#eddie loves steve and that includes wanting to hear him talk about his favorite things | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

italiansteebie · 11 months

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Eddie was always asking Steve something.

“What’s your favorite color?”

“How do you get your hair like that?”

“What did you dream about last night?”

And everytime it was about him. And that’s what had Steve confused, because why did someone so interesting like Eddie Munson want to know about boring old Steve? I mean, what you see is what you get with the guy, there’s not much to him. But Eddie seemed to be interested in it.

Now, Steve wasn’t dumb, he could be a little airheaded but, he can tell when someone is flirting with him, and boy, was Eddie flirting with him. He didn’t mind it though, not one bit, because if he was being honest, he had a huge crush on the guy. He was super smart, and creative, and he already liked the kids that seemed to always be hanging around him, and damn. He was kind of out of his league, but Eddie was flirting with him, and Steve was in no rush to stop it.

So when Eddie asked his questions, Steve always answered with not much of a second thought, though there was always that lingering question in the back of his mind that wondered why Eddie wanted to know these things. It’s not like he was all that interesting, but Eddie always responded with genuine interest, and well. It made Steve feel good. No one had ever taken the time to ask him questions like that, they always seemed to just… Figure it out in their own time, through passing conversations, or some other situation.

So yeah, Steve really liked when Eddie asked him about himself, but he didn’t realize the effect it had on him.

—

It was hellfire night, Steve offered to host, maybe it was just an excuse to talk to Eddie, but no one else had to know that. Eddie was downstairs setting up, and Steve and Robin were in the kitchen. Steve was rambling on about something he’d seen on TV about sharks, (He just thought they were cool, okay? Leave him alone), and Robin had been nodding along humming occasionally.

Dustin came bounding around the corner, arms full of snacks he’d brought for the meeting. “Uh oh! Let's go downstairs, Steve is talking about himself again!” He sing-songed, earning a giggle from Robin, which honestly hurt. He didn’t realize people hated it so much when he talked about his interests. “Hey? What’s wrong with sharks?” He sighed, looking at Robin who only shrugged. “You just… Have a tendency to ramble and well… It’s not that interesting.” Dustin said, painfully blunt as always. Steve hid his hurt with an eye roll and a scoff, “Whatever. Get out of my kitchen, Henderson.” He said, pointing towards the basement door, where he could hear Eddie shuffling around.

The kids and the rest of hellfire trailed down the stairs, leaving Steve and Robin alone once more.

“Is it really that annoying when I talk about stuff?” Steve asked, tone ringing with sincerity. Robin walked over to him, worming her way into his arms, “Steve, you know I love you. And you’re a really cool person, sometimes, but. Ever since hanging out with Eddie more, you’ve started to ramble, and well. It’s just… Kinda…” She trailed. Steve backed away from her, “Oh my god! You think I’m annoying?” He scoffs, “See if I listen to any more of your rambles, Bobs.” He says, pushing her gently.

He hoped it came off as casual but damn. If Robin thinks he’s annoying well then…

So he pulls away a little bit. Not just from her, but from everyone, including Eddie.

—

It comes to a head five days later, Eddie and Steve are hanging out in the trailer, watching MTV. A commercial pops up about a new hair care product that Steve’s been hearing about, and he lights up. “Hey! That’s the thing I was telling you about! The one where it- uh. Nevermind.” He said, catching the beginning of his ramble, leaning back into the couch and sighing.

Eddie turned to him, “Why’d you stop, Stevie?” concern written all over his face. Steve sighed, shaking his head, “Nothing I just- I know it’s annoying when I talk about the stuff I like because no one else in the group likes it so I just. I’ve been trying to like. Not talk as much I guess?” He admitted, ducking his head. He felt Eddie shift suddenly, and soon enough the metal head finagled him into his lap. “Steve. I love when you talk about the stuff you like, because your face lights up and you get so into it and well. I like to learn about you, you pay so much attention to everyone else around you, I just felt like you deserved to have the favor returned.” Eddie said, placing a hand on Steve’s cheek.��

“Really? You don’t think it’s like, annoying or anything?”

“Steve, you listen to me ramble for hours about lord of the rings and I know you have no idea what I’m going on about half the time. If you can sit through that, and listen to our hellfire sessions, then I can only do the same for you. And don’t say it’s different because it’s not. Your interests are just as special as any of ours.”

Steve sniffled, trying to hide the fact that he’d teared up at Eddie’s speech.

“Awe, Steve are you crying? I- Did I say something wrong?” He asked gently, Steve shaking his head frantically. “No, no. Not at all, I- No one has ever wanted to get to know me like this, I’m just. Happy. Yeah,” He said tearfully, wiping his eyes. Eddie held him closer, and Steve relished in the feeling.

“Eddie?”

“Yeah, Stevie?”

“I’m falling in love with you.”

Eddie paused, and there was silence.

Steve shifted suddenly, pulling out of Eddie’s grapes and standing up. “Eddie, I am so sorry, I shouldn't have sprung that on you like that. I’m so-” Eddie cut him off, standing and grasping his waist. “Steve. The more I get to know you, the further I fall for you. I uh. I’m gonna kiss you now, okay?” He said, eyes flickering down to Steve’s lips, feeling his breath on his face. “Okay,” Steve breathed, a smile spreading on his face as they leaned in.

They shared a sweet kiss, Eddie’s hands wrapped around Steve’s waist, Steve’s hands tangled in the metal head’s hair. They pulled away slightly, “Stop smiling so much, it makes it hard for me to kiss you,” Eddie murmured, unable to keep his own smile off his face. “I can’t help it.” Steve sighed, resting his forehead against Eddie’s. “I know, baby, me either.” Eddie said, tone close to something of bliss. They stayed in that position for who knows how long, swaying to the music that played quietly on the TV set.

—

And the next time the kids tried to cut Steve off of his rambles, Eddie countered the attack with a “Next time we’ll just make out instead.” Which earned a groan from the kids and hellfire, and somewhat of a fond look from Robin who tried to hide it by rolling her eyes. “You guys are so gross!” She called. “We know!” Was the response she got from Eddie, who couldn’t be bothered to hear what she had to say next because he was ankle deep into a conversation with Steve, and he was so locked in to what he was saying, Steve might as well have been reciting ‘Star Wars.’

#steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #best friend robin #insecure Steve Harrington #sad steve harrington #steddie ficlet #stranger things #steddie fic #best friend robin buckley #soft eddie munson #soft steve harrington #autistic steve harrington

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thegoblinboy · 11 months

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Ok so like I’m exhausted- and I just really need to get this idea off my chest.

But a streamer au. Obviously modern, where Steve can’t hear anything because he accidentally dropped his hearing aids in the toilet. (Something real goofy and stupid) and he’s friends with popular streamer Dustin Henderson (who plays all sorts of games) not only is Steve friends with him but he’s friends with a few other streamers. Though they all want to include Steve in on their Minecraft server, because they know that when he has his hearing back he’ll be on there all the time talking to them. That and he also enjoys building things with Robin and just wander around the world. So they all get this server set up and start streaming. Some newer streamers join as well that Steve doesn’t know but the others know, and Steve has quickly become a fan favorite.

They are roleplaying a DnD campaign in Minecraft, when Steve’s character just pops out of no where doing the randomest things, at this point he even has lore. He’s a mute character who can only talk through messages. Everyone just loves Steve. He’s made numerous friends, and has helped build a lot of things. And no one in chat as ever seen or heard him. Though he is always in Eddie Munson’s streams constantly. Eddie is a older streamer, but wasn’t in on the fact that Steve can hear he just needs hearing aids. So when Steve explains he’s mostly deaf he just goes on about his day like normal. Though now typing book length messages to Steve. (Every streamer can see these messages, Eddie enjoys talking there so his chat can see what Steve’s saying and it’s easier to read off the same screen instead of having to constantly switch to discord) at this point Steve and Eddie are thick as thief’s.

Eddie’s the chaotic one and Steve is the tame one, and their videos together are hilarious. Though when Steve finally gets his hearing aids he’s excited to finally be able to talk to his new friend. He clicks in and joins the voice chat where you can only hear each other when you are actually close to each other in game. (Proximity) so when Eddie comes on and finds Steve he’s talking to his chat, not really caring about muting his mic because Steve can’t hear it. And he doesn’t stream.

And Steve his beaming and happy because he can finally hear Eddie’s voice. His hearing aids are a lot better then the last ones and he isn’t as muffled anymore. He stays silent, because he’s shy. And he tags along with Eddie. Who’s now changing his skin back and forth and talking to chat still. Steve hasn’t said anything. He’s waiting.

“Alright fine fine, I’ll ask Steve if he likes the maid out fit or the bunny suit.” Is heard right before aggressive typing begins.

Steve answers without thinking, and sounds really soft. “Maid Outfit.”

And his first words spoken to Eddie are maid outfit. And the timing is hilarious because he’s pretty sure Eddie has flat lined.

“Also, meant to ask why are our beds pushed together?” Steve asks.

Just I want a really cute au like this. And not weird.

Or instead of the maid outfit, chat is telling Eddie to give Steve his daily kiss. (It’s not he just moves forward and hits Steve’s Minecraft character) which has always confused steve until he hears. “Fine daily smooch for the Stevie boo” (Eddie has given him nicknames?) and just smacks Steve’s character making him loose a heart.

“Ow. That’s why you keep hitting me? For kisses? Eddie I gave you cake, we share a house together and you decided smacking my character upside the head was the equivalent to kissing? You could have just given me flowers dude!”

(Like all of the possibilities are endless)

#steddie #stranger things #eddie munson #steve x eddie #steve harrington #steveharrington #bxb #steveddie #eddie stranger things #steve and eddie #streamer au #hoh steve harrington

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scarisd3ad · 2 months

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In a world of boys, he’s a gentleman

pairing - steve harrington x fem!reader

summary - "But if I'm all dressed up, they might as well be looking at us and if they call me a slut, you know it might be worth it for once, and if I'm gonna be drunk might as well be drunk in love."

(A/N) - happy kind of late Valentine's Day lol, but here is a cute little fic based off of my favorite 1989 tv vault track.

Warnings - slut shaming, cursing, drinking

Masterlist

"Are you sure? I know you don't really like these kinds of things anymore," I say with a sigh. Steve and I are parked out in front of some random junior's house. Ever since Steve had graduated this May, he wasn't really in the party scene anymore. It might have been just because he was always busy working, or with the kids though, or maybe he wanted to leave his high school self behind. I was a year younger than Steve so I still being in high school wanted to party my senior year away before subsequently going to college next August.

I wanted him here for some type of protection from the men who frequented these parties. When I didn't have someone, I could claim as my 'boyfriend' they'd have their grimy little hands all over me. Luckily, this time I had my actual boyfriend. "it's fine," he whispers, grabbing my hand and giving it a little squeeze before removing the keys from the ignition and getting out of the car.

As we walk up to the front door, I can feel the chill in the air seeping through the thin fabric of the dress I'm wearing. The dress, which I thought would be perfect for the occasion, now seems like a poor choice, given the unforgiving October winds. I shiver uncontrollably as a strong gust of wind blows past us, sending my hair flying in all directions. The coldness of the wind is so biting that I almost regret leaving the house without a jacket.

Steve reaches out and grabs my hand as he pushes the front door open. As we approached the house, the booming sound of music and the constant buzz of voices could be heard from the outside. I could feel the beat of the music reverberating through my body as I made my way to the door. However, as soon as the door opened, the volume seemed to increase tenfold, making it difficult to hear anything else. The house was alive with energy, pulsing with the rhythm of the music and the excitement of the people inside.

The house seemed to be getting more and more crowded as we made our way further into the house. As we ventured deeper into the house, the once spacious and airy rooms gradually became cramped and stuffy. The air was thick with the scent of cheap booze, sex, and teenage sweat.

Although Steve had been gone from the hallways of Hawkins High for almost an entire semester Everyone still fawned over Steve Harrington the same way they had been for the past four years. sophomore girls, smile and wave as they send him flirty winks that are paired with a "hii Steve" which makes me roll my eyes each time, even freshman girls bat their eyelashes at him and wave shyly. god, sometimes I wished my boyfriend wasn't as popular as he was.

"Wasn't she with Eddie Munson last weekend?" I hear one girl ask as Steve and I pass by them. Luckily or unluckily, Steve stops to talk to one of his old basketball friends so I can hear the rest of their conversation. "No, no, that was the weekend before that last weekend she was with…what's his name fuck Sam…Samuel gives" The other girl, a brunette I recognized as a junior who was in p.e with me, says. The other one was a blonde that I don't particularly recognize but I knew I'd probably seen her around at least once laugh a big belly laugh before scoffing "fucking slut, didn't realize Steve was into those types of girls, especially after Nancy wheeler" it hurt but 'slut' was something most girls including me have been called more than once.

When I'm using my male friends as human shields at parties, I never thought about how other girls would think about me. It's not like I really cared anyway (I did). "Dresses like one too, who even thinks of wearing something like that" I looked down at my dress, maybe it was a little over the top, but there were other girls here dressed similarly in tiny dresses that barely covered their asses, most were shorter than mine. So why was I getting judged for my dress when Heather Blake was in the tiniest red dress I've ever seen as she was grinding up against Daren Russel?

"When I was getting dressed earlier, I thought the dress looked cute. It was smaller than what I usually wear, and I was a bit scared that I might draw more attention to myself than I'd like. But I thought, "if I'm all dressed up, they might as well be looking at us". But now, after being called a slut, I was rethinking that mindset. "Hey Stevie, I'm gonna go get a drink kay?" he nods. "Yeah hon, can you get me a beer?" I hum quietly as I nod before walking off towards the kitchen.

There are a few girls, freshmen, who are taking shot after shot. Their boyfriends must have been seniors because normally freshmen aren't invited to parties like this. "Hey, can I have some of that?" I ask. All three girls are hammered, slurring out their words and stumbling around, "Y-yeahhh girl hereeee!" one shouts over the music as she hands me a prefilled disposable shot glass. The liquid inside is clear, making me assume it's vodka. I might as well be drunk if I was going to be overthinking those girls' conversation the entire night. I lean my head back as I take the shot, letting it burn down the back of my throat.

The three girls are giggling as the middle one, who is way smaller than me in height and weight, boldy downs two shots in a row before shouting "Wooooo!!!" which makes me internally cringe for her. "Hey, can I have another?"

7 shots in and I'm drunk as a motherfucker. The three girls had since gone, mumbling a quiet excuse about how all three of their mothers were going to be pissed in. They didn't get the littlest sobered up fast. So that left me with about half a bottle of vodka.

"Hey baby, thought you were bringing me a beer" Two familiar arms wrap around my torso which makes me drunkenly smile and turn around in his arms. "I wa-wasss," I slurred as I leaned my head against his shoulder, "but got distr-distracted," I said with a giggle. Steve sighs softly as he takes my face in his hands "You're drunk honey" I roll my eyes playfully giggling a quiet "duhhh" his thumb caresses my cheek as his eyes fall behind me at the empty shot glasses and now about quarter-filled vodka bottle. "Shit, honey, how much was in that bottle? " I shrugged as I watched the two girls who had been talking about me earlier walk into the kitchen, both giggling as they looked me up and down.

