#from 1984 not that new anime series that came a few years ago | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

chelsie-carson · 4 years

Photo

Downton Abbey’s Phyllis Logan on a sequel, feminism protests, the struggle facing theatres, and her love of animals

Like most in-demand actors, Phyllis Logan’s diary has been unusually bare these past few months. When the coronavirus lockdown was introduced, it immediately closed down film and theatre productions across the world.

But the Downton Abbey star says no matter how busy her future schedule might be, if a sequel is announced to the period drama’s movie spin-off, she would clear the decks to be part of it.

The actor, originally from Johnstone in Renfrewshire, has been in the primetime series since it started 10 years ago, playing housekeeper Mrs Hughes.

She said: “The will is certainly there with everybody – the cast, producers and writer Julian Fellowes – but no one knows what will happen, especially with this lockdown.

“We’re ever hopeful, so fingers crossed. When it could happen, I don’t know – we could all be in our graves by then if this goes on much longer! But if people are given enough warning then I think most of us would make it a priority, no matter what is in the diaries. I think we would be happy to clear our diaries.”

Phyllis has grown used to fans approaching her to talk about Downton, which saw her character wed Mr Carson, played by Jim Carter, in the final series.

“I enjoy it when people come up and say they enjoy the show, or they like the characters together,” she continued. “It’s wonderful to think so many people have been touched by it in some way. It’s given a lot of pleasure to people and I wish it would continue.

“Although, I do like to think I don’t look like Mrs Hughes off-screen, I’m not quite as fuddy-duddy as her. A lot of people say it’s not me, but my voice they recognise.

“Perhaps that’s why I was given the job in Highland Vet – because of my voice.”

Highland Vet is a new documentary series on 5Select, following the team at the most northern mainland vet practice in Britain. D.S. McGregor and Partners cover Thurso, Wick and Caithness, dealing with farm animals, equine, domestic pets and wildlife.

For animal lover Phyllis, who has had a long association with the SSPCA, being asked to provide the voice-over narration for the series was a perfect job. And, as it turns out, it has kept her occupied during lockdown.

“I didn’t have to think about it for very long when I was approached to do it, because it’s right up my street, and it being filmed in the north of Scotland was the icing on the cake,” she admitted.

“You can tell the vets have great heart in dealing with the different animals and their passion and dedication is lovely to watch. It’s heartwarming, exciting and also sad at times, but you look at it and think how lovely it would be to know a vet like that.

“I recorded the first episode in the studio and then work on the next episode came on the day of lockdown. When I went into Covent Garden it was like a ghost town, a bit spooky. It was just me and the engineer in this vast studio, and from then on I was told they would send equipment to my house for me to record the voice-over from there.

“Thankfully, my husband is good with that sort of thing – he’s been very useful, I have to say. It’s been a blessing to have been able to do this – apart from anything else it’s kept us from going mad and a bit stir crazy. It also means I’m still doing some work and being paid for it into the bargain, which is a real blessing.”

Phyllis lovingly recalled Carlos, the rescue lurcher from Battersea that she and her husband, Pirates Of The Caribbean actor Kevin McNally, rehomed.

“He was a lovely fella, so chilled out and laid-back,” she said. “I used to take him walks to Chiswick House, which had beautiful grounds and a big dog walking park. He would run around with all the other dogs and when he went into fifth gear it was a sight to behold. It would make your heart soar to watch it.

“I was lucky to get to do that for the 10 years we had with him. He was quite irreplaceable. We went a bit mad when he passed four or five years ago, and had a small bronze statue made of him. It looks like he’s flying through the air. It’s very tactile.”

Phyllis has been sharing lockdown with Kevin and their son, 24-year-old David, who is a musician.

Just days before the country shut down due to Covid-19, the 64-year-old celebrated the release of her latest film, Misbehaviour, which became a victim of cinema closures.

The film, also starring Keira Knightley, Jessie Buckley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Greg Kinnear, is based on the true story of the 1970 Miss World competition, which saw protestors disrupt the contest that was eventually won by a black woman for the first time.

“We had a small premiere in a Covent Garden hotel which we all went along to, and it was in the cinema for five minutes before lockdown started, so not a lot of people saw it there, which is a shame because it’s a good film,” Phyllis said.

“I remember watching the real thing back in the day. I would have been 13 or 14, and I used to love watching Miss World. I remember vividly Bob Hope being pelted on stage. It was quite a shocker but now I think I’d be right up there with the rest of them, throwing bags of flour – although if you were trying to throw bags of flour now you’re liable to be mugged, it’s in such short supply!” she added. “It became a much bigger movement but that incident put it on people’s radar.

“I’m looking at what is happening now and I think it’s brilliant everyone is out protesting, even during lockdown. If I wasn’t such a stick in the mud about keeping to my own area then I’d be up there myself.”

Phyllis – who has another film, The Last Bus, awaiting release – is also an accomplished stage actor and fears for the future of theatres.

“They struggle to survive at the best of times and if they can’t open at full capacity you do wonder how they can keep going,” she said. “It’s not feasible unless there is proper government investment to see them through the worst of it.”

While the long-term future of theatres remains in limbo, in the short-term, TV and film production will return, and Phyllis says she’ll be watching on closely.

“It’s going to be a bit daunting for the first ones out the trap, they’ll provide the litmus test for how it’s going to go, and everyone’s eyes will be on it,” she said.

“I’m sure companies will be all over the health and safety aspect. I don’t have any worries – I’d be happy to dive straight back in.

“I’m champing at the bit to return and it’s good that Highland Vet is made, because it gives something new for people to watch rather than the endless repeats of whatever’s on.

“Except for re-runs of Downton Abbey, of course, people can watch that as much as they like because hopefully I’ll still get some residuals from it, which will keep me going while I’m not working!”

Phyllis left Scotland in her mid-20s to successfully crack London, having quickly made a name for herself after graduating from the RSAMD in Glasgow.

Having worked on stage in Dundee and Edinburgh, she won a BAFTA for Most Outstanding Newcomer To Film for her role as Janie in her first film, Another Time, Another Place, in 1984.

Other film roles include the Mike Leigh movie, Secrets & Lies. Prior to Downton Abbey, she was best known for playing Lady Jane Feisham in Lovejoy, opposite Ian McShane.

And while it’s been many years since she last worked in Scotland, she does return as often as possible.

“It’s impossible just now, but I try to come back regularly,” she said. “My sister is in Prestwick, my nephew is in Broughty Ferry and I have relatives in Johnstone. I’m looking forward to when I can come back.

“As far as working on a Scottish production, I’m always open to offers. I’ve been speaking to people working in the production side who had moved to London from Scotland for work, and they’re now heading back to make their lives there because enough is happening in Scotland to make it viable.

“That’s encouraging that there’s work to be had, and hopefully that will continue once we’re over this.”

(x)

#phyllis logan #highland vet #quarantine life #downton abbey

49 notes · View notes

socialyawkdude · 5 years

Text

Top 10 animes for first time viewers

Hello, my socially awkward friends,

I’m back after a much-needed vacation to bring you the content, which you crave. In recent weeks, I’ve been approached by friends and colleagues, about what amines they should watch. To say that it was a loaded question is an understatement. With the world of anime and manga being so vast, it's hard to know where to start.

After thinking it over, I’ve decided to follow suit of my supernatural top 10 and do a top 10 for anime for beginners.

Today's post will cover amines for first-time viewers. Let me start by saying that, This Is my Opinion! Please do not jump my bones because of the line-up. Now with that being said, let get this party started.

(10) Sailor Moon/Sailor Moon Crystal

Written by Nanoko Takeuchi

Genre/subgenre: Magical girl, action, romance, shoujo, superhero

Manga original run: (December 28, 1991, to February 3, 1997)

Anime Run: Sailor Moon (1992-1993) 46 episodes

Sailor Moon R (1993- 1994) 43 episodes

Sailor Moon S (1994- 1995) 38 episodes

Sailor Moon Super S (1995- 1996) 39 episode

Sailor Moon Sailor Star (1996- 1997) 34 episodes

The series follows the adventures of the protagonist Usagi Tsukino, a middle school student who is given the power to become the titular Sailor Soldier. Joined by other Sailor Soldiers, they defend Earth against an assortment of evil villains.

Let us start with a classic, remade for the modern-day. For quite a few of my generation, Sailor Moon was our introduction to the world of anime. I can remember watching sailor moon, in the early morning before the school bus came. Sailor Moon was the beginning of my love affair with anime.

Now here is what I got to say on sailor moon. It is a bit wonky, timeline-wise. Sailor Moon's overall timeline can be a bit hard to follow. That is if you are going in-depth with it. As long as you stay away from the headache inducing timeline, you’ll be ok.

(9)Bleach

Written by Tite Kubo

Genre/subgenre: Action, Adventure, Shonen, Supernatural, Comedy

Original manga run: August 7, 2001 - August 22, 2016

Original anime run: October 5, 2004 - March 27, 2012

366 episodes

What can I say about Bleach? It is one of my favorite anime’s of all time. It's not perfect but what is? You have a diverse cast of characters, a good story and plenty of action. In my opinion, that makes a great anime for beginners. For me, Bleach was my return to anime, after years of not watching. I think that I've watched this anime from beginning to end, one too many times.

I'm talking watching the U.S. airing up to the point that I had the watch in Japanese. I finished the anime a full 2 years before the finale aired in the U.S. I would highly recommend this anime to any beginners.

(8) Restaurant to another World

Written by Junpei Inuzuku

Genre/subgenre= Fantasy, Isekai

Manga Original Run: November 18, 2016, to June 25, 2019

Anime original Run: July 3, 2017, to September 18, 2017

12 episodes

I was recommended this anime by a friend of a friend. I am going, to be honest; I didn't know what I was getting into. This would be my first experience with isekai anime. Looking back on this anime, it is quite an anime. Not much action, but at a great story. I would not recommend watching after a 420 session, you will get the munchies.

(7) Sword Art Online

Written by Reki Kawahara

Genre/Subgenre= Isekai, Fantasy, Action, Adventure

Light Novel Original Run: April 10, 2009, to present

Anime original run:

Sword Art Online = July 8, 2012, to December 23, 2012

Sword Art Online II= July 5, 2014, to December 30, 2014

Sword Art Online Alicization = October 6, 2018, to present

And here we go again with another isekai. The genre in itself is pretty much the same across animes. Someone dies and is sent to another world, but Sword Art Online is different. Instead of dying and going to another world; our main character is trapped in a virtual world and if he dies there, he dies in the real world.

In general, I've been pretty hard on SAO because of its a little too real world for me. It deals with some very real-world issues. To give some examples: Death, rape, incest, and other issues. To top it all off, with it being 2019; we are only months away from when the anime begins. (Where is my damn nervegear?)

If you can get past all of that it's a decent anime. The first arc is by far the best. The second arc is OK and the third I haven't finished yet. Sword Art Online is a good anime for beginners, in my opinion. Plus, Sword Art Online always puts out a beyond great soundtrack.

(6) The Saga of Tanya the Evil

Written by Carlo Zen

Genre/subgenre: Isekai, fantasy

Manga Original run: April 26, 2016, to present

Anime original run: January 6, 2017, to March 31, 2017

12 Episodes

Here we are with the last isekai on our list. I understand that there have been quite a few listed, but besides the honorable mentions, there are no more. The Saga of Tanya the Evil is the perfect end of the isekai on this list.

Following the usual isekai tropes, Tanya the evil can best be described as a fantasy, historical alternative reality anime; taking place in a world similar to World War 1. As of this post, I'm only eight episodes in and quite enjoying it. I highly recommend checking it out.

(5) Fairy Tail

Written By Hiro Mashima

Genre/Subgenre: Shonen, Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Manga Original run: August 2, 2006, to July 26, 2017

Anime original Run: October 12, 2009, to Present

328 + episodes

It was around 7 years ago that a friend recommended fairy tail, to me. At the time, it wasn't my cup of tea. I was following Bleach, at the time, and hadn't leaped into the world of anime. Fast forward several years and it is still not my cup of tea. Now here is the thing, even though I may not be into fairy tail, ii know a good anime when I see it Given that fairy tail is entering its last full season; it a great choice for beginners and old alike. This is why I’m giving it the number 5 spot.

(4) Attack on Titan

Written by Hajime isayama

Genre/Subgenre: Dark fantasy, post-apocalyptic

Original manga run: September 9, 2009, to present

Original anime run: April 7, 2015, to present

Attack on Titan is one of those manga/animes that is a hit from day one. With a post-apocalyptic feel straight out of someone's worse nightmare. This isn't the zombie apocalypse folks; this is something far worse. The following that Attack on Titan has garnered is on par with American shows like The Walking Dead.

Along with the manga and anime, Attack on titan has spawned a live-action movie in 2015. In my opinion, the movie was just as gory and the anime, but a little toned down. If your a fan of post-apocalyptic shows like The Walking Dead, this is one that you have to check out.

A little piece of advice, do not watch the movie until you have seen the first season.

(3) Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid

Written by Coolkyoushinja

Genre/Subgenre: fantasy

Manga original run: May 25, 2013 to present

Anime original run: January 11, 2017, to April 6, 2017

13 episodes plus OVA

If there was ever an anime that should be the official anime of this blog, this is it. Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid has been one of my favorite animes that I've seen in recent years. This is not the usual action-pack thriller, that you'll usually see from animes that make there way west. It the cute and funny story of Miss Kobayashi and how she ended up with a dragon maid and the adventures that follow. I would recommend this to anyone, anime watcher or not.

(2) Fullmetal Alchemist/ Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood.

Written by Hiroma Arakawa

Genre/Subgenre: Adventure, dark fantasy, science fiction, shonen

manga original run: July 12, 2001, to June 12, 2019

Anime original run:

( Fullmetal Alchemist) October 4, 2003, to October 2, 2004

51 episodes plus the movie Conqueror of Shamballa (2005)

( Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood) April 5, 2009, to July 4, 2010

64 episodes

Here we are at the number 2 spot. This was a toss-up for number one, but I decided against it. I would suggest watching Brotherhood because it follows the manga beginning to end. Fullmetal Alchemist ends at episode 51 and it is up the movie, Conqueror of Shamballa to bring an end to the story. I saw Conqueror of Shamballa and overall the movie was great. Well deserving of the praise it got from film festivals around the world. Do yourself a favor and check out this anime.

(1) Dragon Ball /Z/GT/Super/Heroes

Written by Akira Toriyama

Genre/Subgenre: Action, Adventure, martial arts, shonen

Manga Original run:

Dragonball= December 3, 1984, to June 5, 1995

Dragonball Super= June 20,2025 to present

Anime original run:

Dragonball(1986 to 1989)

Dragonball Z( 1989 to 1996)

Dragonball GT( 1996 to 1997)

Dragonball Super( 2015 to 2018)

Super Dragonball Heroes(2018 to present)

And here we are at the number one spot. Come on, everyone should have seen this coming. Anime lovers and non-anime lovers have heard of the Dragonball series. While I was fighting for Fullmetal Alchemist to be in the number one spot; it wasn't going to happen. The Dragonball series is perfect for new anime viewers fro many reasons. One of the main reasons is if you get confused, there is plenty out there to help you understand what’s going on. The Dragonball series has been around in manga form since 1984 and anime form since 1986. There is plenty out there to help newbies and confused them, at the same time. Just don't watch the shitty American made live-action movie.

