#half of the videos were churches using it as a promo

[icantbelieveitsnotbatter]

Batter is Nacho and Zacharie is Esquelito

#religion au #do you know how hard it was to find this scene? #half of the videos were churches using it as a promo #no shit

[rockrevoltmagazine]

INTERVIEW: TODD MICHAEL HALL

RockRevolt Magazine:  Lets talk about your debut solo album coming out in early May, Sonic Healing.  I gave it a listen and fans of classic rock should be very excited for this record.  There’s no questions bands that had a major influence on you such as Boston, Rush & Foreigner influenced the direction of this album.  Sonic Healing could plug right into this era.  Tell us how it all came together.

TODD MICHAEL HALL:  I have wanted to do an old school rock album for quite a few years now.  Something I talked with Joe at Rat Pack Records about.  I knew Joe because he negotiated with my band Riot and the last Riot album almost got released on Rat Pack Records.  At the time Joe asked if I might want to do a solo album.  He was thinking something in the metal vain, I was thinking more old school rock.  It didn’t end up going anywhere at the time.  Then after being on The Voice, the song “Juke Box Hero,” which I did and I consider to be in the classic rock category.  I don’t consider it hair metal like Blake Shelton did.  Not sure why he jumped to hair metal, apparently when people hear me they think of hair metal.  Anyway it was kind of hitting, it had like a million views on YouTube.  So then I call up Joe and said I’m telling you I really want to do something in the classic rock vain.  I have a bunch of songs written, can you hook me up with someone that can help me transform them into hard rock.  The thing is when I write as a songwriter I write by myself.  I play on acoustic guitar so what tends to come out is more singer/songwriter type stuff.  He said I have this guy, and it happened to be Kurdt Vanderhoof from Metal Church.  He said let me see if he’s interested.  He talked to him and got back to me and said Kurdt loves classic rock, it’s a big influence on him also.  He wants to talk.  We got on a Zoom call and talked about what each of us had in mind.  I told him I was looking for that riff oriented, melodic vocal, catchy chorus kind of stuff, feel good rock.  He and I joke that we are both old enough to remember the KTEL commercial about freedom rock.  With the hippie looking dude who says what’s that? The other guy is like that’s freedom rock.  Well turn it up.  (both of us laughing as I remember the commercial as well – classic).  To this day Kurdt and I will be joking, turn it up dude.  Kurdt’s a great guy, we just had a lot in common.  Funny thing is I loaded up like 20 of my songs and suggested we just use some or all of it.  He said it was great stuff and we can come back to that but why don’t we start with me just pouring out and writing some stuff and see what happens.  Which was his polite way of saying Todd we’re not going to use your crap (joking).  I get where is coming from.  I never really experienced this before, he had to finish up something in Seattle and he got to his place in Southern CA and he called me and said I’m going to start writing now.  A few days later he sent me five songs.  Then he’s just sending like a song a day.  I got another one then another.  Over a period of like 21 days he sent me 18 songs that happened to be during the shutdown.  I put total focus on it.  I would walk around, listen to the songs and they were just singing to me.  It was like he and I were having a battle.  I would be like I just loaded one up to Dropbox and he would be like, yeah I’m loading up one tonight.  Just back and forth.  Literally these songs were written over the course of four weeks, last March into April.  Then we did the final recordings not long after that.  The album has been in the can since June it just took a long time to get all the promo material together with all the shutdowns.  We really liked what he was doing and what we came up with.  We just never got around to the songs I brought to him originally.  It ended up being an all Kurdt and Todd thing. 

How about the other parts on the album such as bass and drums? How did you handle that?

We recorded during the shutdown.  Kurdt had his own home studio and I had the same thing.  Kurdt basically played the bass and the drums on this as well, it’s all us.  Of course for the video we wanted to have an entire band and the videographer, Jamie Brown, is the one that found people for us.  The bass player is a fella named Drew Heart, he’s actually a singer from Las Vegas.  He has a few different bands that he’s in.  He’s also a singer on an album with Kurdt called Vanderhoof I think from the 90’s, he had some experience with Kurdt as well coincidentally.  He’s not a bass player by trade but was in the video.  It turns out he’s from Michigan and we got along really well.  We have a lot of the same influences.  It was fun to have him around, I would love to have him in a band, he would be great backup vocals.  I’m not use to having singers in the bands I’m in.  The drummer in video was a guy named Abel.  It’s kind of a funny story.  The “Overdrive” video was the second video we filmed.  Day one we filmed a video for “Let Loose Tonight” and the drummer in that video is a different guy named Dustin and he wasn’t feeling well so the night before the second video Jamie called up Abel and asked if he could show up the next day and learn the song.  He did an incredible job and really helped make the video great as he put on a great show.

Do you plan on touring behind the record?

Kurdt and I both have a lot of excitement behind the album, we both say it’s something we’d buy.  We are excited to present it live but the challenge is if there is enough demand.  From my time on The Voice a lot of people in my hometown would like to see that.  Then maybe book some other shows locally over the course of a weekend.  I know Kurdt has some people in mind to play with us if we were going to do something.  But right now we are not sure we’ll have to see as things open back up.

Do you think you and Kurdt will work together again?

I would love to and I believe he feels the same way.  We’ll see what happens.  I remember the first album I did with Riot V, it felt magical.  Then the second album we did felt more like a labor.  That’s what I wonder, this first album with Kurdt was magical, so I’m curious to see how it would happen the second time around.  I would say I’m definitely down for doing something again.  I very much enjoy this style of music.  But before then I have to record vocals for the next Riot album. 

Getting into your experience on The Voice how did that come about and then of course you worked with Blake Shelton how was that?

I had seen shows like that over the years and was always somewhat interested.  Then my sister got an email and said I should try out as they were having an audition in Chicago.  I figured what the heck.  I think there was a couple thousand people there.  After I was done they said come on back tomorrow.  Of course I wasn’t prepared, no change of clothes, toothbrush or anything.  So I drove 5 hours back home.  Then I had to prepare, I never did karaoke or have any tracks prepared so I had to get that together.  So I ended up getting the “Juke Box Hero” track and Judas Priest “Another Thing Coming,” I think I did Bryan Adams “Someone Like You” and Journey “Don’t Stop Believing.” I did all but the Bryan Adams song the next day for them.  It was a weird experience.  Then I got a call back for a blind audition and when you are doing those you’re still in a group of 80+ people so you don’t know for sure.  But I did get my shot.  For me you sometimes fantasize, I wonder what could happen.  But for me I didn’t think I would win or have a career in music only and not have the day job.  I was going more for fun and a great experience and it was.  Experiencing television and music production at that level it’s hard to describe, it’s amazing.  And the people associated with the show were very friendly, nice to the musicians.   Not like you are best friends, once the show is over they move on and have a new group to work with so it’s not like Blake and I are buddies.  But everyone is really nice.  No intent to slag the show but you don’t spend much time with your coach.  Your time with the coach is on camera so there’s not a lot of interaction.  Even with the song selection it’s not something you talk to them about.  You’re more dealing with producers on that.  Hopefully I’m not bursting anyone’s bubble on that.  I would say as far as disappointments from the show, this is very minor compared to the lessons I took away.  I just had this fantasy that Blake and I would sit down, have a beer together and just have a half hour to discuss influences and what we wanted to do and that wasn’t a possibility.  But he’s a busy guy so I understand that.

I bet most people do have that fantasy, I’ll get on The Voice and will sit around talking music and work a plan together.  But the reality is they are there for filming and drawing the audience but beyond that there’s no interaction.  But it was a cool experience?

Yeah definitely.  And I think if I got further that would be more the case.  Before my knockout round they had to prepare me for my next song, “More Than A Feeling” by Boston if I had been back for the knockout round.  If I had been back I would have been performing for Blake with the band.  But we were doing it via video chat.  We did chat it up a little bit.  I think if you’re Todd Tillman who won for Blake’s team you probably got a little more chat time with Blake.  I imagine the further you get the more personal time you get.  It was a great experience.  And great exposure.

Did things change for your music  career or was it more of a blip and you move on?

To some extent it is kind of a blip.  But you do gain followers on social media that you didn’t have before the show.  That helps.  I think the pop culture is a bit fickle.  You see over 4 million views on my “Juke Box Hero” video and you think if I come out with a new album in a similar style I should really be able to key into this because there are so many people that liked it.  Doesn’t necessarily translate that way.  But I think there is so much noise and inputs and some many distractions.  So I think The Voice has a certain apparatus that allows you to get a lot of attention but most of those people are more The Voice fans than your fans. 

You mentioned you are working on a new album with Riot V, how’s that going?

It’s going well.  I think the COVID situation had potentially two different effects on bands.  One is I have all this free time for music.  On the other hand it’s oh man we can’t go out and tour to support this album so why bother.  And with no deadline you can kind of slack a bit and that’s kind of where the Riot album has been.  We’ve had the songs written but let 2020 get away from us.  We are just on hold to release the album until we can tour behind it. 

Anything else going on?

I reached a point last year that my business, I run a manufacturing company for restaurant equipment so that had an impact which was stressful.  Even now that orders are starting to come back it’s still tough with lack of materials so there is a ton of stress.  Not a whoa is me thing, it’s just that music is a passion thing I pursue in my free time so it’s difficult to say yes at this time.  It’s hard to find time for anything.  At this time I don’t see me taking on any other projects.  I did have the question did any famous people want to work with you because of your time on The Voice but no that really hasn’t happened.

Have you met any of your idols? If so what was that experience like?

What’s weird for me if you meet someone in like a meet n greet line I don’t consider that really a meet.  I think for me getting to meet someone is to meet them as a fellow musician.  That is much more along the lines of what you are asking.  When I was on The Voice and I walk out and James Taylor is there, granted it was on film and we only had 10 minutes to sit and talk.  To have someone like him throw a compliment your way feels pretty incredible.  Also what is weird for me, for example Geoff Tate was incredibly influential to me in my younger days.  There is a part of me, a little boy that still craves Geoff Tate to say hey Todd good job.  I actually met him, my brother Rick had a record store and Queensryche did an in store for Operation Mindcrime.  I met Geoff and I gave him a copy of my Harlot CD we produced in 1988.  I told him he was a huge influence on me.  Back then most independent bands like us didn’t have a CD so I figured that should impress him.  Now that I’m in a band and people hand me CD’s often I get it that he was a busy guy and why does he give two shits about me.  But I had this fantasy that he would listen to that and write me a note saying good job.  Obviously that didn’t happen.  To this day if I get approached like this, I’m not saying I’m a great person or anything like that, I’m sure I don’t get as much as Geoff Tate does but I make it a point to give it a little listen and find a way to compliment it.  First of all if it’s not my taste they still went through the trouble to write and produce the song and I know how much goes into that.  Getting back to it I still have this fantasy of bumping into Geoff as a fellow musician and we could talk and get to know each other.  At the same time who knows maybe we have completely different views and maybe we wouldn’t get along.  Sometimes you hear stories about people in general.  At this point I’d say the closest I had with that was touring with Primal Fear, Ralf Scheepers is an incredible singer I had bought an album of his back in the 90’s that I really liked.  It was interesting and cool to meet him.  I got to know him really well and that to me is a little more along the lines of what you are talking about, a unique experience.  As well as the experience with Kurdt.  But in general when we are playing these festivals and Judas Priest is headlining, they have their own little dressing room and pathway.  And they have people to make sure you don’t walk in there.  I haven’t had much experience with the big dogs. 

We all have this perception that you are all hanging out backstage but that’s obviously not that way it is.

Some of them will hang out in the normal food tent and they are around and if you are brave enough you can walk up and bug them.  For me that’s not quite the same.  I remember the drummer from Judas Priest was in there and our drummer is like I want to get a picture with him and he was cool but there’s a part of me that’s like you just interrupted him, you’re not really meeting them.  I tend to be like I don’t want to annoy someone.  Although I did with Michael Sweet and Biff Byford from Saxon and Jeff Scott Soto.  So I have done that but I don’t post it to social media for me it’s more of a private thing.  More of a personal memory. 

Top five albums everyone should own?

Oh man that is so tough.  I really loved Malice and Warrior.  There was a band called The Front I really loved.  But I would say if you are in the hard rock genre it would be tough not to say an Iron Maiden album like Piece of Mind, that’s a classic.  Certainly in the Riot catalog you could throw Fire Down Under, not because I’m in Riot but I feel it’s a great album.  I think for me it would be hard not to put Holy Diver from Dio in there.  He was so incredible.  I would say something by Queensryche, Operation Mindcrime. 

I wish you nothing but success on the release of your first solo record.  As I mentioned for a classic rock fan this is an album you should check it.  Any final words?

Thanks for helping spread the word.  Anyone that gives me any type of attention or shot I appreciate it.  This is a passion thing and I’ve got so much joy from music over the years and just want to return the favor and bring some joy to others. 

Connect with Todd Michael Hall(click icons):

INTERVIEW: TODD MICHAEL HALL was originally published on RockRevolt Mag

#Blake Shelton #Kurdt Vanderhoof #Metal Church #Riot V #Sonic Healing #The Voice #Todd Michael Hall

[aion-rsa]

The Batman Trailer Breakdown and Analysis

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The Batman trailer is finally here, accompanied by Nirvana’s “Something in the Way.” The two-minutes-and-a-half of footage presents a nightmarish new take on Gotham and the Dark Knight, an impressive feat considering only 25% of the movie has been shot so far, according to what director Matt Reeves said during the DC FanDome digital event.

Matt Reeves’ Batman reboot explores the early days of the Caped Crusader’s career, about two years into it, and focuses on a younger Bruce Wayne who is haunted by his past as well as a new villain who’s leaving victims all of the city for him to find.

We see in the trailer as Batman is hunted by a serial killer who is leaving him letters at every crime scene, teasing that the movie will feel more like a detective story than the usual action take. The trailer also gives us our first look at several villains, including Penguin, Catwoman, and a gang that seems to call back to a group first introduced in an animated series.

While the trailer makes quite a few things clear about this new Batman movie universe, there are a few lingering questions left in the promo’s wake. So we’re going breaking down the trailer to see what’s really going on in The Batman. And if there’s anything you spot in the trailer that we missed, let us know in the comments!

Before we get started, take a look at the trailer again:

Okay, let’s get started:

The trailer kicks off the character reveals right away, giving us our first look at The Batman‘s version of the Riddler — at least I’m pretty sure this is him. The riddle-obsessed villain isn’t really known for wearing a full facemask with glasses over it, but as you’ll see throughout the trailer, this movie seems to play like an extended fever dream full of grotesque baddies set against an almost overbearingly dark Gotham City.

This is the perfect version for this new take on the Riddler, who seems more like a serial killer here than the grinning megalomaniac we know from the comics, video games, and Batman Forever. In fact, Paul Dano’s Riddler looks about as far the opposite of Jim Carrey as you can get.