I frown as I look up into his big brown eyes, which are filled with concern. "Am I a slut?" I whispered softly. Despite my best efforts to not let those girls' words get to me; they had been unknowingly eating away at me all night. "What? who…who told you that? Why the fu-" I shrug as my bottom lip pops out in a pout. "Honey, you're not a slut. And if you were, I wouldn't care because as long as you're my girl, I'll be the happiest man alive. " If I'm gonna be drunk, might as well be drunk in love.

#fanfics #x reader #stranger things #steve harrington x reader #fem!reader #joe keery #steve harrington #female!reader #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington x female!reader #stranger things x reader #x female!reader

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hairstevington · 2 years

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“Who looks like a better kisser?”

Steddie/Ronance (fluff, playful banter, teasing, flustered Steve)

Author’s Note: This is just a cute random one shot about my favorite gays. Probably gonna start writing about the fruity four a lot just because I’m obsessed with the dynamic lmao

“Why does it even matter?” Robin whined, collapsing on the couch next to Nancy. She had just returned from a long shift and was immediately bombarded by Eddie and Steve playfully arguing over a bunch of bullshit, as they usually did.

“It doesn’t, I’m just trying to prove a point, here.” Eddie said. Steve rolled his eyes and put his hands on his hips.

“How long have they been at this?” Robin whispered to Nancy.

“Too long.” Nancy responded, sipping her drink and handing it to Robin so she could have some as well. “You can’t tell if somebody is a good kisser just by looks alone, guys. Can we drop this?”

“You totally can, and I will not. Which of us looks like they’d be better?” Eddie repeated.

“This is dumb.” Robin sighed. “And we’re not really the girls you should be asking.”

“Oh, I think you’re exactly the girls we should be asking.” Steve argued. “You’re unbiased.”

“I mean, are we? Considering you and Nancy-”

“Robin! Can we not?” Nancy hissed.

“Hey, I’m just saying maybe it would be helpful in deciding!” Robin laughed, kissing the annoyance off Nancy’s face.

“The question was who LOOKS like a better kisser, not who IS a better kisser. Steve and I dating is irrelevant.” Nancy concluded.

“Ouch, you hear that Harrington?” Eddie teased.

“I’m going to strangle you.” Steve said playfully.

“Pretty please?” Eddie smirked. Steve blushed so hard he nearly passed out.

“Gross, you guys.” Nancy commented, taking another sip of her drink.

“My bet’s on Eddie!” Robin decided.

“Really, Robin? After everything we’ve been through?” Steve joked.

“Sorry.” Robin, shrugged. “Remember when Billie said your lips looked too wet?”

“That doesn’t count, I had just chugged like a gallon of water.” Steve argued.

“Hold up, you and Hargrove?” Eddie asked, intrigued.

“Steve!! Are you serious?” Nancy interjected, her eyes bulging.

“No, no, no. Billie Jenkins. When would Hargrove and I have had time to flirt? After I hit him with that car?” Steve replied.

“Well, you did say you were in the school shower together that one time…” Robin insinuated. Eddie’s face lit up as he played along enthusiastically, gasping.

“Steve! Was I not your first guy crush?”

“Shut up, I did not have a thing for Billy Hargrove.” Steve spat at them.

“I mean, you were kind of obsessed with him when he first transferred.” Nancy revealed.

“Oh my god! Why is everybody ganging up on me right now?” Steve shouted.

“Because you look so cute when you’re flustered.” Eddie said, running his hands through Steve’s hair. “Nancy, come on, what’s your answer?”

“Who do I have to vote for in order to end this conversation?” Nancy remarked, dryly. The group laughed, then waited expectantly for her answer. “Fine. Based on looks alone, and not including any information I’ve since come to know about either of you…Eddie. It’s Eddie.” Robin and Eddie cheered.

“You guys are dead to me.” Steve uttered, pointing at the loved ones around him.

“If it’s any consolation, Steve, you are an amazing kisser!” Nancy insisted.

“Don’t pity me, Nance.” Steve dismissed.

“No, she’s telling the truth. When we first started dating I asked her about it.” Robin added. Steve’s glance darted towards her, confused. “What? I was curious!”

“Girls really do talk about everything, huh?” Eddie replied, amused. “Steve, babe, don’t worry about it. I wanted to kiss you the moment I saw your pretty face. Honest to god.”

“So what was the point of all this then?” Steve asked.

“Oh, I’m just an asshole.” Eddie smirked, putting his arm around Steve and pulling him close. “So, movie time?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TAGLIST: @ofherscarlettwitchways @livvyshmiv @paintballkid711 @abraca-fxckyou

#stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #ronance #steddie #the fruity four #robin x nancy #steve harrington x eddie munson #eddie x steve #fanfic #writing #me #st fanfiction #st4 vol2 #st fanfic #st fic #st4

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berrymoos · 2 years

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i hate baby jonny being sad and upset over will(;_;) it BREAKS MY HEART and after i finished reading him getting scared i couldn’t stop imagining what would happen if max had a nightmare :0

*getting the scene set up please standby*

ok so she’s at mike’s house and the whole party’s there including the older teens and they’ve had a movie bing, they’ve pigged out on junk food, they’ve been talking about everything and nothing and now they’ve finally gone to sleep with no problems, aside from steve having to sneak into holly’s room to steal her nightlight for jonathan, and everything’s good

she had stayed big the whole night and was having some lovely rest but then it all comes crashing back

she sees billy, the spider monster, el in terrible pain, the monster from the hospital, everything that happened that night, and she wakes up in a cold panic, scared and unfortunately little:(

she tries not to make a lot of noise while she silently sobs because it’s past midnight but steve knows when one of his babies is in trouble and wakes up in an instant

“ max, is everything okay?”

“ sorry stevie, i didn’t mean to wake you up”

“ that’s okay, do you wanna- *he’s cut off by max running from her spot next to lucas and jonny to his lap*

“ it was so scary stevie, i saw b-billy and the monsters and and…”

“ oh i’m so sorry sweetheart, how about a cookie, hmm? can a cookie cheer you up?”

“ m’kay, but can you hold me? i still scared”

“ of course! i’ll do anything to make my max happy”

*fast-forward to the kitchen*

“ chocolate chip or-

steve’s stops when he hears sniffles, sniffles he knows all too well

“ jonny? what are you doing up?”

“ max was gone”

“ no i not, i right here” *points to herself to make the point clear*

“ but not when i woke up:( me and ducky got scared”

“ well she’s here right now, she was upset that’s all”

“what!” *he and max are shocked because he never raises his voice unless he’s screaming* * even the paci falls out*

“ don’ be upset! i right here, i’ll make it better:) uppies?”

“ i don’t know buddy, i already have max..” but those eyes, those sweet eyes that break steve everytime

“ oh alright, c’mere”

now he has two babies in his arm, hugging each other with cookie crumbs on their face, when eddie and robin walk in

“ are you guys having cookies without me?”

“ that’s exactly what they’re doin’ robin, they left us out!”

“ no baby, not at all, you see max was upset and then jonny found out and one thing led to another and…”

let’s just say steve was up an extra two hours with all of them, having to squeeze his eyes shut so the puppy eyes won’t make him give them all more cookies（*＾ワ＾*）i swear if you tell lucas or nancy or will or uncle wayne about this midnight snacking…

max was happy, she had steve, her favorite friend in the whole wide world(minus el obvi) and robin and eddie to make her feel better and that nightmare was long forgotten

later steve asks her about it and she says she just can’t shake billy, he scares her to the core when she thinks about him flayed, and steve assures her that he and everyone else would always be there for her<3

nightly rambles while listening to hamilton is sm fun(>▽<)

baby jonny being upset over will is just. 💔he loves his wuh-wuh so much okay!!! AND NOW MAXIE W THE NIGHTMARE OH NO ｡･ﾟﾟ*(>д<)*ﾟﾟ･｡

steve could be in a deep REM sleep with the world around him absolutely dead to him & he would still be able to sense when one of his little ones are crying, regardless if it's silent or if he's in a different room. that's simply the mother hen in him coming out (*´˘`*)♡

when max climbs into his lap, crying about billy and the monsters and el being hurt, steve takes a moment to rock her gently, wiping tears from her eyes when she calms down. "cookies make everything better, yknow. do you want a cookie?"

"mhm .. hold me, tho, pease"

the gang actually baked a lot of different cookies earlier that night bc half of them were craving something sweet, but everyone couldn't agree on just two different kinds: there's chocolate chip, sugar, oatmeal (not oatmeal raisin), butter ... so many different kinds (≡^∇^≡) max is given the option of three different cookies bc who is steve to deny her that? (his initial bargain was 2 cookies but max said please & he caved instantly)

then jonny toddles into the kitchen, ducky in arms & paci in his mouth, eyes kinda teary bc he woke up & maxie and teeb were gone :((

"hey, bud! it's alright, maxie just had a nightmare–"

"maxie hadda nigh'mare?!"

just like max is ready to throw hands w jonny's nightmares, he's ready to chuck his stuffie at her's! how dare a nightmare make his friend upset! thankfully when his paci tumbles out of his mouth in shock it's caught by the paci clip attached to his shirt so it doesn't fall to the floor. max is like "it's okay! i okay, now!" & points to the cookies on the stove. "i'm getting cookies!"

jonny still wants uppies, just to make sure his buddy's doing extra okay ... and he also wants cookies ksndksnd & steve definitely can't say no to his sweet little eyes!! so he gets his three choice cookies, too!!

they end up having milk with their cookies, mainly bc steve wanted to dunk his chocolate chip cookie in some & the littles were like "oooo ... milk too, pease?" max gets chocolate & jonny gets angel milk, n they're all rlly content

then eddie & robin come toddling in side by side, awakened by the smell of freshly heated cookies, and they are so SCANDALIZED to find the three of them munching on cookies & milk WITHOUT them! they literally GASP & that's what catches everyone else's attention

"eddie! they're eating cookies without uuuuss!"

"that's no faaaaair!!" ･ﾟ･( ｡>д<｡)･ﾟ･

eddie's pouting so hard his cheeks r puffed out & robin's genuinely abt to cry bc she loves cookies so much — they're one of her favorite sweets — & to know there are three people eating them without her is such a horrendous crime to her little brain!! and if robin starts crying, eddie's gonna start crying, & his cries are loud so that's gonna make jonny cry bc he doesn't like loud noises, & that's also gonna wake other people up, & steve doesn't want any of that in the middle of the night \(;≡ω≡)

"hey, hey, it's okay! you guys can have some cookies too, there's enough for everybody! max was just upset, then jonny woke up and i couldn't leave him out while he watched max get her cookies, so..."

he lets the two of them have their top three choices & fixes eddie his chocolate milk; robin doesn't want milk, but she does want ice cream, so she gets a half scoop in a small bowl, & all is well again!

... until robin pulls out the puppy dog eyes for more ice cream and eddie copies her bc now he wants some ice cream, then max whips out the puppy dog eyes just to help them out bc she's a little menace at heart

"nope, nope, nope! you guys already had three cookies, and robin, you had ice cream!"

"pleeeeeeease, steviiiiiie?"

"n-no more sweets for the night, nuh-uh!"

"preeeeetty pleeeeease?"

"no more– n-no more sweets, nope...! no, no, no ... j-jonny, help a buddy out, here!"

jonny just giggles while he sips at the rest of his milk. " 'nother cookie for ducky, pease?" (ducky does not, in fact, want a cookie, jonny rlly thinks the other three ganging up on steve while he tries SO hard to stand his ground to puppy dog eyes is funny)

"oh dear god, not ducky too!"

he ends up caving and gives them their ice cream jonny a refill of angel milk, & a few bread crumbs for ducky instead of a cookie, but he put up a good fight — he stood his ground for a good 45 seconds 😭 "okay, that's IT! no more!"

okay, maybe no more sweets ... but now they want popcorn to even it out 🤭 "alriiiight ... but if you tell lucas or nancy OR will OR uncle wayne, they're going to have my head-" ESPECIALLY nancy; she's been teaching him how to stand up to the puppy dog eyes for forEVER now & he's still caving omg ,, the day he finally stands up to them will be a day of celebration

they pinky swear their secrecy. steve will not lose his head tonight!!

and two hours past midnight, after letting them munch on popcorn & a little bit of juice, then flipping on some tv at a low volume, they conk out again, all in a tangled pile of limbs <3

#fun fact when i tried writing this i accidentally exited out of the app w/o saving 💀#& i have nothing against oatmeal raisin cookies btw. theyre pretty good #🍓．berry n friends <3 #loserhotline friend <3 #stranger things agere #sfw agere #fandom agere #agere asks #agere concept

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flowerfan2 · 4 years

Text

Love Is The Seventh Wave

McDanno, A03, 2400 words

Written for the H50 Writers Club Discord “Danny Deserves Better” challenge

“Are you serious?” she says, and all eyes in the writer’s room turn towards her. “That’s just cruel. And it makes no sense.”

“It’s dramatic, Lola.”

“Lilla,” she corrects, surprised that the douchebag even came close, given that he hasn’t spoken more than those three words to her since she started working for him a month ago. “Just hear me out. What if instead of having totally out of character bathroom sex with Joanna....”

*****

Danny’s sipping idly at his drink when he notices the woman sitting nearby. She’s pretty, her dark hair a contrast to her light silky blouse, and she’s about as out of place at this bar at ten o’clock in the morning as Danny is.

She looks up at him, and Danny cracks a smile. “You looking at me?”

The woman shakes her head. “The television’s behind you. And I desperately need a distraction.”

Same here, Danny thinks. “Well, if you’d rather have a live distraction than whatever’s on the news, I’m happy to oblige.”

The woman smiles and moves over to the seat next to him, bringing her coffee with her. “At this point I’m willing to try anything.”

“Buy you a drink? Wine, beer, scotch on the rocks?”

“Nah, I’m good. Not quite desperate enough to drink the hard stuff before noon.” She glances at Danny’s glass.

“Club soda,” he admits, and she grins.

“We’re practically twins.” She sticks out her hand. “I’m Joanna.”

“Danny.” Her hand is soft, but her grip is firm and doesn’t linger. “It’s nice to meet you. So, what do you want to talk about?”

“Oh, anything but my love life.”

A laugh bursts out of Danny. “Get right to the point, do you?”

“No sense wasting time. For all I know, you’re a reporter doing a story on bars that open before noon and you’ll have to dash off to the next one any minute now.”

“No chance. I’m a detective, actually. But I’m taking a personal day.”

She gives him an appraising look. “A cop? But you seem so nice.”

“Ha, ha, ha. Very funny.”

“So,” Joanna says, “why a personal day?”

Danny takes a moment wondering how to answer this – he’s not really sure himself – when his phone rings. It’s Steve, of course, and the fact that hearing his voice makes his whole body light up just adds fuel to the giant dumpster fire that is his life. He hangs up after a few minutes and turns back to Joanna.

“Who was that?”

“My partner.”

Joanna looks at him appraisingly, and then nods. “Yeah, I’ve got one of those.”