Honorable mentions: Konosuba, Ghost in A Shell, Food Wars and Naruto

Like always my friends, don't forget to like/share/reblog and follow. To get more of an idea of what's coming, you can follow me over on twitter at @socialyawkdude.

110 notes · View notes

ruffiorocks · 5 years

Text

Men can be SuperCorp and Agent Corp shippers to. They can support subtext!

So I put up a chat I had with my 34 year old straight as a ruler brother. His favorite Superhero has always been Supergirl, he still loves the 1984 film and we grew up watching it. Does that make him gay? Of course not!

But he really likes the Supergirl show. He's a bit behind so he usually gets a Monday morning rant from me about what happened. Or he catches up on YouTube.

My brother is a Supercorp shipper. He saw the chemistry instantly! He spends the majority of his time asking me if Kara and Lena have had anymore practically gay scenes. He also isn't a James Olsen fan, he thought Guardian was OK, but now he can't be dealing with him.

So last night my brother put on some YouTube clips. First he put on the Adam and Lena scenes (he really is behind ) and he was like 'Lena is the scientist!' 'Omg Lena and her mum!'

Next he put on the Nia and Maeve fall out scene. His mouth fell open when Maeve said the things to Nia. I told him the context, why Maeve was upset etc. He said he could see why she was upset and that she was lashing out in anger bur that didn't excuse what she said. I agree.

Next was Kara revealing her identity to Nia. He thought that was cool, but he also said that if Nia knows because she's a hero then surely Lena should know to?!

Then we had the Thanksgiving argument between Lena and James. I explained about he indictment and how Lena sorted it and he was outraged that James would speak to Lena like that! He was like 'what a d**k! He just left Lena in the hallway all sad!'

Then we had the break up scene. He didn't like James lack of support for Lena. (I explained context again) But he also saw what i saw and although we were both jumping for joy at this break up, we both saw that Lena seems to have picked that fight and done this on purpose.

Lastly was the Alex and Lena scenes. The first thing he's said was Alex looks more and more gay every episode. He then saw that Lena seemed to glance at Alex's boobs. He yelled 'MISS TESSMACHER!' He does this everytime she's on screen. Probably because he freaking loves Cat Grant! Then he expressed joy that Lena has Alexs support. Lastly he was like 'Alex, Lena, Eve team up! '

He thew in a few comments like 'Lena always saves the day!' and 'Lena should clone herself, give them all a different power and call them 'The Legion of Lena's!'

So, someone said his responses sounded fake. That I had just made up this conversation. I'd like to ask why?

My straight brother is apparently not capable of having the EXACT same reactions that most of us did? He isn't allowed to support a lesbian ship? Is he doing this because he thinks the characters are hot and would like to see them together? Maybe, but you know who else is doing that? WE ARE!

Straight Men are allowed to openly support LGBT ships. My brother thought Winn and James would be a great couple!

He also doesn't care for homophobia. I told him 2 years ago I was bi. Not everyone in my fam knows that. His reaction? 'Oh so you definitely like women then? That's cool!' Now we both openly drool over Katie McGrath and Gal Gadot.

That's another thing! My brother loves Wonder Woman! He loves the old Linda Carter series, he loves the animated character and he loves the movie and the movie version of her. Is it because she's hot and doesn't wear a lot? I'm sure it's a contributing factor! But I think the same thing. He also thinks that Wonder Woman is the best part of Batman V Superman. He likes them, but he sees that Wonder Woman is the star of that movie!

He likes that Superman came into the Supergirl show. I told him I liked him to but I don't want him there all the time because the show will become to focused on him. He got that, he didn't' like that season 2 spent so much time on Mon El.

So my point, just because someone is a straight 34 year old male it doesn't mean they can't see exactly the same things that we do. It doesn't mean they are instantly out to get us. It doesn't mean that they are only interested in the hot women. They can just enjoy the show the same as we can. They can be supportive. I'm sorry if some men have treated you badly in the past, but that doesn't mean every man is out to get you or put you down or take your power.

My brother is an LGBT ally, does he say dumb things sometimes? Yeah because it's new to him and no one is perfect. Is he a misogynist? I doubt it since he's spent the majority of his working career with our older sister as his boss. He even says I'm way smarter than him and asks my advice on things.

Men aren't all bad. I've met some damn right horrible lesbians, gay men and feminists. Lesbians that hate all men just 'because' then get upset if people are homophobic to them. Feminists that think all men should die out, that women should be the only ones with any power. That if a man holds a door open for you he is putting you down and dominating you. Or gay men that hate straight men just 'because'.

Now I'm sure that many members of the groups or even people reading this have been hurt by a member of one those groups or more. Maybe they offended your or worse. But that doesn't mean everyone in that group deserves to be put down. It doesn't mean they can't be allies. It doesnt mean they can't attend Pride and wear a rainbow in solidity.

I went off topic a bit there. So I'll just end this by saying if you tell straight men they aren't allowed to support you or you don't believe they could see the same things in a show that you do then you are alienating yourselves. You're the problem not them.

#lena luthor #supergirl #kara danvers #supercorp #anti james olsen #eve teschmacher #winn shott #agentcorp #alex danvers #lgbtq #men arent all bad just because they are men #men can see subtext to #men can have the same reactions as women #my straight brother is a supercorp shipper

95 notes · View notes

chpinthestacks · 5 years

Text

In the Stacks with Lara Mimosa Montes: Darrel Ellis

This past March, I visited OSMOS at 50 East 1st Street in Manhattan’s East Village to see some works by the Bronx-born painter and photographer Darrel Ellis. As far as I know, the last time any of Ellis’s works have been shown in New York was over fourteen years ago, in 2005, so it’s something of a big deal to see his work in the real world once again.

When I first began looking a bit more thoughtfully into Ellis’s biography upon recalling that he had been included in the exhibition Urban Mythologies: The Bronx Represented Since the 1960’s, a basic internet search yielded very few results, especially in comparison to Ellis’s peer group, which includes artists like Robert Mapplethorpe, Peter Hujar, and David Wojnarowicz. Apart from a short entry about Ellis on Visual AIDS and an exhibition catalog from 1996 published by Art in General to celebrate the posthumous, traveling exhibition which featured seventy of the artist’s works from his estate, there remains very little in print on the subject of Darrel Ellis. Given the works of his that I was able to view online and the little bits that I had been able to glean from his bio, this just didn’t sit right with me. This is an artist whose work needs to be known.

Self-portrait based on Peter Hujar photograph, c. 1990, painting on canvas, 22” × 24”. Courtesy of OSMOS. ⓒ Estate of Darrel Ellis.

Darrel Ellis was born December 5th, 1958. He died April 3rd, 1992, a couple of months before David Wojnarowicz, whose full-scale retrospective at the Whitney Museum, History Keeps Me Awake at Night, I saw last fall. Having encountered Wojnarowicz’s presence as a teenager through the fairly obscene underground films of Richard Kern [ie. “Stray Dogs” (1985) and “You Killed Me First” (1985)], it was definitely a trip seeing his work at the Whitney—it was packed to the point that I kind of didn’t want to be there. People love David now, I thought, a little moody.

As I moved through the museum’s galleries, I had to wonder what an artist like Wojnarowicz would think of all this posthumous looking and snapping. I had to ask myself: Why does the art world want to stage its appreciation for an artist like David Wojnarowicz now? Because the fucked up political future he had been observing finally came to pass? And if we are looking at David and the ambitious body of work he assembled during his lifetime and encountering it as emblematic of a certain downtown New York countercultural moment, or an idealized version of some queer, punk sensibility we associate with the ’80s and ’90s, then what else—and who else—in our historicization of that particular time drops out as a result?

I am not exempt from the “we” I speak of here; next to my bed currently sits a newly purchased copy of Weight of the Earth: The Tape Journals of David Wojnarowicz, published by Semiotext(e) just last year. My attention is turned towards David, too, and I suspect, unlike many of the tourists at the Whitney that day who might have been seeing his work for the first time, I had the luxury of living in New York City and participating in the art world in ways that allowed me to encounter his work IRL many times over the years and in several different contexts with varying degrees of politicization. I’ve even been lucky enough during my brief time working at a private arts college to teach and share his work with others. If I have a lot to say about David Wojnarowicz, it’s because I have had years of looking and thinking about his work alongside the many documented accounts of his critics, friends, admirers, and biographers, some of whom were fortunate enough to know him, and live to tell of their experiences (among my favorites of these accounts are those by artist Zoe Leonard, with thanks to Sarah Schulman).

The same, however, cannot be said of Darrel Ellis, so it is still something of an experiment: learning to look at and speak about his work, the impression it leaves on me. As of now, I cannot speculate as to how his art and reputation will fare in the wake of this strangely belated and renewed interest in the art historical ongoings and culture wars of the 1980s and ’90s. [1]

Poster for Day Without Art, designed by Danny Tisdale Studio, 1994, offset lithograph on paper; 35” × 25 ⅝”. Courtesy of Visual AIDS. Background image features Darrel Ellis’s Self-Portrait After Photograph by Robert Mapplethorpe, 1989.

When he died in the spring of 1992 of AIDS, Darrel Ellis was the same age as his father, Thomas Ellis: 33 years old. In 1958, Thomas, a postal clerk and aspiring photographer who briefly ran a portrait studio in Harlem with his wife, was killed by the police following an argument with two plainclothes detectives who had blocked his parked car. The injuries sustained from the altercation proved fatal. At the time of Thomas’s death, his wife was pregnant with Darrel. [2] Justice was never served.

These events and the life that preceded them, as documented by the senior Ellis in the many family photographs taken before Darrel was born in parts of the Bronx and Harlem during the 1950s, eventually made their way into Darrel’s work. In 1981, when Ellis was living in the Lower East Side with his then-lover and “unofficially” participating in the Whitney Museum’s Independent Study Program, the artist, writer, and independent curator Allen Frame recalls that Ellis had recently acquired some of his father’s black and white photographs from the 1950s which he was reinterpreting with ink on paper at the time. [3]

In 1983, BOMB magazine published some works from this period. [4]

Left: Darrel Ellis, My Mother and My Sister from My Father’s Photograph, 1982. Right: Thomas Ellis, Picnic NYC, 1953.

The diptych featuring Thomas Ellis’s photograph alongside his son’s interpretation published thirty years later is uncanny. In Darrel’s version, there are outlines, blurs, shadows, and contours. Certain details, like the density of the grass or the striped pattern on the young girl’s shorts fall away in favor of other, more plain facts, like “here’s a family.” The position of the subjects in relation to one another would suggest even without our knowing that these folks are kin. Their togetherness in time is an indisputable fact. Prior to Darrel’s being-in-the-world, Thomas’s photograph establishes the family as existing within a shared visual field: they had a life and their being together—whether it was in a park or at home—appears as a notably carefree aspect of that life.

Ellis continued experimenting with his father’s photographs: the layers of technique and reinterpretation that would distinguish his images from the ones taken by his father would become more pronounced. Allen Frame observes, “Between 1984 and 1986, [Ellis] made a series of photographs of his mother, brother, and sisters, from which he produced a new body of work evolving from screenprint to experimental photograph to painting. The screenprints, made while he was living at his mother’s apartment after breaking up with his boyfriend and coming out to his family, were compiled into a book at the Lower East Side Printshop, with the help of Susan Spencer Crowe.” [5] The book, published by Appearances Press in 1986, reveals various domestic scenes and interior living spaces depicting relatives sitting in the kitchen, around the family table, doing each other’s hair, laying in bed. They are sparse in terms of detail, and resemble studies of the generic and the sublime as they depict the taken for granted scenes from a life. Again, what stands out are not the faces of the individuals pictured, but their relation to one another as suggested by their body language, particularly the casual nature of their closeness. [6]

At some point, while looking at the drawings alongside the later photographs, I remember saying to my new friend, Kyle, who had accompanied me to see the show at OSMOS, “I don’t see how the artist who made these drawings also made these photographs. Or rather, I can’t see that the photographs were made by someone who primarily identified as a painter. . .” Kyle responded, “I can see it. . . Maybe it has to do more with understanding Darrel’s relationship as a painter to the photograph as a surface.”

Kyle was onto something. In an interview, Ellis said of his process, “The idea of putting a photo on any surface other than photo paper gives you a lot of freedom. The process became [one] about animating the photo, about revivification.” [7] Perhaps what was painterly about Ellis’s photographs, particularly those that reinterpreted his father’s negatives, was that he treated the original images as content rather than object. In other words, by projecting the negatives on a wall and then experimenting with both his position as the photographer in relation to the projected image and the dimensionality of the surface onto which the image was projected by creating sculptural forms onto which the projections would appear, Ellis transformed his father’s negatives into surface. The resulting images that we are left with therefore are not really appropriations; they’re the being-with of a trace of a lost object—the trace being the negative, and the lost object, the father. As Ellis reflected of his father’s images, “When I look at those photographs sometimes, all I see is holes.” [8] I will never fail to be moved by those words.

Left: Untitled (Aunt Connie and Uncle Richard), c. 1990, silver gelatin RC Print, 15 ¾” × 19 ¼”. Right: Untitled (Aunt Connie and Uncle Richard), c. 1990, crayon and ink on paper, 10” × 12”. Courtesy of OSMOS. ⓒ Estate of Darrel Ellis.

When Ellis was discovered in a coma by his friends Susan Spencer Crowe and Bruce Dow in the spring of 1992 at his apartment off Franklin Avenue in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, “his last self-portrait was sitting on his easel beside his bed, eerily depicting him as he was found: eyes closed, lying on his bed in deep repose.” [9] After spending some time with Ellis’s work at OSMOS, I felt better able to appreciate how complicated the idea of the self-portrait must have been for Ellis if he was so compelled to return to it as a generative mode of inquiry. By adopting different mediums such as drawing, painting, and photography, while sometimes blending all three in the process to create an individual work, I imagine he must have felt provoked, if not also a bit estranged, by all the selves he had discovered through his practice.

Among Ellis’s self-portraits, perhaps the most recognized one is Self-Portrait After Photograph by Robert Mapplethorpe which was featured in the now infamous Witnesses: Against Our Vanishing exhibition at Artists Space in 1989, curated by Nan Goldin. For the show, Ellis contributed two self-portraits, both of which were based on photographs taken of him by Peter Hujar and Robert Mapplethorpe. The caption in the exhibition catalogue that accompanies Self-Portrait After Photograph by Robert Mapplethorpe reads: “I struggle to resist the frozen images of myself taken by Robert Mapplethorpe and Peter Hujar.” I’ve never seen either of the photographs Mapplethorpe or Hujar took of Ellis, but I remain haunted by the decision Ellis made to take back his own image. [10] I suspect that if during this time period, Ellis became that much more aware of his mortality following the discovery of his HIV status, then “the struggle to resist the frozen images” through the creation of the self-portrait forms part of the process by which the artist is able to reassert his right to his body as well as his right to explore acts of self-representation. I imagine then for Ellis: the self-portrait is not a luxury, but a vital necessity.

[1] Thank you to Tiona Nekkia McClodden who, through her continued work, conversations, and writing on Essex Hemphill, Julius Eastman, and Brad Johnson, helped me think the most deeply about some of the contradictions inherent in this renewed interest in queer art from the 1980s and ’90s, and so much more.