The trailer definitely sets up the Riddler as the main villain of the piece, a killer obsessed with getting to the Batman by leaving behind corpses and messages for the Dark Knight at his crime scenes. Above, we see one such victim, his face wrapped in tape with the words “No more lies” written over it.

Uncovering a lie seems to be a major aspect of the movie, as its a message the Riddler repeats to the Batman several times in the trailer. It suggests the Riddler knows something about the Caped Crusader that no one else does. Does the villain know that Bruce Wayne is the masked vigilante? Or does this lie run much deeper than that?

The fact that the Joker movie also dealt with the idea of the Wayne family’s hidden past — in that case, that Thomas Wayne may have had an illegitimate son — and that this movie could have at least one potential connection to last year’s Taxi Driver-inspired character piece makes me think the Riddler knows a secret about Bruce’s past. The Riddler, who seems to be speaking to Batman throughout the video, tells the Dark Knight at the end of the trailer that “he’s a part of this,” meaning whatever the villain is doing was designed to punish Bruce for something.

Reeves has said that his take on Batman is more of a detective story than an action movie, and this trailer definitely delivers on his promise. We see Jeffrey Wright’s Jim Gordon investigating the crime scene the Riddler leaves behind at the start of the trailer, while a forensics team takes photographs and gathers evidence.

One piece evidence is a green envelope left behind for Batman. Inside is a card with a riddle that I can’t quite make out, but it’s undoubtedly meant to lead the World’s Greatest Detective to the next clue in the Riddler’s twisted game. We also see that the Riddler has also picked up a few things from the Zodiac Killer’s book of riddles, as he leaves behind a code for the Bat to crack.

A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot of a framed newspaper at the crime scene gives fans of The Dark Knight and The Long Halloween a nice easter egg to mull over. We already knew John Turturro was set to play crime boss Carmine Falcone in the movie but now we know that his comrade in crime/rival Salvatore Maroni also exists in this universe and has been busted for transporting drugs at some point before the start of the movie. Was Maroni one of Batman’s early targets? Maybe we’ll find out.

Here’s an excellent look at what the top half of the new Batsuit looks like. It’s pretty much a suit of armor, although the cowl and cape seem to be made out of leather. And as we already knew, this Batsuit has a collar, which is a pretty neat addition to the usual suits designed for the movies.

This scene also confirms that by year two of Batman’s career, he’s already on good terms with Gordon and the GCPD, although something tells me that relationship ain’t gonna last very long…

I have no idea who this is, but I’m going to guess it’s The Batman‘s version of Commissioner Loeb, the corrupt head of police that preceded Gordon. Since the movie is getting a GCPD-centric spinoff on HBO about the corruption inside the police force, I’m going to assume this version of Loeb will be a bit closer to the power-hungry chief introduced in Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s Batman: Year One.

We also get a look at the new Batcave, which is about as minimalist as the Dark Knight’s secret lair can get. In fact, it looks more like a garage than a secret underground science lab/high-tech surveillance station. It even looks like this version of Bruce spends more time working on his Batmobile than on his computer piecing mysteries together. Can you even call that a Batcomputer? It looks like a workbench with a dual-monitor PC setup. Does this dude even get wi-fi inside his underground mechanic shop?

Bruce is at someone’s funeral for someone I don’t recognize when a car comes crashing through the church. Inside seems to be a man with a bomb and a letter for Batman strapped to his chest. Does the Riddler know Batman is attendance already or does he think this latest scheme will lure him there?

Either way, we also get our best look at Pattinson as Bruce. It’s interesting to see a version of Bruce who doesn’t sport slicked back billionaire hair. Instead, Pattinson wears more of an emo slick — very fitting for the mood of this trailer.

We get our first look at Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle doing what she does best: stealing. Reeves said during DC FanDome that this version of Selina hasn’t quite morphed into Catwoman at the start of the film and is instead still being shaped into the master thief we know and love.

The trailer shows us a brief snippet of Selina taking on Batman, suggesting that the characters will be at odds with each other in the movie. But could this be the start of a love-hate relationship like what we’ve seen in past takes on this duo? This should be interesting.

We also get to see Colin Farrell’s absolutely incredible transformation into the scarred Oswald Cobblepot, who, according to Reeves, is still working his way up the crime ladder in this movie. He’s not yet the powerful crime lord known as the Penguin, but it sure seems like he causes plenty of havoc for the Bat nonetheless.

Here’s why I mentioned that Joker connection earlier. The gang of face-painted goons that challenge Batman in the trailer sure look inspired by the Clown Prince of Crime. My initial reaction was that The Batman was doing the Jokerz, the Joker-worshiping gang introduced in the Batman Beyond animated series, but what if these guys were actually inspired by Arthur Fleck’s actions in the ’70s-set movie?

We know that by the end of Joker, Arthur has a cult following rallying around him, despite the fact that he’s admitted to murdering quite a few people by that point. His followers, who don their own clown makeup and masks, see Arthur as a freedom fighter, someone fighting for justice in a corrupt city where the rich have it all and the poor have nothing. It wouldn’t be surprising to see that Arthur has become a symbol all these years later, inspiring the next generation to go out into the streets and cause their own chaos.

I know WB has said that both The Batman and Joker exist in their own universes, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the studio was suddenly anxious to tie these two movies together after the massive success of the latter. If Pattinson ever does take on the Joker, you can bet your Batarangs that WB will try its very hardest to make it the Joaquin Phoenix version of the villain.

Anyway, we eventually watch as Batman beats the ever-living shit out of one of these clowns. It’s a bit…much.

While Batman and the GCPD seem to be on good terms at the start of the trailer, things have certainly taken a turn later. We first see Bats getting into a scuffle inside an interrogation room surrounded by cops and then later escaping a building while police officers shoot at him. That second shot actually seems to recreate the famous panels from Year One where the Dark Knight escapes an abandoned building surrounded by the GCPD with the help of a swarm of bats, a scene that also inspired an action sequence in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins.

Why are Batman and the GCPD suddenly at odds? It’s possible this is part of the Riddler’s plan to destroy the Bat. Has the villain framed the Dark Knight for something? Or has Batman gone too far in his search for justice?

The new Batmobile is front and center towards the tail end of the trailer. It’s a very cool and surprisingly realistic take on the Batmobile unlike what we’ve seen in past movies. This muscle car definitely looks like something Bruce would have worked on himself inside the Batcave.

Finally, we get a look Batman sans mask. There’s no elegant bachelor under the cowl in The Batman but a beaten down, soot-covered man who looks more troubled than any other Bruce before him. Pattinson’s Bruce almost looks more inspired by The Crow than Ben Affleck, Christian Bale, or Michael Keaton before him. It definitely looks like he’s taking the character in a new direction.

We’ll find out for sure when The Batman hits theaters on Oct. 1, 2021.

The post The Batman Trailer Breakdown and Analysis appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[bunnymcbunnister]

SPN Season 15 Spoiler Sheet, update 12/2

Not much this week with the holiday, but some potential cast info for ep 12. Under the cut.

DISCLAIMER: This is gathered info from various sources. This is not confirmed information. Stuff in this WILL be wrong. Don’t take this too seriously. This is for fun. 

General Info (oldest to newest)

There is hope to wrap up some Wayward Daughters storylines in the back half of the season

They are adding a whole extra day to filming to do the final scene. They will film the final scene last.  (Implies logistics- lots of returning people?)

Brad Bucker used the word “romance” when asked about Sam and Dean’s arcs. Did not specify who. 

In an interview, Kripe indicated that the series ending would have “peace” for Sam and Dean

Not much new at the TCA’s, but it was said it is “unlikely” Jeffery Dean Morgan will be back since his last appearance was such a good end note. There were some jokes about a Castiel spin off. Hell, I’d watch. 

There will be a special tribute ep, not clear if its one of the 20 or additional

Misha will be in 15 out of 20 episodes this season

Also according to Dabb, Jack is still in the empty and “he’s not coming back in the near future”

Cas’ deal with the Empty may come up later in the season. 

Dabb intimated that Chuck was inherently responsible for killing Mary when asked how the boys would respond to Jack. 

Dabb compared Chuck and John Winchester, claiming that Dean would have to break free of “conditioning.” Also, for Jack “there have been cosmic forces fighting for his attention since he was in the womb — and that will continue. As much as this season is about Sam and Dean finding agency, it’s also about Castiel finding agency, and it’s about Jack finding agency. As always, death is never the end. It’s just part of the journey and that’s certainly true with Jack.” 

Per Variety: At the outset of the season, the “Supernatural” foursome of Dean, Sam, Castiel and Jack are split up, but Dabb notes they won’t be for long because “ultimately this is a found family, and they have deep emotional bonds” that make up the most important part of the show.

Sam’s wound from the equalizer gives his powers/an advantage of some kind (per TVGuide)

Jack will be a critical part of the ending of the show

The cage/Adam is looking like it will be coming up for midseason

Shaving People, Punting Things: https://youtu.be/azTwku2uosA

In the cage, Micheal and Adam have formed a working relationship (MarySue)

Dean and Amara’s connection will be explored

There will be a bunker themed episode (MarySue)

According to Misha (Cinablend) Dean and Cas will have discord up to ep 8- which is the mid-season finale. 

At a convention, Jake Abel was asked to share two lies about Adam’s return and a truth. The said 1. Adam is not upset about hell 2. Adam kills someone 3. Adam bring someone back. I am assuming its the bring someone back (Micheal?)

In one of his cookbook interviews, Misha used the word “we” several times when talking about the final scene of Supernatural. He said that would be the last scene they shoot. It seemed to imply that he was in the scene, but that could be open to interpretation. 

The finale will air on Monday May 18th. The show will move to Mondays when it comes back on March 16th. It’s gotta come back either than that and go on a mini break or something, because that is not enough Mondays. 

Dabb mentioned that once Sam realizes what is going on with his connection to Chuck, he will reach out to people “some we expect and some not”

JaxCon spoilers: 

Misha said the ending was “happier than he expected” but also had some sadness. 

Misha mentioned that Claire will be mentioned on the show, but as of yet not appear. 

Jared mentioned April 5th as the date of filming the finale. 

Jensen said Dean will DANCE in an upcoming ep

Jensen reaffirmed his earlier spoiler about Dean/Cas reconciling, explaining why he has so much trouble with “that relationship” and that will “shed some light and then bruise some egos”

Episode 15x07

Title: Last Call

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: CLOSING TIME – Dean (Jensen Ackles) goes off on his own to take on a case. Meanwhile, Castiel (Misha Collins) has an idea of how he can help Sam (Jared Padalecki) track down God. Amyn Kaderali directed the episode written by Jeremy Adams (#1507). Original Airdate 12/5/2019.

Written by: Jeremy Adams

Director: Amyn Kaderali

Filming Dates:  9/26- 10/7

Airdate: Dec 5th

Photos: http://www.ksitetv.com/supernatural/supernatural-last-call-images-description-released/199736/nggallery/image/sn1507b_0301b/

Promo: https://youtu.be/ztvk50kN29A

Sneak Peak:

Castiel ? Yes Jack ? 

Guest stars: Shoshannah Stern

Other Spoilers/info :

Misha posted from set in new shoes- very shiny with well tailored pants. (The next day he posted in full Cas costume, so are the shoes a one off? Another outfit with new shoes?). 

Misha and Jensen made a video from set. I feel like if Jared was around he would have been in it since it was about money raised?  Maybe a Dean Cas scene?

There will be a battle scene in this that Jensen mentioned he was looking forward to and we would enjoy. 

After NJ Con, it appeared that Jensen returned to work, Jared and Misha stayed an extra day and then Misha went home. Misha only did about 2 days of filming. 

Jensen and Christian filmed at a bar called Swazey’s. This was the fight scene Jensen was referring to. 

At some point, Sam might be shirtless or we can see part of his chest- Jared had his anti-possession tattoo at the weekend convention.

Per TVGuide, Leo and Dean will have a wild night out in an effort for Dean to recapture his mojo. Dean will become the lead of a band called Dean and the Impalas, which is made up of Supernatural crew. 

Osric Chau popped over to set, but he is filming on Legends of Tomorrow in the same studio. Sebastin Roche also indicated he would come by, he is filming on Batgirl. Unfortunately, neither Kevin or Balthazar will appear in this one. 

Eileen is in the promo photos

 Episode 15x08

Title: Our Father Who Aren’t in Heaven

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: GOD BLESSES HIM WHO HELPS HIS BROTHER – Sam (Jared Padalecki), Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Castiel’s (Misha Collins) continued search for a way to defeat Chuck (guest star Rob Benedict) leads them to unexpected places and toward unlikely allies. Richard Speight, Jr. directed the episode written by Eugenie Ross-Leming & Brad Buckner (#1508). Original Airdate 12/12/2019.

Written by: Buckleming

Director: Speight

Filming Dates:  10/8- 10/18 (no filming 10/14 for Canadian Thanksgiving)

Airdate: 12/12

Photos: 

Promo:

Sneak Peak:

Castiel ? yes Jack ? 

Guest stars: Jake Abel, Shoshannah Stern

Other Spoilers/info:

Jake Abel posted a script with the caption “hell hath no fury like a brother scorned”

Shoshannah Stern was spotted on set- Eileen!

This will be the midseason finale

At BurCon, Misha mentioned Dean is still acting like “a dick” in the ep they were filming- which is this one. 

 Episode 15x09

Title: The Trap

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: 

Written by: Berens

Director: Singer

Filming Dates:  10/21-10/30

Airdate: 1/16?? 

Photos: 

Promo:

Sneak Peak:

Castiel ? I think not Jack ? maybe

Guest stars: Rob Benedict, Kim Rhodes, Jim Beaver

Other Spoilers/info:

Midseason premier episode

Misha was at home for the first week of filming, and I think the second. I don’t think he is in this. 

Alex and Rob were hanging out- Chuck and JACK?

Kim Rhodes posted in front of the SPN set and with her trailer- Jody looks very likely. She also had dyed hair and she has been rockin the grey for the past few Jody eps. Maybe a flashback/AU?

Jim Beaver posted from set- Bobby!

Jensen shared that in this episode, Dean will pray to Cas to “confess” why he has been treating Cas the way he has. Misha confirmed this in another interview and said tears would be shed- not sure who is doing the crying (besides me). 

Episode 15x10

Title: The Heroes’ Journey

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: 

Written by: Dabb

Director: Showalter

Filming Dates:  10/31- 11/12 (No filming for Veterans/Armistice Day)

Airdate: 1/23 ??

Photos: 

Promo:

Sneak Peak:

Castiel ? maybe briefly?  Jack ? 