“You’re a cop too?”

She snorts. “Um, no, that’s not what I meant. I’m a lawyer, actually.”

Danny’s confused. “So you have, what, law partners?”

Joanna takes a packet of sugar and adds it to the fresh coffee the bartender has set down in front of her. “You’re a little oblivious, aren’t you?”

It’s said with such amusement that Danny isn’t mad, and he’s happy to play along. “Oblivious about what?”

Joanna sighs and takes a careful sip of her drink, then stirs it some more. “You’re telling me that guy you just spoke to is your work partner?”

“Yes, who else would he be?” Danny has his own answer for this, but it’s a fantasy he hasn’t entertained in, oh, at least an hour or so.

Joanna shrugs noncommittally.

They slip into a more or less comfortable silence, and Danny contemplates his club soda. It’s just as boring as it was when he started it. He’s not even sure why he’s here, at a random bar on the north shore. When he woke up this morning, knowing he had a day free to do anything he wanted, a day off from work and all of its headaches, the first thing he thought of was checking the weather report to see what the waves would be like – because surfing with Steve is one of his favorite things to do to de-stress. But then he realized that Steve didn’t have the day off too, and it all seemed pointless.

A day without obligations is hard to come by for a single working dad, and Danny knows in theory he should be enjoying it. But he’s not.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to push.”

Danny is drawn out of his thoughts by Joanna’s comment. “No, you’re fine, it’s not you.”

Joanna leans back a little and runs a hand through her hair. “Want to know what I’m doing here?”

Danny takes in her flattering outfit, her carefully done make-up. “Waiting for a client meeting?”

She laughs. “Nope. One with my partner.”

“Your law partner,” Danny clarifies.

Joanna laughs again. “Yes. Except that’s the problem.”

“What’s the problem?”

Joanna takes a deep breath. “The truth is, I’d like it if my law partner were a little more than that.”

Danny feels a rush of shame, and looks quickly around the bar – still empty, except for the bartender. “Is this some kind of joke?”

She reaches out and puts a hand on his arm. “Relax. I’m really not pulling your chain. I’m telling the god’s honest truth.” She takes her hand back and swipes at her phone. “Here, see? We go out for drinks every Thursday night, everyone in the office. Thirsty Thursday kind of thing. Last night went on a little longer than usual, since we just got some really good news on a case.”

Joanna shows him a photograph of a tall, blond woman with her arm around Joanna, both of them in business suits and holding glasses of champagne. Several other people are crowded around them. All of them are making happy faces at the camera, except for Joanna, who has eyes only for the woman at her side.

“Oh,” says Danny.

“Yeah,” says Joanna. “And I’m pretty sure Jasper – he took the picture – sent it and about twenty other equally embarrassing ones to everyone who was there, including my partner.”

“Is that good or bad?” Danny asks.

“I’m not sure. But I’m going to find out.”

“What do you mean?”

Joanna taps her fingers on the bar, clearly a little nervous. “Okay, you’re probably going to thing I’m nuts. I went for my usual run this morning, through my neighborhood and down to the beach. It’s the same route I’ve run hundreds of times, and there isn’t much beach there, just some scrubby trees by the water’s edge, but you know any bit of beach is beautiful here, so it’s all good. And this morning, for the first time ever, I saw a honu on that little beach.

“A turtle?”

“Yeah. I’ve never seen one there before, but today there was a honu right there, a really big one.”

“Okay…”

“Honu are a symbol of good luck, right? I’ve realized that if I don’t say something to my partner soon, I’m going to lose my mind, or have to quit my job, or both – and once I saw that honu, I knew I could tell her how I feel. I’m going to do it today.”

“Wow,” Danny said, feeling buoyed by Joanna’s excitement. “You really are?”

“I really am.” Joanna stands up from her chair and straightens her skirt. “I finally realized it’s too important to keep hiding from. The way I feel about her… I think I love her, you know? And I can’t believe I’m telling you all this, maybe it’s easier because I don’t know you…”

“No, I get it,” Danny says, and he does. Sitting in this random, sunny bar, with a woman he’s never met before, with no preconceived assumptions, no rules or requirements, Danny suddenly feels like he’s opening up, too.

“I just don’t want to let a chance for love pass me by, not any more,” Joanna continues. “Not if we could really be something, and I think maybe we can. So I asked her to meet me at one of our favorite restaurants for lunch, in Haleiwa. Away from the office, somewhere private… and I better go, I don’t want to be late.”

“Of course not,” Danny says, standing too.

Joanna regards him for a long moment, and Danny squirms a little. “I think today is your lucky day, too,” Joanna says.

“Why’s that?”

“Because you met me,” Joanna says, grinning as she leaves. Danny thinks she’s right.

****

Joanna’s excitement is infectious, and Danny feels himself standing a little straighter as he leaves the bar. Maybe her plan would work for him, too. He hasn’t wanted to say anything to Steve for all the obvious reasons – he doesn’t know if Steve feels the same way despite how close they are, he’s never heard Steve express any interest in men at all, and he doesn’t want to ruin their friendship. But this constant pining is wearing away at him, and he isn’t getting any younger. What if he waits another ten years and then it turns out Steve was up for something more after all – what a waste that would be. Or what if he doesn’t have ten years to make up his mind – what if Steve’s conversation with Eddie’s veterinarian this morning turns into asking her out for a date, and they hit it off and live happily ever after?

There are millions of ways that Danny can miss his chance with Steve, and only one way to find out if he’s still got one.

Danny makes a few stops on his way back to Steve’s place. He texts Tani a few times to keep tabs on the team and make sure he knows when Steve’s heading home. He’s got a caprese salad drizzled with balsamic vinegar on the table and wine opened and breathing on the counter when he hears the front door open.

Steve appears in the doorway to the kitchen, and Danny’s jaw falls open. Steve’s wearing a dark gray button-up shirt, collar open at the neck, and black slacks that hug his ass like his cargoes never quite manage. He even looks freshly shaved.

“Hey, Danno,” Steve says, voice low, and Danny shivers. He takes a step towards Steve but somehow trips over his own feet and the carving knife in his hand goes flying to the ground.

Steve sucks in a breath, and they both stare at the knife, stuck in the floorboards about an inch away from Danny’s bare right toe. “Huh,” says Steve. “Lucky.”

Danny sucks in a breath and shakes his head, trying to grab on to anything at all that makes sense. “Why’re you dressed up?” he finally comes up with, which isn’t particularly witty but is somewhat better than oh my fucking god what is going on here, which is a close second.

Steve smirks. “I’ve got a date.”

Danny’s heart sinks. He’s too late, he’s just one goddamn day too late, this is his life every single time. He was a fool for thinking otherwise.

“With that vet?”

Steve looks determined. “No, not with the vet.” Steve crouches down at his feet and retrieves the knife, then places it in the sink. He’s right up in Danny’s space. “You look nice too,” Steve says, and at first Danny think’s it’s a non sequitur, but then he takes in Steve’s expression, that cocky confidence with an undercurrent of uncertainty, and the way Steve is lining up his own very nicely clad shoulder with Danny’s, and suddenly the clouds part and all is clear.

“Wait,” Danny says. “What do you think… How did you…?”

Steve’s face does something that seems to be a cross between a smirk and a hopeful grin. “Tani said you texted her a few times today.”

“So?”

“She said you were buying wine.”

Danny bites his lip. “Again, so?”

“You never buy wine, unless you’re cooking a fancy meal.”

“I buy wine all the time.”

“When was the last time?”

Danny has to think pretty hard about it, and that’s when he knows he’s losing this particular argument. He still has hope for winning the war, however, so he stops talking about wine.

“Can we go back to the part where you said you had a date? Because you’re not acting like you have a date.”

“No?” Steve asks. “How should I be acting?” Steve somehow moves even closer to Danny, tilting his head, waiting for Danny’s answer.

Danny can feel his heart pounding in his chest, and he thinks he might be getting light headed.

“Come on, Danny,” Steve says, his breath puffing against Danny’s skin. “How should I be acting?”

Danny just blinks up at him, and then he’s saved from having to come up with an answer by Steve’s lips pressing against his own. Danny thinks he lets out something like a moan as his mouth opens under Steve’s, and he slides his hands up Steve’s back under his ridiculous shirt and pulls him close.

****

“You can’t possibly have known what I was going to do just from Tani telling you I was buying wine.”

Steve flops over onto his back. The sheet is pulled up just over his stupidly attractive hip bones, and Danny sneakily reaches out a finger to slide it back down again.

“Honestly, all I knew was that it seemed like you were getting ready for a date,” Steve says. “And it made me realize that I could lose my chance with you, anytime. You could meet someone, maybe even that woman you were talking to at the bar this morning, and it would be too late for us. So I changed into the spare clothes I keep at the office, and figured I’d give it my best shot.”

Danny pushes up on an elbow. “Have you eaten a radioactive spider lately? Drank some kind of serum?”

“No…”

“Because the mindreading shit is frankly disturbing… I literally – and I mean the actual meaning of literally, not the one the kids are using these days – I literally had that same thought today. That you’d finally get up the nerve to ask out that vet again, or fall in love while buying ammunition, or save some gorgeous lady’s pet parakeet from terrorists, and I’d lose my chance with you.”

Steve turns towards Danny, his face brimming with affection. “I guess today really was our lucky day, then.”

Danny grins into Steve’s kiss. He’s gonna send Joanna a fruit basket. And maybe give a great big donation to whatever organization looks out for the honu, because he owes them, too.

#McDanno #H50 #H50 fic #Steve McGarrett #Danny Williams

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reddie-fangirl24 · 4 years

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2. Barry please?

NOTE: Thank you so much for this crossover request! This is one of my favorite scenes in Barry. Enjoy!

Support me on my Ko-Fi!

Nervously walking into the bar, Richie had no idea how everybody was going to greet him, especially after the scene he had caused following the Shakespeare Festival a couple of nights ago. At last, everything was starting to go back to normal - in some way.

The moment Eddie saw Richie he just about spat out his bottle of beer that he was so giddy. “Hey!” His excited reaction caught everyone else’s (A.K.A The Losers Club) attention. They either waved or said hello to Richie from where they were sitting. Ever since Richie stumbled on the acting class, they were all nothing but nice to him which bothered Richie. That wasn’t a bad thing. He just wasn’t used to people being so nice to him.

Eddie ran up and gave him a tight hug, startling Richie a bit who had his hands in the pockets of the leather jacket. Mr. Cousineau just about had a fit with him in class, almost about to duct tape his hands to his sides.

At least he got to keep his leather jacket. It was Steve’s.

Awkwardly, he just wrapped one arm around his (Friend? Classmate?) slim frame and reciprocated lightly. That night when Eddie had called him to come to his house still caught him off-guard. He had already questioned his own sexuality to begin with. Richie loved the night they had spent together. But afterward, Eddie acted as if it never happened.

“How are yah?” Richie started off, adjusting his glasses. They were lopsided. As Mr. Ceuasineao told him, he needed to practice keeping his body still. His heart flip-flopped when he saw Eddie’s smile.

Eddie shrugged, still continuing to beam at him. “Fine. Everything’s fine.”

“I uh- just wanted to come here and say ‘bye,’” Richie started off uncomfortably, even gesturing to the door of the place. “I’m not going to take the class anymore-”

“Wait, what?” Eddie’s countenance was one of shock. “Why not? You were great in the show! Did you not hear that applause? It was for you! That’s the applause I’ve been waiting to hear, and we did it!”

Richie laughed, but it was strange. If only he knew the turmoils of what he was going through that day. Richie could have given away his life as a hitman with his drastic appearance. His hand still throbbed from smashing his fist into a glass picture frame.

“Look, it’s not going to work out. I’m not going to be able to get up there and do all that again ‘cause...” Here goes. “I have to be honest...”

Eddie put a hand on Richie’s shoulder, stopping him. “Rich, sit down.”

“Oh, um, ‘k.” He was already being led to the end of the bar so they could be alone. Richie immediately felt calm. Whenever he was alone with Eddie he always felt that way. A sense of pride. That night at Beverly and Ben’s party still made him cringe. He made a fool out of himself! Was that moment really behind Eddie now?

“Listen, Richie, I want to tell you something.” The smile vanished. His eyes lost that bright sparkle. And his whole body completely let go. Wow, this was a difference, The others weren’t paying any attention. Beverly kissed Ben. Bill was telling a story on a paper to Mike. From the way Mike’s face soured the ending must have sucked.

“What is it?” Richie asked him, having been distracted. His heart fell when the bartender took down the memorial picture of Stanley. Because of his own stupid actions people actually thought that he was a part of that mob. It was so unfair. But, what could he say?

Eddie quickly reverted back to his position where he sat up straight, his eyes nervously shifting, not looking at Richie. “I’ve never told anyone here this, except Gene,” he said referring to their remarkable acting teacher. He ducked in closer to Richie. He could feel his warm breath against his face. “I don’t want anyone else to know, so can you keep this secret?”

Was this the side of him that should awkwardly agree. Or his fun side where he’d make a joke? Oh, this social life stuff was so hard! “Yeah, uh - you know me!” he cracked.

Eddie looked him dead in the eyes. “I was married.”

Richie’s eyes soared. His throat completely dried up. Eddie. Married.

“Her name was Myra. She uh... I met her at the community college that I went to. I know I’ve told you about my mother, right?” Richie nodded, hating the woman to core from the way Eddie described how she treated her own son. “Anyway, when my mom died, I was barely twenty. I couldn’t afford to keep going to college. In this stupid breakdown - I married Myra. So stupid. She - She was a piece of work, that woman.”

“She hit you?” Richie felt his insides heat up, detesting this woman wanted to find her and - no. No. That was no longer the life he led.

Eddie shook his head quickly. “N-Not physically. Anyway, that was a long time ago!” Eddie got out of the conversation quickly, wiping a tear that was barely visible from his eye. He dove into his pocket to fetch his inhaler, taking a breath from it the instant he started to hyperventilate. Right after that, he resorted back to that big smile, sparkling eyes, and he sat up straighter. Now Richie understood.

“The point is I drawback to those moments in my acting work or those comedy routines we try. It’s actually really helped me a lot. I know you went to the same place, Rich. You drew on something painful. That’s what it’s all about! You can’t quit now! I was close to quitting this class so many timers, even on the first day, but Gene made me look at it this way. This is nothing compared to what I went through in my marriage.”

Richie looked away, feeling embarrassed. His heart was still heavy, wanting to cry. Nobody ever felt this way about him. Eddie caught his attention, place his hand on his own again. His hand was so smooth. “You are a real comedian, Richie.”

“Do you really think so?” Richie asked him, skeptical. “You tell me that you don’t like my jokes, Eds.”

“Have you ever heard of Abbot and Costello’s ‘Who’s at First Base?’” That’s not what Richie was expecting him to say. Normally, Eddie would chew him out for that nickname.

Richie’s face lit up. “That’s my favorite!”

“What if we did it together, but we made some changes?” Eddie got off the high chair with a nimble bounce to grab something from his bag. “I’ve already started making a list of ideas! We could write a script together!”

