS. Gridman

  I’ve spent a ton of time over the last few months spreading the good word about SSSS. Gridman, but as my turn in the awards season comes to a close, I feel like I should give it one more parting compliment: The director, Akira Amemiya is awesome. Coming off of Inferno Cop and Kill la Kill, I think SSSS. Gridman, due to its subject matter, might be his best work yet. Even relatively static scenes between characters crackle with energy, and the battles are usually spectacular.

-Daniel Dockery

Norihiro Naganuma for The Ancient Magus’ Bride

How do you heal from something that has broken you completely? The Ancient Magus’ Bride seeks to answer that question. Chise’s journey to learn magic and undo the traumas of her past could have come off as tone deaf or emotionally exploitative in the wrong hands, but Naganuma’s earnest depiction of her struggles elevated this show into one of the most emotionally engaging anime I’ve ever seen. How do you heal from something that has broken you completely? Use your pain to connect to others.

-Cayla Coats

Anime of the Year

A Place Further Than the Universe

  A Place Further is an amazing production delivering one of the greatest and most original stories I’ve seen in years. From having zero source material and playing with the idea of a story about girl psychics, the staff somehow pulled together an airtight and thoroughly researched story with fantastic moments and intriguing character subplots. It was excellently paced, affirming, and I honestly can’t think of a single thing they could have done to improve it.

-Peter Fobian

  Hinamatsuri

This category was pretty tough to choose from, and in the end, I chose the brilliant Hinamatsuri. I went into this series knowing absolutely nothing other than it was a comedy. But underneath the comedy, the real strength of Hinamatsuri emerged as a story about people with real problems looking for connections. Despite Hina being a selfish brat, she’s also relatable, Nitta is somehow one of the best anime dads in memory, and I really had a hard time not crying at Anzu’s story of finding a family, losing them, and finding a new one. I loved Hinamatsuri from beginning to end, and can only hope that we may get another season of it!

-Nicole Mejias

  Devilman Crybaby

I haven’t talked a lot about Devilman Crybaby because 1) Everyone has been talking about Devilman Crybaby, and 2) I didn’t watch it until late in the year, and I didn’t want to be the guy to burst, Kool Aid Man-style, into conversations about Fall Anime and say “BUT DID YOU GUYS SEE DEVILMAN CRYBABY? HEY. HOLD ON. WHERE ARE YOU GOING?” I didn’t really get into anime until college, which means I missed the age where I would watch a Dragon Ball Z or a Berserk or anything else and think that it’s insanely, unflappably, almost perfectly rad. But watching Devilman Crybaby, I think, gave me the closest thing to that. This sense of “Oh, man. Anime really is the coolest thing in the world. Also, I need a Mountain Dew.”

-Daniel Dockery

A Place Further Than the Universe

This wasn’t the most visually beautiful anime of the year. It didn’t have the best music, the best character designs, or the best dialog. But Shirase’s journey to find her mother in a far off land transformed these parts into a truly amazing whole. Shirase, Mari, Hinata, and Yuzuki all feel like completely realized people and their journey to Antarctica is one of the finest examples of how anime can tell stories like no other medium can.

-Cayla Coats

Woo! So we hit every category, had a lot of fun writing this up, and have exhausted our physical and written voices concerning who we think should win for now. We can't wait to see who wins! 

  If you haven't voted for Anime Awards, you still have time! Voting ends this Friday and the place to see all of the nominees for every category and vote for your favorites is right here! 

  Who do you think should win: Best Film, Best Director, and Anime of the Year? Tell us in the comments below!

Ricky Soberano is a Features Editor, Script Writer, and Editorial Programming Coordinator for Crunchyroll. She’s the former Managing Editor of Brooklyn Magazine. You can follow her on Twitter @ramenslayricky.

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

[woshivn]

At last report the Knight of Flowers had been dying

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[destinyc1020]

I’m glad he used “Well” as his caption while making sure to put the trash can front and center because that seems to be the general consensus that we’re all feeling about him this time around lol. Just, very… well 😐

Oooooouu what I would give to be a fly on the wall for the times he and Z have to be in the same proximity or! if Tom or Kaia come to visit* during a scene they have to film together. That’d be a messy type of fun to peep 👀 Anyways, Jacob’s working today.

*let’s be honest, at the end of the day Sam will allow some rules to be bent for his crew and LA is lessening their rules by the day 🤷🏻‍♀️ i expect visitors from z’s side like whitney and more to stop by later on in the season.

🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️ Eeesh.... 😳😳 Sis, I needed a trigger warning lol. Jkjk 😅 Anyway....I guess that's his trailer? I wonder what it's gonna be like as well on set lol, but I feel like they're both professionals, and JE is dating someone already, and Z is.....👀.... Well, I'll just say that Z has reconnected with her "bestie" again, so I'm thinking it should be okay? 🤷🏾‍♀️ After the first couple of weeks I don't expect that there will still be awkwardness on set. That shoot is way too long to carry on bagage. At least they're filming in April 2021, as opposed to last year when the breakup was still FRESH (can you imagine? ). If Joey and JE could film TWO sequels to The Kissing Booth back-to-back with each other, while at the same time knowing that he had cheated on her (supposedly in her own HOUSE 🥴), and STILL manage to look all lovey-dovey in love, and even film a LOVE scene onscreen with each other, then I'm pretty sure Z and JE will be fine lol. 😅 Idk anyone who can top what Joey had to do with an ex .... knowing the history.... 🥴 She deserves an Academy Award for her performance in TKB2 film lol. 😆

[constructionaccounting]

0357: Annual Tax Return Pointers For Construction Contractors

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0357, And It's About Annual Tax Return Pointers For Construction Contractors

Preparing for tax season is a year-round endeavor. Well-organized small businesses are better positioned to minimize their tax bill while avoiding penalties associated with missing or inaccurate information.

  Tip number one for construction company owners is to update financials every month, using a streamlined software or cloud-based system. This way, come tax time, everything you need is all in one place. 

  Second - The Profit And Loss Balance Sheet is what Tax Accountants use.

  The numbers on these reports offer a summary snapshot of your business. They are referred to and reviewed over and over by banks and others.

  Below is a copy of the "Schedule C” it is the standardized format from the Internal Revenue Service. 

Besides the bottom number, what does it tell you? I suspect minimal information. Why? Because the Internal Revenue Service has rules/regulations/restrictions about their forms and as much as they want to cram in more detail. How many pages? What font size? The form becomes the "Bigger Bucket" theory.

The "Bigger Bucket Theory" is where data input installs as many transactions as possible into a single line. For example, income can be all of the deposits from bank statements, which may have come from a single z-tape each day. Or Utilities, Office supplies, Marketing, Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) are classified as "Expenses." As the business owner, you may want to know more specific information about your costs and your income to make intelligent decisions.

The annual business tax return doesn't need to know which client is profitable – it's all income, it doesn't need to know the details about Costs of Goods Sold – it's all material (or just an expense). It is not relevant to the tax accountant. Remember, it's the "Big Bucket" theory. Of course – most tax returns have gotten longer and longer saying the same thing over and over again.

If your construction company files annual tax return as Sub-Chapter S, you know that most of the numbers transfer over to your personal return, and the numbers repeat again. 

We have all heard "Garbage In" and "Garbage Out." It is becoming more common to do the bookkeeping "fast"; after all, it should only take about 10 minutes a day. One shortcut is downloading transactions directly from the bank.

Tax Accountants Typically set up QuickBooks Chart of Accounts to map directly into their tax software, which makes it easy to download from the bank "Big Bucket" theory again.

What is the purpose of your accounting system? To help you run your business more efficiently or file your taxes? Neither choice is good or bad as long as you have made a choice and understand the outcome. 

Like most people, I go to my bank website often, and one of the things I have discovered is that all banks appear to treat each transaction uniquely. How do you get money out of your checking account? 

Do you write a paper check that is manually presented to the bank?

Do you write a paper check that is electronically presented to the bank?

Do you use your bank's online bill pay that mails out a paper check you can present to the bank?

Does your bank's online bill pay – use EFT to transfer your funds to the vendor? 

Do you pay online using another bill pay service?

Do you pay online by going directly to your vendor's website?

Do you pay online using pay pal bank?

From the bank's transaction report, it looks straightforward. When the actual bank statement comes, the transactions can look differently. Bank breaks transactions into Checks / Debit / ACH / EFT – Vendors may have a different name on the account that accepts each of these types of transactions. 

Downloading transactions from your bank can be an excellent time-saver if all goes well. I have heard stories of tax accountants without permission from their clients (they know everything they need to know to file your taxes), downloading a whole bunch of transactions into QuickBooks without correctly mapping them. 

Construction companies have very complex Work In Progress (WIP), Job Costing and Job Profitability Reporting, and Other QuickBooks Reporting needs, which means some transactions must be coded to Items and some to Accounts for the reports to be accurate.

When in doubt, many times, the Bad Bookkeeper or whoever is doing the bookkeeping will send the transaction to the owner's draw, personal expenses, or some other wrong place.

This is because too often, the business owner sees all accounting costs as "Overhead and a Waste Of Money," and they want the "Cheapest Option Possible," and the "tax accountant is the only one who needs the information anyway" so why not let them do it. 

We know several Tax Accountants that are a real pleasure to work with because they do not try to do bookkeeping in the off-season of tax preparation. They like clean and tidy QuickBooks - with reports and balances that make it is easy for them to review the Profit and Loss (P&L) and Balance Sheet, consider their client's entire financial picture, make decisions as needed and complete the annual tax return. And yes, a good tax accountant takes more than 15 minutes to complete their client's business return. 