[2] Allen Frame, “Our Family Legacy: Variations in Black and White,” Darrel Ellis (New York: Art in General, 1996), p.13.

[3] Ibid., 14.

[4] Darrel Ellis and Thomas Ellis, "Darrel Ellis, Thomas Ellis" in BOMB, no. 5 (1983): 44. Also see “Two Drawings by Darrel Ellis” in BOMB, No. 8, (1983/1984): 37.

[5] Allen Frame, “Our Family Legacy,” p. 17.

[6] Thank you to Ricardo Montez who, upon learning about my interest in Darrel, gifted me his copy of the aforementioned book.

[7] David Hirsh, “Darrel Ellis: On the Border of Family and Tribe,” in Disrupted Borders: An Intervention in Definitions of Boundaries, ed. Sunil Gupta (London: Rivers Oram Press, 1993), p.125.

[8] Ibid., 124.

[9] Allen Frame, “Our Family Legacy,” p.21.

[10] See Kobena Mercer, “Reading Racial Fetishism: The Photographs of Robert Mapplethorpe” (1986) for a more in-depth discussion of the artist’s use of black male bodies.

#lara mimosa montes #chpinthestacks #in the stacks #artist residency #darrel ellis #OSMOS

2 notes · View notes

selfpressexpress · 3 years

Text

Frederick Robert Klenner, MD (1907—1984)

"Twentieth-century man seemingly forgets that his ancestors made crude drugs from various plants and roots, and that these decoctions, infusions, juices, powders, pills and ointments served [their] purpose. Elegant pharmacy has only made the forms and shapes more acceptable."[80]

"Hippocrates declared the highest duty of medicine to be to get the patient well. He further declared that, of several remedies, physicians should choose the least sensational.[81] Vitamin C would seem to meet both these requirements."[82]

"The vital contribution of ascorbic acid to the body tissues can be summed up in the formation and maintenance of normal intercellular material, especially in the connective tissue, bones, teeth, and blood vessels… Our son, who will be 19 in July, has never developed a tooth cavity. Since age 10 he has received at least 10 grams ascorbic acid, daily, by mouth. Before age 10, the amount given was on a sliding scale."[83]

"Recently the FDA has published a 'warning' that too much soda-ascorbate might be harmful, referring to the sodium ion… For many years I have taken 10 to 20 grams of sodium ascorbate by mouth daily, and my blood sodium remains normal… 20 grams each day and my urine remains at or just above pH 6."[84]

"Some physicians would stand by and see their patient die rather than use ascorbic acid because, in their finite minds, it exists only as a vitamin."[85]

"The years of labor in animal experimentations; the cost in human effort and in 'grants,' and the volumes written, make it difficult to understand how so many investigators could have failed in comprehending the one thing that would have given positive results a decade ago. This one thing was the size of the dose of vitamin C employed and the frequency of its administration."[86]

"Ascorbic acid is the safest and most valuable substance available to the physician."[87]

"Few men who make outstanding contributions to society live to see the fruits of their labors ripen."[88]

"Many here voice a silent view that the Salk and Sabin vaccine, being made of monkey kidney tissue....has been directly responsible for the major increase in leukemia in this country"---Dr Klenner, M.D.

Measles:

"The use of vitamin C in measles proved to be a medical curiosity. During an epidemic vitamin C was used prophylactically and all those who received as much as 1000 mg. every six hours, by vein or muscle, were protected from the virus."----Dr Klenner The Treatment of Poliomyelitis and Other Virus Diseases with Vitamin C Fred R. Klenner, M.D. 1949

“In herpes zoster... [eight] cases were treated in this series, all of adults. Seven experienced cessation of pain within two hours... drying of the vesicles within 24 hours and were clear of lesions within 72 hours.

“In herpes simplex it is important to continue the treatment for at least 72 hours..... In several cases 10 mg. of riboflavin by mouth t.i.d. in conjunction with the vitamin C injections appeared to cause faster healing.

“Chickenpox gave equally good response, ... vesicles were crusted after the first 24 hours, and the patient well in three to four days.

“The response of virus encephalitis to ascorbic acid therapy was dramatic. Six cases ... were treated and cured with vitamin C injections.

“During [a measles] epidemic vitamin C was used prophylactically and all those who received as much as 1000 mg. every six hours, by vein or muscle, were protected from the virus.

“Of mumps, 33 cases were treated with ascorbic acid. When vitamin C was given at the peak of the infection the fever was gone within 24 hours, the pain within 36 hours, the swelling in 48 to 72 hours.”

.. review[ing] the findings of McCormick in 50 confirmed cases of poliomyelitis in and around Toronto, Canada, during the epidemic of 1949... families eating brown bread who came down with poliomyelitis did not develop paralysis; whereas in those families eating white bread many of the children having poliomyelitis did develop paralysis. The point here is that brown bread has 28 times more vitamin B1 than does white bread. Obviously, then, the paralysis which complicates acute poliomyelitis appears to be due to a B1 avitaminosis.”

BiographyAfter graduating Duke University School of Medicine, March 1936, Frederick Klenner completed three years of post-graduate hospital training and then entered the private practice of medicine at Reidsville, NC. Specializing in diseases of the chest, Dr. Klenner also engaged in a limited general practice which enabled him to make observations on the use of massive doses of ascorbic acid in viral diseases as well as on other pathological syndromes. During his career Klenner published 28 scientific papers on these observations.Dr. Klenner was a Fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science; Fellow and Diplomate of The International College of Applied Nutrition; Fellow of The Royal Society of Health (England); Fellow of The American College of Chest Physicians; Fellow of The American College of Angiology; Founder and Fellow of The American Geriatrics Society; and Honorary Fellow of The International Academy of Preventive Medicine.

https://gyaanipedia.fandom.com/wiki/Frederick_Klenner

http://www.whale.to/v/klenner3.htmlhttp://www.whale.to/m/klenner.html

https://www.facebook.com/roymartinaMD/videos/new-vaccinations-what-you-need-to-know-the-media-is-silent-about-this-drs-roy-ma/380953546637209/

0 notes

tkmedia · 3 years

Text

FIFA 22: 20 of the best teams to manage in Career Mode

FIFA 22 is here, and Career Mode remains one of the most popular features of the series.Whether it is returning a fallen giant to their former glory, building a small club into a big one, or taking on a fashionable team that everyone loves, there is always a challenge out there.And with FIFA 22 dropping, you can run into a brand new career and feel the innovation of HyperMotion technology with whichever team you choose. HyperMotion implements 11 vs 11 motion capture and adds a new animations - as many as 4,000 of them - to make the game feel more realistic than it ever has.Which team should you choose, though? Here’s a look through 20 of the best teams to manage in FIFA 22 Career Mode…Related Articles

Icon / VideoCreated with Sketch.FIFA 22 Review: Gameplay, FUT, Career Mode, Pro Clubs & MoreIt feels as though EA Sports have really put the work in to improve the most important aspect, gameplay, after a few years of decline - and they've managed it.Sep 29, 2021

Barcelona predicted lineup vs Benfica - Champions League A Barcelona predicted lineup ahead of their Champions League meeting with Benfica. Matt O'Connor-Simpson|Sep 28, 2021

Twitter reacts as Barcelona are humiliated by Benfica in the Champions League The best from social media as Benfica beat Barcelona 2-1 in the Champions League.Matt O'Connor-Simpson|Sep 29, 2021

Champions League results: Matchday 2Results for Champions League matchday 2 - including Juventus vs Chelsea, Man Utd vs Villarreal & Porto vs Liverpool.Jamie Spencer|Sep 29, 2021

Athletic Bilbao only use local players / Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty ImagesBeing in charge of Athletic Club comes with the caveat of only signing players from the Basque region - otherwise known as its cantera policy.It is the ultimate home-grown challenge.

Gianluigi Buffon is back with Parma / Nicolò Campo/Getty ImagesParma are the epitome of cool because of the cult teams they had during the 1990s. They've had several financial meltdowns over the years and are yet to properly recover from the most recent six years ago.They have been back to Serie A after starting out in Serie D in 2015, but relegation last season means starting 2021/22 in Serie B.

Malmo are Sweden's representatives in the Champions League / David Lidstrom/Getty ImagesSweden has produced countless outstanding footballers over the decades and their national team is a staple of the knockout rounds at international tournaments. Yet their club sides have fallen behind.Malmo have flown the flag in the Champions League a few times in recent years, including this season, and remain the only Swedish club to have played in the final - but that was nearly 45 years ago.

Famalicao are Portuguese minnows / Quality Sport Images/Getty ImagesWith a stadium holding barely more than 5,000, Famalicao are Portugal's minnows and are arguably punching above their weight just being in the Primeira Liga alongside the likes of Porto, Benfica and Sporting CP.Success in Portugal is a notoriously closed club. Only five teams have ever been crowned champions, with two of those just one-hit wonders. Adding a sixth, especially a tiny club like Famalicao, would be historic.

Restore Independiente's glroy days / Marcelo Endelli/Getty ImagesHaving won it seven times, Independiente are the most successful club in the history of the Copa Libertadores. But the last of those titles was back in 1984 and the modern hype is for Boca Juniors and River Plate instead.Why not build a team capable of restoring the glory days? You could even try and persuade Sergio Aguero back - he left for Europe when he was 18 and has said in real life he would like to return.

1860 Munich have disappeared into the shadows / Christof Koepsel/Getty ImagesFounded in 1860, obvious when you think about it, 1860 Munich are one of Europe's most historic football clubs. They've been German champions, won domestic and European trophies, but things haven't been good.1860, now completely overshadowed by city rivals Bayern, haven't been in the Bundesliga since 2004 and were briefly in Germany's fourth tier recently. They're now back in tier three, but can you take then back to the top?

Paris FC split from Paris Saint-Germain in 1972 / DAMIEN MEYER/Getty ImagesUnlike other European capitals like London or Madrid, which have numerous top flight football clubs, Paris has just one: Paris Saint-Germain.But Paris FC exist as a result of a split from PSG in 1972 and have been a longstanding fixture of France's lower leagues. Currently in Ligue 2, they have previously threatened promotion to Ligue 1 and French football needs a top flight Paris derby.

Malaga have fallen on hard times since their 2013 peak / SOPA Images/Getty ImagesRemember when Malaga were in the Champions League quarter-finals and on the verge of reaching the semis? It was only as recently as 2013 but decline since those brief glory years have left them in Spain's second tier.The entire first-team squad was released in 2020 to stave off insolvency. There's rarely a blank canvas like it in football.

Hibernian were Scotland's third best club in 2020/21 / Callum Landells/Getty ImagesThe challenge is simple: break the Old Firm dominance of Scottish football. The reality is probably quite a bit harder but worth a good go.It was 1985 the last time a club other than Rangers or Celtic was crowned champions in Scotland. That was Aberdeen led by a young Alex Ferguson.Hibernian were comfortably third in the Scottish Premiership last season so are probably your best bet.

Sutton United are the newest club in FIFA 22 / Christopher Lee/Getty ImagesSutton are the newest addition to the EFL, so taking them further up the English leader ladder would be an ultimate rags to riches tale.This is the first season they have been included in a FIFA game.

Forest Green are a completely unique club / Pete Norton/Getty ImagesForest Green are a unique side that deserve plenty of attention. They became the world's first vegan club in 2015, before they had even reached the EFL, and have kitted out their stadium with eco-friendly innovations.The New Lawn sadly isn't available in FIFA 22, but the club's jazzy home and away kits are not ones to miss.

Make Rochdale interesting / Nathan Stirk/Getty ImagesMake an extremely unremarkable club...remarkable.Rochdale once spent 26 consecutive seasons in the EFL's bottom division without getting promoted or relegated. They've recently had a spell in League One but are back in League Two for the 2021/22 season.Yet this is still the club that had had big names like Rickie Lambert, Grant Holt and Adam Le Fondre pass through in the past.

Blackburn have been out of the Premier League for too long / Alex Livesey/Getty ImagesBlackburn remain one of only seven clubs that have held the Premier League trophy aloft since the new competition was formed in 1992.Yet Rovers haven't been in the top flight for 10 consecutive seasons following their relegation in 2012 and it's about time they returned.Plus there's Chilean sensation Ben Brereton Diaz to manage.

Generations of Nottingham Forest fans haven't seen their club successful / James Williamson - AMA/Getty ImagesTwo-time European Cup winners Nottingham Forest haven't played top flight football for over 20 years since their 1999 relegation from the Premier League. What's more, a good number of those years have seen them finish in the bottom half of the Championship.Restoring the glory days is first and foremost getting back in to the Premier League. Then it climbing the table, challenging domestically and, perhaps ultimately, reigning Europe once more.

Benfica have been cursed for 60 years / PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/Getty ImagesBreak the curse of Bela Guttmann.Achieving domestic success with the Portuguese giants shouldn't be an issue, but the club hasn't experienced European success since 1962 after supposedly refusing legendary coach Guttmann a pay rise.He is alleged to have 'cursed' the club, vowing that they wouldn't be European champions again for 100 years. Given that they have lost five European Cup finals since then, the 'curse' has stuck.

Ajax are a hugely popular club / BSR Agency/Getty ImagesAjax remain one of the most popular clubs in Europe. Historically, they are also tremendously successful but their last Champions League title was back in 1995, although they came close to the final in 2019.Build your own Ajax golden generation and make Amsterdam the heart of Europe once more.

AC Milan need someone to deliver success / Marco Luzzani/Getty ImagesFor being the second most successful club in Champions League history and the third most successful club in Serie A history, AC Milan are currently nowhere near the status they want to be.A sleeping giant for the past decade, the Rossoneri are underdogs in Europe when they were once feared and it doesn't sit right.

Tottenham have been starved of success / Marc Atkins/Getty ImagesA major trophy of any description has eluded Spurs since 2008. They have played in finals in that time but the drought goes on.In 2021, having missed the trophy boat under previous manager Mauricio Pochettino, there is also a rebuilding project to complete, which will make any future successes all the more sweet.

Arsenal are in the midst of an exciting rebuilding project / Clive Rose/Getty ImagesArsenal fans demand success and it will take a skilled manager to deliver it, successfully rebuilding a squad capable of the ultimate goals.It didn't happen right away, but the Gunners rather unsurprisingly fell apart after Arsene Wenger left the club. The rebuild has started and taking over the Emirates Stadium means inheriting some potential, but the process is going to be long and ongoing to yield real success.Arsenal haven't won the Premier League since 2004, haven't seriously challenge since 2008, and have never won the Champions League. Read the full article

0 notes

recentanimenews · 6 years

Text

Fly Me to the Moon: How Hideaki Anno Changed the Anime Industry Forever

There is anime before Neon Genesis Evangelion and there is anime that came after. Hideaki Anno's opus is only one thread in his vast tapestry of accomplishments and contributions to the anime industry, ranging from his collaboration with other creators, the animation studios born in his wake, and the immense influence he has had on the writers, directors, and animators behind virtually all receent anime. Today marks Hideaki Anno's 58th birthday, so it only feels fitting to take a look at the beginnings of this creative mastermind's career, and how his talent and passion have left a mark on the world of anime forever.

Beginning his career working as an animator on projects such as The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Anno’s talent and passion wasn’t truly recognized until his work on the 1984 Hayao Miyazaki film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. The production studio had been running short on animators, and Anno was one of many who answered a help wanted ad in Animage (a well-known anime magazine). Miyazaki was so impressed with Anno’s drawings that he hired him to draw one of Nausicaä’s most challenging (and arguably the best) scene: the God Warrior's attack sequence. Since Nausicaä's release over 30 years ago in 1984, the God Warrior's attack has become animation legend.