Richie felt muddled, raising his eyebrows at the three pages of suggestions. “Wait, wait, unless I’m on drugs, you want to do a comedy routine, with me?”

“I have to admit it, but we work well together, you asshole!” Eddie threw a peanut at him from a bowl on the bar. The bartender gave them a warning look. This was nothing compared to the first night he ever came here. On accident, he spilled his drink all over Eddie. Somehow they were able to escape trouble when a major food fight started in the bar.

“Hey, watch it or I’ll spill that beer all over you!” Richie threatened with a smile.

“See! This what I’m talking about! So, do you want to do it?” Eddie asked him.

A smile curled up on Richie’s face. “Yeah.”

“Really?”

“Fuck, yeah!”

Eddie reached over to hug him. High chairs were terrible, to begin with. The chair tilted making him fall into Richie. Quickly, Richie grasped Eddie’s arms preventing him from falling over with the chair. Now they had everyone in the bar’s attention, including the Losers who smiled at them. They fell into this romantic pose of them hugging one another. Was Eddie going to kiss him again?

“So, wanna rehearse at my place?” Eddie asked him, his cheeks flushing a hot red.

“I got no other place to be,” Richie answered, giving his hand a squeeze. And they quickly left the bar.

#Reddie #Barry #Crossover #Reddie Crossover #Barry Crossover #It Chapter 2 #It Movie #Reddie Fanfiction #Richie Tozier #Eddie Kaspbrak #Barry Berkman #Sally Reed #gene cousineau

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tabloidtoc · 3 years

Text

National Enquirer, November 30

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

Cover: The Kennedy family torn apart

Page 2: Angry and isolated Caitlyn Jenner is on a downward emotional spiral that some friends believe have left her one step from the psycho ward -- she feels shunned by her own family and can’t find romance and is unhappy with with her looks -- Caitlyn is so tense and insecure and sensitive about everything so she’s diving into more and more prospective projects in a desperate effort to kickstart her flagging career and she’s flying off the handle all the time plus she’s tried to drown her sorrows in a new round of cosmetic improvements including a face-lift and lipo to trim her waist and thighs but she’s horrified she’s still not happy with her looks after all her surgeries

Page 3: Lovestruck Halle Berry has leapt headfirst into a red-hot romance with Van Hunt but the singer is a skirt-chasing cheat -- Van and his ex-wife split in 2007 after she said he abandoned her and their only child to move to L.A. and she claimed the musician admitted adultery shortly before divorce documents were filed -- Halle would be disturbed to hear that Van walked out on his son because she’s a very family-oriented person and she could never imagine living on the other side of the country to her kids -- Van’s grown and matured since the divorce and is sure to have shared all about his situation with Halle and he’s said to be on good terms with his ex-wife but people say once a cheater always a cheater and that’s got to be at the back of Halle’s mind

Page 4: Runaway Prince Harry is reeling after being publicly snubbed by his royal relatives and now he is having second thoughts about ditching his official duties for a glam life in Hollywood; he’s finally realizing just what he gave up when he left England with wife Meghan Markle and their son Archie and he’s wondering if it was worth it -- the simmering rift between Harry and the royals exploded after they refused his request to be part of Britain’s Remembrance Day ceremonies to honor fallen soldiers so Harry retaliated by staging a photo op at Los Angeles National Cemetery with Meghan with his military medals pinned on his navy suit; Harry was banned from wearing his military uniform when he quit royal duties and he also had to give up his military duties which devastated him -- photos from the cemetery released by the couple triggered an immediate backlash and they were accused of being shameless publicity-seekers trying to steal headlines and overshadow the royals doing their duty back home; it was a disaster and Harry was shocked -- he’s reaching out to the palace to make amends but calls to his brother Prince William and father Prince Charles have gone unanswered

* Katie Holmes and Emilio Vitolo Jr.’s hot new romance is in a pressure cooker as their families fight to claim the couple as their guests for the holidays -- things were going great for them but this tug-of-war may tear them apart because Emilio’s folks told him they want him home with them but Katie is desperate to spend Christmas with her relatives in Ohio and they really want to meet her new boyfriend and Katie is feeling guilty because she spends so much time with Emilio’s clan at his dad’s Manhattan eatery so she thinks it’s only fair that he does this for her but Emilio’s never missed a holiday gathering with his own family and there are a lot of them he hasn’t seen because of the pandemic

Page 5: Celine Dion is finally ready to put the past behind her as the fifth anniversary of her beloved husband’s death approaches in January and she is planning to leave Las Vegas with their sons and she is pining to return to her native Quebec and give twins Nelson and Eddy and 19-year-old Rene-Charles a taste of her own childhood -- Celine had been careful to not upset her kids’ lives since the death of their dad from throat cancer but she now believes the boys would benefit from spending time in The Great White North -- she also thinks it might be more likely she’ll find lasting love in her home country

Page 6: Defiantly plump Lizzo has ditched her diet and frightened friends are staging an intervention to get her to a fat farm to save her life -- Lizzo had committed to eating vegan after weighing in at 350 pounds but once on vacation it lasted like two days before she couldn’t take it any longer -- she has anxiety issues and uses food to comfort herself but the stress the weight is putting on her heart and other organs could have a detrimental effect on her health and cut her life short

Page 7: Mark Harmon and Pauley Perrette have agreed to meet for peace talks after a long-simmering feud triggered her angry departure from NCIS and Mark reached out to her to invite her back -- Mark feels bad about how Pauley left the show and knows she played a big role in its success and he’s anxious to set things right between them and bring back one of the show’s favorite all-time characters for fans -- Mark also feels he’s been painted unfairly in Pauley’s departure and would like to know he was not behind it but the two clashed for years with Pauley charging Mark’s bullying caused her to quit the show and Pauley even tweeted she is terrified of Harmon and him attacking her -- while Pauley is not saying yes or no to returning to the show she’s definitely willing to sit down and talk

* The drama between sickly Phil Collins and his squatting ex-wife Orianne Cevey is really getting down and dirty with Orianne charging that Phil degenerated into a pill-popping addict who stopped showering and brushing his teeth and was impotent and she also claimed Phil became emotionally and verbally abusive and refused to provide emotional support or love or care for her -- Phil’s lawyers said Orianne’s charges are scandalous and scurrilous and unethical and for the most part patently false or grossly exaggerated

Page 8: Power-hungry host Savannah Guthrie is gunning to be the reigning queen of Today and is willing to walk over anyone to achieve her goal and her blind ambition is ripping the once-invincible morning show apart and she even used Al Roker’s prostate cancer diagnosis to push her own agenda and capitalize on Al’s absence for surgery to demand more airtime for herself -- every meeting starts with the focus on whatever Savannah wants and the staff is far from happy about it and morale has never been worse -- Savannah has constantly pushed the producers for Jenna Bush Hager and herself to take the lead on big news stories and keep Hoda Kotb stuck in the fluffy stuff and Hoda’s completely pissed off -- Savannah’s rising star has come with temper tantrums and diva-like demands -- fed-up Hoda recently met with friends of Gayle King and there is speculation the two women could make a powerful pairing and revitalize third-place CBS This Morning

Page 9: Regis Philbin’s death certificate reveals paramedics waged a desperate 40-minute battle to try to save his life -- he suffered a heart attack just after 3 a.m. on July 24 at his home in Connecticut and he was rushed to the emergency room where medics fought to save his life but he eventually succumbed at 4:18 a.m.

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Queen Latifah on the NYC set of The Equalizer, socially distant host Ellen DeGeneres went the extra mile to greet guest Jimmy Kimmel on her talk show, Steve Schirripa and Bridget Moynahan shot Blue Bloods in NYC, Kristen Taekman prettied up her pout in L.A., Tracy Morgan attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new community center at Brooklyn’s Marcy Houses

Page 11: Smitten ‘70s TV stars Patrick Duffy and Linda Purl may owe their late-in-life romance to Zoom but according to the actress the couple didn’t rush their relationship -- the two have been friends for decades but a COVID-19 group video chat helped spark love during lockdown -- after one of their lengthy one-on-one conversations Patrick jumped into his car and drove 20 hours from L.A. to her Colorado home like a lovestruck teenager

* Beloved Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek left behind a final touching message for his fans and it will be extremely moving -- Alex’s final message will follow his last episode of Jeopardy! set to air on Christmas Day

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- Joel Michaely at the opening of The Comeback Trail (picture)

* Kelly Clarkson’s divorce meant she booted ex Brandon Blackstock out of her professional life but he’ll still be in her work life thanks to Blake Shelton -- Brandon might not be Kelly’s manager anymore but he still manages Blake which might get awkward when Kelly runs into him backstage at The Voice

* Keeping Up with the Kardashians is notching all-time low ratings and the family is blaming Kim Kardashian saying she’s lost her sense of humor and she’s too busy trying to be taken seriously

* Nitpicky Ryan Seacrest has ditched celebrity designer Nate Berkus’ husband Jeremiah Brent as his decorator because they had a nasty falling out over the renovation of Ryan’s townhouse in New York City

Page 13: Steve Harvey’s daughter Lori Harvey escaped jail time after cops claimed she fled the scene of a Beverly Hills car crash in 2019 -- she was charged with two misdemeanors for hit-and-run and delaying a police investigation after she walked away from a smashup that damaged her Mercedes G-wagon and nearly destroyed another vehicle but she cut a deal with prosecutors and pleaded no contest to resisting arrest and will serve two years probation -- she reportedly had been texting at the time of the accident

* Reba McEntire confirmed she turned down a regular role on The Voice which left the life-changing gig open for Blake Shelton -- Reba said she didn’t think she could ever tell somebody that they’re terrible

* Cancer warrior Olivia Newton-John revealed she kicked a dependence on morphine with medical marijuana -- to cope with her pain during her third bout with breast cancer that had spread in 2017 doctors put her on mega doses of the highly addictive drug and she weaned herself off the morphine with the cannabis which she thinks is incredible and says people should know that because you’re not going to die from cannabis and you can use it to wean off morphine and she’s continued on a regime with cannabis ever since

Page 14: Crime

Page 15: Los Angeles’ newly elected District Attorney George Gascon has vowed to reopen the probe into actress Natalie Wood’s mysterious drowning and her husband Robert Wagner could finally be dragged before a grand jury -- Gascon said he’ll work with investigators from the L.A. Sheriff’s Department homicide squad to reexamine the case after the previous D.A. refused to present evidence to a grand jury -- Natalie drowned in 1981 while enjoying a holiday with Robert and actor Christopher Walken off Catalina Island

Page 16: The Talk has been thrown into chaos by cast shake-ups and co-host Sharon Osbourne’s power grab and may be on the verge of being silenced forever -- staffers are expecting the worst after popular co-host Eve announced she was splitting after four seasons becoming the latest in a long line of damaging departures and while Eve blamed her exit on COVID-19 travel restrictions from England much of the blame goes to self-promotional Sharon’s relentless efforts to take over the show after former moderator Julie Chen’s departure last year -- Sharon has made it clear she’s in charge now and the other ladies are not thrilled with being reduced to supporting cast and fans have started calling for Sharon’s head

Page 17: John Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono has sparked fears she’s nearing the end after handing her business dealings off to their son Sean Lennon -- the wheelchair-bound Yoko had been managing the late Beatle’s vast $800 million holdings since his 1980 shooting death but it’s now beyond her abilities

Page 18: American Life

Page 19: Johnny Depp is writing and planning to star in a tell-all movie about his divorce war with loathed ex-wife Amber Heard -- after a U.K. court ruled he was physically abusive toward Amber during their marriage Johnny wants to tell the world his version of the marriage and he will set people straight about what happened and clear his name to millions to fans and he believes this is a slam dunk once he gets it in front of the right producer especially as he’s more than willing to play himself

* The family of vicious Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger has filed a lawsuit against the federal government accusing prison officials of orchestrating the 2018 hit on the Mob boss -- the action accuses the Federal Bureau of Prisons of intentional or deliberately indifferent deeds that led to the murder of the wheelchair-bound mobster just hours after he was inexplicably transferred to the Hazelton penitentiary in West Virginia where he was beaten to death by prisoners to keep him from singing about corruption inside the FBI and the Department of Justice -- Whitey was bludgeoned with a padlock stuffed inside a sock and his murderers had enough time to cut out his tongue and eyes to make it seem like a classic Mafia hit

Page 20: Angelina Jolie lives in constant fear one of her six children will be kidnapped and held for ransom according to her former bodyguard -- Angie and her ex Brad Pitt are worth hundreds of millions which Angie feared provided plenty of incentive for criminals to target her offspring

* Hollywood Hookups -- Sofia Richie and Matthew Morton dating, Sabrina Parr and Lamar Odom split, Daniela Rajic and Paul George engaged

Page 21: Justin Bieber’s pastor Carl Lentz lost his job over a steamy affair with an exotic beauty -- Lentz was fired from the megachurch Hillsong and his mistress claimed the two were in love

* Wildlife lover Bindi Irwin has announced 20 weeks into pregnancy her baby is the size of a tiny emu -- she delivered the news flash beneath a photo with her husband Chandler Powell appropriately taken at the Australia Zoo

* Hugh Grant made a bizarre confession admitting his bout with COVID-19 left him wanting to sniff strangers’ armpits -- Hugh revealed he tested positive for coronavirus antibodies and believes he contracted the bug in February and the illness caused a feeling of an enormous man sitting on his chest but Hugh also claimed he was rattled by losing his sense of smell which is a known symptom of the disease and purposely sought out putrid odors to test his useless nose

Page 22: Jailed Ghislaine Maxwell’s latest devastating court defeat has heightened fears that the woman accused of being billionaire sex fiend Jeffrey Epstein’s madam will die behind bars just as he did -- since July Maxwell has been locked up in solitary confinement at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center where her jailers subject her to daily strip and cell searches and is monitored 24 hours a day she doesn’t suffer the same fate as Epstein whose death was officially ruled a suicide -- now the U.S. Court of Appeals has denied her bid to publicly name the women who have come forward in the media and civil actions as Epstein’s alleged victims and implicated the British socialite in his twisted sex ring so the damning decision upheld an earlier ruling and shattered her defense team’s bid to investigate and refute the claims of the unnamed accusers

Page 23: Tom Cruise’s plan to shoot the first movie in space may be in jeopardy after Russia vowed to beat him to it -- Tom has teamed with tech billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX program to film the unnamed project on the International Space Station in October 2021 -- but a rival Russian agency plans to already be in outer space by then and the Russian film is titled Challenge and its team has sent out a casting call for a female lead -- Tom sees this as a gauntlet being thrown down and he always rises to the challenge and he’s told SpaceX they have to get up there before next October

Page 28: Cover Story -- Kennedy curse rips clan apart -- the family takes sides as Michael Skakel skates and William Kennedy Smith stalls $50 million will

Page 32: Ric Ocasek’s oldest son has blasted him as a deadbeat dad who was never there -- Chris Otcasek who uses the original spelling of the family name wrote on Instagram that his father in essence died the day he was born and he was never present and he was never there -- Ric left his mom who was his second wife Suzanne while she was pregnant with their second child

* Lisa Marie Presley has had a medical emergency so severe it brought her bitter custody trial with fourth ex-husband Michael Lockwood to a halt

Page 36: Health, Ask the Vet

Page 38: Pope John Paul II was aware that disgraced and defrocked Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was a pedophile but elevated him anyway to the powerful post of Archbishop of Washington D.C. in 2001 -- McCarrick had showered over $600,000 in donations on powerful clerics including Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict while facing allegations of abuse -- Pope Francis finally defrocked McCarrick in 2019

Page 42: Red Carpet -- Mandy Moore

Page 45: Spot the Differences -- Emma Corrin as Princess Diana in The Crown

Page 47: Odd List

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five-wow · 4 years

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Steve & Danny & the dog park: a partial examination

Okay, so I’ve been trying to write McDanno fic for 10.04 and I’ve been failing because there is SO MUCH going on that I keep starting over in an attempt to zero in on The Most Important part, and I can’t decide what that is, so now I’m going to write a rambly post about the dog park scene instead.