We recommend a Tax Accountant to complete your annual tax return for several reasons:

They are a fresh set of eyes reviewing your QuickBooks and your business as a whole.

They are an important part of your Board of Advisors.

It makes it easier to get bank loans because the bank knows you have more than one person in your accounting.

We have used Tax Accountants for our business and personal annual returns for over thirty years.

Here are three more ways to take the stress out of tax time and get the most out of your return:

Know your credits and deductions

Small businesses typically benefit from a wide range of tax credits. From special allowances for research and development to programs that supplement wages for student employees and apprentices, knowing which credits apply to your business can save you a bundle on taxes. 

It's also essential for SMBs to be savvy about deductions. After all, you want to keep as much of your hard-earned revenue as possible. Often-overlooked items you may be able to deduct include:

Seminars, classes or conventions you attended to improve your professional skills;

Unused inventory that you've donated to charity (a good reason to consider donating your overstock, rather than paying for storage); and

Capital assets, such as office furniture, computers, and equipment.

Speak to your accountant about the full range of available deductions you can plan for each tax year.

Be careful about what you claim

If you run your business out of your home, you may be able to claim a portion of expenditures like utilities, insurance, property tax, and rent. But you'll need to keep good records, and all your receipts, to justify why you've allocated business costs to your home office.

The same goes for home office computers and mobile phone expenses. Tax authorities will want to see how you've separated the personal and professional use of these assets when you claim them as work expenses. 

Want to claim drive-time as a work expense? Ensure you submit a log of your business-related mileage, so you can demonstrate how your vehicle was used for professional purposes.

Don't miss the deadline

This should go without saying, but every year construction business owners are hit with severe penalties for filing taxes late. Missing the deadline can have a range of negative repercussions, including:

Added interest to amounts owing, plus a late payment penalty;

Losing your claim to a refund;

Loss of credits toward retirement or disability benefits; and

Delay of loan approvals (lenders require a copy of your filed tax return to process your application).

Final thoughts

Always seek a professional's advice. Current technology has made it easier than ever for small business owners to file for themselves, but when it comes to thoroughness and accuracy, nothing can replace the expert advice of an accountant.

Consult a professional well in advance, to ensure you're getting the most out of your tax return, and that your documentation is complete. On the bright side, accounting fees are often tax-deductible!

P.S.

With networking and building connections in mind, we are excited and honored that Randal is nominated for the 2020 Small Business Person Of The Year award in our city. If you are on Alignable, I would appreciate it if you can connect with us and "like" our recommendation.

Screenshot of Alignable nomination

About The Author:

Sharie DeHart, QPA is the co-founder of Business Consulting And Accounting in Lynnwood, Washington. She is the leading expert in managing outsourced construction bookkeeping and accounting services companies and cash management accounting for small construction companies across the USA. She encourages Contractors and Construction Company Owners to stay current on their tax obligations and offers insights on how to manage the remaining cash flow to operate and grow their construction company sales and profits so they can put more money in the bank. Call 1-800-361-1770 or [email protected]

  Check out this episode about Contractors Marketing - Accounting - Production (M.A.P.)!

[pxiao]

Could ya give your thoughts on Zexal as a whole and tell is it really bad. can you?

As a whole post? Seems a bit vicious even for me. But as a whole I’ll say it, z-xal fans look away because as this is my pure opinions as a Z-xal hater. My opinions could be wrong and they can annoy you but remember this is my opinion and just as you have a right to be annoyed, I have a right to my opinion. Don’t whine if you find something you don’t like on a Z-xal hate piece.  

The show is textbook at best and at worse just annoying with some horrible lessons. When the it first aired, I was willing to give it a try despite initially being put off by the character designs, if not just because I thought the fandom was being annoying. I got up to the cat girl episode till I just felt it was boring as all get out and stopped watching. It wasn’t a conspicuous decision either, I just didn’t feel like watching the next episode and I honestly forgot the show existed till Zexal 2 started and well by that point I didn’t give a damn. But I started to hear things about the show and well I honestly found it annoying and I watched it and I was right. Yoshida doesn’t seem skilled at creating characters, world building or even plotting. 