At the end of 1984, Anno - along with fellow university students and collaborators on earlier projects such as Daicon IV - founded the animation studio Gainax. Anno’s first project at Gainax was working on the feature film Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise, which, while not a commercial success, is regarded as a cult classic. Gainax eventually went on to be a well-respected studio with hundreds of thousands of fans across the world, due in part to such classics as Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, His and Her Circumstances, and Gurren Lagann, just to name a few.

Most notable of all Anno and Gainax creations is the 1995/1996 apocalyptic mecha anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. To this day, Evangelion has risen to a level of ubiquity most creators only dream of. Its place in Japanese culture could justifiably be compared to Star Wars in the West: even those who haven’t seen it were aware of it through endless advertising tie-ins, seeing it on various bits of merch in stores, or simply as one of many ubiquitous pop culture references. If you haven’t seen Star Wars, there’s still a good chance you know what a Jedi and a lightsaber is, right? It’s like that, but Unit 01 and Angels instead.

Since its release, Evangelion has spawned various manga adaptations, video games, a film that re-tells the controversial original ending, and a four-piece movie reimagining that diverts greatly from the original storyline.

Among many achievements, Evangelion is credited with reinventing (and rejuvinating interest in) the mecha genre, influencing Japanese animation at a time when the industry was in a slump, and impacting the overall global spread of anime. The mature, nuanced way the series handled themes of depression, nihilism, and existential horror ushered in a new era for anime. The years following Evangelion's release saw an increase in dark, psychological dramas aimed at more mature audiences. Movies like Perfect Blue, and TV anime such as Serial Experiments Lain walked the path paved by Anno's groundbreaking series. The series also left a huge impact on the way anime was televised! Shinya anime is a term that refers to anime series scheduled at late night or early morning hours created for an adult audience. Scheduling blocks for these series was hugely expanded after the massive success of Evangelion, setting the stage for anime's TV distribution to this day.

Beyond critical and scholarly acclaim, many anime creators themselves are proud to credit Evangelion as a creative influence. Most notably is Your Name auteur Makoto Shinkai, who believes anime owes a cinematographic debt to Evangelion, also believes Evangelion taught him that anime wasn’t just about lavishly animated action sequences, but could simply be about the words - whether they were spoken or not.

Though Anno’s mark on the industry is largely related to Evangelion, he has also left a lasting influence in a different way -- the creation of production studios. Anno founded his current studio, Khara, in 2006, and officially resigned from Gainax in 2007. While Khara’s flagship title is (and likely will always be) the Evangelion Rebuilds, the studio also collaborated with Dwango to create the critically revered Japan Animator Expo series of shorts. Khara also cooperated with other studios to co-animate, provide in-between animation, and offer up various odd jobs for productions such as Ponyo, From up on Poppy Hill, The Wind Rises (of which Anno is a lead voice role), Star Driver, Persona 4: The Animation, Flowers of Evil...the list goes on.

If Anno's cultural footprint is intwined with that of Gainax, his legacy expands to some of the most important studios of modern anime. Before Khara’s inception, the animation studio Gonzo was formed in late 1992 by former Gainax staffers. Perhaps most famous of all Gainax offshoots, however, is Studio Trigger. Founded by highly-regarded ex-Gainax employees Hiroyuki Imaishi and Masahiko Ohtsuka, Trigger has blazed a trail in highly stylized, beautifully produced animation. Since its inception, Studio Trigger has produced a number of shorts (Little Witch Academia movies), ONAs (Inferno Cop and Ninja Slayer From Animation) and television series (Kill la Kill, Kiznaiver, Little Witch Academia, and the currently airing Darling in the Franxx).

Beyond studios, Kazuya Tsurumaki -- Anno's protege and Evangelion assistant director -- went on to create one of anime’s most well-known series that follows a coming of age story of a young boy as he struggles through puberty, love, and the robot in his head. That’s right: the disciple of Anno himself went on to create and direct FLCL, a series held so dearly in the hearts of fans worldwide, that it spawned two additional series that air really, really soon (and look really, really good).

While Evangelion fans wait patiently (or not so patiently) for the final Rebuild film’s release, one can only speculate so to what’s over the horizon for Anno. Whether it’s more Evangelion, another entry into the Godzilla franchise, or something new entirely, we can only hope it contains the amount of creative talent, passion, and energy we’ve come to love and expect from him. So here’s to you, Hideaki Anno, for your creativity, your undying influence on anime through the years, and to your 58 years of life. Happy Birthday Anno-sensei!

By: [email protected]

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

3 notes · View notes

tabloidtoc · 3 years

Text

National Examiner, March 15

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

Cover: Arnold Schwarzenegger and his secret son Joseph Baena

Page 2: Cars of the Stars -- what they drove before they became famous -- Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Barack Obama, Tom Cruise, Vin Diesel

Page 3: Cameron Diaz, Katy Perry, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jon Stewart, Mila Kunis

Page 4: John Travolta's roles and costumes

Page 6: Charlie's Angels' star Jaclyn Smith reveals her secret recipe for her favorite green smoothie for staying young

Page 7: Treasure Chest -- meet the hairy hunks of Hollywood who aren't afraid to show off their chest hair -- Hugh Jackman, Antonio Banderas, Lee Majors, Nicolas Cage, Robert Redford, Steve Carell, Tom Selleck, Sam Elliott, Steve Guttenberg, Stanley Tucci, Alec Baldwin

Page 8: When a tiny one-year-old desperately needed a liver transplant , his uncle fearlessly stepped up to the plate and it ended up saving two lives

Page 9: Physical activity is one of the cornerstones of good health; in the U.S., only 19 percent of women and 26 percent of men currently meet the CDC's Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, which recommended that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination, each week

* Peppermint is a minty herb native to Europe and Asia and for hundreds of years, people have used peppermint both as a flavoring and for its medicinal properties and they all come together with a cup of tasty tea

Page 10: Joseph Valadez recently received his college diploma at age 62, after spending half his life in prison

Page 11: Your Health -- being the strong, silent type is dangerous -- men must speak up when health issues appear

Page 12: George Clooney's rock bottom -- George barely survived a terrifying motor scooter accident and the brush with death brought him face-to-face with the worst moment of his life -- in July 2018 he was working in Italy on Catch-22 which he directed and also starred in and George was riding a scooter on the island of Sardinia when a Mercedes cut across his path and sparked the horrific crash where George catapulted over the bike's handlebars -- George says he'll never forget that instead of trying to help him, people were trying to snap pictures of the horrendous collision -- George has given up riding scooters since the accident on the orders of his wife, Amal Clooney

Page 14: Dear Tony, America's Top Psychic Healer -- however unhappy your life, change is always the answer

Page 15: Mariachi bands make everybody smile and that's why the neighbors of one family band got together to help them stay afloat in hard times

Page 16: Royal Ensemble -- what the stars wore to meet Queen Elizabeth -- Madonna, Jayne Mansfield, Joan Collins and Anthony Newley, Marilyn Monroe, Elton John, Angelina Jolie

Page 17: Yoko Ono, Barbra Streisand, Sally Field, Meryl Streep, Kirk Douglas, Halle Berry

Page 18: Fading eyesight is a common symptom of old age, but you can help keep your vision sharp just by eating the right foods -- Australian dietician Susie Burrell says these superfoods fight age-related eye problems, including macular degeneration and cataracts: kiwi, Brazil nuts, kale, chia, red pepper

Page 19: It was a race against time for a crocodile that ate a shoe and there was nothing in the medical literature to help surgeons figure out how to remove the offending footwear from the croc's stomach -- Anuket had gobbled up a sneaker that fell from someone ziplining above her pen at a St. Augustine alligator farm in Jacksonville, Florida. It threatened to cause a painful and possibly fatal blockage but docs at the University of Florida Veterinary Hospital put their best foot forward until they finally managed to extract the slime-coated sneaker

Page 20: Cover Story -- Arnold Schwarzenegger's secret son Joseph Baena -- it's complicated -- Arnold gushes with pride over his 23-year-old secret son Joseph and they're super close -- Joseph adores his dad and he wants to be just like him and he's doing just that by landing a part in the upcoming sci-fi flick The Chariot

Page 22: A kidnapped little girl is safe today thanks to two hero sanitation workers who acted on a hunch -- an Amber Alert went out after the ten-year-old child was abducted from a family member's Louisiana home, but no one had reported any sightings of the vehicle that took her until Dion Merrick and Brandon Antoine of Pelican Waste & Debris spotted a silver sedan and had a bad feeling about it so they called 911 and pulled their garbage truck over on the wrong side of the highway to block the car from escaping

* A brave firefighter who was quarantined in the hospital with a bad case of COVID-19 missed his buddies and they missed him back, so they found a clever workaround to visit him -- the Phoenix fire crew used a ladder truck so they could climb up and wave through the window to Dan Volcko, a 20-year veteran of the department

Page 24: After a storm dumped a foot of snow in Seattle, 90-year-old Fran Goldman was so determined to get her COVID-19 vaccine she walked six miles to get it -- Fran had spent weeks on the computer and phone desperately trying to get an appointment on the jab, but once she scored it, Seattle residents were told to stay off the dangerously icy roads so Fran bundled herself up in fleece pants and lots of layers, but wore a short-sleeved shirt underneath to make it easy for the nurse to give her the shot

Page 26: You're in Luck -- charms to help you heal, hope and fall in love -- horseshoes, dice, number seven, pennies, dreamcatchers, shooting star, elephants, ladybugs

Page 28: Keeping Pets Happy and Healthy -- Paws for Concern -- how dogs tell you they need help

* Vet time for kitty -- 8 warning signs your cat needs a checkup

Page 32: Mystical power of wind -- the breeze affects us all spiritually because air is made up of positive and negative energy -- ancient Greeks believed in the magical qualities of air pressure, speed and direction

Page 34: Leader of the Pack -- Elizabeth Starck has fostered nearly 500 pups, and she has no intention of stopping -- bighearted Elizabeth works with Southern Indiana Animal Rescue, a dedicated group that pairs up dogs with foster homes -- after the pooches come through her portal, Elizabeth feeds them, rubs their bellies and gives them their meds, sometimes administering up to 30 pills to different dogs twice a day -- eventually she sends them off to forever homes, even though it's so hard to say goodbye

Page 40: Don't turn up your nose at garlic -- every day, medical experts around the world are discovering new uses for the amazing herb -- toothache, hives, infection, fatigue, asthma and bronchitis, diabetes, arthritis, blood clots, heart disease, cancer, back pain, acne

Page 42: 20 things you didn't know about Sarah Jessica Parker

Page 44: Eyes on the Stars -- Mariska Hargitay snaps a pic in Manhattan on the set of Law & Order: Organized Crime (picture), Blue Bloods stars Donnie Wahlberg and Marisa Ramirez get goofy in Brooklyn (picture), John Legend strikes a pose in Hollywood (picture), Bette Midler and Martin Von Haselberg got hitched in 1984 but she recently revealed she only saw photos of their Las Vegas wedding just five years ago, Ricki Lake is hoping the third time's the charm as she's engaged to filmmaker Ross Burningham, Emma Roberts and Garrett Hedlund welcomed son Robert Rhodes but they aren't the only superstars in the little guy's life -- Garrett's Country Song co-star Tim McGraw is Rhodes' godfather

Page 45: Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank cuddle their infant son August (picture), Steve Martin bumps into an extra on the NYC set of an upcoming comedy series called Only Murders in the Building (picture), Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's divorce will be straightforward, Tim Allen and Richard Karn have reunited for a History Channel show called Assembly Required, Jaime King filed for divorce from Kyle Newman nearly nine months ago after 13 years of marriage but while they've been duking it out in court over custody of their two sons Kyle has gotten a jump on starting a new family with Cyn who is a singer also known as Cynthia Nabozny revealed the new couple had a baby boy

Page 46: The send-off party for a beloved healer was all set at Rose Medical Center in Denver and the one everyone had gathered to celebrate came in on all fours -- Wynn the service-dog trainee wagged her tail and rolled over for belly rubs as the emotional emergency-room staff thanked her for keeping them sane during the most difficult of their COVID-19 pandemic days

Page 47: The best celebrities to pick on Hollywood Squares -- here's a few of the favorite stars and their most hilarious quips -- Charo, Marty Allen, Nanette Fabray, Joan Rivers, Paul Lynde, Rose Marie, Charlie Weaver, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Vincent Price

0 notes

jlalitac · 3 years

Text

Freedom, Humanity and Democracy

Thai Democracy was stolen 6 years ago by the currently military government.

What led to Thailand’s 2020 protests

A timeline ; while a full account of what led to 2020 protests would go back nearly a century, here are the events and incendiary episodes that led to today from the past six years of military rule.

2014

Bangkok Shutdown : The year opened with whistle-blowing protests paralysing Bangkok in response to a political amnesty bill. Organisers from the opposition from the military to intervene.

Coup XII : Army chief Gen. Prayuth Chan-o-cha staged a coup to ‘restore stability’, suspended the constitution and granted himself absolute power. He said democracy would return within a year.

Martial Law : Protests against the takeover grew creative after public gatherings were banned. Soon, the Junta had forbidden eating sandwiches and reading George Orwell’s 1984. Activists, journalists and former politicians were taken into secret detention for ‘attitude adjustment.’

Corruption : 'Restoring stability was replaced by rooting out corruption' as reason to remain in power. Nepotism, graft and scandal ensued as Prayuth filled his cabinet with checkered figures, some of whom refused to even disclose their assets. The millionaire general struggled to explain his own wealth.

2015

Hard Time : The military regime framed the monarchy as being under existential threat, and August saw a record number of lese majeste cases. One man got 30 years in prison, while a Chiang Mai woman received a 28-year sentence. Their offenses? Facebook posts.

Single Gateway : After the junta's bid to controle online speech was refused by all major internet firms, it looked to reroute all traffic through a single gateway it would control. Netizens rose up, Anonymous attacked its infrastructure, and the authorities backed off again.

Rajabhakti Park : An early spending scandal came after the army skipped normal processes to spend 1 billion baht on a monument to past kings. Leaked details exposing unusually high costs invited accusations of graft. Complaint-filing activists were arrested. The army said it looked into the spending and found nothing wrong.

2016

Facebook : Eight people involved in producing social media content criticizing or satirizing the authorities were seized from their homes in dawn raids. Dubbed the "Facebook 8," two were later convicted and served brief jail sentences.

Super Cyberlaw : Revision of a controversial cyber crime law sold to the public as dialing back its abuse actually resulted in an even broader and vaguer law that gave the Junta cover to prosecute speech and retaliate against critics. It would also replace the lese majeste law in cases of royal defamation.

Rama X Ascends : Vajiralongkorn took the throne after the death of long-reining and revered King Bhumibol. He quickly placed the palace's vast wealth and portions of the military under his personal control and changed the constitution after the public had approved it.

Promises, Promises : As the years went by, the Junta's broken election promises became almost a running gag. Every few months, a new date was set only to be set aside. Hopes ran high in 2017 - everything would go "according to plan," a Junta spokesperson said. They didn't.