Let’s take this pretty much line by line:

D: “Women, they love dogs. Right?” Yes, Danny. Yes, they do. You know who else loves dogs? You do. (Which is a fun fact Steve knew full well when he, a guy who has always vocally preferred cats, suddenly adopted a dog, which might be old news by now but does suddenly feel very relevant again.)

D, cont.: “They come over and they pet Eddie -” It’s fun to me that he’s saying “they” here, like that’s not exactly what he does. Random example: remember the start of 8.06? Danny shows up at Steve’s house as Steve is coming out of the water with Eddie after his swim, and Danny is trying to lure Steve inside for the Please Take Better Care Of Your Own Health intervention, but Steve doesn’t know that, and Danny pets Eddie and Steve makes Eddie shake his wet fur while standing next to Danny and then he just grins and for like, another minute doesn’t even think to ask what Danny is doing there in his garden except petting the dog, which Steve seems to accept as a perfectly plausible reason for Danny to come over.

D, cont.: “- ‘cause he’s a handsome guy, and they have no choice but to talk to you cause you’re- [brief hesitation]” I scream at this bit every time because the “you’re also a handsome guy” is almost VISIBLY on the tip of Danny’s tongue. SERIOUSLY.

D, cont.: “- standing right there with the dog -” Ah yes! Covered up that almost compliment so well, Danny. Brava.

D, cont.: “- and then you just- try real hard not to be yourself and maybe get a date.” Can you hear Danny whisper at himself “quick, Danny, think of another insult to keep your het cred!” Because I can. This also just makes me laugh because “try real hard not to be yourself” is so weak as in insult in the face of how much Danny’s actions over the past decade betray that he really, really does like Steve. And, I mean, there’s always the point to be made that if “try real hard not to be yourself” is a requirement to get any of these women to like Steve, that maybe Steve should ditch this whole plan and find himself someone who does like him for himself instead, and that person might be someone, oh, I don’t know, who would go so far as to drag Steve almost kicking and screaming to a dog park because he’s that invested in Steve’s love life. But oh, where would Steve find such a person? Other than less than a foot to his right, of course.

S: “And what are you doing here? I mean why a- Shouldn’t you be focusing on your own dating life?” This is Steve pretty much ignoring Danny’s entire speech to redirect focus away from himself, with all the subtlety of a car crash. And it makes a lot of sense that he’d go for Danny’s dating life - Danny is making a big deal out of Steve’s, after all - but hey, if you wanted, you could definitely read this as Steve jumping to these questions out of defense, yes, but also because he’s disproportionately invested in actually hearing the answers and letting Danny think he’s only asking about this because he doesn’t want to talk about his own dating life is safe in a very sneaky way. It’s taking cover by blending in with the crowd out in the open.

S, cont.: “Like, your ex-wife?” This specification was probably an attempt by scriptwriters to subtly give the audience a reminder of events from last season/tell them about it in case they missed it, but in-universe it ends up as this hilarious addendum by Steve that seems completely unnecessary, but he gives it anyway, like he’s wondering whether his oh-so-subtle jabs were obvious enough yet and then mentally decides that he better point out exactly who he means. He stops just shy of googling a picture of Rachel to remind Danny who she is (which, historically, could very well be necessary when it comes to Danny remembering girlfriends). (Alternately, the fact that Steve explicitly states that he’s talking about Danny’s ex-wife could also be taken to mean that at this point, that’s not obvious. Steve’s been dating multiple women, and we haven’t really heard anything about Rachel at all since the s9 finale, in which Danny only said that they’d been on a holiday together, not that they were officially definitely totally back together (yet). You could, very easily, take “like, your ex-wife?” as A) Steve fishing for answers because he doesn’t have them and/or B) a sign that Danny+Rachel is still an open-ended question.)

D: “O- Okay.” Danny has this tiny, offended stutter here that’s very Danny of him and I love it. He’s also totally ignoring Steve’s attempts at fishing and not saying a word about Rachel, which could be taken as suspect. Either way, they both keep trying to change the subject and this is not so much a conversation as both of them taking turns to go “let’s talk about my thing now (which is actually your thing, because it’s your dating life, let’s talk about your dating life, not mine)” without really responding to the other person.

D, cont.: “I’m here for two reasons. One, because you are easily distracted -” Here, the camera is briefly on Steve who is paying full attention to Danny, not any of the hundreds of other things going on around them in the park, which makes Danny’s claim so beautifully ridiculous. Steve also hasn’t shown any signs of actually being distracted so far, only an extreme unwillingness to enter in this endeavor in the first place - and even then, he is going along with all of this, letting Danny drag him places to meet women (which could mean that he does want to date but has some mental barriers and Danny pushing him is mostly good, OR it could mean he just wants to hang out with Danny more than he wants to be left alone when it comes to dating).

D, cont.: “- and two, because, I wanna take credit when this thing goes down- right, and you get a date. I wanna take credit.” Okay, so, that sounds like a pretty weak excuse to me. He wants to take credit for Steve’s succesful dating life? Is that’s why he was calling and texting Steve during a date that he set Steve up on, which already comfortably ensures he’d have more than enough grounds to claim that credit? I know this is a very wide open door in fandom, but free suggestion, Danny: ask Steve out. You’ll be able to take full, 100% credit for Steve’s dating life, and you won’t have to call him during dates to check up on him because you’ll have a live feed right across the table, and you can pet Eddie as much as you like and insult Steve even more, if that’s what you want, and you won’t have to strain something nudging and winking at Steve whenever there’s a woman in your general vicinity while Steve strains something trying to act like this is totally not awkward for him.

After this, Steve grumble-mumbles a little, Danny starts instructing him to throw the ball, Danny does it himself, and Eddie ends up needing stitches. Somewhere in the middle there’s that amazing bit where Danny is talking up a woman walking her dog and Steve makes appreciative noises and when he finally opens his mouth, he says her dog is beautiful, which just, god, that’s such a mood.

I think this is about where I’m leaving it, but a few thoughts about Steve and Danny’s phone call a little while later, when Danny is at the office and Steve is outside the vet’s place: I really like that when Danny says the vet likes Steve, Steve says “she’s at work! she’s being professional!” because even though it’s probably mostly Steve making excuses so he won’t have to step out of his comfort zone, it’s also A VERY GOOD POINT. Generally, hitting on people while they’re at work and are somewhat obligated to be nice to you is not the best of ideas.

ALSO. Actually the last point this time: perhaps my favorite bit of this entire episode was when Steve, during above phone call, went, “Me, personally, I like to meet someone and, and organically come to those feelings between me and another person. You understand that?” Now, OKAY. Firstly, I just think that’s really sweet. Secondly, if we assume this is true for how Steve approaches all relationships, including friendships, I think the fact that he basically lays eyes on Danny once and just kidnaps him into staying is hilarious, because it means Danny pointed a gun at Steve one (1) time and for Steve that was it, boom, organic feelings succesfully developed in the span of perhaps thirty seconds, and oh my god does that say a lot about Steve as a person and his relationship with Danny.

And last but not least, thirdly, Steve says he likes to come to those feelings organically “between me and another person”, which isn’t that weird - women are people, so this is a perfectly acceptable way for a straight guy to talk - but I mean, to do some more open door kicking, hey, men are people too! The phrasing here is gender neutral and that doesn’t prove anything, but it’s one of those things that really conspicuously doesn’t exclude any possibilities, either. It’s headcanon heaven (as, honestly, is this whole subplot, imho), and I appreciate that very much.

#mcdanno #10.04 #meta #according to a word counter this is 1666 words which is Too Many #THIS IS why i'm having trouble taking all of these thoughts and pouring them into one at least semi-coherent story of no more than 4k #*

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dablkbox · 4 years

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Did I Do That?

One thing I can admit is that I am a sucker for a sitcom with a well rounded family and some sort of quirky neighbor. If you're on the same train then you already know what show I had the pleasure of watching: Family Matters.

Family Matters premiered on September 22 1989, on ABC with the show later moving to CBS. The show starred Reginald VelJohnson as Carl Winslow, Jo Marie Paton as Harriette Winslow, Kellie Shanygne Williams as Laura Winslow, Darius McCrary as Eddie Winslow, Rosetta LeNoire as Estelle Winslow, Telma Hopkins as Rachel Crawford, Jamiee Foxworth as Judy Winslow, and Joseph and Julis Wright as Ritchie Crawford. At the beginning of the show Jaleel White was definitely capturing our funny bones as Steve Urkel but it was not until the second season he became a regular cast member. The viewers reactions to his antics and tenderness were enough to secure him a regular spot.

The show ran for 9 seasons which is an incredible run for a black sitcom. The last episode aired July 17, 1998. Family Matters is available for purchase on Amazon and also available to stream on Hulu.

I was a little hesitant to watch this show because I remember watching the reruns of this as a kid and only remember a few episodes being funny. OH DAMN WAS I WRONG! Family Matters is hilarious! The characters are quick and funny all in their own way. The show also really played with the element of physical and environmental comedy. Whether it was Steve transforming into Stephon or the The Winslow Family reacting to one of Steve’s newest machines the characters really played with what was going on around them.

Let’s start with the basics of the show; Family Matters centers around The Winslow Family living in Chicago. The family deals with their everyday lives and with the daily and unnecessary occurrences of their neighbor Steve Urkel. One reason I was excited to watch this show is because it takes place in my hometown of Chicago. It was so interesting hearing them use actual Chicago streets, neighborhoods, and schools. It made me feel like I was really IN the story.

One aspect of the show that I have to discuss is Carl Winslow’s job as an officer. We ALL know the traumatic history black people have in regards to the police. Things have gotten alarmingly worse and it has gotten to the point where there truly is no resolution for all the wrongs the police have done to black and brown communities. Despite all of this we also know there are people of color who are on the force. Carl Winslow was an officer of the Chicago Police Department and from what I gather it definitely feels as though this was done intentionally. This show premiered in the late 80′s and early 90′s which was a time where racial tension between black/brown communities and the police were really starting to reveal themselves. As a Chicago native I know that the 90′s was definitely when more gangs were making themselves known in the communities making police become more aggressive than they already were. During this time a figure like Carl, I feel, was a tactic to make black men who watch the show and don’t view police in a positive manner to empathize with the police by seeing someone who looks like them in the uniform. Remember this is just my theory but it does not seem too far fetched. Even though I am not the biggest fan of Car’s occupation I appreciated how his difficulties being on the force in relation to him being a black man was displayed. There was an episode where Carl had to check one of his colleagues because he harassed his son Eddie for no reason other than the color of his skin. I appreciated the honesty toward that difficult part of his career.

During my rewatch something else that was great to watch was the show’s use of special effects. Growing up I watched many sitcoms but nothing could ever compare to the time and effort that I know were put into the special effects on the show. As Steve became more present his experiments always lead to explosions and/or some substance being shot across the room. I noticed that became an opener for some of the episodes in the later seasons and guess what...I loved every minute of it! The special effects mixed with other stunts in the show was the cherry on top of this comedic sundae. I hope the cast had insurance during the time cause certain things looked a little too daredevil-ish for me. One of my favorite moment is during the episode “High Anxiety” in season 4 when Waldo, Steve, and Eddie were trapped on a fire escape and were trying to get back inside the building. It was almost as if watching something similar to the Universal Soul circus. While the fire escape turned the actors tumbled and flipped right on top of it. I am still till this day wondering if they used stunt doubles.

Another great part of this family sitcom are the characters themselves. I can truly say that after watching this series I enjoyed mostly everyone’s performance(minus Eddie but we’ll get to that) and watching them display the growth of these characters. One character who I deem to be one of the most underrated 90′s girls is Laura Winslow. I am sure those who listen to music have heard rappers refer to their dream girls and used sitcoms references. I have heard people wanting a Whitley Gilbert, Hilary Banks, Denise Huxtable, etc(and clearly we see what’s wrong with this pattern) but never a Laura Winslow which is amazing to me because she was such bold and charismatic character. One of my favorite episodes to see her in is “Fight The Good Fight” in season 2 where she fought to have a black history course taught in school. I know we loved Moesha but Laura paved the way. Did she make mistakes like every teenage girl yes but she knew exactly where she wanted to go and how to get there which makes Laura the blueprint!

I could not leave this post without writing just a tad about Jaleel White. I was looking forward to watching this show because I wanted to see if Steve is actually funny or was it just the expected goofiness that people knew they would get a chuckle out of. I am here to tell you that Steve Urkel is indeed HILARIOUS and that is done because of the brilliance that is Jaleel White. Jaleel was ACTING! Steve was no doubt a comedic character but there were moment in the show where his let his guard down(especially with Laura) and we saw some of the most tender and sincere moments that I have ever seen on a sitcom. The comedic moments were out of this world paired with Jaleel’s vocal and physical talents when it comes to creating Steve. The transformation moment when he turns into Stephon is almost mesmerizing to me. The way he deliberately would time it, deliver lines throughout the process, and even the sound effects he’s making. I know it sounds a little goofy but, this an actor who you can tell does not ming playing on a set. Jaleel now does work more in the children’s entertainment world which is a great thing. I am all for a children programming including images and voices(I know he’s done some voice over work) that include black people but I would love to see him cross over onto something very dark comedy-ish. American Horror Story?

The cast overall is superb and went very well together and had many characters that are enjoyable on screen, like Ms. Estelle(played by Rosetta LeNoire). I always and I mean ALWAYS love a strong matriarchal figure who emphasizes in a very loving but direct way that: I AM GROWN. Estelle spoke her mind but was always there to bring her family together. It is probably the southern in me but it just hits every time.

NOW! As I stated in my opening post not only will I be going over the good but it just wouldn’t be right to acknowledge the bad in some of these shows, or the thing that were less favorable.

Something I noted it what’s similar to what happened with “JJ” from Good Times. Steve was always his brilliant self but there were times where the antics may have been just a filler instead using the comedic moment to fuel the story. It was not to the extreme of how the character of J.J was in a sense “dumbed down” but there were moments I felt okay that little goofy thing didn't necessarily need to happen but it’s fine.