Plot wise, a lot of the logic is ignored for trauma and angst. And I know that in Yu-Gi-Oh!, logic isn’t exactly common anyway but you still need some logic in people’s actions or there really isn’t any point in watching a show. If you watch the Yu-Gi-Oh! Abridged series, LittleKuriboh is doing a good job of pointing out the flaws of the Orichalcos season written by Yoshida. Like Atem’s duel against Rafael was started by Atem deciding to answer his challenge for rescue Professor Arthur … who was released for no reason before Atem even dueled Rafael and for no real reason either. Zexal is the same, a lot of episodes don’t do anything to advance the story, characters or even the world. It’s just duel of the week episodes which rarely have any effect on the world at all. Zexal’s story is generally duels of the week, some plot, more duels of the week and then final battle. There isn’t any rising action, it’s just exposition and then overdrawn climax. His attempts at “foreshadowing” are laughable. They don’t hint, they spell it out to the point we know what’s going to happen 99% percent of the the time. And lets face it, people like to watch shows that have some surprise as otherwise the show becomes a checklist and that was what Zexal felt like at times. It was less of a show and more of Yoshida’s checklist of the tropes that Yu-Gi-Oh! has done. A major plothole I found in the Barian onslaught was Shark’s attitude throughout the arc. Why did he go straight into war mode if he “knew Yuma’s feelings”. Yuma who spent the arc freaking out at the death and war that was going on, if Shark actually knew Yuma, he should know that a war is the last thing Yuma would ever want. But he spends the arc angsts over how he has to betray his friends. Why couldn’t he TALK to Yuma, while Astral is iffy, he should know how much of an influence that Yuma has on the alien and thus maybe a deal can be made. And if it couldn’t be, he could have at least tried before he lead a war that lead to his “friends” dying like a REAL ruler. 

World building, ha. He doesn’t build worlds, he builds a blank slate that the characters “live” at. Heartland has no personality at all, despite being the city of the future there was nothing unique about it. Astral world and Barian worlds are just factions at war with that represent the concepts of order and chaos and that’s from the show TELLING US. We only see the Astral world dying and nothing about it’s people, the Barian world is just not shown at all except for some red rocks. If I had to compared Astral world and Barian world to say Arc-V’s worlds, it’s depressing. Arc-V has a bit of Chaos vs Order in the form of Academia and the Resistance and the difference in writing quality is depressing. Academia would is order and we get a taste of how messed up their ideological is from Sora, Serena and Edo. We see how the public openly supports their ideas, the children believe the lies that they’re making a better war and when they’re in danger they freak out as they thought of it as a game. Hell we see how they take their ideology to the extreme in the BB arc when Sanders and the students beg for Sanders to be carded as it follows their ideals. The resistance is chaos, as Shun states they had trouble creating a defense in time and it shows. The flashbacks show duelists not in any uniform, just attacking without any formation or plan, their bases are just tents huddled together and the Resistance didn’t even have a main base, it was different branches and by the time we see it, it’s all but dead. Maiami is defined by how free the setting is, there are a LARGE variety of dueling schools from You Show, Gongenzaka Dojo, LDS, the many different schools Yuya saw and Ryozanpaku. Each having a variety of philosophies and how the public acted show they had a healthy mix of positive, loving Entertainment duels, and negative traits, their bullying of Yuya in the past. 

His characters are the worst, they aren’t really characters, just personality traits put together in the hopes of being a working personality. Most of the time, they’re just 2D cutouts. Don Thousand is a perfect example. In a story, the most important characters are the protagonist and the main enemy of the series as they shape what the show is. The worst thing you can do when making a main villain is making them easily replaceable. In the manga for Z-xal which was pretty similar to the anime Don was replaced while the story was going on because the artist didn’t like him and Yoshida EASILY replaced Don Thousand. That just proves that Don Thousand didn’t have a personality if he could be replaced by another villain so easily. In comparison, you can’t replace Zarc or Leo, they have shaped Arc-V plot and setting that if you take them out, the plot will change. He generally makes his protagonists overally perfect like what he did to Yusei in season 2 of 5D’s. Yuma is a horrible attempt to fix this, he had flaws for sure, but instead of Yuma growing, Yoshida made the show bend over backwards to make a flaw a virtue instead. The infuriating part is the show actually did a good job of showing his flaw but then everyone even the people that called out him earlier are telling to not change. You don’t make good characters that way, you destroy your show. Yoshida doesn’t do enough to build up the relationships that are supposed to form the backbone of the show and it feels hollow. A direct example is Yuya and Yuzu relationship vs Yuma and Kotori’s relationship. The couples are both childhood friends but the difference between their bonds is clear as day. Kotori is a side thought to Yuma at best and we never get an explanation of why Kotori and supposedly Yuma like each other. Their relationship development is Kotori screaming for Yuma and her getting jealous over him. Yuya and Yuzu? The first few episodes show how they understand each other the most and when something is up with one of them, they’re the first to realize it. Despite being separated for most of the show, Yuya and Yuzu continuously show support and love for each other while Yuma and Kotori barely interact despite being next to each other for the majority of the show. Arc-V shows plenty of times when Yuya puts her safety above everything and that includes his own ideals. Yuzu also puts Yuya’s safety over her own and her speeches are the only thing to reach him as the Zarc vs Ray/Reira duel showed. Fan reaction proves this, Yuya and Yuzu is one of the most popular ships in their fandom while Yuma and Kotori is hardly liked at all. And how he writes girls … Look Yu-Gi-Oh! isn’t going to win awards on how to write women unless you include Season 1 of Arc-V. But Yoshida is the worst at them, nearly every women he writes is obsessed over romance and plays little to no part in the story. Rio appeared as an independent girl that didn’t want to seen as part of Shark. And she became just that, she never made her own decisions ever and everything that came out of her mouth was about Shark and that’s it. She became his angst magnet. And based on how Aoi was written, I doubt he’s changed in Vr–ns.