Guest stars: 

Other Spoilers/info :

Misha texted some local fans from set in costume about an WA election, but after the convention was promoting his cookbook all over the place. I think he filmed, if he did, for 2 days, max. 

The story will be about Sam and Dean as heroes from the good and bad side (from MarySue)

At DCCon, Jensen shared that  this a bit of a wacky episode- Sam and Dean lose their abilities to fight, Dean gets cavities and Sam gets a cold. Jensen later seemed to refer to this ep when talking to TVGuide- mentioning the Impala will get a flat. 

Episode 15x11

Title: The Gamblers

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: 

Written by: Davey Perez and Meredith Glynn

Director: Beeson

Filming Dates:  11/13-11/22 

Airdate: 1/30??

Photos: 

Promo:

Sneak Peak:

Castiel ? seems likely Jack ? 

Guest stars: 

Other Spoilers/info:

Misha and Jensen made a video for a fan that I think was filmed during the first day of shooting? Not for sure. So maybe Cas?? J2M made a video about Thanksgiving, so Micha must have been around at some point. 

Megan Fitzgerald (writer/showrunner’s assistant) and Emma Peterson (production office) were very excited about something in the dailies for this ep. 

They filmed at a church and a park in Surry according to YRShoots. 

 Episode 15x12

Title: Galaxy Brain

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: 

Written by: Bobo Berens AND Meredith Glynn

Director: Speight

Filming Dates:12/2-!2/11 (?) The production office tweeted they have a week off for Thanksgiving

Airdate:  2/6?? But that is when Katy Keene premiers?? Maybe 3/16?

Photos: 

Promo:

Sneak Peak:

Castiel ? Jack ? 

Guest stars: Yadira Guevara-Prip ?

Other Spoilers/info:

Alex canceled a comic con appearance in Argentina for “professional obligations” so it seems likely he would film this week

IMDB lists Yadira Guevara-Prip as a guest star, so Kaia? They are not always reliable on casting

 Episode 15x13

Title: Destiny’s Child

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: 

Written by: 

Director: 

Filming Dates: 

Airdate: 2/13 (??) I have no idea anymore

Photos: 

Promo:

Sneak Peak:

Castiel ? Jack ? 

Guest stars: 

Other Spoilers/info:

#supernatural #supernatural spoilers #spn spoilers #spn season 15 #spoiler sheet #spn 15x07 #spn 15x05 #spn 15x09 #spn 15x10 #spn 15x11 #spn 15x12 #spn 15x13

[happymetalgirl]

Rammstein - untitled

As soon as it was confirmed for 2019, Rammstein’s seventh studio album was always going to be one of the biggest metal releases of the year, if not the biggest, and it was actually nice to see the band use that to their advantage and give the album a worthily ceremonial roll-out. The promotion alone was a welcome return to times when big artists generally put more effort into their album promo cycles. I get that it got a little overdone in its time, and I get that not every artist has at their disposal the means to give their upcoming records the kind of red carpet treatment that Rammstein has given theirs. And sudden/short-notice, unprecedented album drops have been a cool way for artists to show their confidence in their work and reputation to build their own hype on exactly that suddenness. But in a day and age where sudden project releases carry much less surprise factor now and seem more to be symptomatic of short attention spans and capitalizing on a trend, Rammstein's more magnificent promotional phase for their first album in a decade was a nice change of pace, for me at least. From the incrementally released trailers and teasers for each song, the big broadcast of the single "Radio", to cryptic early social media messages and the delay of the very reveal of the title (or lack thereof) and cover art, Rammstein did a lot to take advantage of their ability to give their album a more committed old-school promotion when few else were doing so. Whereas the once brave, sudden nonchalant album drop has now grown dejected and taken on a possibility to be interpreted as nervousness to hype what might not live up to such hype (it can't disappoint and not live up to the hype if you don't give it any hype), a big roll-out like this has once again become a real sign of confidence in one's work, and based on their seventh album’s roll-out, Rammstein knew they had put together a hell of a comeback album. And that became incredibly clear as soon as the band released their most monumental combined visual and auditory statement to date with the music video for the first single and opening track "Deutschland".

The song itself is a sobering, grand, sorrowfully heart-wrenching cry for the band's homeland and its long, tumultuous struggle to overcome its infamously dark history. It's the kind of tough, honest, and well-timed critical look that I must give Rammstein respect for making, and the huge production and ambitious concept of the music video directed by Specter Berlin do justice to both the song and its uneasy (to say the least) subject matter. It's the kind of biting commentary that the video for Childish Gambino's "This Is America" was so revered for last year, though I honestly think that the Childish Gambino song itself has been largely overrated outside the context of the video and that "Deutschland" is an even more fearlessly convicting song and its video and even more artistically accomplished national critique (as it should have with its evidently bigger budget). But to get into the song itself since it’s on topic, “Deutschland” is a conflicted cry for the band’s homeland and the aftermath of its darkest days it is still struggling to overcome. The lyrics highlight Germany’s pride in its achievements and its unyielding ambition, but how that pride and ambition has been twisted into a kind of malignant narcissism to produce some of history’s most despicable atrocities (with the band not at all coy about the history they bring up, with the reference to Übermensch and the former national anthem line “Deutschland Deutschland über allen”). The instrumental of the song is dynamic and rides in tune with the lyrics’ heaviness perfectly all the way through, and the resounding bellow of the chant, “Deutschland”, provides the burst of sonic and poetic intensity that makes the song such a standout track. And the sorrow and sincere wish to love this complicated and slowly healing Germany is conveyed magnificently in Till Lindemann’s subtly heart-wrenching vocal performance. If it’s not already obvious from the preceding verbiage in this paragraph, “Deutschland” is undoubtedly going to be near or at the top of my song list at the end of this year.

Moving on from my favorite song of 2019 so far, the second single and second track on the album, “Radio”, which had a similarly big release, is possibly the catchiest song on the album with its groovy guitar riff, its keyboard sprinkling on top, and its fittingly infectious chorus. The song is another example of what I think is one of Rammstein’s most overlooked traits, and that is Till Lindemann’s lyricism. The song deals with an escape from life and a finding of pleasure through radio, as is pretty apparent by the title. The lyrics carry a good deal of sexual overtones, and though the line translates to putting one’s ear up to hear the radio, I’m pretty sure Lindemann chose the wording of “Mein Ohr ganz nah am” to resemble “my orgasm”. To possibly look way too deep into this and link it to German history, the band members grew up in the part of Berlin in East Germany, which was basically an impoverished hell hole under Soviet rule, and the band have expressed before their frustration with the forced insulation of the old regime. The radio referred to in the song is specified to be one the picks up international broadcasts, the wonders of which I imagine Rammstein and other Berliners in East Germany were depply inspired by and longed desperately to get any taste they could of (which the voracious appetite the women had for the radios in the music video and the revolt it led to supports).

Third in the track listing is the song “Zeig Dich”(meaning “Show Yourself), whose orthodoxical introductory chant opens the heavy quick-rhythm-driven guitar riff base of the song and its religious critique excellently. The quick calling cards the lyrics bring up to identify the subject of the song as the Christian church aren’t really much more than that, but the fact that the invocation of child abuse and the forbidding of contraception immediately brings to mind an organization meant to promote moral, Godly living is reflective of so many things wrong with the church. But the song seems to be a flustered insistence for the church to reveal its true and conflicting intentions: for its own sustenance through its authority over its followers and their passing down and around of the doctrine. The poetic technique is audibly impressive, but lost in translation, as the verses are loaded with mantras all tagged with the prefix “ver-”, which doesn’t really have an English equivalent, but serves to make more extremein some way the verbs being modified, which could be interpreted quite a few ways in the context of the song’s religious critique.

The fourth track, “Ausländer”, was a bit off-putting to me at first for its dancy beat and pitch-shifted backing vocal sample, but its lighter attitude compared to the surrounding tracks was probably a good move by the band and its cheeky fun has helped it grow on me a bit. The song is a kind of comedic suggestion to travelers to learn to speak native languages because the opposite gender loves to hear a foreigner speak their tongue, with Lindemann dropping all these overly dramatic romantic pleas in Spanish, French, and Russian. It’s kind of tongue-in-cheek, but the concept of cultures mingling and the language through which it happens is certainly something that could be read into even deeper here, but I feel I might be getting in too deep to this album’s lyrics as it is. Fun song! It strikes me as this album’s “Haifisch”.

The sixth song is called “Sex”, and it is one of those universally understood words that needs no translation. Rammstein have never been shy about putting all the raunchiest and most intentionally provocative aspects of the universal pleasure into song (Till Lindemann’s 2015 solo album also was largely about his many sexual fantasies and aspirations). But on this song, Rammstein finally tackle the queasy feelings of rising sexual attraction and the intense urge to bask in its pleasure with another. The lyrics come off, not so much as creepy or filthy, but rather as profoundly horny (a phrase I never thought I’d type, but here we are), with Lindemann singing “Wir leben bei sex”, which means “we live during sex”, which could be interpreted as an ode to the pleasure of the act of reproduction. The boisterous vocal delivery of the titular refrain gives the already heavy, groovy, and provocative song a different primal energy, and it makes the desire spoken of in the lyrics evident and real. And speaking of powerfully primal vocal performances...

The song “Puppe” has justifiably gained a lot of attention for Till Lindemann’s scathingly rough and chillingly tortured vocal delivery in its second half, which was the first thing that caught my ear too when I gave this album its first spin. Delving into the lyrics the song reveals itself to be about a child who is kept comforted (or even medicated to a degree) by a doll while this child’s sister goes off to work, which is revealed to be only in the neighboring room and is likely to be prostitution. The song eventually reveals that the child finds the sister dead at the hands of an assailant during her work, driving the child to bite the head off the doll, which could have a variety of interpretations regarding this already unhinged character’s stability, killing the assailant, destroying the comforting object and thus shedding all childhood innocence completely at the sight of such trauma, or simply a deranged, destructive breakdown. Personally, I think the lyrics suggest that the child rips the doll’s head off in an act of traumatic realization of the world’s cruelty and a refusal to accept being sheltered from it, with whatever actions following being very up in the air. Either way, how the band builds up the the climax of the child biting the head of the doll off and explodes into vibrant heaviness provides the perfect backing for Lindemann to play this character phenomenally.

The soulful metallic ballad “Was ich Liebe” is probably the most flat-out depressing song on the album, and despite the simplicity of its lyrics, its conflict with its speaker wanting to love but also feeling that doing so is futile and that all pleasure is fleeting is well expressed, and an interestingly stark contrast to “Sex”, wherein the raw, physical lust brings about divine, life-affirming pleasure and whereas “Was ich Liebe” details perhaps the comedown from the high of sexual fulfillment to a life viewed through the most hopeless lens in which all pleasure eventually rots and everything loved dies. The song itself doesn’t actually reference sex at all, but it is perhaps its very absence and the vagueness concepts the speaker laments over that suggest that perhaps the speaker doesn’t even know how to find the lasting forms of love sought through sex. Then again, I could just be reading into Rammstein’s trend of often writing about sex. Sonically it provides a break from all the extreme energy leading up to it,which is nice in the track listing, but the woeful lamentation makes it come off as a bit overly dramatic. Given the whiny, defeatist subject matter though, perhaps that was intentional.

The very next song, “Diamant”, is an even more stripped back acoustic breather track supplemented with weeping vibratto strings for an intentionally melodramatic effect. It's a somber love song in which Lindemann compares his allure to a beautiful person to that of a diamond, struggling with an infatuation that he knows is soul-sucking and something he should avoid, concluding his comparison of this beautiful person to the beautiful jewel in dejection, saying it’s only a stone.

The song “Weit Weg” is probably the album's low point both lyrically and musically, being a less tangibly performed song of unfulfilled longing for a far away woman with some juxtaposition between feeling close, but oh so far away too, which Lindemann has written about before much more convincingly. And the somewhat slow pace and minimal energy of the whole band's performance kind of just makes it drag on. It's not the worst song, but by Rammstein's standards and this album's standards, it's only distinction from the other songs on the album is its lack of much melodic or lyrical distinction.

“Tattoo” thankfully brings back the energy of the band's signature industrial metal groove for the album's last minutes. It definitely hearkens back to Reise Reise musically, and it's a fine offering of their more groovy old-school style. The song is about the literal act of tattooing a lover's name and contemplating the pain and permanence of it all to express the significance of their love in the speaker's life, ending on the somewhat tongue-in-cheek contemplation that if they ever split up, then the speaker will have to find someone else with the same name. Lyrically, it's very direct, but also colorful and a fresh angle for this topic.

The album closes on perhaps the most haunting and unsettling note (rivaled only by "Puppe") with “Halloman”, a song about the luring of a young girl by the titular "Hallomann" (who is suggested to be part of the Catholic church when the girl is revealed to be dancing while wearing a rosary) into a life of sexual servitude. It's a disturbing and genuinely mournful song, and the band handles the seriousness of the subject matter well both lyrically and musically with the pleading sorrow in Till Lindemann's performance conveying the gravity of the all too common story of childhood stolen and butchered by depraved opportunists who prey upon the vulnerable. I'm glad Tue band saved this song for the end because I can't imagine its eerie realism anywhere else in the track listing. It's an incredibly emotive, but chilling finish to the album, and it does a fantastic job bowing out for the album.

And that's it; that's Rammstein's long-awaited seventh studio album. In many ways it is Rammstein simply getting back on track after their long creative break after Liebe ist für alle da, but it does also feel like a well-rounded set of songs that take a lot from the band's whole career, and the songs do mostly seem very well nurtured. And while this album probably didn't need ten years to make, I'm certainly glad it's here now and I hope it helps Rammstein get back into a more consistent creative cycle. If there’s one thing that dampens the album’s experience, it’s perhaps the decrease in energy and the reversion to some of the band’s more typical tendencies without supplementation during the second half. But the brightest moments on the album definitely outweigh the duller ones, and the dynamic excitement of the album's experience certainly stems from Rammstein smartly placing their confidence in the progress they had made with their sound rather than trying to make a disingenuous rehash of Sehnsucht or Mutter alone (though the elements they bring in from those albums do serve to bolster this one). And through it all, Rammstein stays true to the focus on tight, efficient composition that has made every album of theirs so engaging and digestible. I'm glad they're back.

Willkommen zurück/10

#rammstein #neue deutsche härte #industrial metal #heavy metal #deutschland #radio #new music #new album #album review #metal

[my-fanfic-soul]

Harry-- Boo

The sound of his daughter laughing was Harry’s favorite sound in the world.  He had recordings of her giggling on his phone so he could listen to them when he was away on tour or doing promo.  It was infectious and filled him with a warmth he couldn’t describe and that he had never experienced before she came into his world and turned everything upside down in the best way possible.