Someone that bugged me throughout this entire series is Eddie Winslow. I mean..he literally only thinks with one head and it gets very irritating after a while. I get it we were all there once teenagers but damn! THINK! I have a complex with straight men who think and act “traditionally” so fair warning that characters like Eddie Winslow in other shows will get the same treatment. Not to mention I am just not convinced with any of Darius McCrary’s performances. Even when he is a special guest star or the lead actor he just always has been a miss for me. Everyone on the cast held their own but I’ve always felt like he was the weakest link.

Overall Family Matters was an amazing display of quality Black television if you ask me. Great comedic scenes/elements, very heartfelt moments, and aired episodes that talked about some important issues such as bullying, gang violence, and even body image. The show gave us great characters; Steve Urkel will ALWAYS be a pop culture icon. I urge you to watch Family Matters again and enjoy everything this quirky and compassionate sitcom has to offer.

Favorite Episodes:

S2, EP 18-Life of the Party

S2, EP 20-The Good Fight

S2, EP 25-I Should’ve Done Something

S3, EP 9-Born To Be Mild

S3, EP 16-Brown Bombshell

S4, EP 13-Muskrat Love

S4, EP 18- Higher Anxiety

S5, EP 8-Dr. Urkel and Mr. Cool

S5, EP 10-All The Wrong Movies

S7, EP 14, Life in the Fast Lane

S7, EP 20-Twinkle Toes Faldo

S8, EP 7-Stevil

#familymatters #steve urkel #black television #comedy #sitcom

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rachaelwatchestv · 4 years

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Baywatch - Season 1 Episode 3 - Heat Wave

Here I am, watching yet another episode of what might be one of the most campy shows ever to grace America’s television sets. Why? Because somewhere along the past two episodes, I’ve become Baywatch trash. And now I want to watch another episode before bed.

Alright so the official hulu synopsis of this episode is “During the hottest day of the summer, Craig has to choose between his career as a lawyer and the job he loves being a Baywatch lifeguard. The choice is made when two boys get trapped in a storm drain which is rapidly filling with water.”

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Craig chooses Baywatch. You know...because that’s the name of the show...of which he is a main character. Also, I’m going to be daring and say that the kids get stuck in a storm drain because of bad parenting.

Only time will tell if I’m correct. So let’s get started.

So I'm going to be skipping the theme song from now on. This is the last time I'm going to say skip. Skip.

We open on a seedy hotel with suspenseful music playing. Honestly not at all what I was expecting for an episode about a heat wave. A guy with a gun is clearly looking for someone while another guy is in a hotel room with his sleeping son. He quickly grabs his bag and gets out of there, avoiding the guy with a gun. He takes his son with him too. Obviously. The guy tells his son that they'll be in LA by morning, so clearly they'll meet our favorite lifeguards while they're there.

Cut to LA where said guy and his son show up at Mitch's house. Turns out Mitch and the guy, Steve, are old friends.

Steve lies and says they're there because his son, Mike, has never seen the ocean. Steve and Mike stay for breakfast and catch up and Steve implies that he wants to stay at Mitch's place. Mitch agrees.

At work, Mitch confers with Craig how he thinks something's going on with Steve. They also bring up the custody battle over Hobie, so that story line didn't just get dropped! Craig says that he can't work Baywatch today, he's gotta go be a lawyer and make the money he needs to afford his loft (alright he didn't say it, I did, but same thing).

A lot of other lifeguards are calling out too, so it's mainly rookies on the beach. It's expected to be a crazy day due to the heat wave coming in.

Steve takes Mike and Hobie to the beach. Eddie finds a kid throwing wet sand at sunbathers and drops him off with his mom who vaguely lectures him and then tells him to "go find something to do." 10 bucks says this is one of the kids that get stuck in the storm drain.

Steve and Hobie go into the water and leave Mike behind on the beach. Wet sand kid joins him and is obviously a little turd. He convinces Mike to walk the beach with him.

At the office, Craig is lectured by his boss that he doesn't want his priorities split and wants him to be a lawyer seven days a week. He needs to make a decision by tomorrow.

Time for this episodes montage! This one is of how busy the beach is and Mike and Wet Sand Kid getting into trouble. They break into a construction zone (eye roll). I'm gonna go ahead and say they're the two that get stuck in the drain. And it is because of bad parenting....look who was right!

So the kids disappear into the drain, and two construction workers show up to lock the door. Because of course. How else would they get locked in there?

Meanwhile at Baywatch HQ, it's popping with missing children. 50 so far and it's only 11 am. Steve shows up and says that Mike is missing and asks Mitch for help. Mitch assures him that they get hundreds a day and they all turn up sooner or later, but Steve isn't happy with that answer.

In the drain, Mike and Wet Sand Kid try to get back out but there's obviously now a lock on the door. They shout for help but no one can hear them over the water and the tide is starting to come in.

Gina's at home painting when Craig gets home early because he needs to have time to himself to make a decision.

Craig decides to go do his thinking at the beach, and Gina remarks that that says something about what his choice will be. Gina is definitely an I'll-support-you-whatever-you-decide-type.

Meanwhile Gun Guy from opening seen shows up at Mitch's house having tracked down Steve's car somehow. This was the 80′s before there were trackers on cars, I'm assuming, so I really don't understand the logic. From there, he goes to Baywatch and talks to Mitch about Steve. Turns out Steve did not actually get custody of Mike, and he kidnapped him from his ex-wife.

The water is getting high at the front of the drain so Mike and Wet Sand Kid (whose name is Ricky) run back to the end of the storm drain. They crawl through a narrow tunnel, because that's a good idea.

Gina shows up to the beach and meets Craig to encourage him to leave the law firm and be his own lawyer on top of life guarding. She is so supportive and I love her.

In his search for Mike, Steve accidentally grabs the wrong kid and ends up in a fight with the kid’s Dad. Eddie has to break it up and Craig intervenes before Steve can get into trouble.

Mitch confronts Steve about being a kidnapper. It's revealed that gun guy is actually an investigator looking into the kidnapping. Craig is there to be a legal consult and Steve confesses that technically, he did kidnap Mike because of how much he loves him.

It's been a while since Ricky and Mike have gone missing, so Craig and Mitch decide to get the junior lifeguards involved (including Hobie) since they have a unique perspective on where kids would disappear to.

And it's time for a second montage! This one is the junior lifeguards running around looking for the boys.

Meanwhile the boys are still taking their sweet time crawling through this tunnel when a massive rush of water comes in and pushes them into a larger chamber where their heads are just barely above water.

Also according to closed captions, Shawnie's name is actually spelled Shauni. Apologies for my mistake, I will spell it correctly from now on.

Hobie talks to Shauni about the drain who says that maintenance guys were there to put a new lock on the gate. She calls Mitch and they decide that it's worth checking out. They follow the tunnel to the storm drain and collection chamber to see if the boys are there.

Sure enough, looking down into the storm drain, Craig, Mitch, and Hobie are able to see Ricky and Mike. The water is slowly rising, and is deep enough that they have to tread water. Mitch and Craig decide to go into it from the riverbed.

The fire department finally shows up to try to get the grate off so they can get to the kids easier, but Craig and Mitch will probably get there first because, you know, heroes.

Sure enough, here comes our heroes crawling through a tunnel. They get to the end of their tunnel but a grate is blocking them and they watch as a huge wave comes in and sends both boys underwater. Mike comes backup but Ricky doesn't. Mitch is finally able to break through the gate and pull Ricky up. They save the boys and the fire department gets them up with a ladder.

Steve hugs Mike and says that it's time to give his mom a call and go home. So maybe he won't actually be in trouble for kidnapping after all?

Gina shows up at the beach again to talk to Craig. He informs her that he's decided to take her advice and open his own practice while life guarding. The episode ends with a shot of marital bliss and damn if I don't want my own marriage to be like that forever. Craig and Gina are OTP material, that's for sure.

#baywatch #review #recap #tv

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thephotopitmagazine · 4 years

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Every now and then you find an artist who has an album so sensational that you just can’t forget it. And when they can build upon that album to continue their legacy they become legendary. That’s exactly how I envision Queensrÿche. Their album Operation: Mindcrime from 1988 not only was a well written, story-driven phenomena, but it was also musically spectacular and become burned into every Queensrÿche fan. And that was only the beginning for the band. When I heard about their tour coming to The Plaza Live in Orlando, FL to continue support on their most recent album The Verdict, I had to be there. The buzz from friends clearly stated Queensrÿche was still a powerhouse band after all these years and a must-see live. My friends were absolutely correct.

Before we would get to our headliners, were had a different mix of two openers. First was the rock band Eve To Adam. Formed back in 1997 the band has been a solid rock force releasing 5 studio albums and 1 EP. They were no stranger to the Orlando crowd having played at multiple venues in town before and our one day festival Earthday Birthday. The band consisting of Taki Sassaris (vocals), Ilyn Nathaniel (bass), Jeff Raines (drums), and Ronny Gutierrez (guitar) came out to the stage hard and heavy with no stopping them. They played a short group of songs that included “No Easy Way Out” and “Immortal” and the crowd was loving them.

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Before the band wrapped their set, they brought up two representatives from 2vetsoam “On A Mission”. The organization works with helping raise awareness for veteran suicide and PTSD they also work to help veterans suffering from PTSD and homelessness. The group brought up a veteran named James who they explained finally got his hair cut, came out to a concert, and is starting to live his actual life. It’s awesome to see Eve To Adam working with an organization like this to help our veterans in need. You can find music and merch for Eve to Adam on their official website HERE.

Next up was John 5 and The Creatures. John 5 is best known for his work as Rob Zombie’s guitarist but has a very active solo career touring and in songwriting. He’s also written for various artists such as Motley Crue, Steve Perry, and Ricky Martin as well as performing guitars for Marilyn Manson. His discography of 11 albums is quite impressive. His most recent album Invasion released on July 31, 2019 to rave reviews from the media. Singles such as “Zoinks!” and “I Am John 5” grabbed the epitome of this album and the musical genius of John 5 and The Creatures. The band consists of John 5 (guitar), Ian Ross (bass), and Logan Miles Nix (drums).

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The turnaround between Eve To Adam and John 5 and The Creatures was probably one of the quickest set changes I’ve ever seen. With inflatables on stage giving it a very fun house type feel, John 5 and The Creatures hit the stage and immediately started “Crank It – Living With Ghosts”. The fans looked a little uncertain as to what they were hearing but those who knew John 5 were all into it as he ripped through these transcendental guitar riffs. It’s 6 plus minutes of guitar solo, bass and drum mixed in, and some almost EDM like catch-phrase (“Crank it!”) tracks. And this was just the start. Moving on to “Six Hundred and Sixty Six Pickers in Hell” from his 2014 album Careful With That Axe. The band delivered a high energy, fast-paced song, to the fans. I’m amazed on how John 5 moves so quickly through his notes sometimes while shaking his head throwing off makeup dust and other times drooling large strings of saliva on stage. Needless to say, those who never seen him before were probably very confused by the playful antics. They followed that up with “Zoinks!” from Invasion which has a great rhythm and blues feel. The video for the single has a little adult Scooby-Doo like story to it which is a must-see.

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Half-way through their performance, John 5 finally spoke to the crowd asking if they were having a good time. And he swore he would get everyone that was in the balcony on their feet before the end of their set. Things really started getting fun as balloons were thrown out into the crowd like beach balls to bat around the venue. When one made it back to the stage, John 5 would pop it with his guitar, which raised a cheer from the crowd. Seeing the reaction, he kept popping them until they were all gone. John 5 brought out his light up mouthpiece during the performance and his gorgeous lit up guitar that has individual small bright light bulbs throughout the entire guitar. It is an amazing piece of craftsmanship. When they performed “I Am John 5” from Invasion, three crew members came out on stage. Two of them were wearing outfits making it appear they were held by aliens while the third was dressed like a robot. The robot hung around John 5 every time the vocal track said “I am John 5”. They were going to perform “Cactus Flower” but the guitar for the song wasn’t cooperating. But, the piece that really hooked crowd was the instrumental medley at the end. Ian and Logan started off the bass and drum pieces to Rush’s “Limelight” and I nearly cried. And when John 5 brought in the guitar it was instrumental perfection. The transitioned it into Rush’s “Fly By Night” and the medley kept going. Everything from Rob Zombie to Nirvana to Marilyn Manson to Soundgarden to Pantera to Motley Crue the music just kept going and going! By the time they wrapped up, the entire balcony was on their feet and the entire venue applauded, cheered, and screamed in approval. What an amazing performance from John 5 and The Creatures that night.

You can find their music and merch HERE. Their setlist that night was:

Crank It – Living With Ghosts

Six Hundred and Sixty Six Pickers in Hell

Zoinks!

Hell Haw I.G.R.

Howdy

Season of the Witch

First Victim

The Black Grass Plague

I Am John 5

Catcus Flower – not performed but was on the setlist

Limelight / Fly by Night / Thunder Kiss ’65 / The Beautiful People / Spoonman / Dr. Feelgood / Unchained / I’m Broken / Walk/and more

Finally, onto our headliners Queensrÿche. The band’s roots go all the way back to the late 1970s where a few members met in Washington state. After a few years of working with other bands, they had formed together originally known as The Mob. The band recorded a 4 song demo that started to get shopped around. They soon learned the name The Mob was not available so they ended up using Queensrÿche after their single “Queen of the Reich”. The band was signed with EMI and released The Warning in 1984 and Rage for Order in 1987. While both albums did well for the band, neither had commercial success. It wasn’t until 1988 with Operation: Mindcrime where the band truly became renowned. With a phenomenal story and genius musical writing, the album was certified Platinum and received numerous accolades from the media. The single “I Don’t Believe in Love” was nominated for a Grammy. Their follow up Empire from 1990 sold over 3 million albums and had a #1 single in “Silent Lucidity”. The single was also nominated for a Grammy. The band continued to produce albums until 2012 where the band fired the original lead singer and replaced him with current vocalist Todd La Torre. The band released three albums with Todd as their vocalist including their most current album The Verdict which was released on March 1, 2019 and peaked at #16 on the Billboard 200 to very good reviews. Queensrÿche is Todd La Torre (vocals), Michael Wilton (guitar), Eddie Jackson (bass), Parker Lundgren (guitar), and Casey Grillo (drums).

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Queensrÿche decided to go way back in the discography to perform “Prophecy” off their 1983 self-titled EP. A fantastic kick-off to the show. The band was in sync and absolutely sounded amazing. And when they went into “Operation: Mindcrime” the title track from the 1988 album, I was taken back to the day when I saw them open for Def Leppard on the Hysteria tour. Todd was pitch-perfect, Eddie had the bass line down pat, Michael and Parker tore it up on guitar, and Casey thumped away on those drums. Just wow! Keeping the drive alive they went into “Walk in the Shadows” from Rage for Order. Queensrÿche was playing at such a high level I couldn’t wait to hear what the rest of the night was going to be like.