Next I don’t think Yoshida understands the idea of a card game show. While card game shows are generally shonen series, they don’t have the same rules as a general shonen series. An enemy having a broken power in a regular shonen is accepted because the point of shonen is to make things unfair for the protagonist so the audience can feel something when they overcome it. That doesn’t work with card games, there has to be a SENSE of balance as card games are meant to be a game first and foremost. Otherwise the enemy comes across as overpowered to the point of ridiculousness. Don Thousand was overpowered to the point I was rolling my eye when he was literally breaking the rules of the game. From easily causing 50,000 points of damage, to summoning monsters with 10,000 and later 100,000 attack points. Don didn’t feel powerful, he felt like the writers were trying too hard to make him dangerous and instead came off as annoying.  

But the worst part of this is how Yoshida never changes. Everything that he works on has a basic plot and character types and he never varies. His writing has the same ideas in the seasons he writes. And I’ve seen how some people defend him on this because of his writing style. I strongly disagree, authors can have similar themes and ideas but they should never make a series the exact same. Kasumi Ono was the director for 5d’s and Arc-V while there are similarities in themes and character points, it’s impossible to say they’re alike at all. Or the writer for Type-Moon, compared Fate/Stay Night and Fate/Extra. They take the same concept and play with it so the story is different.  Authors don’t have to make everything original but the problem is Yoshida rarely changes the details at all.  

#zxl damn it #wow that was a lot #even for me #I'm actually kinda tired now

[hockey-writings]

Accidental Brunch Buddies | Z. Werenski

Words: 1515

Who: Zach Werenski

Warnings: A couple curse words

Mentions: Auston Matthews heavily, with only Sidney Crosby and Johnny G. mentioned briefly

Requested? No

Author's Note: So. I had to write something after watching the NHL Awards tonight and this is what I wrote. I'm tempted to, maybe, write a second part for this one, but only if there's interest!

You had been standing backstage for what felt like hours, waiting for your father to finish his required media interviews. Your brother was off somewhere talking to one of his teammates, likely making plans for later that involved a casino (or multiple casinos, probably). They hadn’t seen each other since the end of the season, so you understood why he had ditched you and gone to talk to him. Still, you hated standing there, pretending to be engrossed in your phone when, in reality, you just wanted to stay out of the way. Already you had accidentally bumped into Sidney Crosby who was on his way to an interview no doubt, and then you backed into sweet, innocent Johnny Gaudreau who looked absolutely mortified by the idea that he had bumped into you, even though it was really your fault. He apologized at least three times, but you waved him off and his handler dragged him away.

Sighing, you perused your Instagram feed for the hundredth time that night, growing more impatient by the minute because you had seen your best friend’s picture of her ridiculously large burrito at least five times now. There had hardly been any new pictures since the last time you checked, which meant that you really, really needed to get out of here soon. What could they possibly be asking your dad, anyway? He was retired, had been for nearly ten years, so what on earth could they be asking him that was so important?

Just as you were about to shoot a text to your brother, someone knocked into you from behind, sending your clutch flying to the ground.

Wow, this time it wasn’t you that had been clumsy!

“Shit. I’m sorry.” And then you saw a flash of dark hair out of the corner of your eye that swooped down and retrieved your purse before you had the chance.

You recognized his face almost immediately; it had been plastered on the giant screen over an hour ago, after all. Zach Werenski.

“It’s fine,” you smiled, taking your clutch from his grasp when he held it out for you, “no harm done.”

He smiled back at you, searching your eyes for a moment as a wave of recognition washed over him. He must’ve recognized you, or had some inkling as to who you were. “Waiting for someone?”

You nodded and gestured to the media area off to the side. “Unfortunately.”

He glanced over to the designated media section and then back at you, chewing on his bottom lip. His eyes scanned the various players (both former and current), probably trying to figure out who you had come with. “Boyfriend?”

“Dad,” you clarified, “I’m Y/D/F/N Y/D/L/N’s daughter, Y/N.”

“Oh.” You almost giggled when you noticed the surprise on his face. “Oh.” He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly a little nervous. Your father’s reputation as a total goon on the ice preceded him, even if he hadn’t played in the NHL for years. “That’s cool.”

“It’s okay, you know,” you pushed your clutch back under your arm, “he’s not going to murder you for talking to me. It’s my brother you have to worry about.”

His eyes widened in shock and you shook your head, chuckling, which caused him to relax because he realized you had been joking. “That’s not nice.”