These days she was a vivacious two, nearly three, year old who grown into the sweetest little girl who had strong opinions about everything from what she ate to the books that she read.  Right now, her favorite movie, and what currently had her belly laughing, was Monsters Inc.  She knew every character, every line, and so did Harry and his wife after watching it with her twenty-five thousand times a week.

“Mike Wazowski!” she yelled from her spot in front of the TV while Harry and his wife got lunch ready.  Harry could see her through the opening in the door, cuddled in the middle of a pile of pillows, thoroughly entranced even though she had seen it so many times before.

Harry looked over at his wife, the reason he was home, and the reason his daughter had been watching more movies than usual.  They had spent the morning at the doctor’s having a scan done on her very swollen, 7 month pregnant belly.  Baby and mama were both healthy, but she had been so tired this pregnancy that she was struggling to keep up with the house and their daugher.  “Have you thought of a Halloween costume yet?” Harry asked gently.

She sighed and shook her head, glancing over at the calendar that already read September.  “Not even for a moment,” she confessed.  “I’m just trying to get through the day, every day.” 

“I think I have an idea,” he told her, looking back at the TV and Boo’s shenanigans.

Her frown deepened.  “I just don’t think I have the energy for it this year, Harry.  I’ve got so much to do still before this one makes their grand entry and I barely have the energy to put my socks on in the morning.”  Sound logic or not, he knew it hurt her to say that.  Halloween was her favorite time of year.  She loved dressing up their entire little family in matching costumes.  She always handmade their costumes and everything.

Harry was quiet for a few minutes as he moved over to start unloading the dishwasher.  He stayed quiet as they managed to draw their daughter away from the TV long enough for a quick lunch and then she was back in the living room in front of the TV.  While they cleaned up after the meal, he said, “Would you be willing to go out with us if I took care of the costumes?”  She gave him a doubtful look but he rushed to assure her, “I’ll take care of all of it.  It’s even something that if you feel like you can’t go, it’ll still make sense if it’s just me and her.”

Her eyes drifted to their daughter as she thought it over.  She’d been dealing with a lot of Mommy Guilt over not being able to be to do as much with their daughter as she normally did.  Halloween was normally her thing, but it seemed unfair to just not do it this year because she was tired, especially since pretty soon they would start talking about Trunk or Treat at church, an event where people handed out candy from the back of their cars.  She was sure to get just as excited as the other kids in her nursery class.

“Yeah, that would be great,” she finally told her husband with a grateful smile.

He got to work immediately buying supplies.  It had occurred to him that it would be easier to just buy the costumes from a store or online, but his wife prided herself on their homemade costumes and he was determined to not let the tradition die, even for a single year.

“Hey, sweet pea!” Harry called from his office and he heard little feet move into the hallway.  “Can you come back here and see Daddy, please?”

Little feet pattered down the hall until her little face appeared in his doorway, looking at him curiously.  “Yes, Daddy?” she asked sweetly, gazing around at all of the cloth littering his normally very neat office.  Her little eyebrows knit together, suddenly looking very much like Harry.  “Daddy it’s messy in here.  You need to clean your room.”

Definitely her mum’s kid, though.  “I know, but Daddy’s using them all, still.  Is it alright if I measure you?”

“Why?” she asked skeptically, but walked over to him anyway.

Harry showed her the tape measure and explained, “Daddy has to take your measurements for your Halloween costume, so it’ll fit right.”

“What’s a Halvo… queen costume?” she asked, struggling over the foreign word and making Harry chuckle.

“Halloween is when you get to play dress up as a character and go collect candy by saying Trick or Treat to people.  We celebrate by going to the church and doing it, instead of going door to door,” Harry explained as he waited.  They were working hard to teach her bodily autonomy; he wouldn’t start measuring her until she said it was ok.

She thought it over for a minute, rolling the idea around in her head.  This was another area where she was very much like her father.  She never said anything until she was ready and she didn’t have any qualms about taking her time.  “What character will I be?”

Harry pointed to shiny purple material on one of the work tables near him.  It normally held sheets of music, but currently it held fabric and patterns.  “Yours is a surprise this year, but this is the fabric Daddy will be using to make it.”

She studied it, touched it with her fingers, and looked around the room at the rest of the fabric.  Finally, she nodded.  “Ok, Daddy.  You can measure me.”

It took twice as long as it was supposed to because Harry was following the step by step instructions on a YouTube video and had to keep pausing it, but his daughter stood still through the entire process and didn’t kick up a fuss.  She did run rather quickly back to her toys once he said she could go, though.  He hadn’t told her what her costume would be because he wanted to surprise his wife and seeing both of their faces the day of would make it all worth it.

Trunk or treat was on Saturday the 28th this year and his little girl was beyond excited.  It was all she had talked about for a month.  Her excitement had been one of the fueling factors in Harry finishing his project even when he was overwhelmed and felt like he’d bitten off more than he could chew.  He had worked a little bit every chance he could since the middle of September and it was finally coming to fruition.

His wife could see how proud he was as he gazed at the finished product in front of him.  She did raise an eyebrow when he handed her lime green leggings and a lime green shirt.  “You’ll see,” he told her confidently, his hand brushing against her nearly nine month pregnant belly.  She was feeling pretty good today, the first time in weeks, so they’d be going together as a family to the event.

Their daughter was bouncing up and down in excitement when her mom walked into her bedroom.  “What is it, what is it?!” she asked enthusiastically as she ran over to pull it from her mother’s arms.

“Hold on, be patient,” she said, lifting it up out of the range of little fingers.  “Mommy doesn’t even know what it is yet, Sweet Pea.  You have to be careful so you don’t mess it up.”

She did her best to hold still while her mom put it on, but she was full of energy and kept bouncing on her toes and twisting to try and see herself in the mirror.  The moment her mom told her it was on, she raced to the mirror on her wall, letting out a squeal of excitement.  She twirled back around to her mother, exclaiming, “Mommy, I’m Boo!  Mommy, I’m Boo!”  Indeed, she was, Harry had spent the past month and a half making Boo’s monster costume for his own little monster and she had never been happier in her entire little life.

“Yes, you are,” her mommy told her with a smile, fighting to hold back tears from her own ramped up hormones.  Harry had really come through and while it wasn’t professional grade costumes, it was perfect for their little girl.  “It looks like Mommy is going to be Mike Wazowski, as well.”  The little girl was jumping with excitement now.  “Settle down, Mama’s going to put on her costume and then she’ll do your hair, alright?”

Ten minutes later, they were walking hand in hand to the living room when the little girl saw what costume, blue pants and shirt with purple spots sewn on, plus a furry hat with horns, her Daddy had chosen.  “Kitty!” she yelled, racing across the floor and throwing herself into Harry’s arms.  “You’re Sully, Daddy!”

Harry laughed and twirled her around in his arms, her giggles complete music to his ears.  “That’s right, Sweet Pea, I am. Do you like your costume?”  Her yes was enthusiastic as she flung herself around her daddy’s neck, making Harry laugh as her mommy nearly started crying again.  “Do you like your costume?” Harry asked his wife, looking at her completely green outfit with an elaborately large green eye and mouth on her belly.

She chuckled as she picked up her camera.  “I couldn’t have chosen better if I tried.  You did a great job, Harry.”

They spent a good twenty minutes take pictures, Harry humoring his little girl and posing with her in every way from holding her to acting like he was afraid of her.  Her innocent adoration of her costume was enough to have him nearly weepy eyed.  Once they were done, she marched towards the car, proudly announcing, “I can’t wait to show everyone my costume!”  Harry knew that of all of the compliments he had received in his life, that one was by far his favorite.

Master List

#Harry Styles blurb #dad!Harry blurb #dad!Harry #dad!Harry Styles #Harry Styles fan fiction #Harry Styles fan fic #Harry Styles fluff #fluff #Harry Styles fanfiction #Harry Styles fanfic

[hellyeahomeland]

"The episode that chances everything. The latest Homeland will leave you speechless". What is this all about? Have they always promoted the final chapters in this way?

Today I’m introducing a new feature which I’ll call FANDOM HISTORY WITH SARA. Please take a seat and grab a cup of coffee (or glass of wine) and let me take you on a brief history of finale promotion for our dear little show.

SEASON 1: 

The year, 2011. We’ve just been treated to the literal abomination on my SOUL that is “The Vest.” Can you even fuckin’ believe that episode exists?? Anyway, can you also believe that the episode promo Showtime released for “Marine One” which remains Homeland’s best episode and also one of the single greatest pieces of television ever was THIS? They gave away the whole fuckin’ thing!! That’s where my aversion to spoilers starts. FUN FACT: When I was originally binging slash becoming obsessed with our dear show I watched it all on Showtime OnDemand and they showed some version/semblance of that as a promo for S2. That is, while I was watching mid-season one episodes in which Brody’s fate is at question they’re showing clips of him PULLING THE FUCKING VEST TRIGGER AND IT FAILING. TAGLINE: “THE TELEVISION EVENT OF THE FALL. QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED. SECRETS WILL BE REVEALED. AND NOTHING. WILL EVER. BE THE SAME. PREPARE. TO BE. BLOWN AWAY [BADUM CH].” (accurate, accurate, and very very accurate) 

SEASON 2: 

The year, 2012. We’ve just been treated to the literal train wreck that is “Broken Hearts” and the first half of “In Memoriam” (the original title of that episode, by the way, was “The Motherfucker in the Turban”… wonder why they changed it). ANYWAY the promo for that finale was a minute long and basically gives away the entire plot. I have very fond memories of watching that promo about 400,000 times. TAGLINE: NOTHING. WILL. PREPARE. YOU. (accurate)

SEASON 3: 

The year, 2013. At this point I guess SHO has caught on because the promo for this finale was a) completely unrevealing and b) depressing as shit, in keeping with other 2013 promotional gems such as “The One that Ruined To Build a Home” and “The One that Almost Ruined Adele.” (Oh, 2013. We had a time.) ANYWAY this one features music from Mass Effect which I’m told is a popular video game but all I’ll really remember is how the music swells when Carrie walks into the church and the strength of my convictions after watching that Brody was toast. For a trip down memory lane check this post in which I, spoiler-free, predict the meaning of that title and recount the shifting nature of Showtime’s promos; or this one, inspired by the voiceover. ALSO in lieu of a proper finale we got Claire IN A BUN (this was the origin of HAIR IN A BUN btw) being goofy in Morocco. 

SEASON 4: 

The year, 2014. The year that gave us “don’t touch my fucking gun!” among other things. The mood is not exactly right for a Mass Effect trailer so they go for more cryptic instead and craft something that had me panicking for a week that Dar was gonna fuck everything up (guess I was two years early). That promo was fairly uneventful but lemme tell you the story of two photos and one magazine that turned the HL fandom upside down:

Phantom Hand. Oh, phantom hand. The fandom went literally crazy trying to determine whose hand is there coming out of the left side of the frame. Was it Saul? Dar? Max? Virgil? Brody, risen from the dead? MUST BE KHAN! Turned out to be Quinn, which is the most logical explanation actually.

Bench. People also flipped their shit over this photo of Carrie sitting on a bench. Who is she waiting for? Is Quinn just out of frame? There aren’t enough bodiless hands here for our comfort!! 

But the story doesn’t get REALLY good until two days before the finale, December 19, 2014. That would be the day that dalliance anon entered our lives. To get the full picture, you’ve really gotta start from Point A. (Dalliance anon then became a meme in this fandom because every few months or so someone would write into the blog with a salacious bit of non-news and sign off with “this is the dalliance anon” until I told dalliance anon not to come back because it was affecting my health.)

SEASON 5:

The year, 2015. tbh I don’t really remember much about this promo. I don’t even remember if people were freaking out about Quinn possibly dying. 2015 was a weird year… what I do remember is that in the days leading up to the finale AG gave a series of interviews–obviously to avoid post-episode press–in which Quinn’s fate was mentioned zero times. The big promo photo freakout took place over Carrie and Otto at his cabin (if you’re wondering when that happened the answer is it DID NOT and fandom freaked out for nothing… kinda). TAGLINE: ONLY. ONE. EPISODE. LEFT. (accurate)

#ask #hyh ask #anonymous #fandom history with sara

[savetopnow]

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[blackkudos]

Whitney Houston

Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, producer, and model. In 2009, Guinness World Records cited her as the most awarded female act of all time. Houston is one of pop music's best-selling music artists of all-time, with an estimated 170–200 million records sold worldwide. She released seven studio albums and two soundtrack albums, all of which have diamond, multi-platinum, platinum or gold certification. Houston's crossover appeal on the popular music charts, as well as her prominence on MTV, starting with her video for "How Will I Know", influenced several African American women artists who follow in her footsteps.

Houston is the only artist to chart seven consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits. She is the second artist behind Elton John and the only woman to have two number-one Billboard 200 Album awards (formerly "Top Pop Albums") on the Billboard magazine year-end charts. Houston's debut album, Whitney Houston (1985), became the best-selling debut album by a woman in history. Rolling Stone named it the best album of 1986, and ranked it at number 254 on the magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Her second studio album, Whitney (1987), became the first album by a woman to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Houston's first acting role was as the star of the feature film The Bodyguard (1992). The film's original soundtrack won the 1994 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Its lead single, "I Will Always Love You", won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and became the best-selling single by a woman in music history. With the album, Houston became the first act (solo or group, male or female) to sell more than a million copies of an album within a single week period under Nielsen SoundScan system. The album makes her the top female act in the top 10 list of the best-selling albums of all time, at number four. Houston continued to star in movies and contribute to their soundtracks, including the films Waiting to Exhale (1995) and The Preacher's Wife (1996). The Preacher's Wife soundtrack became the best-selling gospel album in history.

On February 11, 2012, Houston was found dead in her guest room at the Beverly Hilton, in Beverly Hills, California. The official coroner's report showed that she had accidentally drowned in the bathtub, with heart disease and cocaine use listed as contributing factors. News of her death coincided with the 2012 Grammy Awards and featured prominently in American and international media.

Life and career

1963–1984: Early life and career beginnings

Whitney Houston was born on August 9, 1963 in what was then a middle-income neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey. She was the daughter of Army serviceman and entertainment executive John Russell Houston, Jr. (September 13, 1920 – February 2, 2003), and gospel singer Emily "Cissy" (Drinkard) Houston. Her elder brother Michael is a singer, and her elder half-brother is former basketball player Gary Garland. Her parents were both African American. Through her mother, Houston was a first cousin of singers Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick. Her godmother was Darlene Love and her honorary aunt was Aretha Franklin, whom she met at age 8 or 9 when her mother took her to a recording studio. Houston was raised a Baptist, but was also exposed to the Pentecostal church. After the 1967 Newark riots, the family moved to a middle-class area in East Orange, New Jersey, when she was four.