2017

Expensive Toys : With the military in power, it went on a massive buying spree, acquiring new fighter jets, tanks, weapons systems, armored carriers and, most infamously, several submarines from China.

Dismantling Democracy : Icons to the 1932 Revolution which ended absolute monarchy were secretly dismantled or destroyed. Most notably, a small scuffed brass marker commemorating its start vanished overnight and was replaced with one hailing the monarchy.

Vanishing Critics : Anti-monarchist and fugitive Wutthipong "Ko Tee" Kochathammakun was living in exile in Laos when he was reportedly abducted by armed men wearing hoods. A body later turned up in the Mekong River that DNA confirmed to be his.

Jailed for 'Sharing' : Activist Jatupat "Pai Dao Din" Boonpattararaksa was sentenced by Khon Kaen provincial court to two years and six months behind bars, guilty of insulting the monarchy and cyber crimes after he shared a BBC Thai biography of Vajiralongkorn. King

2018

Dem Watches : Observers noted in a year-end photo that Deputy PM Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan wore one helluva expensive watch. Armchair detectives went back and found different ultra luxury timepieces worth millions on his wrist in many photos. He'd never mentioned them among his assets, leading to an investigation which cleared him he famously of wrongdoing as I declared he'd "borrowed" them from a dead friend.

Art Under Attack : A street artist painting under the name Headache Stencil said he was hounded by security forces after they painted over his mural about Deputy PM Prawit's watch scandal.

Cave Rescue : Despite being criticized for mismanaging a rescue that was pulled off thanks to foreign volunteers, Thailand's government received good press for the resoundingly successful rescue of 12 footballers and coach trapped in a cave.

Black Panther : A powerful construction tycoon became another icon of impunity after he was apparently caught red-handed eating a poached big cat inside a wildlife sanctuary along with a number of other dead, protected animals. Despite intense conviction, public pressure and a a Premchai Karnasuta has yet to spend time behind bars.

2019

An Election! : Going into the first vote since early 2014, Gen. Prayuth's ongoing rule was fait accompli under the new constitution, which solidified military rule by handing it the senate. Gerrymandering and Rewritten election rules did the rest.

Nothing Changes : After a delay of 45 days, the military proxy Palang Pracharath Party came to power with the help of the military-controlled senate. Hopes for reform were pinned on the new third-place Future Forward Party and its progressive leader.

Future Blocked : The Future Forward Party's charismatic leader was denied his seat in parliament based on a technicality: He'd once had shares in a company that printed in-flight magazines, and media owners cannot run for office.

2020

No Future : One of the last straws for those frustrated by years of military rule came when Future Forward was summarily disbanded by a political court. Denied any avenue through the system, its young supporters soon launched the largest rallies in years - just as a new virus was arriving from Wuhan, China.

IMDB Scandal Shadows : Years after accusations that PM Prayuth Chan-o-cha was tied up in Malaysia's massive IMDB scandal, the allegations were resurfaced by the Future Forward Party in the Parliament. Thailand had jailed a whistleblower, and the junta was accused of doing so as part of a "dark alliance" to protect Malaysian PM-turned Najib Razak, who was convicted in July 2020.

It's just ‘ flour ' : A key player in Prayuth's cabinet turned out to have spent four years in Australian prison for smuggling heroin. The regime said laws preventing ex-cons from serving didn't apply; he insisted the heroin was just "flour" and survived.

Eternal Emergency Decree : Conditions that defined five years of junta rule were reinstated with the stroke of a pen when Prayuth declared a state of emergency granting sweeping powers to enact curfews, limit travel and censor the media. It has remained in place months after the outbreak faded.

COVID Strikes : An economic force that once led the region only to be surpassed by its rivals, Thailand's outlook by July fell to last place in ASEAN and all of Asia as lockdown measures smothered growth which had already been languishing. Painful times led to a surge in the already- high suicide rate.

Another Critic Abducted : Pro-democracy activist-in-exile Wanchalerm Satsaksit was abducted near his apartment in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. He's thought to be the latest in a series of dissidents murdered on orders from the kingdom's highest authorities.

Protests Erupt, Taboos Teeter : Massive crowds of between 10,00O to 20,000 people converged on the Democracy Monument to call for the government to step down and the constitution to be rewritten. Decades of longstanding taboo were shattered when campaigners issued 10 demands calling for royal reforms.

#6imag001w.1

0 notes

raidenwrfl859-blog · 4 years

Text

Coin Master Free Spins Is Critical To Your Company. Learn Why!

Play Games.

#toc background: #f9f9f9;border: 1px solid #aaa;display: table;margin-bottom: 1em;padding: 1em;width: 350px; .toctitle font-weight: 700;text-align: center;

Content

Xmas Store Online.

Games You May Not Know Concerning

Gameanalytics Puts All Of Our Kpis In One Area, As Well As Helps United States To Track Layout Occasions And Maximize Our Video Game Circulation.

The 50 Best Gamecube Gamings Of All Time.

Modern Times Group Promotes Redin To Ceo.

Is Minecraft better than fortnite?

Since mid-July, Minecraft has overtaken Fortnite in several metrics, including total video views. Having been on a steady shallow decline since 2017, there has been an uptick in Minecraft-related videos since May find 2019. Conversely, there has also been a downturn in Fortnite-related activity.

Xmas Shop Online.

Predicament sets itself on ground left relatively untouched by either series, taking players into the throes of the initial Cylon war. The turn-based approach game puts you in command of the entire colonial fleet as well as the disposition of its forces.

Shooters do not always require to be dark, gritty, or practical. Overwatch is a thoroughly delightful first-person shooter that's loaded with mechanical selection, yet it has one glaring issue-- its awful micro-transaction structure. Battlefield V looks lovely, plays quickly, and incorporates all the trademarks of a modern-day first-person shooter. It includes commendable solitary player material, and also new handles multiplayer gameplay, however both work out right into style standards. Combat zone V's most noticeable disadvantage, nonetheless, is the complexity of its progression systems and also somewhat repeated gameplay.

What is the biggest open world game?

Taking the top spot on our list and earning the title of the biggest open-world map in video game history, is The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall. With a whopping 62,000 square miles, this map is gigantic, and pretty much impossible to navigate without an actual map.

We're happy to use our gamer-centric knowledge and also equipment proficiency, whenever of day. If you intend to absolutely experience the future of video clip gaming, our selection of AR and VR accessories will deliver you to an online globe. With next-generation lenses and other optical advancements, items like the Oculus Rift S VR headset as well as HTC Vive VR headsets maintain you in the video game, regardless of which instructions you're dealing with. We invite you to read more about VR video gaming, VR-ready computers, as well as other devices in the Lenovo Frequently asked questions.

There is a substantial library for every, so you can easily locate the game that matches your needs. In each console's video game list are franchise business that supply a timeless experience for skilled players and a strong welcome to novices.

Gamings You May Not Know Regarding

Minecraft is a blocky, beautiful sandbox that lets you explore the midsts of your imagination. The core of the video game is discovering and also surviving in a hostile globe made from blocks that you can develop with as you please. Yet as you play, you'll quickly see that this game has a lot more to supply than simply architecture. What Minecraft provides is a lot of area for gamers to enjoy their very own sort of play. The detail-oriented will certainly thrill at the opportunities of a massive sandbox, however also a dabbler will certainly locate satisfaction facing off versus a hostile wild.

Gameanalytics Puts Every One Of Our Kpis In One Place, And Assists Us To Track Design Occasions And Enhance Our Game Flow.

Game Laboratory is a programming atmosphere where you can make easy computer animations and also video games with objects as well as characters that connect with each other. Design an animation or game, code with blocks or JavaScript to make it work, after that share your app in secs. For experienced players, the game library available throughout the systems uses a classic yet brand-new experience. New gamers can experience well-crafted tales and immersive titles with the several selections available.

Regarding 2.7 billion individuals are forecasted to play a game this year, according to the pc gaming market researcher Newzoo, as well as gamers worldwide are expected to spend virtually $160 billion in 2020.

When it's time to play, these PCs carry some severe pc gaming power for running the most up to date titles-- including VR-ready laptops for AR/VR games.

Some players need a laptop that's up to spec for brand-new releases, yet doesn't yell "pc gaming PC" like a few of the flashier models out there.

The video game sector is blowing up in appeal, assisted in large component by the coronavirus pandemic, which has compelled a lot of the world to stay inside and also find online amusement.

The Lenovo Myriad 5 laptop computer collection is custom-made for your everyday life.

Who is #1 fortnite YouTuber?

1. Ninja. At number one, Tyler Belvins a.k.a “Ninja”, is the most popular Fortnite streamer in the entire universe.

The 50 Finest Gamecube Gamings Of Perpetuity.

Though some tactical components occasionally feel unbalanced, Predicament does justice to the franchise business by supplying unbelievable space battles and also appealing lore. Lengthy gone are the days when the similarity Midway's NFL Strike and Nintendo's Ken Griffey Jr. games ruled the marketplace with their pick-up-and-play perceptiveness, showy graphics, as well as outrageous gameplay. Hardcore simulations like FIFA or NBA 2K are fantastic, however game sports followers have actually lamented the decrease of the much less reasonable stuff. The game provides available technicians, a cartoony art design, and also a general sense of enjoyable that's uncommon in today's sports games.

Modern Times Team Promotes Redin To Chief Executive Officer.

What is the most downloaded game?

The Facebook app itself came in as the most-downloaded app, followed by Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram in second, third, and fourth places, respectively.

Subway Surfers.

Candy Crush Saga.

Temple Run 2.

My Talking Tom.

Clash of Clans.

Pou.

Hill Climb Racing.

Minion Rush.

More items•

Nevertheless, it has enough deepness to keep also one of the most die-hard baseball followers addicted. Super Huge Baseball 2 has a number of graphics-related flaws, however it's one of the best current-gen sporting activities video games available for PC. Yes, it's beloved by millions, yet the concussions that arise from giants tossing themselves at each other are an indisputable trouble. The sporting activity is much more pleasurable in video game type, particularly arcade-style football, which allows you carry out superhuman accomplishments without aggravating flags or hideous injuries. Mutant Football Organization is certainly worth playing, and also not due to the fact that it's the unusual Football PC game; it's legitimately great, regardless of some aggravating dirty tricks.

Agos: A Game Of Space.

He now brings his expertise and also skillset to PCMag as a Managing Editor. Battletech is a pure adjustment of the timeless board game that was first released in 1984 by FASA Corporation. Jordan Weisman, among the parlor game's developers, played an executive role in this contemporary take. Because of this, the COMPUTER game's world is abundant as well as storied, with the setting resembling a strangely reliable mix of giant robots and also medieval feudalism.

Mahjong Gamings.

There aren't several baseball games on PC, however Baseball Stars 2 stands out among minority that made it to the big leagues. The classic SNK sporting activities title does not show off a MLB permit or strive to be a super-realistic simulation. Instead, Baseball Stars 2 is traditional baseball fun, with basic controls, heaps of charm, and extraordinary cut scenes that highlight tense moments.

Is GTA V still free?

GRAND Theft Auto 5 is still free to download from the Epic Games Store, but only for a limited time. GTA 5 is free to download from the Epic Games Store, but only for a limited time. The Premium Edition contains the Grand Theft Auto 5 story mode, GTA Online, plus the Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack.

0 notes

ning-qiao · 4 years

Text

Blog·7：New Art System Brought by Digital Revolution

I have been studying digital painting for several years. The source of it must be traced back to the 1960s, when the computer was invented. Since computers emerged, a new art system was brought to life to-digital art. There is not much difference from digital art and traditional one, only it adopts a new media which enriches the diversity of art. In this blog, I intend to introduce the development of digital media art.

Artists are always the earliest ones when it comes to studying new cultures and technologies, no matter in what era. They have always been ahead of their times since they are the first to think deeply about the cultures and technologies of their era. In the 1990s, over ten years prior to the time when digital technology was officially announced to the public, these trendsetters had already experimented with digital media and tried to apply it. At the beginning, their achievements were only exhibited in highly specialized technical conferences, digital media study sessions or specialized symposiums. At that time， this form of art was not the mainstream.

Frank wrote in his book: “The march towards the complete digitization of everything is now unstoppable. Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art (Underwood Books) started to include a few pieces of digital work in its selections around 1996; by 2006 digital images accounted for around 50% of the featured material”.

At a time when digital art was an emerging technology, although many artists had already started to use these advanced tools, some were not used to this form of art and even doubted there was a future for it.

In his book, Frank also mentioned Apple's first computer, the first Mac computer that was launched in 1984. He attended the product launch meeting himself and left a negative comment: he wasn’t a fan of the small black and white screen of the computer, he believed this computer was only suitable for technical work or typesetting since its function of making images was very limited. He insisted that it was absolutely impossible for computers to create art due to the belief that the development of computers would be very slow and might even stagnate. He believed that only actual tools one can touch can be used to create his art and some software in the box could never do it. Fortunately, however, he did not reject this new technology wholly. Although he did not show much interest in the Macintosh launched in 1987, he was not picky about ways of creation, thanks to which he got to use computers later launched, with larger and brighter screen, more expanded functions and faster processing program of images.

Mac computer launched in 1984

Mac computer launched in 1987

When computers were first launched, I haven’t been born. It was after 2004 when I began to have access to computers which got color screen. As school work was a little heavy for me, one of my few entertainment was the Ms Paint that came along with the Windows computer. After all applications such as Illustrator and CorelDRAW hadn’t been popularized, Ms Paint was one of the most handy painting softwares for many Windows users.

The end of 1990s saw the unprecedented speedy technological development of digital media, which is called the "digital revolution". Although many basic digital technologies were available as early as 60 years ago, these technologies were popularized in the last 10 years of the 20th century.

Now digital technology is almost everywhere, and both the hardware and software have become much more functional and cheaper. Digital art is a magnetic form of creating art. Since the 1990s, great changes have taken place in the field of digital art. In the early 1990s, digital art was a brand new field in the art circle, artists were still exploring, and most of them had upgraded their hardware and software. But by the end of the 20th century, "digital media" has become a term, museums and galleries collected digital works from all over the world and begun to organize large-scale exhibitions of them.

The technical art form of digital art has had its name changed for several times since its inception. When combining art with technology, you can name it in variable ways. What is now called digital art has had many versions of titles. From the 1960s to the 1990s, it was called "multimedia art" or "network art". It was then called "computer art" since the 1970s. At the end of the 20th century, it was called "digital art" or "new media art". At present, digital art is a general term. Subjected to the category of new media art, it includes 2D, 3D, static painting, animation (movie), fashion design, industrial design, television commercial (CM) and web page design. It literally covers everything. Digital art is so extensive that it is difficult to list every form of it accurately, because computers could help in the creation process of most artists in the world. Digital art is generally regarded as 2D and 3D visual art made by computer software. These works of art can be: graphic illustrations, photo processing, digital painting and painting, virtual reality, 2D and 3D static images and animations, vector graphics, video game art, etc.More and more artists use it as their main medium.

Here I would like to introduce an artist, Omar Aqil. After graduating from Punjab University (Lahore) in Pakistan in 2008 with a master's degree in media design, Omar Aqil began to study 3D technology and focus on using C4D software to present 3D works. As early as 2017, Omar Aqil first exhibited a series of works on Behance that transformed Picasso's works into three-dimensional models and named them MIMIC series. The series was in the spotlight and attracted attention widely. I think his works are the best demonstration of the influence of digital art on artists.