“Eh, the look on your face was pretty funny.” You winked at him, which caused a small smile to pull at the corners of his mouth. “Actually, I think my brother might’ve left me here. He took off to go talk to Bergy.”

Zach nodded and then opened his mouth, ready to say something, but the sound of someone clearing their throat behind him caused him to clamp his mouth shut.

You looked over his shoulder and caught sight of Auston Matthews standing there just a few inches behind the Columbus Blue Jackets rookie, that ever-present smirk on his face. He caught your gaze almost immediately and that smirk turned into a smile.

“Uh, this is Auston,” Zach motioned towards his friend, then to you, “Auston, this is Y/N. She’s Y/D/L/N’s daughter.”

Auston’s eyes widened, much like Zach’s had, and then he offered his hand to you. “Nice to meet you.”

Smiling, you shook his hand, knowing that, somewhere, thousands of girls were crying at your fortune right now, being able to shake Auston Matthew’s hand. “You, too.”

“Is your brother around?” Auston wondered, looking around the busy room for a few seconds before his gaze settled back on you.

You shrugged and then rolled your eyes, “he ditched me to go talk to Bergeron. I have no idea where he is now.”

“Oh. Okay.” Auston glanced between you and Zach, probably feeling like he had interrupted something. “Zach and I were gonna grab dinner with my family. You’re welcome to come, if you want. My dad will probably grill you about your dad, though. Just warning you.”

“Oh. Um…”

“You don’t have to,” Zach assured, turning back around to face you completely, “you probably have plans already.”

In a perfect world, you might’ve just said “fuck it!” and agreed to go with them, knowing the opportunity would probably never present itself again. But this wasn’t a perfect world and you knew that your dad had already made reservations at a well-known steakhouse on the strip. It was a restaurant that he had frequented often and they always made space for him, no matter what. Besides, if your brother caught wind of you breaking plans with your father to go hang out with Auston and Zach, he’d never let you hear the end of it. Not to mention the fact that your dad had been planning this dinner for weeks, ever since you finished your semester at college.

“I’d love to, believe me. But my dad is expecting me to have dinner with him.” You frowned, looking between the two rookies with disappointment. “I mean, we could meet up later? My brother is probably going to the casino, so I could go with him and…” Shit. You had completely forgotten they weren’t even old enough to drink in this country. “Nevermind.”

Auston chuckled, while Zach glanced away, embarrassed. You had to wonder if they had realized you were legally able to drink and gamble in the United States, though you guessed not. You blamed your face; people often thought you were much younger than twenty-one.

“Brunch tomorrow?” You offered, hoping the three of you could find a happy medium somehow.

“I’d be down, but I’ve got an early flight back to Arizona.”

So, that was a no from Auston.

“I could do brunch,” Zach nodded, eyes twinkling at the prospect of being able to hang out with you again – away from his friend. “My flight isn’t until later.”

“I thought you said you had to le – “

“Nope. No. I changed my flight. Remember?” The dark-haired rookie narrowed his eyes at the slightly taller boy to his left.

You noticed that Auston was trying his hardest not to burst out laughing, “yeah, sure. I remember now.”

You glanced back and forth between the boys, eyebrow quirked in both amusement and confusion, before you just smirked and unlocked your phone, handing it to Zach. “Number, please?”

He quickly typed his info into your contacts and then returned your phone to you, a pleasant smile on his face.

“What, I don’t get to give you my number?” Auston asked, pouting.

“Nope,” you said, popping the ‘p’ in dramatic fashion, “because you’re not my brunch buddy.”

“Fine.” The Arizona native huffed. “I don’t even want to have brunch with you, anyway.”

Both you and Zach just rolled your eyes, smiling to each other because of Auston’s antics. You knew he was joking, it was plainly obvious, and the smile on his face after his declaration of disinterest was enough to tell you he didn’t mean a word of it.

“We should probably go. His family is waiting,” Zach informed you, sadly.

“Yeah, I need to go find my brother. Who knows where he went.” You smiled softly, shoving your phone into your clutch and then looking between both Zach and Auston, unsure of how to say bye. “It was nice meeting you both. Sucks you can’t come enjoy some delicious brunch with us, Auston. We’ll just have to soldier on without you.”

Zach chuckled, while Auston rolled his eyes at you. “Rude,” he said, “just rude.”

You stuck your tongue out at him playfully before stepping to the side of them, your gaze now fixed on Zach, “see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” he grinned, “definitely.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

You could feel them both watching your backside as you flitted away, eager to find where your brother had disappeared to, but you didn’t mind.

“Her brother is going to kill you,” Auston told his friend, a knowing smirk on his face as he turned towards his friend after you had disappeared from eyesight. “You realize that, right?”

Zach shook his head and narrowed his eyes at the other rookie, “can we go eat now?”