At the age of 11, Houston started performing as a soloist in the junior gospel choir at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, where she also learned to play the piano. Her first solo performance in the church was "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah". When Houston was a teenager, she attended Mount Saint Dominic Academy, a Catholic girls' high school in Caldwell, New Jersey, where she met her best friend Robyn Crawford, whom she described as the "sister she never had". While Houston was still in school, her mother continued to teach her how to sing. Houston was also exposed to the music of Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, and Roberta Flack, most of whom would have an influence on her as a singer and performer.

Houston spent some of her teenage years touring nightclubs where her mother Cissy was performing, and she would occasionally get on stage and perform with her. In 1977, at age 14, she became a backup singer on the Michael Zager Band's single "Life's a Party". In 1978, at age 15, Houston sang background vocals for Chaka Khan and Lou Rawls.

In the early 1980s, Houston started working as a fashion model after a photographer saw her at Carnegie Hall singing with her mother. She appeared in Seventeen and became one of the first women of color to grace the cover of the magazine. She was also featured in layouts in the pages of Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Young Miss, and appeared in a Canada Dry soft drink TV commercial. Her looks and girl-next-door charm made her one of the most sought after teen models of that time. While modeling, she continued her burgeoning recording career by working with producers Michael Beinhorn, Bill Laswell and Martin Bisi on an album they were spearheading called One Down, which was credited to the group Material. For that project, Houston contributed the ballad "Memories", a cover of a song by Hugh Hopper of Soft Machine. Robert Christgau of The Village Voice called her contribution "one of the most gorgeous ballads you've ever heard". She also appeared as a lead vocalist on one track on a Paul Jabara album, entitled Paul Jabara and Friends, released by Columbia Records in 1983.

Houston had previously been offered several recording agencies (Michael Zager in 1980, and Elektra Records in 1981), but her mother declined the offers stating her daughter must first complete high school. In 1983, Gerry Griffith, an A&R representative from Arista Records, saw her performing with her mother in a New York City nightclub and was impressed. He convinced Arista's head Clive Davis to make time to see Houston perform. Davis was impressed and immediately offered a worldwide recording contract which Houston signed. Later that year, she made her national televised debut alongside Davis on The Merv Griffin Show.

Houston signed with Arista in 1983, but did not begin work on her album immediately. The label wanted to make sure no other label signed the singer away. Davis wanted to ensure he had the right material and producers for Houston's debut album. Some producers had to pass on the project because of prior commitments. Houston first recorded a duet with Teddy Pendergrass entitled "Hold Me" which appeared on his album, Love Language. The single was released in 1984 and gave Houston her first taste of success, becoming a Top 5 R&B hit. It would also appear on her debut album in 1985.

1985–1986: Rise to international prominence

With production from Michael Masser, Kashif, Jermaine Jackson, and Narada Michael Walden, Houston's debut album Whitney Houston was released in February 1985. Rolling Stone magazine praised Houston, calling her "one of the most exciting new voices in years" while The New York Times called the album "an impressive, musically conservative showcase for an exceptional vocal talent". Arista Records promoted Houston's album with three different singles from the album in the US, UK and other European countries. In the UK, the dance-funk "Someone for Me", which failed to chart in the country, was the first single while "All at Once" was in such European countries as the Netherlands and Belgium, where the song reached the top 5 on the singles charts, respectively.

In the US, the soulful ballad "You Give Good Love" was chosen as the lead single from Houston's debut to establish her in the black marketplace first. Outside the US, the song failed to get enough attention to become a hit, but in the US, it gave the album its first major hit as it peaked at No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and No. 1 on the Hot R&B chart. As a result, the album began to sell strongly, and Houston continued promotion by touring nightclubs in the US. She also began performing on late-night television talk shows, which were not usually accessible to unestablished black acts. The jazzy ballad "Saving All My Love for You" was released next and it would become Houston's first No. 1 single in both the US and the UK. She was then an opening act for singer Jeffrey Osborne on his nationwide tour. "Thinking About You" was released as the promo single only to R&B-oriented radio stations, which peaked at number ten on the US R&B Chart. At the time, MTV had received harsh criticism for not playing enough videos by black, Latino, and other racial minorities while favoring white acts. The third US single, "How Will I Know", peaked at No. 1 and introduced Houston to the MTV audience thanks to its video. Houston's subsequent singles from this, and future albums, would make her the first African-American woman to receive consistent heavy rotation on MTV.

By 1986, a year after its initial release, Whitney Houston topped the Billboard 200 albums chart and stayed there for 14 non-consecutive weeks. The final single, "Greatest Love of All", a cover of "The Greatest Love of All", originally recorded by George Benson in 1977, became Houston's biggest hit at the time after peaking No. 1 and remaining there for three weeks on the Hot 100 chart, which made her debut the first album by a woman to yield three No. 1 hits. Houston was No. 1 artist of the year and Whitney Houston was the No. 1 album of the year on the 1986 Billboard year-end charts, making her the first woman to earn that distinction. At the time, Houston released the best-selling debut album by a solo artist. Houston then embarked on her world tour, Greatest Love Tour. The album had become an international success, and was certified 13× platinum (diamond) in the United States alone, and has sold 25 million copies worldwide.

At the 1986 Grammy Awards, Houston was nominated for three awards including Album of the Year. She was not eligible for the Best New Artist category because of her previous hit R&B duet recording with Teddy Pendergrass in 1984. She won her first Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female for "Saving All My Love for You". Houston's performance of the song during the Grammy telecast later earned her an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program.

Houston won seven American Music Awards in total in 1986 and 1987, and an MTV Video Music Award. The album's popularity would also carry over to the 1987 Grammy Awards when "Greatest Love of All" would receive a Record of the Year nomination, ten years after the original recording of "The Greatest Love of All" by George Benson, which was the main theme of the boxer Muhammad Ali biopic "The Greatest" in 1977. Houston's debut album is listed as one of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and on The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Definitive 200 list. Houston's grand entrance into the music industry is considered one of the 25 musical milestones of the last 25 years, according to USA Today. Following Houston's breakthrough, doors were opened for other African-American women such as Janet Jackson and Anita Baker to find notable success in popular music and on MTV.

1987–1991: Whitney, I'm Your Baby Tonight and "The Star Spangled Banner"

With many expectations, Houston's second album, Whitney, was released in June 1987. The album again featured production from Masser, Kashif and Walden as well as Jellybean Benitez. Many critics complained that the material was too similar to her previous album. Rolling Stone said, "the narrow channel through which this talent has been directed is frustrating". Still, the album enjoyed commercial success. Houston became the first woman in music history to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and the first artist to enter the albums chart at number one in both the US and UK, while also hitting number one or top ten in dozens of other countries around the world. The album's first single, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", was also a massive hit worldwide, peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and topping the singles chart in many countries such as Australia, Germany and the UK. The next three singles, "Didn't We Almost Have It All", "So Emotional", and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" all peaked at number one on the US Hot 100 chart, which gave her a total of seven consecutive number one hits, breaking the record of six previously shared by The Beatles and the Bee Gees. Houston became the first woman to generate four number-one singles from one album. Whitney has been certified 9× Platinum in the US for shipments of over 9 million copies, and has sold a total of 20 million copies worldwide.

At the 30th Grammy Awards in 1988, Houston was nominated for three awards, including Album of the Year, winning her second Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)". Houston also won two American Music Awards in 1988 and 1989, respectively, and a Soul Train Music Award. Following the release of the album, Houston embarked on the Moment of Truth World Tour, which was one of the ten highest-grossing concert tours of 1987. The success of the tours during 1986–87 and her two studio albums ranked Houston No. 8 for the highest earning entertainers list according to Forbes magazine. She was the highest earning African-American woman overall and the third highest entertainer after Bill Cosby and Eddie Murphy.

Houston was a supporter of Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid movement. During her modeling days, the singer refused to work with any agencies who did business with the then-apartheid South Africa. On June 11, 1988, during the European leg of her tour, Houston joined other musicians to perform a set at Wembley Stadium in London to celebrate a then-imprisoned Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday. Over 72,000 people attended Wembley Stadium, and over a billion people tuned in worldwide as the rock concert raised over $1 million for charities while bringing awareness to apartheid. Houston then flew back to the US for a concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City in August. The show was a benefit concert that raised a quarter of a million dollars for the United Negro College Fund. In the same year, she recorded a song for NBC's coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics, "One Moment in Time", which became a Top 5 hit in the US, while reaching number one in the UK and Germany. With her world tour continuing overseas, Houston was still one of the top 20 highest earning entertainers for 1987–88 according to Forbes magazine.

In 1989, Houston formed The Whitney Houston Foundation For Children, a non-profit organization that has raised funds for the needs of children around the world. The organization cares for homelessness, children with cancer or AIDS, and other issues of self-empowerment. With the success of her first two albums, Houston was undoubtedly an international crossover superstar, the most prominent since Michael Jackson, appealing to all demographics. However, some black critics believed she was "selling out". They felt her singing on record lacked the soul that was present during her live concerts.

At the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards, when Houston's name was called out for a nomination, a few in the audience jeered. Houston defended herself against the criticism, stating, "If you're gonna have a long career, there's a certain way to do it, and I did it that way. I'm not ashamed of it." Houston took a more urban direction with her third studio album, I'm Your Baby Tonight, released in November 1990. She produced and chose producers for this album and as a result, it featured production and collaborations with L.A. Reid and Babyface, Luther Vandross, and Stevie Wonder. The album showed Houston's versatility on a new batch of tough rhythmic grooves, soulful ballads and up-tempo dance tracks. Reviews were mixed. Rolling Stone felt it was her "best and most integrated album". while Entertainment Weekly, at the time thought Houston's shift towards an urban direction was "superficial".

The album contained several hits: the first two singles, "I'm Your Baby Tonight" and "All the Man That I Need" peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; "Miracle" peaked at number nine; "My Name Is Not Susan" peaked in the top twenty; "I Belong to You" reached the top ten of the US R&B chart and garnered Houston a Grammy nomination; and the sixth single, the Stevie Wonder duet "We Didn't Know", reached the R&B top twenty. The album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and went on to be certified 4× platinum in the US while selling twelve million total worldwide.

In 1990, Houston was the spokesperson for a youth leadership conference hosted in Washington, D.C. She had a private audience with President George H. W. Bush in the Oval Office to discuss the associated challenges.

During the Persian Gulf War, Houston performed "The Star Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV at Tampa Stadium on January 27, 1991. This performance was later reported by those involved in the performance to have been lip synced or to have been sung into a dead microphone while a studio recording previously made by Houston was played. Dan Klores, a spokesman for Houston, explained: "This is not a Milli Vanilli thing. She sang live, but the microphone was turned off. It was a technical decision, partially based on the noise factor. This is standard procedure at these events." (See also Star Spangled Banner lip sync controversy.) A commercial single and video of her performance were released, and reached the Top 20 on the US Hot 100, making her the only act to turn the US national anthem into a pop hit of that magnitude (José Feliciano's version reached No. 50 in November 1968). Houston donated all her share of the proceeds to the American Red Cross Gulf Crisis Fund. As a result, the singer was named to the Red Cross Board of Governors.

Her rendition was critically acclaimed and is considered the benchmark for singers. Rolling Stone commented that "her singing stirs such strong patriotism. Unforgettable", and the performance ranked No. 1 on the 25 most memorable music moments in NFL history list. VH1 listed the performance as one of the greatest moments that rocked TV. Following the attacks on 9/11, it was released again by Arista Records, all profits going towards the firefighters and victims of the attacks. This time it peaked at No. 6 in the Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Later in 1991, Houston put together her Welcome Home Heroes concert with HBO for the soldiers fighting in the Persian Gulf War and their families. The free concert took place at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia in front of 3,500 servicemen and women. HBO descrambled the concert so that it was free for everyone to watch. Houston's concert gave HBO its highest ratings ever. She then embarked on the I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour.

1992–1994: Marriage, motherhood, and The Bodyguard

Throughout the 1980s, Houston was romantically linked to American football star Randall Cunningham and actor Eddie Murphy, whom she dated. She then met R&B singer Bobby Brown at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards. After a three-year courtship, the two were married on July 18, 1992. On March 4, 1993, Houston gave birth to their daughter Bobbi Kristina, the couple's only child. Brown would go on to have several run-ins with the law, including some jail time.

With the commercial success of her albums, movie offers poured in, including offers to work with Robert De Niro, Quincy Jones, and Spike Lee; but Houston felt the time wasn't right. Houston's first film role was in The Bodyguard, released in 1992 and co-starring Kevin Costner. Houston played Rachel Marron, a star who is stalked by a crazed fan and hires a bodyguard to protect her. USA Today listed it as one of the 25 most memorable movie moments of the last 25 years in 2007. Houston's mainstream appeal allowed people to look at the movie color-blind.

Still, controversy arose as some felt the film's advertising intentionally hid Houston's face to hide the film's interracial relationship. In an interview with Rolling Stone in 1993, the singer commented that "people know who Whitney Houston is – I'm black. You can't hide that fact." Houston received a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actress. The Washington Post said Houston is "doing nothing more than playing Houston, comes out largely unscathed if that is possible in so cockamamie an undertaking", and The New York Times commented that she lacked passion with her co-star. Despite the film's mixed reviews, it was hugely successful at the box office, grossing more than $121 million in the U.S. and $410 million worldwide, making it one of the top 100 grossing films in film history at its time of release, though it is no longer in the top 100 because of rising ticket prices since the time the film was released.

The film's soundtrack also enjoyed big success. Houston executive produced and contributed six songs for the motion picture's adjoining soundtrack album. Rolling Stone said it is "nothing more than pleasant, tasteful and urbane". The soundtrack's lead single was "I Will Always Love You", written and originally recorded by Dolly Parton in 1974. Houston's version of the song was acclaimed by many critics, regarding it as her "signature song" or "iconic performance". Rolling Stone and USA Today called her rendition "the tour-de-force". The single peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for a then-record-breaking 14 weeks, number one on the R&B chart for a then-record-breaking 11 weeks, and number one on the Adult Contemporary charts for five weeks.

The single was certified 4× platinum by the RIAA, making Houston the first woman with a single to reach that level in the RIAA history and becoming the best-selling single by a woman in the US. The song also became a global success, hitting number-one in almost all countries, and the best-selling single of all time by a female solo artist with 20 million copies sold. The soundtrack topped the Billboard 200 chart and remained there for 20 non-consecutive weeks, the longest tenure by any Arista album on the chart in the Nielsen SoundScan era (tied for 10th overall by any label), and became one of the fastest selling albums ever. During Christmas week of 1992, the soundtrack sold over a million copies within a week, becoming the first album to achieve that feat under Nielsen SoundScan system. With the follow-up singles "I'm Every Woman", a Chaka Khan cover, and "I Have Nothing" both reaching the top five, Houston became the first woman to ever have three singles in the Top 11 simultaneously. The album was certified 17× platinum in the US alone, with worldwide sales of 44 million, making The Bodyguard the biggest-selling album by a female act on the list of the world's Top 10 best-selling albums, topping Shania Twain's 40 million sold for Come On Over.