References：

Paul, C. 2003, Digital art, Thames & Hudson, London.pp.7-8.

Frank, J. 2008;2007;, Paint or Pixel: The Digital Divide in Illustration Art, illustrat edn, NonStop Press, Chicago.pp.5.

lindsay, d. (2019). omar aqil renders picasso's abstract portraiture as creative 3-dimensional illustrations. [online] designboom | architecture & design magazine. Available at: https://www.designboom.com/art/omar-aqil-picasso-3d-portraits-10-14-2017/ [Accessed 15 Dec. 2019].

Facebook.com. (2019). OMARAQIL. [online] Available at: https://www.facebook.com/mirzaomaraqil/ [Accessed 15 Dec. 2019].

#digital revolution #digital art #mac computer

0 notes

thisdaynews · 5 years

Text

The remarkable Mr Vokrri: Kosovo's football rise

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/the-remarkable-mr-vokrri-kosovos-football-rise/

The remarkable Mr Vokrri: Kosovo's football rise

Fadil Vokrri (right) is considered the best footballer Kosovo has ever produced

All day the word “miracle” kept coming up. Maybe these thousands of people spilling out into Pristina’s streets have just seen another.

It was September 2016 when Kosovo played their first competitive international football match.

On Saturday, they extended an unbeaten run to 15 games with possibly their most significant result yet – a 2-1 home victory over the Czech Republic. It is the longest such run in Europe.

Kosovo already have a very good chance of reaching Euro 2020. And their next qualifier is against England on Tuesday (19:45 BST). They are relishing the prospect.

This country of about 1.8 million people campaigned for eight years before being admitted as Fifa and Uefa members in 2016. The process began immediately after its declaration of independence from Serbia in February 2008. Some countries – including Serbia – still do not recognise its right to exist.

That such a young and troubled nation from the heart of the Balkans should shine on football’s biggest stages was not the dream of only one man. But there is one figure who is revered here above all others – and his story helps explain the origins of this special team.

He was crucial to Kosovo’s campaign for recognition as a football nation, and is a hero in his country. After his death last year at the age of 57, the national team’s home ground was renamed in his honour: The Fadil Vokrri Stadium.

Like so many people here, Vokrri’s life was marked by the war that still raged in this region only just over 20 years ago. By the bitter cycle of vengeance and counter-vengeance, and the tensions between ethnic Albanians and Serbs that still exist today.

And yet Vokrri was one of very few – perhaps the only one – able to communicate across the deep divides that cost so many lives. Football was his language.

When Vokrri was made president of the Football Federation of Kosovo he was starting from scratch. His offices were two rooms in a Pristina apartment block; two desks and two computers. It was 16 February 2008. Kosovo declared its independence the next day.

Vokrri was in charge of an association with no money, he had a national team that didn’t have the right to play any official matches, in an isolated nation with little infrastructure.

What he did have was his reputation. He was the greatest footballer Kosovo produced – though that title may be challenged soon by the exciting new generation of talent that is emerging.

He was charming, charismatic and convincing. He and general secretary Errol Salihu were the campaigners the country needed.

“When we talked at home at this time, at the very beginning my father was thinking the process would be easy,” says Vokrri’s eldest son Gramoz, 33.

“Now we are recognised as a country, it will be fast, he thought. He soon realised it would be anything but easy, but he didn’t mind it that way.”

Gramoz lives in Pristina now. When he was old enough, he would often accompany his father and help with his work. Like his dad, he is well known in Kosovo’s capital. Conversation is interrupted every five minutes as allies and acquaintances stop to say hello. Many stay much longer. Among them are government officials, football agents, and former generals in the Kosovo Liberation Army.

“My father never made a political declaration in his life and only focused on football. Football is higher than everything else – that was his vision,” he says.

“It allowed my father to help achieve our goal – of entering Uefa and Fifa.”

Vokrri was an adventurous forward with two good feet. If he wasn’t the most prolific goalscorer perhaps his flair and determination made amends. He was loved by the fans. They recognised in him one of their own – even when he wasn’t.

Gramoz Vokrri with his father. This picture was taken around six months before Fadil Vokrri died in June 2018

He grew up in Podujeva, a small city which today lies close to Kosovo’s northern border with Serbia. Back then, just like the rest of Kosovo, it was part of Yugoslavia. He was born in 1960. During his childhood, Yugoslavia was a communist country made up of diverse nationalities, languages and religions, all more or less held together by its charismatic leader Josip Broz Tito.

It was an age when Kosovar Albanians like Vokrri were rarely celebrated. They seldom became symbols of Yugoslav pride. But this talent was impossible to ignore.

Vokrri was the first to play for Yugoslavia – and he would be the only one. His debut came in a 6-1 defeat by Scotland and scored the goal, the first of six in 12 caps between 1984 and 1987.

He had started out at Llapi, his hometown club, before moving to Pristina. In 1986 he went on to Partizan Belgrade and stayed for three years – “the most beautiful” of his career, he said.

They won the league title in 1987 and the cup in 1989. In between, Italian giants Juventus came calling – but Vokrri was forced to turn them down. He hadn’t completed the then-compulsory two years’ military service, and so couldn’t go abroad. He completed his duties while playing for Partizan, fulfilling light tasks during the week in between matches.

But leave the country he would, for reasons that were spiralling out of anyone’s control.

Kosovan boys play football at an Intercampus training session in a refugees’ camp in Albania during the Kosovo war, in June 1998

Many historians place President Tito’s death as the key point in the collapse of Yugoslavia. They say he left behind a power vacuum which would be filled by resurgent rival nationalist factions.

Born in 1986, Gramoz was the first of Vokrri and his wife Edita’s three children. By 1989, the family had decided they could stay in Yugoslavia no longer. Vokrri settled on the idea of leaving for France. In the summer, he signed for Nimes.

“At this time, everyone in Yugoslavia knew that war would happen,” Gramoz says. “They just didn’t know when or where it would start.”

Years of suffering would define the next decade. During the 1990s, Yugoslavia was plunged into a bloody conflict in which as many as 140,000 people were killed.

From this fighting emerged the separate modern territories of today: Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the recently renamed North Macedonia. Kosovo was the last to declare itself an independent nation.

A scene from life in Kosovo’s top flight in the mid-1990s as players wash after a match

Lulzim Berisha was 20 when he took up arms. He joined the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). It was 1998.

For the previous six years he had been in Pristina, still living under Yugoslav rule but playing football in what was an unofficial Kosovan top flight set up after the establishment of a separatist shadow republic there.

Matches were held on rough pitches in remote, rural locations. Fans would gather on sloping hillsides to watch. Serbian police would stop the players on the way and detain them for hours. But always somehow they managed to get word up the road for the opposition to wait. After the match, players would wash their muddy bodies in a nearby river.

This football league stopped when heavy fighting began in 1998.

“I decided to join the KLA because of my country,” says Berisha. “I had no military experience but I saw many bad things happening here. That was the reason.”

There was now open conflict between Kosovo’s independence fighters the KLA and Serbian police in the region. It led to a brutal crackdown. Civilians were driven from their homes. There were killings, atrocities and forced expulsions at the hands of Serb forces.

The key turning point in the war came in 1999. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) had already intervened in Bosnia and it did so again in Kosovo. A 78-day bombing campaign forced Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic to withdraw troops and allow international peacekeepers in. Milosevic’s government collapsed a year later. He would later be held at the United Nations (UN) war crimes tribunal for genocide and other war crimes carried out in Kosovo, Croatia and Bosnia. In 2006, he was found dead in his cell aged 64, before his trial could be completed.

After Serb forces left Kosovo in 1999, the territory remained under UN rule for nine years. About 850,000 people had fled the fighting. An estimated 13,500 people were killed or went missing, according to the Humanitarian Law Centre(HLC). The HLC, with offices in Pristina and Belgrade, continues to work on documenting the human cost of Yugoslavia’s wars – including the civilian victims of Nato’s bombardment.

As peace returned to the region, so did many of Kosovo’s refugees. Children were named after then UK prime minister Tony Blair – rendered in Albanian as one single first name: Tonibler. There is enormous gratitude in Kosovo to the countries that intervened. Nowhere is it more obvious than on Bill Clinton Boulevard in Pristina, where a giant image of the former US president looks out across the traffic below.

Now 41, Berisha uses few words to describe his life as a soldier and the violence he witnessed.

Lulzim Berisha at the Dardanet cafe and bar in Pristina

Today he is one of the main personalities behind the Kosovo national team’s biggest fan club: Dardanet. The name means “the Dardanians” – the people of an ancient kingdom that ruled here.

Dardanet have just opened a new cafe bar that serves as their headquarters. Opposite an old tile factory whose chimneys rise high into the sky, the call to prayer from a local mosque carries over lively conversation between the animated chain-smokers gesturing in their outside seats. The other fuels are dark black espresso coffee and conversation about football of any kind. Serie A is no longer the most passionately discussed. That would be the Premier League.

Lulzim sucks sharply on his teeth as a staccato point at the end of each short sentence.

“We want every kind of people to come to the stadium. Every game we give 100 tickets for free to female fans. We want families to come,” he says.

On the table next to us, a reel of tickets for the England match in Southampton is unfurled with glee. They arrived that morning. The visas to travel are through too. Lulzim explains there will be a match against an English fan club, England Fans FC, in Hounslow on Monday, before Tuesday’s Euro 2020 qualifier at St Mary’s.

Inside, the walls are packed high with framed photos of Kosovo players, new and old. Vokrri’s image is everywhere. They describe themselves as “Children of Vokrri”. He has become an icon for the fan club. They produce banners, T-shirts and online posts that carry his image under messages such as: “Looking down on us.”

“Vokrri is a legend,” says Berisha. “He is our hero. For everything he did. For the people.”

But pride of place in the fan club bar belongs to the match shirt worn by Valon Berisha when he scored Kosovo’s first goal in official competition. That was a 1-1 draw in Finland, a 2018 World Cup qualifier played in September 2016.

It was the culmination of many years’ hard work. Not so long afterwards, it looked like things would only go downhill.

Vokrri returned to Kosovo from France about five years after the war ended. With him at the helm, football’s world governing body Fifa turned down Kosovo’s first attempts towards membership in 2008. At that point the country had only been recognised by 51 of the UN’s 193 member nations. It seemed a majority would be required.

Instead, they continued to play unofficial matches against unrecognised states: Northern Cyprus, a team representing Monaco, a team representing the Sami people of north Norway, Sweden, Russia and Finland.

The players at this time were drawn almost exclusively from the domestic pool. People who had been forced to flee their homes only a few years ago, or who had taken up arms and fought.

There was another way. One that was still tantalisingly out of reach.

“In 2012, when Switzerland played a match against Albania, 15 of the players on the pitch were eligible to represent Kosovo,” Gramoz says.

“My father was at the game, watching with Sepp Blatter, then the Fifa president. Mr Blatter said to my dad: ‘How are you enjoying the match?’

“He replied: ‘It’s like watching Kosovo A versus Kosovo B.'”

The major step forward came in 2014, when Fifa allowed Kosovo to play friendly matches against its member nations – as long as certain conditions were met. There was still significant opposition from Serbia.

Mitrovica was the location for Kosovo’s first recognised friendly match. This city, with local Albanian and Serbian populations divided in two by the Ibar river, still requires the presence of Nato troops today, 20 years on from their arrival as a peacekeeping force. Oliver Ivanovic, a prominent politician seen as a moderate Kosovo Serb leader, was shot dead outside his party offices there in January 2018.

Albania goalkeeper Samir Ujkani chose to accept a call-up, as did Finland international Lum Rexhepi, Norway’s Ardian Gashi and Switzerland’s Albert Bunjaku. The opposition were Haiti. It finished 0-0.

“For us, it was a big, big victory,” says Gramoz.

“It was a clear message from Fifa. The moment they allowed us to play friendly matches we took that to mean: ‘Don’t stop, you will enter as full members – but we need time to prepare people.’

“Even if we didn’t have the right to play our national anthem, it’s OK. We play football. That was the most important thing.

“First of all friendly games. After that, our delegation was invited to a Uefa congress for the first time. My father went to the Ballon d’Or ceremony. We had indications that the work was going well.”

In May 2016, all the determined efforts, all the canvassing and campaigning done by Vokrri and Eroll Salihu finally came to fruition. Kosovo were admitted as full members, first of Uefa, then of Fifa.

“The whole country stopped. Everything,” says Gramoz. “After independence, it was the biggest thing that’s happened in Kosovo.

“People started throwing fireworks, pouring out into the streets. It was like we won the World Cup.”

At the Uefa vote, there were 28 in favour and 24 against, plus two invalid votes. Serbian Football Federation president Tomislav Karadzic said the result would “create tumult in the region and open a Pandora’s box throughout Europe”. It challenged the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Uefa’s decision was upheld.

Now Kosovo had an official national team, it could take part in the upcoming qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup. But what would the team look like?

Kosovo delegation members react emotionally after receiving Uefa membership in May 2016

In June 2016, at the European Championship in France, Albania and Switzerland met again.

Among the Swiss side were Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri, now of Liverpool. Xhaka’s elder brother, Taulant, played for Albania. Each of these – and several more – might have decided to switch allegiances and join the new Kosovo team.

Uefa said it would consider applications to do so on a case-by-case basis. The Swiss FA released a statement complaining that Kosovo was unsettling its players. Gramoz believes Uefa’s strategy was a concession to those member nations worried about losing talent.

“Uefa and Fifa never said publicly that they all had the right to play – even though every application was successful,” he says. “It was very diplomatic.”

Xhaka and Shaqiri – perhaps the two best known eligible players – decided to stay with Switzerland. For those who did make the switch, the process did not go as smoothly as planned.

Five hours before kick-off in Kosovo’s first competitive match, the team was still awaiting clearance for six players – including one of their most promising, Valon Berisha, who had already played 19 times for Norway.

It was 5 September 2016. Eventually the clearance came through. Berisha played and scored the equaliser in a 1-1 draw in Turku on Finland’s west coast. It was an encouraging start, and a hugely emotional moment for players, fans and the country.

But Kosovo were beaten heavily in their next qualifier, 6-0 by Croatia – one of several home ties played in the Albanian city Shkoder. The national stadium in Pristina needed work to meet the required standards.

The draw in their first match against Finland would be their only point of the campaign. Kosovo finished bottom of their group, suffering nine consecutive defeats.

They had got a tough draw and, back then, perhaps it felt like just taking to the field was a victory.

Now the picture is very different indeed.

The day before Saturday’s game there is a thunderstorm in Pristina that flashes back against the black night sky, recalling a very different time from not so long ago. Peace lives here now. Even when the rain does fall it doesn’t bother the children chasing each other along the city’s central street, no matter the risk to their ice creams.

Down below, the stadium’s floodlights are lit. Kosovo are playing the Czech Republic the next day. Something very strange is about to happen.

The following morning, reports surface about arrests the police have made. Eight Czech fans were allegedly found with a drone, a Serbian flag and a banner reading “Kosovo is Serbia”. It seems a revenge stunt was planned.

In 2014, a drone flew over the Belgrade ground hosting a match between Serbia and Albania. It was carrying a banner labelling Kosovo part of “Greater Albania”. There was outrage. A mass brawl broke out on the pitch, fans streamed in from the stands and lashed out at players. The match was abandoned and Albania were eventually awarded a 3-0 default win.