#zach werenski #nhl imagines #nhl imagine #nhl oneshot #nhl drabble #columbus blue jackets

[newagesispage]

                                                              FEBRUARY          2020

PAGE  RIB

 *****

Just as we said good bye to 2019, 75 of The Rolling Stones outtakes and such were released for a minute on You tube.  The thinking seems to be that the tracks which could be found under 69RSTRAX were ‘released’ before public domain sets in.

*****

Check out Somebody up there likes me, a doc about the life of Ronnie Wood.

*****

Bill Wyman has a new book out set for release on Feb, 29 called Stones: From the Inside

*****

The film, The Burnt Orange Heresy looks great and will open on March 6.

*****

Steve Martin has been talking about next year’s Hulu series he did with Martin Short, Only murders in the building. I thought it was a bit but apparently it is real and I can’t wait!!

*****

I loved Samantha Bee’s take on ghost sex: Spook softly and carry a big dick. Too funny!

*****

Bill Maher just bought a new place in Avalon on Santa Catalina Island for a mil. The area boasts hardly any cars as most people get around on foot or by golf cart.

*****

Stephen Colbert’s executive producer Tom Purcell came up with the idea years ago for a home makeover show that does a re-do on murder houses. Someone else came along and thought it again because now we have Murder House Flip.

*****

Abby Huntsman has left the View.

*****

The Oscar noms are out with Joker leading the pack. There is Leo and Joaquin for actor and Hanks, Hopkins, Pacino, Pesci and Pitt for supporting. That is the TOUGH category. For actress there is Cynthia Erivo and Renee Z. Kathy Bates is up for supporting. Johansson is up for 2. For films, they love Ford V Ferrari, The Irishman, Jo Jo Rabbit, Marriage Story, Joker, Little Women, 1017, Parasite and Once upon a time in Hollywood.

*****

Dave Chappelle, Marianne Williamson and Donald Glover are helping to raise $ for Andrew Yang.

*****

The last season of Criminal Minds is officially underway and I was so fucking glad that Dorian Harewood was there for the final shows. Woo Hoo!!

*****

Neil Young and John Oliver are now American citizens

*****

Interrogation is a new tv series that looks promising.

*****

Wes Anderson’s new film, French Dispatch that he wrote with Hugo Guinness, Jason Schwartzman and Roman Coppola will be out on July 24. The production features Benecio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand and Bill Murray.

*****

The Russell Simmons doc about his incidents with women has lost its executive producer, Oprah.

*****

John Stewart has written and directed a new film, Irresistible starring Steve Carell and Chris Cooper.

*****

I am so sick of the multiple pens it takes to sign the documents when they sign something into law etc. You are wasting our money signing a letter at a time, politicians just so U can give some crap as a keepsake. Let’s have a real signature! I don’t think the average person would be allowed to sign official papers that way.

*****

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has decided on their new inductees: Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, T Rex, Whitney Houston, Notorious B.I.G., Nine inch nails and the Ahmet Ertegun award will go to manager Irving Azoff along with journalist and manager Jon Landau.

*****

Julian Castro is out, Marianne Williamson is out, Cory Booker is out.** Sanders got the endorsement of Nevada’s largest teacher’s union and the black caucus.** Bloomberg says he will use his $ for whoever is the democratic candidate. He is also running an anti-gun ad during the Super Bowl.

*****

I wish Rep. Doug Collins would stop talking.

*****

Ken Jennings was the big Jeopardy winner in the showdown.

*****

Diego the tortoise has had so much sex that he saved his species. There were only a few of them left and now there are about 2,000.

*****

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics will be here July 24.

*****

Warren and Bernie got into it after the January debate. They sort of called each other liars.

*****

Hillary Clinton is the first female chancellor of Queens University.** The Justice department inquiry into Hillary has finally ended. They found nothing.

*****

The Golden Globes had some very deserving winners like Succession, Brian Cox, Laura Dern, Olivia Coleman, Patricia Arquette and Joaquin Phoenix. Tarantino was honored for his writing. I think the best dressed were numerous this year. There was hardly a wrong choice except for J Lo, Thomasin Mckenzie, Ryan Seacrest and Beyonce. I loved Joey King, Michelle Pfeifer, Kaitlin Deaver, Rose Leslie, Cate Blanchett, Ellen and Portia, Phoebe Waller- Bridge, Cynthia Erivo, Eddie Murphy and Paige Butcher, Brad and Leo, Zoe Kravitz, Helen Mirren, Annabelle Wallis, Lisa Lu, Bill Hader, Kerry Washington, Lisa Bonet, Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson, Patricia Arquette and Nicole Ansari-Cox.