Houston won three Grammys for the album in 1994, including two of the Academy's highest honors, Album of the Year and Record of the Year. In addition, she won a record 8 American Music Awards at that year's ceremony including the Award of Merit, 11 Billboard Music Awards, 3 Soul Train Music Awards in 1993–94 including Sammy Davis, Jr. Award as Entertainer of the Year, 5 NAACP Image Awards including Entertainer of the Year, a record 5 World Music Awards, and a BRIT award. Following the success of the project, Houston embarked on another expansive global tour, The Bodyguard World Tour, in 1993–94. Her concerts, movie, and recording grosses made her the third highest earning female entertainer of 1993–94, just behind Oprah Winfrey and Barbra Streisand according to Forbes magazine. Houston placed in the top five of Entertainment Weekly's annual "Entertainer of the Year" ranking and was labeled by Premiere magazine as one of the 100 most powerful people in Hollywood.

In October 1994, Houston attended and performed at a state dinner in the White House honoring newly elected South African president Nelson Mandela. At the end of her world tour, Houston performed three concerts in South Africa to honor President Mandela, playing to over 200,000 people. This would make the singer the first major musician to visit the newly unified and apartheid free nation following Mandela's winning election. The concert was broadcast live on HBO with funds of the concerts being donated to various charities in South Africa. The event was considered the nation's "biggest media event since the inauguration of Nelson Mandela".

1995–1997: Waiting to Exhale, The Preacher's Wife, and Cinderella

In 1995, Houston starred alongside Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, and Lela Rochon in her second film, Waiting to Exhale, a motion picture about four African-American women struggling with relationships. Houston played the lead character Savannah Jackson, a TV producer in love with a married man. She chose the role because she saw the film as "a breakthrough for the image of black women because it presents them both as professionals and as caring mothers". After opening at number one and grossing $67 million in the US at the box office and $81 million worldwide, it proved that a movie primarily targeting a black audience can cross over to success, while paving the way for other all-black movies such as How Stella Got Her Groove Back and the Tyler Perry movies that became popular in the 2000s. The film is also notable for its portrayal of black women as strong middle class citizens rather than as stereotypes. The reviews were mainly positive for the ensemble cast. The New York Times said: "Ms. Houston has shed the defensive hauteur that made her portrayal of a pop star in 'The Bodyguard' seem so distant." Houston was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for "Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture", but lost to her co-star Bassett.

The film's accompanying soundtrack, Waiting to Exhale: Original Soundtrack Album, was written and produced by Babyface. Though he originally wanted Houston to record the entire album, she declined. Instead, she "wanted it to be an album of women with vocal distinction", and thus gathered several African-American female artists for the soundtrack, to go along with the film's message about strong women. Consequently, the album featured a range of contemporary R&B female recording artists along with Houston, such as Mary J. Blige, Brandy, Toni Braxton, Aretha Franklin, and Patti LaBelle. Houston's "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" peaked at No. 1, and then spent a record eleven weeks at the No. 2 spot and eight weeks on top of the R&B Charts. "Count On Me", a duet with CeCe Winans, hit the U.S. Top 10; and Houston's third contribution, "Why Does It Hurt So Bad", made the Top 30. The album debuted at No. 1, and was certified 7× Platinum in the United States, denoting shipments of seven million copies. The soundtrack received strong reviews; as Entertainment Weekly stated: "the album goes down easy, just as you'd expect from a package framed by Whitney Houston tracks... the soundtrack waits to exhale, hovering in sensuous suspense" and has since ranked it as one of the 100 Best Movie Soundtracks. Later that year, Houston's children's charity organization was awarded a VH1 Honor for all the charitable work.

In 1996, Houston starred in the holiday comedy The Preacher's Wife, with Denzel Washington. She plays a gospel-singing wife of a pastor (Courtney B. Vance). It was largely an updated remake of the film The Bishop's Wife (1948), which starred Loretta Young, David Niven and Cary Grant. Houston earned $10 million for the role, making her one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood at the time and the highest earning African-American actress in Hollywood. The movie, with its all African-American cast, was a moderate success, earning approximately $50 million at the U.S. box offices. The movie gave Houston her strongest reviews so far. The San Francisco Chronicle said Houston "is rather angelic herself, displaying a divine talent for being virtuous and flirtatious at the same time", and she "exudes gentle yet spirited warmth, especially when praising the Lord in her gorgeous singing voice". Houston was again nominated for an NAACP Image Award and won for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture.

Houston recorded and co-produced, with Mervyn Warren, the film's accompanying gospel soundtrack. The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album included six gospel songs with Georgia Mass Choir that were recorded at the Great Star Rising Baptist Church in Atlanta. Houston also duetted with gospel legend Shirley Caesar. The album sold six million copies worldwide and scored hit singles with "I Believe in You and Me" and "Step by Step", becoming the largest selling gospel album of all time. The album received mainly positive reviews. Some critics, such as that of USA Today, noted the presence of her emotional depth, while The Times said, "To hear Houston going at full throttle with the 35 piece Georgia Mass Choir struggling to keep up is to realise what her phenomenal voice was made for". She won Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist for the Preacher's Wife at the 1997 American Music Awards for the Preacher's Wife Soundtrack.

In 1997, Houston's production company changed its name to BrownHouse Productions and was joined by Debra Martin Chase. Their goal was "to show aspects of the lives of African-Americans that have not been brought to the screen before" while improving how African-Americans are portrayed in film and television. Their first project was a made-for-television remake of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella. In addition to co-producing, Houston starred in the movie as the Fairy Godmother along with Brandy, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, and Bernadette Peters. Houston was initially offered the role of Cinderella in 1993, but other projects intervened. The film is notable for its multi-racial cast and nonstereotypical message. An estimated 60 million viewers tuned into the special giving ABC its highest TV ratings in 16 years. The movie received seven Emmy nominations including Outstanding Variety, Musical or Comedy, while winning Outstanding Art Direction in a Variety, Musical or Comedy Special.

Houston and Chase then obtained the rights to the story of Dorothy Dandridge. Houston was to play Dandridge, the first African American actress to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. Houston wanted the story told with dignity and honor. However, Halle Berry also had rights to the project and got her version going first. Later that year, Houston paid tribute to her idols, such as Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, and Dionne Warwick, by performing their hits during the three-night HBO Concert Classic Whitney: Live from Washington, D.C.. The special raised over $300,000 for the Children's Defense Fund. Houston received the Quincy Jones Award for outstanding career achievements in the field of entertainment at the 12th Soul Train Music Awards.

1998–2000: My Love Is Your Love and Whitney: The Greatest Hits

After spending much of the early and mid-1990s working on motion pictures and their soundtrack albums, Houston's first studio album in eight years, the critically acclaimed My Love Is Your Love, was released in November 1998. Though originally slated to be a greatest hits album with a handful of new songs, recording sessions were so fruitful that a new full-length studio album was released. Recorded and mixed in only six weeks, it featured production from Rodney Jerkins, Wyclef Jean and Missy Elliott. The album debuted at number thirteen, its peak position, on the Billboard 200 chart. It had a funkier and edgier sound than past releases and saw Houston handling urban dance, hip hop, mid-tempo R&B, reggae, torch songs, and ballads all with great dexterity.

From late 1998 to early 2000, the album spawned several hit singles: "When You Believe" (US No. 15, UK No. 4), a duet with Mariah Carey for 1998's The Prince of Egypt soundtrack, which also became an international hit as it peaked in the Top 10 in several countries and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song; "Heartbreak Hotel" (US No. 2, UK No. 25) featured Faith Evans and Kelly Price, received a 1999 MTV VMA nomination for Best R&B Video, and number one on the US R&B chart for seven weeks; "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (US No. 4, UK No. 3) won Houston her sixth Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance; "My Love Is Your Love" (US No. 4, UK No. 2) with 3 million copies sold worldwide; and "I Learned from the Best" (US No. 27, UK No. 19). These singles became international hits as well, and all the singles, except "When You Believe", became number one hits on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play chart. The album sold four million copies in America, making it certified 4× platinum, and a total of eleven million copies worldwide.

The album gave Houston some of her strongest reviews ever. Rolling Stone said Houston was singing "with a bite in her voice" and The Village Voice called it "Whitney's sharpest and most satisfying so far". In 1999, Houston participated in VH-1's Divas Live '99, alongside Brandy, Mary J. Blige, Tina Turner, and Cher. The same year, Houston hit the road with her 70 date My Love Is Your Love World Tour. The European leg of the tour was Europe's highest grossing arena tour of the year. In November 1999, Houston was named Top-selling R&B Female Artist of the Century with certified US sales of 51 million copies at the time and The Bodyguard Soundtrack was named the Top-selling Soundtrack Album of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). She also won The Artist of the Decade, Female award for extraordinary artistic contributions during the 1990s at the 14th Soul Train Music Awards, and an MTV Europe Music Award for Best R&B.

In May 2000, Whitney: The Greatest Hits was released worldwide. The double disc set peaked at number five in the United States, reaching number one in the United Kingdom. In addition, the album reached the Top 10 in many other countries. While ballad songs were left unchanged, the album features house/club remixes of many of Houston's up-tempo hits. Included on the album were four new songs: "Could I Have This Kiss Forever" (a duet with Enrique Iglesias), "Same Script, Different Cast" (a duet with Deborah Cox), "If I Told You That" (a duet with George Michael), and "Fine", and three hits that had never appeared on a Houston album: "One Moment in Time", "The Star Spangled Banner", and "If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful", a duet with Jermaine Jackson from his 1986 Precious Moments album. Along with the album, an accompanying VHS and DVD was released featuring the music videos to Houston's greatest hits, as well as several hard-to-find live performances including her 1983 debut on The Merv Griffin Show, and interviews. The greatest hits album was certified 3× platinum in the US, with worldwide sales of 10 million.

2000–2005: Just Whitney and personal struggles

Though Houston was seen as a "good girl" with a perfect image in the 1980s and early 1990s, by the late 1990s, her behavior changed. She was often hours late for interviews, photo shoots and rehearsals, and canceling concerts and talk-show appearances. With the missed performances and weight loss, rumors about Houston using drugs with her husband circulated. On January 11, 2000, airport security guards discovered marijuana in both Houston's and husband Bobby Brown's luggage at a Hawaii airport, but the two boarded the plane and departed before authorities could arrive. Charges were later dropped against them, but rumors of drug usage between the couple would continue to surface. Two months later, Clive Davis was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Houston had been scheduled to perform at the event, but failed to show up.

Shortly thereafter, Houston was scheduled to perform at the Academy Awards but was fired from the event by musical director and longtime friend Burt Bacharach. Her publicist cited throat problems as the reason for the cancellation. In his book The Big Show: High Times and Dirty Dealings Backstage at the Academy Awards, author Steve Pond revealed that "Houston's voice was shaky, she seemed distracted and jittery, and her attitude was casual, almost defiant", and that while Houston was to sing "Over the Rainbow", she would start singing a different song. Houston later admitted to having been fired. Later that year, Houston's long-time executive assistant and friend, Robyn Crawford, resigned from Houston's management company.

In August 2001, Houston signed one of the biggest record deals in music history, with Arista/BMG. She renewed her contract for $100 million to deliver six new albums, on which she would also earn royalties. She later made an appearance on Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special. Her extremely thin frame further spurred rumors of drug use. Houston's publicist said, "Whitney has been under stress due to family matters, and when she is under stress she doesn't eat." The singer was scheduled for a second performance the following night but canceled. Within weeks, Houston's rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" would be re-released after the September 11 attacks, with the proceeds donated to the New York Firefighters 9/11 Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Fraternal Order of Police. The song peaked at No. 6 this time on the US Hot 100, topping its previous position.

In 2002, Houston became involved in a legal dispute with John Houston Enterprise. Although the company was started by her father to manage her career, it was actually run by company president Kevin Skinner. Skinner filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit and sued for $100 million (but lost), stating that Houston owed the company previously unpaid compensation for helping to negotiate her $100 million contract with Arista Records and for sorting out legal matters. Houston stated that her 81-year-old father had nothing to do with the lawsuit. Although Skinner tried to claim otherwise, John Houston never appeared in court. Houston's father later died in February 2003. The lawsuit was dismissed on April 5, 2004, and Skinner was awarded nothing.

Also in 2002, Houston did an interview with Diane Sawyer to promote her then-upcoming album. During the prime-time special, Houston spoke on topics including rumored drug use and marriage. She was asked about the ongoing drug rumors and replied, "First of all, let's get one thing straight. Crack is cheap. I make too much money to ever smoke crack. Let's get that straight. Okay? We don't do crack. We don't do that. Crack is whack." The line was from Keith Haring's mural which was painted in 1986 on the handball court at 128th Street and 2nd Avenue. Houston did, however, admit to using other substances at times, including cocaine.

In December 2002, Houston released her fifth studio album, Just Whitney.... The album included productions from then-husband Bobby Brown, as well as Missy Elliott and Babyface, and marked the first time that Houston did not produce with Clive Davis as Davis had been released by top management at BMG. Upon its release, Just Whitney... received mixed reviews. The album debuted at number 9 on the Billboard 200 chart and it had the highest first week sales of any album Houston had ever released. The four singles released from the album did not fare well on the Billboard Hot 100, but became dance chart hits. Just Whitney... was certified platinum in the United States, and sold approximately three million worldwide.

On a June 2003 trip to Israel, Houston said of her visit, "I've never felt like this in any other country. I feel at home, I feel wonderful."

In late 2003, Houston released her first Christmas album One Wish: The Holiday Album, with a collection of traditional holiday songs. Houston produced the album with Mervyn Warren and Gordon Chambers. A single titled "One Wish (for Christmas)" reached the Top 20 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and the album was certified gold in the US. Having always been a touring artist, Houston spent most of 2004 touring and performing in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Russia. In September 2004, she gave a surprise performance at the World Music Awards in a tribute to long-time friend Clive Davis. After the show, Davis and Houston announced plans to go into the studio to work on her new album.

In early 2004, husband Bobby Brown starred in his own reality TV program, Being Bobby Brown on the Bravo network, which provided a view into the domestic goings-on in the Brown household. Though it was Brown's vehicle, Houston was a prominent figure throughout the show, receiving as much screen time as Brown. The series aired in 2005 and featured Houston in, what some would say, not her most flattering moments. The Hollywood Reporter said it was "undoubtedly the most disgusting and execrable series ever to ooze its way onto television". Despite the perceived train-wreck nature of the show, the series gave Bravo its highest ratings in its time slot and continued Houston's successful forays into film and television. The show was not renewed for a second season after Houston stated that she would no longer appear in it, and Brown and Bravo could not come to an agreement for another season.