Shortly after news of the arrests breaks, the Dardanet fan group responds. “We invite prudence and restraint,” they say. “Any potential incident could harm Kosovo.”

There is instead a happy ending.

Media playback is not supported on this device

Riot police had to be brought in to restore calm but the Serbia-Albania match was abandoned, as Wendy Urquhart reports

Going into the match, Kosovo are unbeaten in 14 games. Their last defeat was in October 2017. Six of those matches came in the inaugural Uefa Nations League, where performances have already guaranteed them a place in the play-offs for a spot at the Euro 2020 finals.

Georgia, North Macedonia and Belarus are the three other teams likely to contest Kosovo’s section of the play-offs. Only one of those countries recognises Kosovo – its southern neighbour North Macedonia.

Uefa currently keeps Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina apart from Kosovo for security reasons, but all other countries must play them. Uefa will allow a team to request their home fixture be played on neutral territory – as happened when Ukraine and Kosovo met in Poland in a World Cup qualifier in October 2016.

As for what happens should Kosovo reach Euro 2020, four of the 12 nations hosting games in next year’s tournament – Azerbaijan, Romania, Russia and Spain – do not recognize Kosovo’s independence either.

And it is beginning to look like they will make it. They might even end up qualifying automatically.

Come kick-off time, the Fadil Vokrri Stadium is packed. Tickets apparently sold out completely in 15 minutes.

Men in uniform are watching the sky through binoculars from the top of a high building opposite. There are no drones in sight. On the other side, a group of children have outdone them, perched atop an unfinished tower block that stands a good 10 storeys tall. The bent steel tips of its exposed reinforced concrete stretch higher above them still.

The Czechs take the lead. Arijanet Muric, the Nottingham Forest keeper on loan from Manchester City, is beaten by Patrick Schick’s delicate finish inside the box.

But the home fans rally their team. Their passion is raw and irresistible, and it runs through the Kosovo side and harries them forward. There are rash challenges, hurried touches at the vital moment. There is the bravery to persist, the drive to force their opponents back again and again.

Kosovo’s 68-year-old Swiss manager Bernard Challandes – appointed by Vokrri in March 2018 – is the only calm presence around. The whole ground is constantly carried away, including everybody who isn’t Czech in the press box.

Even when Vedat Muriqi gets the equaliser before half-time, Challandes keeps his cool. But when Mergim Vojvoda stabs the home team in front from a short corner there is a volcanic chain reaction of emotions: joy, pride, delight. Challandes cannot resist. The substitutes are up from the bench. The injured players who travelled to be with their team leap forward too – only a little more carefully.

With the final whistle approaching, the Czech Republic fashion four good chances in about three minutes. In extremely polite English totally at odds with the situation, the Kosovan journalist next to me says: “Phew, that was close.”

Five minutes of added time. Superstition kicks in. Fenerbahce striker Muriqi – a huge presence – hauls his team up the pitch, protecting possession like he has been for what seems an eternity. Challandes is gesturing wildly now, like everyone else.

And then the stadium erupts. The players hug each other. Challandes is under a mountain of tracksuited bodies. There is a long and reflective lap of victory. England are next. They cannot wait.

The Dardanet members wave their banners and sing their songs. The Children of Vokrri will go home very happy tonight – eventually.

When Vokrri died last June, having suffered a heart attack, his burial was marked by a special state ceremony in Pristina.

“Some Serbian officials came to his funeral, including the former FA president Tomislav Karadzic. It’s very rare to make a visit like that,” Gramoz says.

“Afterwards, Partizan Belgrade invited me to visit them. I went to Belgrade, and they showed me huge respect. They didn’t care if I was Albanian, they told me I was part of their family, because of my father.

“This is why I think, especially here in this case between Kosovo and Serbia, we should use sports and football to promote relations between the countries.

“It will be a great victory for our national team the day when a Kosovan Serb lines up with us on the pitch.”

Gramoz is perhaps like his father in that he likes to dream. But football can do powerful things. Here it has already done so much.

Kosovo fans celebrate their latest victory. The country has the youngest population in Europe with half its people under the age of 25

Media playback is not supported on this device

The conflict in Europe that won’t go away: Three BBC correspondents explain the Kosovo war two decades on

The ‘Heroinat’ (‘Heroines’) monument in Pristina honours the contribution and sacrifice of every ethnic Albanian woman during the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo

Ibrahim Rugova (left) became president of Kosovo’s separatist republic in 1992. Vokrri’s status as a footballer assisted him in his diplomatic efforts abroad – here the two are pictured in Turkey. Vokrri played for Fenerbahce from 1990-1992

Red Star Belgrade fans display a banner reading: ‘Kosovo is Serbia’ in a Uefa Cup match at home to Bolton in 2007

Fadil Vokrri and his wife and children lived in Montlucon in France during the Kosovo war. Vokrri was the coach of Montlucon FC. Gramoz says his father was constantly checking on family back home

Flamurtari FC’s football stadium in the Kosovo capital of Pristina. They finished sixth in the Kosovan top flight last season

Salihu (L) and Vokrri (R) waiting at the Uefa congress in Budapest in May 2016, when Kosovo was about to be made a member nation

#Football #Kosovo's

0 notes

daggerzine · 5 years

Text

Teen Movie Hell author, Mike “McBeardo’ McPadden speaks!

Ok, so the second I saw the title I was hooked. I mean, come on, Teen Movie Hell: A Crucible of Coming-Of-Age Comedies From Animal House to Zapped. Having been born in the mid-60’s I came of age right when many of these movies were being released and of course I had to see every single one.

But, I didn’t see every one, not even close. I thought that because I watched Class and Zapped a few decades ago that it made me some kind of expert? Well, I was dead wrong.

Mike “McBeardo” McPadden is the real deal. In this 350 plus page tome McPadden reviews hundreds of movies, many ones I had never heard of. He digs deep. He really gets to the meat of it all.

I was so curious about the origins of the book and his fascination with this genre of movies that I had to toss some questions his way and being the true gentleman that he is was more than happy to answer them. Read below and in the meantime pick up two copies of this book (because you’ll wear out the first copy).

Thank you again to Mike McPadden!

Do you remember where you were and when it was that you decided you wanted to write this book?

It was in 1994. I was at the Tail o’ the Pup hot dog stand with my great friend Aaron Lee. We were on a lunch break from our editorial jobs at Hustler magazine.

One of the most profound bonding elements in my early friendship with Aaron was our devotion to the movie review compendiums that so impacted and shaped who we were—particularly the annual Leonard Maltin guides, the Medved Brothers’ Golden Turkey Awards books, Michael Weldon’s Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film and, above all, the work of author Danny Peary, in particular his series of Cult Movies books.

Aaron and I just sort of hit on the idea at the same moment—“Let’s write a book about teen sex comedies!” In time, our paths split professionally. I moved back to New York. Aaron went into stand-up comedy.

Over the next 25 years, I kept at the teen sex comedy book in one form or another. Aaron went on to a terrifically successful Hollywood writing career and was an Executive Producer of Family Guy. But—hey!—I got to write Teen Movie Hell!

Why the title- Teen Movie Hell?

I’m a fan of calling the book what it’s about, as in the case of Cult Movies. That’s why Heavy Metal Movies is titled just that. So, initially, the name of this book was. There was a time when that might have flown. Now is not that time.

A version of the book almost got published in 1999 under the title I Lost It in the Locker Room!, an allusion to Pauline Kael’s I Lost It at the Movies. At the eleventh hour, the publisher shut down the division that was handling my book and laid off my editor, so ILIITLR got scuttled.

At Bazillion Points, the books started life as Going All the Way. Then publisher Ian Christe came up with the almost perfect title Last American Virgins.

Finally, as we were doing edits, I came up with the idea to have an art show as the book’s release party and I thought—“How can I make the idea of participating in the show palatable to all these subversive artists I know and admire, beyond just saying, ‘It’s about Porky’s movies!’?”

Anne Elliott of the mighty Sideshow Gallery in Chicago offered to host the show. Sideshow specializes in witchy-groovy-occulty iconography, and I’d recently attended a show there full of devil imagery. That’s when the name “Teen Movie Hell” hit me. And, in short order, it just made perfect sense to apply that to the book—these movies took me through the hell of adolescence and they may well have sent society to hell at the same time.

In addition, Bazillion Points specializes in books about heavy metal, hardcore, and punk rock, and it has a very metal aesthetic. So calling the book Teen Movie Hell automatically made it feel like it was more of a piece with the other Bazillion titles.

From an intro in the book it appears that music and film zines both played a part in your inspiration (Conflict, Rollerdeby, two of my personal faces, etc.). How do they play a part?

I discovered zines in 1980 by way of The Uncle Floyd Show Gazette, a Xeroxed newsletter dedicated to a brilliantly hilarious and self-aware kiddie show that aired from New Jersey. I got a subscription.

A year or two later, the New York Daily News ran a profile of Rick Sullivan, publisher of the horror zine, The Gore Gazette, also from New Jersey. I love New Jersey. I ordered a Gore Gazette and it blew my 12-year-old mind.

From there, it was a short leap to tracking down The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film and understanding that it, too, had started as a zine. Then, leaning into punk culture as a teenager, zines became a crucial element of my existence, though they weren’t always easy to track down at first.

At the end of the ’80s/dawn of the ’90s, zines erupted with people doing surprising, personal things beyond just reviewing movies and music. I found that very inspiring. Gerard Cosloy’s hilarious, backhanded brashness in Conflict was a huge influence. Lisa Carver’s Rollerderby made it clear to me that anything was possible.

All that led to me publishing my own zine, Happyland, in 1991.

Aaron Lee and I met by mail after he sent me his zine Blue Persuasion in 1993. It was the best.

What was the criteria for inclusion of the movies in the book?

In cultural terms, the book covers the 20 years between American Graffiti in 1973 and Dazed and Confused in 1993, with a little smudging on either side into the years around them.

What the movies have in common is that they’re about teenagers and were made specifically for a teenage audience looking for a good time. The marketing angle has a lot to do with it—“Hey, kids! There’s a party raging up on the screen here and you’re invited! All you have to do is buy a ticket or take that VHS box cover to the rental counter!”

Exceptions exist. Bachelor Party, for example, is about clowns in their mid-to-late 20s, but they act like teenagers and it’s essentially just transferring the format to another setting. Same with Police Academy.

How long did it take you to complete the book?

In one form or another, I worked on it in spurts over 25 years. But, in earnest, once I got the Bazillion Points contract, it took three years.

For those of us around when these movies were being released why do you think they play such a huge part in our brains? Is it just the sex or something else?

What comes to mind is a bit of wisdom from Lorne Michaels. He said that anytime somebody tells him what they think were the best seasons of Saturday Night Live, it’s almost always the period when they were in high school—because you’re allowed to stay up late enough to see it, you’re watching the show by yourself or with friends rather than with your parents, and you’re getting jokes that maybe even just a year earlier would have sailed over your head.

I think it’s the same with these movies. Fast Times at Ridgemont High opened in theaters on the very first Friday of my freshman year of high school. Ferris Bueller opened four years later the exact day after I graduated. That period represents the very heart of the teen sex comedy genre and I was there, being a teen. These movies were made about us and, more importantly, for us.

How did Bazillion Points respond when you told them of your idea for the book?

Bazillion Points published my book Heavy Metal Movies in 2014 and did a superhuman job with it. Bazillion honcho Ian Christe and I have long talked about teen comedies and, back in the ’90s when I was pitching a book on the topic, it turned out he actually was too! I’m glad our knuckleheaded dreams got deferred and we were able to make it a reality together.

How was the response been so far?

So far, so cool.

Of all the movies you reviewed what is your personal favorite?

The two best-made films in the book are American Graffiti (1973) and Risky Business (1983), followed closely by Animal House and Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). Those are legit classics of cinema I love each one of them.

My heart truly belongs, however, to lunatic outliers on the order of King Frat (1979), Zapped! (1982), Joysticks (1983), Screwballs (1983), The Party Animal (1984), and Hamburger: The Motion Picture (1986)

What’s next? Care to spill any upcoming ideas?

Back in 2015, I announced Teen Movie Hell way earlier than I should have. Lesson learned. There’s more to come, but I’m playing it close to the coconut buttons of my Hawaiian shirt.

The man himself

www.teenmoviehell.com

https://www.bazillionpoints.com/product/pre-order-teen-movie-hell-the-crucible-of-coming-of-age-comedies-from-animal-house-to-zapped-by-mike-mcbeardo-mcpadden/

Here’s my review of the book, posted earlier in the month

https://daggerzine.tumblr.com/post/184504282732/teen-movie-hell-a-crucible-of-coming-of-age

0 notes

justsomewritingsandshit · 7 years

Text

Let’s Do The Time Warp (Again) - Part 2

Eventually Peter Maximoff x OC

Length: 2473 words

Warnings: mentions of death, car crash, female OC, etc. flirts?

Masterlist | Part 2 of ‘Let’s Do The Time Warp (Again)’ Series | Part 1

The journal was important to your mother, for very good reason.

She had been taking it to her lawyers on the last night of her life. It had been raining since the early morning, and by the end of the day it was practically torrential. She’d called ahead to the office, politely asking her solicitor to stay later than they usually would, so she could drop something off, before she journeyed home. It had just been finished, the pages filled to the brim with information and knowledge.

The night before her death, she’d penned the last words onto the paper, ‘YOU SAVED ME THEN, SO I COULD HAVE LIVED THIS LIFE.’.

Your mother was a scientist. Sally Tyrell left nothing to chance, and as a woman who firmly believed in science and in facts, she’d written a rather lengthy piece on the events of 1984. She even gone on to write about after that, detailing her years at university and her lab work (the trial and tribulations of working under a sexist old codger), meeting her sweet husband, and birthing you – her daughter. She was thorough, wanting to make sure you knew all the facts you’d ever possibly need, and had the best chance at doing what she said – saving her.

Her will had demanded that you receive the journal after her death, it had been mentioned several times, and when she was in that crash on her way home from the solicitors that night, you were given it three days later. Your father wasn’t long behind her, his grief taking him nearly one month later, leaving you with nothing in this world, but the tales in the journal, and your will to go on.

You’d read the journal avidly when you first gotten it, six months ago, and had memorised every event written down.

Now , all you had to do was what your mother said on the last page – now you had to save her life.

Your mutant gene descended through your father’s side of the family, meaning your mother was nothing but ‘normal’ – born and raised in complete normalcy, until her 15th year of life. Aside from her odd fascination with staring at people until they become uncomfortable (usually due to the vacant look that emerges after a minute or two), this was completely true. Sally Tyrell nee Benson was not a mutant.

Damien Tyrell, your father, however, was a mutant. He had the ability to communicate to animals, they could understand him and he could understand them. It was a fairly minor mutation, and nothing more than an ‘inconvenience’ sometimes, nothing life-threatening. Although, that mutation became a god-send when the family moved out of the city, to the small farm we’d inherited from his parents, after their untimely deaths.

Your abilities flared up at age 6, when you accidentally ‘copied’ your father’s mutation. The two of you had been collecting eggs from the hen house. Your dad had passed you a small basket full of eggs, when your hands had touched, barely – but it had been enough.

Bang. Just like that, you had his ability.