*****

The SAG award also had some very well dressed which included Reese Witherspoon, Michelle Williams, Lupita Nyongo, Zoey Kravitz, Millie Bobbie Brown the Schitts Creek cast and Patricia Arquette. Christina Applegate was a bit too old school but she rocked it. The people on the SAG carpet were very chatty.  Parasite was named best cast. Other winners included Zellweger, Joaquin, Sam Rockwell, The Crown, Laura Dern and Dinklage. I have not seen The Morning Show but I was a bit shocked to see Jennifer Aniston win over Jody Comer, Helena Bonham Carter, Olivia Coleman or Elizabeth Moss. This was an award from her fellow actors so I suppose they wanted to send her some love. Her ex Brad Pitt won as well and went on and on about himself.

*****

The Grammys were pretty somber with a lot of ballads and the sadness of the death of Kobe Bryant that day. Aerosmith refused to let drummer Joey Kramer play with them and many found the performance a mess. A wonderful moment was Tanya Tucker and Brandi Carlile with their song that went on to win best country song. Tanya Tucker won best country album. Other winners included Billir Eilish, Lizzo, Elvis Costello and the imposters, Gary Clark Jr., Nipsey Hussle and John Legend, Willie Nelson, Michelle Obama and Dave Chappelle. I had no love for the fashion of Ariana Grande or Rosalia. My best dressed were Lizzo, Camila Cabello, Elle Mai, Jameela Jamill, Billy Porter, Bebe Rexha and Alessandria Ambrosia.

*****

Roman Polanski’s An Officer and a spy captured the most noms at France’s Cesar awards.

*****

What IS Iran’s cyber capability? Give us details when it comes to Trump’s act of aggression against Iran. Wasn’t he supposed to get us out of the Middle East?** Our own government has concluded that withholding aid to Ukraine was illegal even though half the Senate does not seem to care.

*****

Dori Miller is the first person who was not a President to have an aircraft carrier named after him. The African American hero was at first not recognized for his bravery but FDR changed that. Construction will be completed in about 8 years.

*****

Gustav Klempt’s missing Portrait of a Lady was found in a hole in the wall of a house. It had not been seen since 1997.

*****

Kathy Griffin got married on New Year’s Eve to her long time love, Randy Bick with Lily Tomlin officiating.

*****

Venture capitalist Imaad Zuberi pled guilty to obstruction of justice for impeding a Federal investigation into the inaugural fraud.

*****

Eric Swalwell has said that everybody will want the Trump trial in the future wherein the person on trial gets to make the rules. It will be a thing. Who needs witnesses?

*****

So there is a story that many Puerto Rican’s have had to move to the continental U.S. (mostly Fla.) because of the lack of help they have received from the current administration. Now, they can only vote in primaries in Puerto Rico but when they settle in other places they can actually VOTE for President. Lesson: Help Others!

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A Federal court just affirmed an injunction preventing the Trump administration from discharging air force members living with HIV. It is hard to keep up on all the despicable things this administration is doing.** Scary Clown 45 thinks he is responsible for low cancer rates. They have been steadily going down anyway. He wants a 4.9 bil cut in medical research, 897 mil cut in National cancer institute and a 763 mil cut for the CDC. Luckily it didn’t happen.

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Apparently before the impeachment trial began, Trump’s legal team gave thousands of dollars in contributions to Moscow Mitch, Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz. What a sad time for this country. KEEP INVESTIGATING ANYWAY.

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A new immigrant prison just opened in Baldwin, Michigan, run by GEO, a for profit prison company.

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The wall is costing about 20 mil a mile and the 100 miles or so completed have mostly been repairs to existing structure. When G W Bush was in office the cost was about 4 mil a mile.** About 30 feet of the wall feel into Mexico due to high winds.

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Season 7 of Grace and Frankie will be the last.

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The White House streamed a sermon from the Holy City Church of God in Christ in Memphis. The event that VP Pence attended for the MLK holiday was led by a pastor who claimed that our gay friends were possessed by demons.

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Days alert: Loved Kristen’s call back to Rosemary’s baby again when talking about little Andy or Jenny. I can’t believe that in those same flashbacks we learned what a horrible Mother’s Day they had.  How could so much go wrong in 1 day? ** Hooray, More Tony and Anna!! ** The heartbreak of John and Marlena and the evil of the brainwashed really harkens back to the heyday of Days.** I wish that the baby mix up story would bring Tate and Theresa back to town! It is time for she and Brady to get back together!

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Rudy has started a podcast.

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I am often not a fan of tradition (royal, religious or otherwise) but I admit it gave me great comfort to see the articles of impeachment walked carefully to the Senate chamber. We still have a little bit of order amidst all the chaos of the Trump era.

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The Astros are cheaters.

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The super bowl will be upon us on Feb.2 with Kansas City V San Francisco.

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6139 military vets committed suicide in 2019. R.I.P.

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R.I.P. victims of the Australian fires, Chris Tolkein, Neil Peart, David Olney , Terry Jones, Mr. Peanut , Jim Lehrer , victims of the Calabasas helicopter crash and Buck Henry.