2006–2012: Return to music, I Look to You, tour and film comeback

After years of controversy and turmoil, Houston separated from Bobby Brown in September 2006, filing for divorce the following month. On February 1, 2007, Houston asked the court to fast track their divorce. The divorce was finalized on April 24, 2007, with Houston granted custody of the couple's daughter. On May 4, Houston sold the suburban Atlanta home featured in Being Bobby Brown for $1.19 million. A few days later, Brown sued Houston in Orange County, California court in an attempt to change the terms of their custody agreement. Brown also sought child and spousal support from Houston. In the lawsuit, Brown claimed that financial and emotional problems prevented him from properly responding to Houston's divorce petition. Brown lost at his court hearing as the judge dismissed his appeal to overrule the custody terms, leaving Houston with full custody and Brown with no spousal support. In March 2007, Clive Davis of Arista Records announced that Houston would begin recording a new album. In October 2007, Arista released another compilation The Ultimate Collection outside the United States.

Houston gave her first interview in seven years in September 2009, appearing on Oprah Winfrey's season premiere. The interview was billed as "the most anticipated music interview of the decade". Whitney admitted on the show to using drugs with former husband Bobby Brown, who "laced marijuana with rock cocaine". She told Oprah that before The Bodyguard her drug use was light, but after the film's success and the birth of her daughter it got heavier, and by 1996 "[doing drugs] was an everyday thing... I wasn't happy by that point in time. I was losing myself."

Houston released her new album, I Look to You, in August 2009. The album's first two singles were the title track "I Look to You" and "Million Dollar Bill". The album entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1, with Houston's best opening week sales of 305,000 copies, marking Houston's first number one album since The Bodyguard, and Houston's first studio album to reach number one since 1987's Whitney. Houston also appeared on European television programs to promote the album. She performed the song "I Look to You" on the German television show Wetten, dass..?. Three days later, she performed the worldwide first single from I Look to You, "Million Dollar Bill", on the French television show Le Grand Journal. Houston appeared as guest mentor on The X Factor in the United Kingdom. She performed "Million Dollar Bill" on the following day's results show, completing the song even as a strap in the back of her dress popped open two seconds into the performance. She later commented that she "sang [herself] out of [her] clothes".

The performance was poorly received by the British media, and was variously described as "weird" and "ungracious", "shambolic" and a "flop". Despite this reception, "Million Dollar Bill" jumped to its peak from 14 to number 5 (her first UK top 5 for over a decade), and three weeks after release I Look to You went gold. Houston appeared on the Italian version of The X Factor, also performing "Million Dollar Bill", this time to excellent reviews. Houston was later awarded a Gold certificate for achieving over 50,000 CD sales of I Look to You in Italy. In November, Houston performed "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" at the 2009 American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California. Two days later, Houston performed "Million Dollar Bill" and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" on the Dancing with the Stars season 9 finale. As of December 2009, I Look to You has been certified platinum by the RIAA for sales of more than one million copies in the United States. On January 26, 2010, her debut album was re-released in a special edition entitled Whitney Houston – The Deluxe Anniversary Edition.

Houston later embarked on a world tour, entitled the Nothing but Love World Tour. It was her first world tour in over ten years and was announced as a triumphant comeback. However, some poor reviews and rescheduled concerts brought some negative media attention. Houston canceled some concerts because of illness and received widespread negative reviews from fans who were disappointed in the quality of her voice and performance. Some fans reportedly walked out of her concerts.

In January 2010, Houston was nominated for two NAACP Image Awards, one for Best Female Artist and one for Best Music Video. She won the award for Best Music Video for her single "I Look to You". On January 16, she received The BET Honors Award for Entertainer citing her lifetime achievements spanning over 25 years in the industry. The 2010 BET Honors award was held at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. and aired on February 1, 2010. Jennifer Hudson and Kim Burrell performed in honor of her, garnering positive reviews. Houston also received a nomination from the Echo Awards, Germany's version of the Grammys, for Best International Artist. In April 2010, the UK newspaper The Mirror reported that Houston was thinking about recording her eighth studio album and wanted to collaborate with will.i.am (of The Black Eyed Peas), her first choice for a collaboration.

Houston also performed the song "I Look to You" on the 2011 BET Celebration of Gospel, with gospel–jazz singer Kim Burrell, held at the Staples Center, Los Angeles. The performance aired on January 30, 2011. Early in 2011, she gave an uneven performance in tribute to cousin Dionne Warwick at music mogul Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy gala. In May 2011, Houston enrolled in a rehabilitation center again, as an out-patient, citing drug and alcohol problems. A representative for Houston said that it was a part of Houston's "longstanding recovery process".

In September 2011, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Houston would produce and star alongside Jordin Sparks and Mike Epps in the remake of the 1976 film Sparkle. In the film, Houston portrays Sparks' "not-so encouraging" mother. Houston is also credited as an executive producer of the film. Debra Martin Chase, producer of Sparkle, stated that Houston deserved the title considering she had been there from the beginning in 2001, when Houston obtained Sparkle production rights. R&B singer Aaliyah – originally tapped to star as Sparkle – died in a 2001 plane crash. Her death derailed production, which would have begun in 2002. Houston's remake of Sparkle was filmed in the fall of 2011 over a two-month period, and was released by TriStar Pictures. On May 21, 2012, "Celebrate", the last song Houston recorded with Sparks, premiered at RyanSeacrest.com. It was made available for digital download on iTunes on June 5. The song was featured on the Sparkle: Music from the Motion Picture soundtrack as the first official single. The movie was released on August 17, 2012 in the United States. The accompanying music video for "Celebrate" was filmed on May 30, 2012. The video was shot over 2 days, and a sneak peek of the video premiered on Entertainment Tonight on June 4, 2012.

Death and funeral

On February 9, 2012, Houston visited singers Brandy and Monica, together with Clive Davis, at their rehearsals for Davis' pre-Grammy Awards party at The Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills. That same day, she made her last public performance, when she joined Kelly Price on stage in Hollywood, California, and sang "Jesus Loves Me".

Two days later, on February 11, Houston was found unconscious in Suite 434 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, submerged in the bathtub. Beverly Hills paramedics arrived at approximately 3:30 p.m. and found the singer unresponsive and performed CPR. Houston was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. PST. The cause of death was not immediately known. Local police said there were "no obvious signs of criminal intent". On March 22, 2012, the Los Angeles County coroner's office reported the cause of Houston's death was drowning and the "effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use". The office stated the amount of cocaine found in Houston's body indicated that she used the substance shortly before her death. Toxicology results revealed additional drugs in her system: diphenhydramine, alprazolam, cannabis and cyclobenzaprine. The manner of death was listed as an "accident".

An invitation-only memorial service was held for Houston on Saturday, February 18, 2012, at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. The service was scheduled for two hours, but lasted four. Among those who performed at the funeral were Stevie Wonder (rewritten version of "Ribbon in the Sky", and "Love's in Need of Love Today"), CeCe Winans ("Don't Cry", and "Jesus Loves Me"), Alicia Keys ("Send Me an Angel"), Kim Burrell (rewritten version of "A Change Is Gonna Come"), and R. Kelly ("I Look to You"). The performances were interspersed with hymns by the church choir and remarks by Clive Davis, Houston's record producer; Kevin Costner; Rickey Minor, her music director; her cousin, Dionne Warwick; and Ray Watson, her security guard for the past 11 years. Aretha Franklin was listed on the program and was expected to sing, but was unable to attend the service. Bobby Brown, Houston's ex-husband, was also invited to the funeral but he left before the service began. Houston was buried on February 19, 2012, in Fairview Cemetery, in Westfield, New Jersey, next to her father, John Russell Houston, who died in 2003. In June 2012, the McDonald's Gospelfest in Newark became a tribute to Houston.

Reaction 

Pre-Grammy party

The Clive Davis's pre-Grammy party that Houston was expected to attend, which featured many of the biggest names in music and movies, went on as scheduled although it was quickly turned into a tribute to Houston. Davis spoke about Houston's death at the evening's start:

By now you have all learned of the unspeakably tragic news of our beloved Whitney's passing. I don't have to mask my emotion in front of a room full of so many dear friends. I am personally devastated by the loss of someone who has meant so much to me for so many years. Whitney was so full of life. She was so looking forward to tonight even though she wasn't scheduled to perform. Whitney was a beautiful person and a talent beyond compare. She graced this stage with her regal presence and gave so many memorable performances here over the years. Simply put, Whitney would have wanted the music to go on and her family asked that we carry on.

Tony Bennett spoke of Houston's death before performing at Davis's party. He said, "First, it was Michael Jackson, then Amy Winehouse, now, the magnificent Whitney Houston." Bennett sang "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" and said of Houston, "When I first heard her, I called Clive Davis and said, 'You finally found the greatest singer I've ever heard in my life.'"

Some celebrities opposed Davis' decision to continue on the party while a police investigation was being conducted in Houston's hotel room and her body was still in the building. Chaka Khan, in an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan on February 13, 2012, shared that she felt the party should have been canceled, saying: "I thought that was complete insanity. And knowing Whitney I don't believe that she would have said 'the show must go on.' She's the kind of woman that would've said 'Stop everything! Un-unh. I'm not going to be there.' [...] I don't know what could motivate a person to have a party in a building where the person whose life he had influenced so enormously and whose life had been affected by hers. They were like... I don't understand how that party went on." Sharon Osbourne condemned the Davis party, declaring: "I think it was disgraceful that the party went on. I don't want to be in a hotel room when there's someone you admire who's tragically lost their life four floors up. I'm not interested in being in that environment and I think when you grieve someone, you do it privately, you do it with people who understand you. I thought it was so wrong."

Further reaction and tributes

Many other celebrities released statements responding to Houston's death. Darlene Love, Houston's godmother, hearing the news of her death, said, "It felt like I had been struck by a lightning bolt in my gut." Dolly Parton, whose song "I Will Always Love You" was covered by Houston, said, "I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song, and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, 'Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed.'" Aretha Franklin said, "It's so stunning and unbelievable. I couldn't believe what I was reading coming across the TV screen." Others paying tribute included Mariah Carey, Quincy Jones and Oprah Winfrey.

Moments after news of her death emerged, CNN, MSNBC and Fox News all broke from their regularly scheduled programming to dedicate time to non-stop coverage of Houston's death. All three featured live interviews with people who had known Houston including those that had worked with her, interviewed her along with some of her peers in the music industry. Saturday Night Live displayed a photo of a smiling Houston, alongside Molly Shannon, from her 1996 appearance. MTV and VH-1 interrupted their regularly scheduled programming on Sunday February 12 to air many of Houston's classic videos with MTV often airing news segments in between and featuring various reactions from fans and celebrities.

Houston's former husband, Bobby Brown, was reported to be "in and out of crying fits" since receiving the news. He did not cancel a scheduled performance and within hours of his ex-wife's sudden death, an audience in Mississippi observed as Brown blew kisses skyward, tearfully saying: "I love you, Whitney."

Ken Ehrlich, executive producer of the 54th Grammy Awards, announced that Jennifer Hudson would perform a tribute to Houston at the February 12, 2012 ceremony. He said "event organizers believed Hudson – an Academy Award-winning actress and Grammy Award-winning artist – could perform a respectful musical tribute to Houston." Ehrlich went on to say: "It's too fresh in everyone's memory to do more at this time, but we would be remiss if we didn't recognize Whitney's remarkable contribution to music fans in general, and in particular her close ties with the Grammy telecast and her Grammy wins and nominations over the years." At the start of the awards ceremony, footage of Houston performing "I Will Always Love You" from the 1994 Grammys was shown following a prayer read by host LL Cool J. Later in the program, following a montage of photos of musicians who died in 2011 with Houston singing "Saving All My Love for You" at the 1986 Grammys, Hudson paid tribute to Houston and the other artists by performing "I Will Always Love You". The tribute was partially credited for the Grammys telecast getting its second highest ratings in history.

Houston was honored in the form of various tributes at the 43rd NAACP Image Awards, held on February 17. An image montage of Houston and important black figures who died in 2011 was followed by video footage from the 1994 ceremony, which depicted her accepting two Image Awards for outstanding female artist and entertainer of the year. Following the video tribute, Yolanda Adams delivered a rendition of "I Love the Lord" from The Preacher's Wife Soundtrack. In the finale of the ceremony, Kirk Franklin and the Family started their performance with "The Greatest Love of All". The 2012 BRIT Awards, which took place at London's O2 Arena on February 21, also paid tribute to Houston by playing a 30-second video montage of her music videos with a snippet of "One Moment in Time" as the background music in the ceremony's first segment. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said that all New Jersey state flags would be flown at half-staff on Tuesday, February 21 to honor Houston. Houston was also featured, alongside other recently deceased figures from the movie industry, in the In Memoriam montage at the 84th Academy Awards on February 26, 2012.

Artistry and legacy

Voice

Houston was a mezzo-soprano, and was commonly referred to as "The Voice" in reference to her exceptional vocal talent. She was third in MTV's list of 22 Greatest Voices, and sixth on Online Magazine COVE's list of the 100 Best Pop Vocalists with a score of 48.5/50. Jon Pareles of The New York Times stated she "always had a great big voice, a technical marvel from its velvety depths to its ballistic middle register to its ringing and airy heights". In 2008, Rolling Stone listed Houston as the thirty-fourth of the 100 greatest singers of all time, stating, "Her voice is a mammoth, coruscating cry: Few vocalists could get away with opening a song with 45 unaccompanied seconds of singing, but Houston's powerhouse version of Dolly Parton's 'I Will Always Love You' is a tour de force." Matthew Perpetua from Rolling Stone also eulogized Houston's vocal, enumerating ten performances, including "How Will I Know" from the 1986 MTV VMAs and "The Star Spangled Banner" at the 1991 Super Bowl. "Whitney Houston was blessed with an astonishing vocal range and extraordinary technical skill, but what truly made her a great singer was her ability to connect with a song and drive home its drama and emotion with incredible precision", he stated. "She was a brilliant performer, and her live shows often eclipsed her studio recordings."

Jon Caramanica of The New York Times commented, "Her voice was clean and strong, with barely any grit, well suited to the songs of love and aspiration. [...] Hers was a voice of triumph and achievement, and it made for any number of stunning, time-stopping vocal performances." Mariah Carey stated, "She [Whitney] has a really rich, strong mid-belt that very few people have. She sounds really good, really strong." While in her review of I Look to You, music critic Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times writes, "[Houston's voice] stands like monuments upon the landscape of 20th century pop, defining the architecture of their times, sheltering the dreams of millions and inspiring the climbing careers of countless imitators", adding "When she was at her best, nothing could match her huge, clean, cool mezzo-soprano."