Half an hour later, your dad went looking for you, and found you talking to the goats, having an in-depth discussion on how nice the weather was that day. Originally, your parents thought that was your ability, that maybe you were the same as your father. They weren’t too concerned. After all your father could easily teach you how to deal with the mutation, and it wasn’t a risk on your life.

Weeks later, however, on your first day of a new year at school, you picked up a new ability. This one was incredibly dangerous.

Your teacher, a sweet woman well into her elderly years, had placed a palm onto your back to comfort you after you’d tripped over. Her fingers had just brushed the back of your neck, and – bang. Fire had erupted from your palms, like an uncontrollable volcano. Your young body had felt a burning heat, that you can still easily recall to this day, travel along your sides. The fire had been burning hot, hotter than the sun your child-mind assumed. The children in the class, the ones you’d been friend with, screamed and fled, evacuating the premises as fast as their little legs could carry them. The classroom had begun burning down around you, the drawings on the walls going reduced to kindling, the plastic tables and chairs all melting beyond repair. And all with you still trapped in the middle of it.

To this day, you remembered the fear that had gripped your body, your young being coming to the realisation that you might die. The concept of one’s own mortality is not a common thought for a child, yet there you had sat, thinking you were a goner. As the flames had danced around you wildly, uncontrollable by you, you cried out helplessly – desperate for anyone to save you. Just before the flames fully engulfed you, the elderly teacher dispelled it. You had suddenly been sitting on the floor of a very charred room, cuddled into the chest of said teacher, crying out in agony, various body parts burnt, yet already slowly healing.

The teacher, Ms. Olivia Friedman, began to teach you how to control her gift, immediately you’d recovered. She informed you of the best ways to regulate the mutation, and Ms. Friedman trained you until you could truly harness it, now free from pain when this occurred. An aspect of her powers was that her skin and body had, over time, become fire-conductive, but wouldn’t allow itself to be burnt, either – something you’d gained too.

Ms. Friedman, along with your rightfully worried parents, figured out that your mutation had to be more than what they originally though it was, and then concluded that it had to be the ability to copy others mutation.

Later on, after months of being home-schooled and being privately trained by Ms. Friedman, your parents reluctantly put you back into public schooling, now that you could somewhat control your gifts. No random fires started, and no small critter accidents. They let you go back, with the condition that you refrain from touching any other child, your mother and father scared anyone could have frightening or dangerous gift that you’d be forced to take on. A month into the re-introduction to society and they still weren’t too sure about you going to school, both worried about what could happen if other children, or parents, or the police, realised what you were – about what you could do. Luckily, you were young, and so were the children in your class, so they didn’t really know what had happened.

Still… it took weeks until any child talked to you.

That was when you realised you had to keep a lid on your powers, that no-one else needed to find out – not only would you be scorned by non-mutants, but perhaps you’d be in danger in other ways. Ms. Freidman had once told you stories of bad men taking away people to experiment on them, mutants, and not too long ago either.

Travelling via taxi, across state lines wasn’t a viable way to travel to the place you needed to go. For this reason, when you’d left that motel – well, technically, when you left that diner – you walked to the nearest bus stop, and hopped on it until you got to the closest bus terminal, then bought a one-way ticket to Westchester, New York.

Your mother had written, ‘IT BEGAN IN NEW YORK’, in one of the first pages of the journal, so that’s where you were going.

At first, this had confused you greatly. According to your oldest memories, you had only lived on that small farm, in the backyard of California. And, apart from that, your parents had only lived in the state, too. Your father had lived in Los Angeles, and your mother met you father out in Pasadena – she ran into him outside Caltech. But, as you read the journal, you found out that your mother had grown up in one of the boroughs of New York, not the suburbs of California. It turns out, her whole family had always lived in, and around, the state of New York for generations.

Sally Benson, the woman your mother was before her marriage, was an aspect that had always been unknown to you. You’d only ever known Sally Tyrell, your married mother, and she certainly never spoke of her past to you – not even when you asked. Now, you see it as her attempt to not change the delicate balance of time, but when you’d been a teen it had been the cause of many issues between you two. The younger version of yourself didn’t see the problem in finding out more about your mother, about her struggles that founded who she became, but now you saw her acts as her trying to preserve her reality.

Despite your initial confusion over the location the beginning of this tale takes place, it eventually came to you. After all, you’d had many friends go the ‘Xavier Institute for Higher Learning’, or ‘Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters’, as it is known as in the 1984-time-period you were currently in.

The bus got to Westchester, just shy of a full day later.

Whilst the bus fare hadn’t been too hefty, the taxi fare to the actual gated of the mansion was. An oddity to you, considering how little you had to pay earlier, but you assumed that perhaps it had to do with the region you were in? Honestly, you should have just hi-jacked a car, like in your original plan. Old cars or not, you could still drive, your father taught you on the farm’s tractor when you were 16, and you still had a license. The only reason you didn’t was because whilst a pre-pubescent child working at a motel wouldn’t look closely, a police officer would – and if you were pulled over, you’d be sent to a lock-up not long after, for having a ‘phony’ ID, as well as driving a stolen vehicle.

Silently, you marvelled at the building in front of you, wondering just how rich the Professor actually was. You’d passed a few other mansions on the way here, and they’d looked nice (very nice), but they paled in comparison to this place. There seemed to be about three levels to the building, and looking at it sideways, it was huge. Honestly, this could be the set of a movie, maybe a period film…

Vaguely, you thought of your friend, Tash, who’d been sent off to this place in the late 2000’s, to harness his powers. You wonder if you’d ever see him again? You let out a sigh, probably not.

You heaved the bag over your shoulder, and walked up the steps, before arriving at the large wooden front doors, knocking loudly. To walk right in would be rude, but the fact it was about 10 in the morning, you wondered if anyone could even hear your knock – people would most probably be in the middle of classes, after all. Just as you were going to knock a second time, the large slab of wood swung open noiselessly.

It revealed a boy. “What’s up, sweets?” A silvery-grey haired guy stood in the doorway, eating a twinkie. He was dressed oddly, with a silver faux-leather jacket… and goggles. You wondered if this was a usual getup in the 80’s.

“I’m here to see the Professor? Uh, Professor Charles Xavier?” You were hesitant to talk to him, if you were honest. You never know who has what mutation, and that’s a scary thing when it comes to you. What if he was a telepath, and could read your mind? It might hinder your plans. He wasn’t saying anything in return, so you prompted him, “Can I come in?”

The guy shoved the rest of his twinkie into his mouth, and began to talk around the crumbs, “Sure, I’ll take you to his office.” Although, you only somewhat heard him, and only got the gist of what he was saying when he waved for you to follow him. Apparently, you were to follow him. Silver-guy led you down the main hallway, which you guessed had once been a beautiful entryway for this home, before turning left and leading you to the door at the end of the hall. As you walked, you looked at the photographs on the walls, many showing students winning awards, or using their gifts. “Here it is.” Silver-hair-guy gestured dramatically towards the door, and you felt your lips twitch in an attempt to smile.

You went to knock on the door, but paused to look at the person next to you, “Thanks for show me here.” It was a slightly awkward attempt by you to dismiss him.

“No problem, sweet-cheeks.” He winked at you cheekily, causing you to roll your eyes in slight irritation, although your heart rate did seem to pick up slightly. What? He was cute. The guy looked about ready to walk away, before he turned back to you, “My names Peter Maximoff, if you need me later.”

“I doubt that I will,” You smiled at him, a little sarcastically now, before turning back to the office door, “Bye.” You needed to talk to the Professor, you needed to get ahead of the events that were going to take place soon.

“What? You not gonna tell me your name?” Peter asked, moving closer to you quickly, “Bit rude, sweets. After I led you all the way here, out of the kindness in my heart!”

You let out a sharp breath, and sent him a glower, “Look, I’m busy, can you leave?”

“Tell me your name, please?” His tone changed, seeming to lose the cockiness of the past minute. It felt like he was being genuine…

Either way, “Go away-”

“Miss Tyrell?” The English voice called, from the other side of the door that lay in front of you, “Are you going to talk outside my door all day, or enter?” The voice questioned you, sounding amused at the small argument he could hear. You could hear the laughter in the voice, laughing at you and Peter, and your disagreement. His amusement made you smile a little.

It reminded you of your father’s voice, just without the random accent.

“Saved by the bell, sweets.” Peter began to back away, walking backwards, a cute smile on his face, still staring at you. “Catch you later, sweet-cheeks.” He winked at you, then suddenly he was gone. Damn, he was fast.

Sighing, you put your hand to the door, ready to knock again, when the voice rang out once more, laughter still clear in the tone, “Just come in, Miss Tyrell.”

TAGGED:

@iamwarrenspeace, @stilesloverdaily, @itsnotnormalteen

50 notes · View notes

biofunmy · 4 years

Text

Eddie Murphy Returns to ‘Saturday Night Live’

It took 35 years, but Eddie Murphy came back to host “Saturday Night Live.”

The last time Murphy hosted the show, it was Dec. 15, 1984, just a few months after this one-time wunderkind (who joined “S.N.L.” when he was 19 years old) quit the program to focus on his flourishing film career. In the sketches that aired that night, he revisited several of his beloved characters, including Buckwheat, Gumby and Mr. Robinson.

Tonight, in an episode that also featured the musical guest Lizzo, Murphy revisited several of his beloved characters, including Buckwheat, Gumby and Mr. Robinson. But first, in an opening monologue, he updated the audience on the last several years of his life and received tributes from a few surprise guests.

Taking the stage of NBC’s Studio 8H, Murphy told “S.N.L.” viewers: “This is the last episode of 2019. But if you’re black, this is the first episode since I left back in 1984.”

He then showed a photograph of himself when he was still an “S.N.L.” cast member. “Yeah, I look at least five years younger there,” Murphy said. “You know what they always say: Money don’t crack.”

Among the ways that his life has changed since then, Murphy said, is that “I have 10 kids now — 11 if you count Kevin Hart.” He added, “If you had told me 30 years ago that I would be this boring stay-at-home house dad and Bill Cosby would be in jail, even I would have took that bet.” Slipping into his Cosby impersonation, Murphy said, “Who is America’s Dad now?”

Tracy Morgan, a fellow “S.N.L.” alum, joined Murphy onstage and offered him praise. “If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be here,” Morgan told him. “Like, literally. I was conceived on the ‘Delirious’ tour bus.”

Chris Rock, who was also an “S.N.L.” cast member before becoming a stand-up superstar, said that the show’s creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels had compared him to Murphy when he joined the show.

“When I got hired, Lorne told me, ‘You’re going to be the next Eddie Murphy,” Rock said. “And then a year later he said, ‘No, you’re not.’”

Dave Chappelle, another titan of stand-up, told Murphy he had been an inspiration. “I followed your blueprint for my entire career,” Chappelle said. “I became the biggest star on television and then I quit.”

Looking over the assembled group, Chappelle said, “Right now you’re looking at half of Netflix’s budget, right here onstage.”

Morgan said: “Not me. I made all my millions on the road.”

Murphy asked, “You mean touring?”

Morgan replied, “No, I got hit by a truck.”

Mr. Robinson Sketch of the Week

In the first of several segments in which Murphy reprised his former “S.N.L.” characters, he donned the sweater and sneakers of Mr. Robinson, his Mr. Rogers parody, who told viewers that his neighborhood had changed considerably since the last time they saw him.

As Murphy sang in his opening song:

I was gone for a bit, but now I’m all right. My neighbors was all black, but now they white. The check cashing place turned into a bank. Elevator works and the stairs they don’t stink. The white people came and changed everything, But I am still your neighbor.

He also taught his audience about the word “gentrification”: “It’s like a magic trick,” Murphy said. “White people pay a lot of money and then poof, all the black people are gone.”

Buckwheat Sketch of the Week

What started out looking like a straightforward lampoon of Fox’s reality competition series “The Masked Singer” took a turn when Chris Redd (playing the show’s host, Nick Cannon) introduced a new contestant, dressed in a giant corn-on-the-cob costume, who began crooning “Can’t Help Falling in Love” in an almost unintelligible patois.

It was, of course, Murphy, playing his version of Buckwheat, the old “Our Gang” character, who went onto sing other popular tunes including “Dine, Teal, Dawibba,” “I Chot Da Chariff” and “Tinga Nadies.”

Melissa Villaseñor, playing the panelist Nicole Scherzinger, told Murphy, “We’ve missed you these past 30 years.” He told her not to worry, saying, “Wherever I am, I’m doing o-tay.”

Democratic Debate Sketch of the Week

You know how these celebrity-laden, impression-heavy segments go, so we’ll give you a quick rundown of who played whom and what their best lines were:

Heidi Gardner as the moderator Judy Woodruff: “Just like ‘The Bachelor,’ the further we go, the less diverse it gets.”

Kate McKinnon as Elizabeth Warren: “I’m here and I am in my element. PBS is my safe word. Last debate, I gave you policy T.M.I., and now I am ready to walk it back.”

Colin Jost as Pete Buttigieg: “I’m the only person on this stage who isn’t a millionaire or billionaire. I live on my mayor’s salary plus a $20 a week allowance from my parents, and that’s only if I do my chores.”

Larry David as Bernie Sanders: “Look at me. Are you really surprised that my main concern is the temperature?” He added: “Let me tell you, no matter how hot the earth gets I will not wear shorts. I swim in corduroy.”

Fred Armisen as Michael Bloomberg, explaining his uninvited appearance at the debate: “For $30 million, PBS is now owned by viewers like me.”

Yes, there was also an appearance by Alec Baldwin as President Trump (who said he was there “so you people will actually watch this little freak show”), and McKinnon changed costumes mid-sketch to reappear as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose Christmas gift to Trump was two articles of impeachment.

Weekend Update Jokes of the Week

Over at the Weekend Update desk, the anchors, Colin Jost and Michael Che, made a Christmas joke swap and riffed on the latest impeachment news.

Jost:

On Wednesday, the House voted to impeach President Trump. But Nancy Pelosi refuses to send the articles to the Senate until they guarantee a fair trial. So now we’re all in this weird limbo where no one knows exactly what’s going on, there’s this cast of wild characters making fools of themselves, and everyone is thinking, “Please, God, just let this end.” So basically it’s “Cats.”

Che:

In a letter to Nancy Pelosi, Trump claimed that he has been treated worse than those accused in the Salem witch trials. You know where they set women on fire for, like, wearing pants. Well, according to Donald Trump, impeachment is, like, literally worse than that. I’m a little disappointed in Donald Trump. I knew he would snap but I thought it would be fun like Tupac in ’96. This is more sad like Britney in ’07.

Gumby Sketch of the Week

In another welcome head-fake, Jost began to set up a joke about Mitch McConnell, only to be interrupted by Murphy, playing his dyspeptic version of Gumby, the venerable clay-animated character.

Murphy joined Jost and Che at the Weekend Update desk, mostly to bellow out his famous catchphrase, “I’m Gumby, damn it,” and to roast the two anchors.

“I’ve passed kidney stones with more personality than the two of you,” Murphy told them. “Face it, kid, the two of you together couldn’t Velcro my sneakers.” (Meanwhile, if you were hoping to see Murphy’s old character Velvet Jones, he turned up in a “Black Jeopardy” sketch later in the show.)

Sahred From Source link Arts

from WordPress http://bit.ly/2tJp4nB via IFTTT

#IFTTT #WordPress

0 notes