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Todd talked to the crowd during the performance explaining to the crowd they were wrapping up in Orlando in support of their album The Verdict and the band would be going for some old catalog tunes and will get to the fan favorites as well. And did they ever pull out some of the older great songs including “Take Hold of the Flame” from The Warning, “Screaming in Digital” from Rage for Order, and “Queen of the Reich” from the 1983 self-titled EP. And when Todd hit those notes in “Queen of the Reich” it was chilling. I literally had goosebumps running up my arm. Todd also asked how many people had not seen or heard Queensrÿche live and there was a surprisingly good amount of new fans there that night.

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Their performances of songs from The Verdict sounded stellar. I really enjoyed hearing “Bent”, which had an amazing harmony from Parker and Eddie on backing vocals, “Man the Machine” and “Dark Reverie”, such a beautifully haunting song, played live. And the band also included the favorites of “Silent Lucidity” and one of my personal favorites “Jet City Woman” from their 1990 album Empire. The band did perform an encore that included “No Sanctuary” from The Warning, “Light-years” from The Verdict, “Empire” the self-titled track from the 1990 album, and closed with “Eyes of a Stranger” from Operation: Mindcrime with “Anarchy-X” from the same album used as the outro. If you want to purchase music or merch from Queensrÿche you can find it at their website HERE. The band’s setlist that night was:

Prophecy

Operation: Mindcrime

Walk in the Shadows

Resistance

Man the Machine

Take Hold of the Flame

Bent

The Needle Lies

Dark Reverie

Breaking the Silence

Silent Lucidity

Jet City Woman

Screaming in Digital

Queen of the Reich

Encore:

No Sanctuary

Light-years

Empire

Eyes of a Stranger (with Anarchy-X as the outro)

Overall this was such an amazing concert by all three bands. But, Queensrÿche’s performance filled my heart with amazing music, filled my mind with wonderful memories, and provided some new songs to love. The performance was way beyond my expectations and hopes. I’m looking forward to the next time the come on tour. And, my wife and I are seriously looking at seeing them during their residency in Las Vegas over the summer! And if we make it out there, I absolutely know it will be worth every penny spent.

From The Pit To The Crowd: Queensrÿche with John 5 and The Creatures and Eve To Adam – The Plaza Live – Orlando, FL – February 27, 2020 Every now and then you find an artist who has an album so sensational that you just can't forget it.

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND November 16, 2018 - Fantastic Beasts, Widows, Instant Family, Green Book

I didn’t do too bad last week, although other than Universal’s The Grinch, the new wide releases got spanked by either bad reviews, bad marketing or general moviegoer ennui. That should change this weekend with the next movie in one of Warner Bros’ more successful franchises.

But before we get to that big release for the weekend, I want to give a little extra attention to the movie which is currently my #1 movie of the year, and that is Peter Farrelly’s GREEN BOOK (Universal).

Yes, you read that right, that’s Peter Farrelly of the Farrelly Brothers, famed for their low-brow comedies that began with Kingpin and There’s Something About Mary, and then petered out as the ‘00s turned into the PC word that it is today. Needless to say (but I’m gonna say it anyway), Green Book is a completely different beast – it’s a buddy road comedy set in 1962, as Viggo Mortensen’s Italian bouncer Tony Vallelonga (or “Tonylip”) takes on the role of driver and bodyguard for a black piano prodigy, played by Mahershala Ali, as he tours the racist Deep South.

I had already been hearing raves out of the Toronto International Film Festival (where it won the coveted People’s Choice award), but I wasn’t convinced until I saw the movie myself for the first time. I’m a little hesitant to say too much about the film, because part of the joy is just watching these two fantastic actors commit to each of their equally-compelling characters. Tony is a loud-mouth take-no-crap Bronx native who is just looking for a job to take on while the Copacabana club where he works is renovated. Dr. Don Shirley (Ali) is an educated, eloquent and well-mannered classical musician who can’t be more different from Tony.

As they travel down to the Deep South, Tony starts to see the racism that Shirley has faced his entire life—being invited to play at fancy restaurants and club where he’s not even allowed to use the same facilities as the wealthy and snobbish clientele. What’s amazing about their story (which is based on actual people) is that as you watch them arguing and eventually bonding (as happens in the best of buddy comedies), you find yourself relating to both of them, even if you have no direct connections to either.

Mortensen is such a charming and entertaining character that it’s hard not to love him, but the way that Ali makes you feel for the way his character is a lonely outcast, whether it’s around white or other black people, just makes this film such a unique experience.

I’m honestly shocked by what a great film Farrelly has made here, a joyfully entertaining piece of fictionalized history that does a better job exploring racism and the relationship between races. I thought Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman and Barry Jenkins’ if Beale Street Could Talk, but they also were needlessly preachy, whereas films like Green Book and The Hate U Give force you to think about these things without necessarily hitting you over the head. Frankly, I feel that we’ve gone backwards from all of the great inroads made in race relations in the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, but it’s good to have reminders like this that there was a time when things were much worse.

So far this year, no other movie has had quite the effect on me in terms of entertaining and moving me. Green Book is not only the best movie I’ve seen this year, but also my favorite. Definitely go see this!

Rating: 10 out of 10

I’ll get to the rest of this week’s movies after the jump…

FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD (Warner Bros.)

As mentioned above, the big movie of the weekend is the next movie in the “Wizarding World” franchise that began with the eight movies based on JK Rowling’s popular book about boy wizard Harry Potter (as played by Daniel Radcliffe). This is also the first sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which Rowling wrote for the screen based on the Newt Scamander wizard character (played by Eddie Redmayne). The original Fantastic Beasts opened on this same weekend in 2016 to $74.4 million and grossed a more-than-respectable $234 million domestically, plus double that amount overseas, so it made perfect sense for Warner Bros. to want to continue the series, and it’s already been noted that they want to make five movies total.

The Crimes of Grindelwald is a straight-up sequel with Scamander travelling to Paris with his magical colleagues, played by Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler and Alison Sudol, to fight the evil wizardy of Grindelwald, as played by Johnny Depp. Characters played by Zoe Kravitz and Carmen Ejogo are also featured more fully, but the real draw might be that the movie introduces the younger version of Professor Dumbledore, as portrayed by Jude Law. This is probably Law’s most prominent roles in a while with last year’s King Arthur: Legend of the Sword from Guy Ritchie being a box office dud, and it’s been seven years since Law made the sequel to Sherlock Holmes, also with Ritchie and with Robert Downey Jr.

Reviews for the Fantastic Beasts sequel have been mixed (at best), some of that due to the Johnny Depp factor, because Warner Bros. – who yanked Brett Ratner’s credit off their movies as soon as the #MeToo movement broke out – failed to read the room after the accusations against Depp from his former wife Amber Heard (who stars in the upcoming Warners movie Aquaman.) Even before that ugly affair, Depp’s star had begun to falter, although you probably couldn’t tell by last year’s movies with the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean grossing $172.5 million domestically and another $622 million overseas. Depp also appeared in Murder on the Orient Express, which also did well, maybe because his character was murdered pretty quickly in the film. Depp’s recent film with Heard, the long-delayed London Fields, was a big-time bomb last month, and it doesn’t seem like audiences are as interested in seeing him in movies. (Even Disney has decided to reboot Pirates without Depp.)

Still, there’s that rabid JK Rowling fanbase that has been kept fed with steady visits to the Wizarding World at Universal Studios, not to mention the Cursed Child stageplay which arrived on Broadway earlier in the year. The success of both ventures has shown that the Harry Potter craze has not died down without new books or movies based on them. (It’s also good to note that exactly half the original Harry Potter movies opened this exact weekend in November with openings ranging between $88.4 million and $125 million, and the latter was eight years ago when ticket prices were significantly cheaper.)

What else can I say? Well, there’s the IMAX factor which helps up the average ticket price for those going to see the movie. There’s the usual caveat about their being too many family films already in theaters with another one opening next Wednesday.

Essentially, there are a lot of factors that need to be applied to The Crimes of Grindelwald, but the fanaticism of the Harry Potter fanbase should endure over any negatives, including the reviews. With previews on Tuesday night (which will be rolled into Friday), this should still open slightly bigger than the first movie, maybe closer to $80 million than $70 million. Even so, it’s going to have a tougher road to $200 million with Disney’s Ralph Wrecks the Internet opening next Wednesday. (The original Fantastic Beasts dropped 39% in its second weekend against Disney’s Moana, and that wasn’t a sequel to a $189 million blockbuster hit.)

ED’s Review of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

WIDOWS (20thCentury Fox)

Offering the first bit of counter-programming against the Wizarding World juggernaut is the new movie from British filmmaker Steve McQueen, whose previous film 12 Years a Slavewon Best Picture about five years back. It grossed $56.7 million domestically with a strong expansion plan from Fox Searchlight that more than made back the movie’s $20 million budget, greatly helped by the $131 million overseas.

For his fourth film, an adaptation of Lynda La Plante’s recently-released novel, McQueen went over to the parent Fox, presumably to have an even bigger budget for his first heist film, which is just as star-studded as 12 Years a Slave. He also had help with the adaptation from author Gillian Flynn, whose own bestselling novel Gone Girlwas turned into a hit thriller by no less than David Fincher. The basic premise is that a group of thieves end up being killed in a heist-gone-wrong by the police after stealing $2 million from a local thug who comes to the wife of the gangleader to get the money back… or else!

McQueen’s latest has a lot going for it, not just the fact that it’s a crime action-thriller as opposed to a weepy historical drama about slavery – frankly, I’m surprised 12 Years a Slave did that well, but that’s a testament to the power of Searchlight.

Really, the biggest factor that will help Widows is its cast, which includes a number of Oscar winners, most importantly the amazing Viola Davis, whose amazing supporting role in Denzel Washington’s Fences finally won her that Oscar. That also grossed $57 million after a late December platform release, and if you put that next to the grosses of McQueen’s last film, that’s a pretty good barometer for Widows. (The biggest difference is that this is opening nationwide in 3,000 theaters rather than trying to build word-of-mouth.)

Davis’ husband is played by Liam Neeson, who has done his fair share of action-thrillers, and though he has a smaller role in this, his presence is still felt. After Davis, a lot of people will be talking about the performances by Brian Tyree Henry (star of the hit FX series Atlanta) and Daniel Kaluuya, the Oscar-nominated star of Jordan Peele’s Get Out last year and Marvel’s Black Panther. If Davis isn’t able to get African-American males into theaters, than these two guys should help. There’s also Colin Farrell, the Irish actor who seems to be having a bit of a resurgence in recent years with roles in last year’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer and Roman J. Israel, Esq., neither huge moneymakers but Farrell received many accolades. (And of course, he starred in the original Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Davis’ partners in crime are played by Michelle Rodriguez from the Fast and Furious movies; Australian actor Elizabeth Debicki, who appeared in films like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and others but who really gives a breakout performance here; and the Tony-winning actor Cynthia Erivo, who just blew me away in Bad Times at the El Royale. Then there’s the parental units (of Farrell and Dubecki’s characters respectively) played by Robert Duvall and Jacki Weaver.

Just from that cast alone, it’s obvious why Fox is hoping this will be a good play for Oscar night, especially with the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody receiving mixed reviews and possibly only getting Rami Malek a nomination.

Widows should be a good counter-point to Fantastic Beasts and with few other movies (including Tyler Perry’s Nobody’s Fool) popping with African-American moviegoers, especially not males, I can see Widows bringing out a solid audience of those not interested in other films. I’m not sure it will quite make $20 million this weekend, but it should make a play for third place against Bohemian with $15 to 17 million. Its biggest hurdle is MGM’s sequel Creed II opening on Wednesday which may steal away some of its business, but word-of-mouth could make it a good alternative over Thanksgiving and in the slower weeks to come.

Mini-Review: I’m not sure I’ve ever been as surprised by the evolution of a director as I am with Steve McQueen going from his Oscar-winning work on 12 Years a Slave to Widows. Mind you, I was already a fan of McQueen from his first film Hunger, but I never expected he’d be able to do something like this.

Widows begins with a heist as Liam Neeson’s Harry Rawlings and his colleagues are in a van after a robbery, which cuts back to a quieter time between Harry and his wife Veronica (Viola Davis). It’s a fairly jarring introduction to the characters, especially the way McQueen films the demise of Rawlings and his gang. The Chicago’s 18thward is in the midst of a heated political race between Colin Farrell’s Jack Mulligan, a second-gen politician, and Brian Tyree Henry’s Jamal Manning, who happens to be involved in the city’s crime sector along with his sadistic brother Jatemme (Daniel Kaluuya). Turns out that the money Rawlings stole belonged to the Mannings, and Jamal threatens Veronica that she needs to repay his $2 million in a week or face the consequences. Veronica turns to the wives of the other dead thieves (played by Michelle Rodriguez and Elizabeth Dubecki) to enact a plan for Harry’s next big job, which is to rob Mulligan.

Needless to say, with a cast this good, you’re going to end up with a number of brilliant performances. While Davis is a clear stand-out, Dubecki is also impressive as a woman used to being pampered who has to start earning her own living as an escort. Kaluuya is also quite a scene-stealer as the homicidal Manning enforcer, and I wish there was more of him in the movie. Brian Tiree Henry is equally good, and Colin Farrell continues to impress me, and the fact that Davis can be so memorable against so many other great performances (including her scene-stealing dog) shows her to still be at the top of her game. Robert Duvall and Jacki Weaver are also quite great without even having to try very hard.

On paper, this could have been a standard heist film, but McQueen thrives on the complexities of the story’s intricate plot to keep the viewer invested as we follow a number of stories at the same time. Where McQueen really thrives is at creating tension, from the opening set piece which leads to a slow-building thriller to the point where the actual robbery is just as nail-biting as anything I’ve seen on screen this year.

From the very beginning, McQueen has DP Sean Bobbit shoot the film in such an unconventional way. For example, when Jack Mulligan is having an argument inside his limo with his wife, the camera remains outside the car as it drives, something that gets more uneasy as you realize that the camera is just going to stay there for a very, long time.

If you’re a fan of the heist genre, Widows delivers on everything promised by Ocean’s 8 earlier this year, a strong female-centric crime film that’s up there with what’s been done by men in the genre. In this case, McQueen may have clinched himself a second Oscar nomination with his brilliant work at pulling this amazing cast together into such a compelling story. Rating: 8.5/10

INSTANT FAMILY (Paramount)

If Green Book wasn’t opening this weekend, I would probably give this new dramedy from Paramount a bit of extra lip-service, because it’s also quite a wonderful movie. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have quite the buzz that the Peter Farrelly period comedy does (for reasons mentioned above).

This is the new movie co-written and directed by Daddy’s Home director Sean Anders, and it once again teams him with Mark Wahlberg, the star of those two comedy hits. The big difference with Instant Family is that it’s based on Anders actual experiences adopting three kids, and it’s not a silly Will Ferrell comedy like the Daddy’s Home movies. That may or may not be a good thing when you realize that the first one of those movies made $150 million while the second made over $100 million, and that was just domestically. The sequel opened a little earlier in November to $29.6 million, and those kinds of returns guaranteed Paramount wanted to stay in bed with Anders, especially with Wahlberg as lead.

Wahlberg has built quite a side career for himself as an actor in comedies with hits like the two Daddy’s Home movies, and at least the first Ted comedy, which had him playing the straight man to a Seth MacFarlane-voiced stuffed bear. The original movie in 2012 did substantially better than its sequel three years later, but Ted 2still made $81 million domestically. Wahlberg’s real break into comedies probably began with his earlier teaming with Will Ferrell for Adam McKay’s The Other Guys, which also broke $100 million domestically.

Playing Wahlberg’s wife is Rose Byrne, the talented actor who broke out with comedies like Paul Feig’s Bridesmaids and Spy, and she recently starred in the Nick Hornby adaptation of Juliet, Naked (which you may recall is another one of my favorite movies of the year). The other part of the equation is popular actor Octavia Spencer, who has received three Oscar nominations, winning for The Help in 2012, a movie that co-starred Widows’ Viola Davis. She teams with popular comic Tig Notaro as adoption agency counselors, and the film also stars breakout star Isabela Moner, who co-starred with Wahlberg in the last Transformers movie, also for Paramount. So basically Instant Familyis keeping it all in the family.

I’m probably not going to review Instant Family since it’s been quite a few weeks since I saw it, but it’s a wonderful movie, a real crowd-pleaser – warm, sweet and funny with Rose Byrne being her usual wonderful self. The fact that it’s loosely-based on Anders’ own story makes it even more compelling, and I hope that people seek it out (not hard since it will be in 3,000 theaters across the country). This might be more of a sleeper that does better as people get into the holiday spirit, as it has a little bit of that in the story.

That said, I’m worried this will be hurt more by Fantastic Beasts than vice versa, and that might mean that it will have to rely on word-of-mouth to get it through the rest of the month. If no one goes to see the movie this weekend, then that’s going to be hard. Because of this (and how crowded the marketplace is), I could see this making between $13 and 15 million this weekend but maybe it’ll make its way to $50 or 60 million if it can get past the slew of Thanksgiving releases.

Also expanding nationwide into about 800 theaters is Matthew Heineman’s A Private War, starring Rosamund Pike as war journalist Marie Colvin, which I personally feel deserves at least another Oscar nomination for the Gone Girlstar. We’ll see if it expands wide enough and gets enough attention to get into the top 10, but I think it will end up somewhere in the $1 to $1.5 million range, not enough to get into it. There’s a chance Joel Edgerton’s Boy Erased may expand further this weekend, as well.

This week’s Top 10 should look something like this… UPDATE: Changing some of the numbers below, since actual theater counts have been released and many of the returning films (including A Star is Born) have lost way more theaters than I expected. Basically, theaters are dumping movies to open up screens for this week’s offerings as well as the new Thanksgiving movies on Wednesday. (Also, Widows is opening in fewer theaters than originally estimated.)

1. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (Warner Bros.) - $77.8 million N/A 2. The Grinch (Universal) - $38.4 million -43% 3. Bohemian Rhapsody (20thCentury Fox) - $18 million -45% 4. Widows (20thCentury Fox) – $15.5 million N/A 5. Instant Family (Paramount) - $14.4 million N/A 6. A Star is Born (Warner Bros.) - $5.3 million -35% 7. Overlord (Paramount) - $5.3 million -48% 8. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (Disney) - $4.7 million -53% 9. The Girl in the Spider’s Web (Sony) - $3.7 million -53% 10. Nobody’s Fool (Paramount) - $2.8 million -58%

LIMITED RELEASES

We’re just one week away from Thanksgiving, which means we’re getting down to the nitty-gritty in terms of the first group of awards and nominations, which will take place in the weeks following Thanksgiving.

Apparently, the Coen Brothers’ Western anthology THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS (Netflix)opened a week earlier than planned in three theaters in New York, L.A. and San Francisco. It would have been nice if someone from Netflix bothered to tell me, so I could have included it in last week’s column. Anyway, it will open in more theaters and be streaming this Friday, so I might as well write more about it, since I never got around to writing about it at the New York Film Festival. The title character is played by Tim Blake Nelson, but don’t get used to him, as he’s only the star of the first segment, which is also the best. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is very much an anthology film that allows the Coens to explore that genre further than they have in the past with a varied mix of stories of different lengths featuring a cast that includes James Franco, Liam Neeson, Brendan Gleeson, Stephen Root, Tyne Daley and Zoe Kazan. The segment with the latter is the longest, and it takes a while to get going, but I especially liked the segment which starred Tom Waits, mostly by himself as a gold prospector. The movie will be streaming on Netflix on Friday, but I do recommend seeking it out in theaters, and in New York, at least, it will be playing at the IFC Center and the Landmark on 57thStreet.

Another New York Film Festival (and Venice) premiere is Julian Schnabel’s latest film AT ETERNITY’S GATE (CBS Films), which stars Willem Dafoe as painter Vincent Van Gogh and Oscar Isaac as Paul Gauguin, who become friends during Van Gogh’s days in the south of France. Rupert Friend plays Vincent’s brother Theo Van Gogh, and the film also stars Mathieu Amalric (from Schnabel’s earlier film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), Emmanuelle Seigner and Niels Arestrup. Honestly, I wasn’t a particularly big fan of the film, which involved a lot of noodley shots of Van Gogh walking through fields ala Terrence Malick, but it does have some good moments and my favorite involved Dafoe’s Van Gogh having a philosophical debate with a priest played by Mads Mikkelsen. Regardless, it opens in New York and L.A. (and possibly other cities) on Friday.

From this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, Bill Oliver’s Jonathan (Well GO USA) stars Angel Elgort in a dual role as two brothers living separate lives inside the same body, taking shifts in who has control, something that becomes a problem when they both fall for the same woman, played by Suki Waterhouse.

Just when I thought I’ve seen everything, there’s also a documentary about Marie Colvin (the subject of A Private War) opening in New York and L.A. this Friday as Chris Martin’s Under the Wire (Abramorama) features actual footage of Colvin and photographer Paul Conroy sneaking into Syria in Feb. of 2012.

From Sundance comes Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Dweck’s doc The Last Race(Magnolia) that follows a Long Island stock car racetrack that’s being threatened by redevelopment. It will open at the IFC Center in New York, the Monica Film Center in Santa Monica and in Seattle, but it will also have special screenings on Weds night in select cities – you can find out more about those special screenings on the Official Site.

After premiering at Doc-NYC, Ofir Trainin’s Family in Transition (Abramorama) will open in L.A. this Friday and in New York on Nov. 23. It shares the story of a family in Nahariya, Israel whose lives change after the father announces his decision to transition into a woman. This remarkably timely film definitely will make people change their minds about transgender people and what they (and their loved ones) go through after making that decision.

Opening on Weds at New York’s Quad Cinema is legendary documentarian Claude Lanzmann’s final film Shoah: Four Sisters (Cohen Media), which continues his series of interviews conducted in the ‘70s with four women from Eastern Europe who detail their experiences at the end of WWII. The four segments – The Hippocratic Oath, The Merry Flea, Noah’s Ark, and Baluty-- It’s shown in two parts with each 2+-hour part featuring two of the sisters. The film should roll out to other areas over the next few weeks, as well.

At the Museum of the Moving Image, Syrian documentarian Talal Derki’s Of Fathers and Sons (Kino Lorber) will screen through December with Derki appearing on Friday night. For this one, he spent two years with a radical Islamist family made-up of a father and his two sons. It won the World Documentary Grand Jury Prize at Sundance this year.

As far as this weekend’s genre films, you’ll be able to see Daniel Goldhaber’s thriller Cam in select Alamo theaters (as well as on Netflix—see below), but IFC Midnight’s offering this weekend is Duncan Skiles’ The Clovehitch Killer, which will play midnight screenings at New York’s IFC Centerand in L.A., as well as be available On Demand. It stars Charlie Plummer (All the Money in the World) as Tyler Burnside, a Boy Scout and church volunteer whose father (Dylan McDermott) is a community leader in their quiet Kentucky town, where ten women have been tortured and murdered by a psychopath known as Clovehitch ten years earlier. Tyler suspects his father might be that killer.

Other films out this weekend include David Levinson’s Welcome Home (Vertical/DirecTV), starring Aaron Paul and Emily Ratajkowski as a couple who end up in a love triangle with a handsome Italian who vies for her attention. John Travolta stars in the action thriller Speed Kills (Saban Films), directed by Jodi Scurfield, in which he plays a millionaire speedboat champ who also happens to be a drug trafficker. It co-stars Kellan Lutz, Matthew Modine and Jennifer Esposito and is in select theaters and On Demand Friday. Lastly, there’s Nijla Mu’min’s drama Jinn (Orion Classics) about a teen girl whose mother converts to Islam. It opens in theaters Thursday, but is On Demand on Friday.

Also if you’re an Atlanta-based genre fan, you might want to check out the Buried Alive Film Festival, which runs from Nov. 14 through 17, which opens with Joe Badon’s The God Inside My Ear and includes other features and shorts that haven’t played at many other festivals.

STREAMING

Besides the Coen Brothers’ THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS (mentioned above), one of Netflix’s big streaming premieres this weekend is Daniel Goldhaber’s horror-thriller CAM (also playing at select Alamo theaters), co-written by Isa Mazzei, who used her own experiences as a “camgirl.” If you don’t know what that is, then good for you, you don’t regularly watch porn, but essentially, a camgirl is a sex worker who does things on camera for money. In this case, it stars Madeline Brewer (from Orange is the New Black) as a camgirl who wakes up one day to find out that someone who looks exactly like her has taken over her channel. I haven’t seen it yet (despite it playing many festivals), but it’s definitely on my list to see when it streams on Netflix Friday. As an animal lover, I’m also looking forward to the upcoming docuseries DOGS(Netflix), exec. produced by Amy Berg, director of great docs like Deliver Us from Evil, West of Memphis and An Open Secret. Also, if you’re a fan of the series Narcos, it’s back this Friday with Narcos Mexico, which takes place, you guessed it, in Mexico.

REPERTORY

METROGRAPH (NYC):

This is a big weekend for the Metrograph, as they’re kicking off a number of retrospectives, probably in hopes those who have time off over Thanksgiving will venture down to the Lower East Side for a few of them.

First up on Friday is a screening of Joseph Mankiewicz’s The Barefoot Contessa, starring Ava Gardner and Humphrey Bogart, on a 35mm print, as part of the Academy at Metrograph series. This one is hosted by Karina Longworth, creator and host of the You Must Remember This podcast, signing copies of her book Seduction: Sex, Lies and Stardom In Howard Hughes’s Hollywood. There are two screenings of this on Friday night but 7pm screening is already sold out.

Also beginning Friday is a rare series dedicated to actor and filmmaker Bill Duke with films that range from his 1991 film A Rage in Harlem and 1992’s Deep Coverto films in which he appeared like Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Commando (1985) and Predator (1987)to more recent films like Panos Costamos’ recent Nicolas Cage thriller Mandy. (Unfortunately, Duke himself will not be appearing in person as previously planned.)

On Saturday, the Metrograph kicks off a retrospective of Chinese filmmaker Wang Bingwhich just happens to coincide with Lincoln Center’s own Wang-Bing: The Weight of Experience (see below), both sponsored by the Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation. The Metrograph’s series will include Fengming (2007)Three Sisters (2012), Til Madness Do Us Part (2013), Ta’ang and Bitter Money (both from 2016). Warning: Most of his films run from 2 ½ hours to almost four hours.

On Monday, the Metrograph begins a series dedicated to the work of cinematographer Darius Khondji, a series that will include screenings of David Fincher’s Se7en (1995), Danny Boyle’s The Beach (2000), James Gray’s The Immigrant (2013) and The Lost City of Z (2016) and even Bong Joon-ho’s Okja (2017). The series also includes three of Jean-Piere Jeunet’s films including his debut with Marc Caro, Delicatessen (1991), one of my all-time faves The City of Lost Children (1995) and of course, Alien: Resurrection (1997). This runs through Thanksgiving weekend, and it’s a great chance to see some of these films on the big screen.

FILM FORUM (NYC):

The recently-renovated downtown theater continues its Ida Lupino 100 series through Thanksgiving, and those lucky kids who attend Film Forum Jr. can see Don Chaffey’s Jason and the Argonauts (1963).

EGYPTIAN THEATRE (LA):

Friday there’s a Bruno Mattei double feature of Shocking Dark (1989)and Robowar (1988), while on Sunday, it screens the new 4k restoration of Wim Wender’s Wings of Desire (1987 – Janus Films).

AERO (LA):

American Cinemateque’s other theater is in the midst of its Cinema Italian Style 2018 program featuring many recent Italian films making their North American premieres… but not repertory, so… next!

QUAD CINEaMA (NYC):

Claude Lanzmann’s Cinema of Remembrance continues to coincide with the release of Lanzmann’s final film Shoah: Four Sisters (see above).

IFC CENTER (NYC)

Doc-NYC is over, so it’s back to Late Night Favorites, this weekend showing Ridley Scott’s Alien(1979). Weekend Classicsis still taking the weekend off, but the Shaw Brothers Spectacularsthis weekend will be 1973’s The Blood Brothers. There’s two reasons right there to be in the West Village late at night this weekend.

LANDMARK THEATRES NUART (LA):

At midnight on Friday, you can see the late Wes Craven’s 1994 film Wes Craven’s New Nightmare.

FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER(NYC):

If you can’t get enough Wang Bing from the Metrograph’s retrospective, the Film Society is also commemorating the Chinese documentarian with The Weight of Experience, which will include his newest film, the eight-part Dead Souls, his debut West of Tracks (2002), as well as his single-shot film 15 Hours (2017). Wang Bing will be on-hand to discuss his films here, too, so I wish his handlers luck in getting him from the Lower East Side to the Upper West Side multiple times in the same weekend. (I do it a lot and it’s a pain in the tuchus.)

Also, to coincide with the master Japanese filmmaker Kore-Eda’s Shoplifters next week, the Film Society will be showing Six by Kore-Eda, including Maborosi(1995), After Life (1998), Nobody Knows (2004), Still Walking (2008), I Wish (2011) and Like Father, Like Son(2013). It’s a great Lway to catch-up before his Cannes-winning new film.

BAM CINEMATEK(NYC):

Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, they’ll be showing Janus Films’ 40thanniversary restoration of Chantal Akerman’s 1978 film Les Rendez-vous d’Anna.

MOMA (NYC):

The midtown museum continues its Modern Matinees: Douglas Fairbanks Jr. with The Exile (1947) on Thursday and Joy of Living (1938) on Friday. This series continues through December with weekday screenings at 1:30 PM.

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE (NYC):

The Coen Brothers Go West continues through the weekend with screenings of Raising Arizona,True Grit and Blood Simple. Also, I just want to give a shout-out to MOMI’s long-time creative director David Schwartz, who is moving on at the end of the month after an astounding 33 years (!), to be replaced by the equally qualified Eric Hynes. Maybe I should get out to Astoria before month’s end, huh?

That’s it for this week. Next week… Thanksgiving! It will be celebrated with the release of two anticipated sequels, Disney’s Ralph Wrecks the Internet and MGM’s Creed II, plus a new Robin Hood and other films expanding wide. Since most of them will be out on Wednesday, I’m gonna have to get crackin’ on next week’s column right away.

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