Lauren Everitt from BBC News Magazine commented on melisma used in Houston's recording and its influence. "An early 'I' in Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You' takes nearly six seconds to sing. In those seconds the former gospel singer-turned-pop star packs a series of different notes into the single syllable", stated Everitt. "The technique is repeated throughout the song, most pronouncedly on every 'I' and 'you'. The vocal technique is called melisma, and it has inspired a host of imitators. Other artists may have used it before Houston, but it was her rendition of Dolly Parton's love song that pushed the technique into the mainstream in the 90s. [...] But perhaps what Houston nailed best was moderation." Everitt said that "[i]n a climate of reality shows ripe with 'oversinging,' it's easy to appreciate Houston's ability to save melisma for just the right moment."

Houston's vocal stylings have had a significant impact on the music industry. According to Linda Lister in Divafication: The Deification of Modern Female Pop Stars, she has been called the "Queen of Pop" for her influence during the 1990s, commercially rivaling Mariah Carey and Celine Dion. Stephen Holden from The New York Times, in his review of Houston's Radio City Music Hall concert on July 20, 1993, praised her attitude as a singer, writing, "Whitney Houston is one of the few contemporary pop stars of whom it might be said: the voice suffices. While almost every performer whose albums sell in the millions calls upon an entertainer's bag of tricks, from telling jokes to dancing to circus pyrotechnics, Ms. Houston would rather just stand there and sing." With regard to her singing style, he added: "Her [Houston's] stylistic trademarks – shivery melismas that ripple up in the middle of a song, twirling embellishments at the ends of phrases that suggest an almost breathless exhilaration – infuse her interpretations with flashes of musical and emotional lightning."

Elysa Gardner of the Los Angeles Times in her review for The Preacher's Wife Soundtrack praised Houston's vocal ability highly, commenting, "She is first and foremost a pop diva – at that, the best one we have. No other female pop star – not Mariah Carey, not Celine Dion, not Barbra Streisand – quite rivals Houston in her exquisite vocal fluidity and purity of tone, and her ability to infuse a lyric with mesmerizing melodrama."

Influence

During the 1980s, MTV was coming into its own and received criticism for not playing enough videos by black artists. With Michael Jackson breaking down the color barrier for black men, Houston did the same for black women. She became the first black woman to receive heavy rotation on the network following the success of the "How Will I Know" video. Following Houston's breakthrough, other African-American women, such as Janet Jackson and Anita Baker, were successful in popular music. Baker commented that "Because of what Whitney and Sade did, there was an opening for me... For radio stations, black women singers aren't taboo anymore."

AllMusic noted her contribution to the success of black artists on the pop scene, commenting, "Houston was able to handle big adult contemporary ballads, effervescent, stylish dance-pop, and slick urban contemporary soul with equal dexterity" and that "the result was an across-the-board appeal that was matched by scant few artists of her era, and helped her become one of the first black artists to find success on MTV in Michael Jackson's wake". The New York Times stated that "Houston was a major catalyst for a movement within black music that recognized the continuity of soul, pop, jazz and gospel vocal traditions". Richard Corliss of Time magazine commented on her initial success breaking various barriers:

Of her first album's ten cuts, six were ballads. This chanteuse [Houston] had to fight for air play with hard rockers. The young lady had to stand uncowed in the locker room of macho rock. The soul strutter had to seduce a music audience that anointed few black artists with superstardom. [...] She was a phenomenon waiting to happen, a canny tapping of the listener's yen for a return to the musical middle. And because every new star creates her own genre, her success has helped other blacks, other women, other smooth singers find an avid reception in the pop marketplace.

Stephen Holden of The New York Times said that Houston "revitalized the tradition of strong gospel-oriented pop-soul singing". Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times referred to the singer as a "national treasure". Jon Caramanica, other music critic of The New York Times, called Houston "R&B's great modernizer", adding "slowly but surely reconciling the ambition and praise of the church with the movements and needs of the body and the glow of the mainstream". He also drew comparisons between Houston's influence and other big names' on 1980s pop:

She was, alongside Michael Jackson and Madonna, one of the crucial figures to hybridize pop in the 1980s, though her strategy was far less radical than that of her peers. Jackson and Madonna were by turns lascivious and brutish and, crucially, willing to let their production speak more loudly than their voices, an option Ms. Houston never went for. Also, she was less prolific than either of them, achieving most of her renown on the strength of her first three solo albums and one soundtrack, released from 1985 to 1992. If she was less influential than they were in the years since, it was only because her gift was so rare, so impossible to mimic. Jackson and Madonna built worldviews around their voices; Ms. Houston’s voice was the worldview. She was someone more to be admired, like a museum piece, than to be emulated.

The Independent's music critic Andy Gill also wrote about Houston's influence on modern R&B and singing competitions, comparing it to Michael Jackson's. "Because Whitney, more than any other single artist ― Michael Jackson included ― effectively mapped out the course of modern R&B, setting the bar for standards of soul vocalese, and creating the original template for what we now routinely refer to as the 'soul diva' ", stated Gill. "Jackson was a hugely talented icon, certainly, but he will be as well remembered (probably more so) for his presentational skills, his dazzling dance moves, as for his musical innovations. Whitney, on the other hand, just sang, and the ripples from her voice continue to dominate the pop landscape." Gill said that there "are few, if any, Jackson imitators on today's TV talent shows, but every other contestant is a Whitney wannabe, desperately attempting to emulate that wondrous combination of vocal effects – the flowing melisma, the soaring mezzo-soprano confidence, the tremulous fluttering that carried the ends of lines into realms of higher yearning".

Houston was considered by many to be a "singer's singer", who had an influence on countless other vocalists, both female and male. Similarly, Steve Huey from Allmusic wrote that the shadow of Houston's prodigious technique still looms large over nearly every pop diva and smooth urban soul singer – male or female – in her wake, and spawned a legion of imitators. Rolling Stone, on her biography, stated that Houston "redefined the image of a female soul icon and inspired singers ranging from Mariah Carey to Rihanna". Essence ranked Houston sixth on their list of 50 Most Influential R&B Stars of all time, calling her "the diva to end all divas".

A number of artists have acknowledged Houston as an influence, including Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton, Christina Aguilera, LeAnn Rimes, Jessica Simpson, Nelly Furtado, Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears, Ciara, P!nk, Aneeka, Ashanti, Robin Thicke, Jennifer Hudson, Stacie Orrico, Amerie, Destiny's Child, and Ariana Grande. Mariah Carey, who was often compared to Houston, said, "She [Houston] has been a big influence on me." She later told USA Today that "none of us would sound the same if Aretha Franklin hadn't ever put out a record, or Whitney Houston hadn't." Celine Dion who was the third member of the troika that dominated female pop singing in the 1990s, did a telephone interview with Good Morning America on February 13, 2012, telling "Whitney's been an amazing inspiration for me. I've been singing with her my whole career, actually. I wanted to have a career like hers, sing like her, look beautiful like her." Beyoncé told the Globe and Mail that Houston "inspired [her] to get up there and do what [she] did". She also wrote on her website on the day after Houston's death, "I, like every singer, always wanted to be just like [Houston]. Her voice was perfect. Strong but soothing. Soulful and classic. Her vibrato, her cadence, her control. So many of my life's memories are attached to a Whitney Houston song. She is our queen and she opened doors and provided a blueprint for all of us."

Mary J. Blige said that Houston inviting her onstage during VH1's Divas Live show in 1999 "opened doors for [her] all over the world". Brandy stated, "The first Whitney Houston CD was genius. That CD introduced the world to her angelic yet powerful voice. Without Whitney, half of this generation of singers wouldn't be singing." Kelly Rowland, in an Ebony's feature article celebrating black music in June 2006, recalled that "[I] wanted to be a singer after I saw Whitney Houston on TV singing 'Greatest Love of All'. I wanted to sing like Whitney Houston in that red dress." She added that "And I have never, ever forgotten that song [Greatest Love of All]. I learned it backward, forward, sideways. The video still brings chills to me. When you wish and pray for something as a kid, you never know what blessings God will give you."

Alicia Keys said "Whitney is an artist who inspired me from [the time I was] a little girl." Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson cites Houston as her biggest musical influence. She told Newsday that she learned from Houston the "difference between being able to sing and knowing how to sing". Leona Lewis, who has been called "the new Whitney Houston", also cites her as an influence. Lewis stated that she idolized her as a little girl.

Awards and achievements

Houston was the most awarded female artist of all time, according to Guinness World Records, with two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among a total of 415 career awards as of 2010. She held the all-time record for the most American Music Awards of any female solo artist and shared the record with Michael Jackson for the most AMAs ever won in a single year with eight wins in 1994. Houston won a record 11 Billboard Music Awards at its fourth ceremony in 1993. She also had the record for the most WMAs won in a single year, winning five awards at the 6th World Music Awards in 1994.

In May 2003, Houston placed at number three on VH1's list of "50 Greatest Women of the Video Era", behind Madonna and Janet Jackson. She was also ranked at number 116 on their list of the "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons of All Time". In 2008, Billboard magazine released a list of the Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists to celebrate the US singles chart's 50th anniversary, ranking Houston at number nine. Similarly, she was ranked as one of the "Top 100 Greatest Artists of All Time" by VH1 in September 2010. In November 2010, Billboard released its "Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years" list and ranked Houston at number three who not only went on to earn eight number-one singles on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but also landed five number ones on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

Houston's debut album is listed as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine and is on Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Definitive 200 list. In 2004, Billboard picked the success of her first release on the charts as one of 110 Musical Milestones in its history. Houston's entrance into the music industry is considered one of the 25 musical milestones of the last 25 years, according to USA Today in 2007. It stated that she paved the way for Mariah Carey's chart-topping vocal gymnastics. In 1997, the Franklin School in East Orange, New Jersey was renamed to The Whitney E. Houston Academy School of Creative and Performing Arts. In 2001, Houston was the first artist to be given a BET Lifetime Achievement Award. Houston is one of pop music's best-selling music artists of all-time, with an estimated 170–200 million records sold worldwide. She was ranked as the fourth best-selling female artist in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with 55 million certified albums sold in the US, and held an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities from Grambling State University, Louisiana. Houston was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2013. In August 2014, Houston was inducted to the official Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in its second class.

Film

On April 27, 2016, it was announced that the British Academy Award winning film director Kevin Macdonald, who created Marley (2012) and the production team, Altitude, behind the controversial award-winning film about Amy Winehouse, Amy (2015), that a documentary film on Whitney Houston's life and death, entitled simply as Whitney is in progress and is scheduled to be released in 2017. This is the first documentary to be officially authorized by the estate that will tell the unvarnished and authentic story of the singer’s life in a film, including access to never-before-seen footage of Houston, exclusive demo recordings, rare performances and audio archive. Macdonald also will interview those who knew her best, including Clive Davis, founder and president of Arista Records. Macdonald stated; "The story that is never told about Whitney is just how brilliant she was as an artist; by many measures she had the greatest voice of the last 50 years. She changed the way pop music was sung - bringing it back full circle to its blues and gospel roots. She was also completely unique in being a black pop star who transcended her race globally with her work sold in countries where black artists don’t sell."

Discography

Whitney Houston (1985)

Whitney (1987)

I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990)

My Love Is Your Love (1998)

Just Whitney... (2002)

One Wish: The Holiday Album (2003)

I Look to You (2009)

Wikipedia

#Whitney Houston

[thegloober]

METEORA TRAVEL GUIDE: Itinerary, Budget, Things to Do 2018

The first hermits arrived in hopes of finding seclusion and spiritual peace. Centuries later, it is still easy to see why, of all places, it is here that they chose to dwell. Even amid the the busyness of tourists like us swarming around the monasteries and gawking at the surrounding landscape, Meteora remains as serene as slumber and as solemn as a prayer.

It’s not difficult at all to be captivated by Meteora. I had my first glimpse of it through a viral Facebook video that features the monasteries perched atop lofty rocky pillars. At that moment, I knew I had to set foot in it and see it for myself. There’s this old saying immortalized in memes: If you want something badly enough, the universe will make conspire to make it happen. I’m not one to rely on the wisdom from memes, but it turned out to be true in this case. I didn’t think I’d be able to visit Meteora this soon, but a series of fortunate events led me to this.

WHAT’S COVERED IN THIS GUIDE?

The name “meteora” means “high up in the air,” referring to the towering pillars that make up this rock formation, overlooking the plains of Thessaly in Greece. Since the first hermits took shelter in its caves, these sandstone columns have seen 24 Eastern Orthodox monasteries, making it one of the faith’s most important sites, second only to Mt. Athos. Because the monasteries were built on the summit of these rocks, they offer complete isolation. For most of its history, the only way to reach them were by long ladders, ropes, and nets.

Today, only six of these monasteries remain standing. Inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List, Meteora has been drawing tourists from all around the world for its historical, cultural, and geological significance as well as breathtaking scenery.

Here’s more info about Meteora.

Language: Greek. However, English is widely spoken.

Currency: Euro (EUR, €). €1 = 1.14 USD, SGD 1.6, PHP 61 (as of October 2018)

Modes of Payment: Cash is still the most common.

Electricity Info: 230 V, 50 Hz. Power sockets are Type F, which also accept Type C plugs.

April to June and November, when the weather is comfortable and the crowd isn’t that big.

July to October is high season, so rates in Greece in general are higher and the site is overrun by tourists. July and August are the driest and the hottest months.

December to March is winter. It’s not just the coldest, it’s also the wettest period. It doesn’t mean though that it rains every day. We visited in December, but it didn’t rain at all, not even a slight drizzle. Maybe we just got lucky. One important thing to note when traveling in winter is that there is no public bus service to Meteora from Kalambaka or Kastraki, which limits your transportation options significantly.

There are two towns lying at the foot of the Meteora cliffs: Kalambaka and Kastraki. To get to Meteora, you need to find your way to any of these.

Most independent travelers and backpackers prefer to stay in Kalambaka, which offers more lodging, dining, and tour options than Kastraki. In Greek, the official name of the town is Kalabaka, but it is also often called Kalambaka or Kalampaka. Don’t be confused. They all refer to the same town.

Here are some of the top-rated hotels in Kalambaka and Trikala, as scored by Traveloka and Tripadvisor users.

Famissi Hotel. Photos provided by Traveloka.

Search for more Meteora Hotels

The nearest airport is Nea Aghialos National Airport (aka Volos Central Greece Airport or Volos Nea Anchialos Airport), located in Central Greece, south of Thessaly.

But most tourists come from Athens. If you’re coming from Manila or Singapore, the most cost-efficient way to reach Athens is to fly with Scoot. Scoot fares to Athens start at PHP10,403 from Cebu, PHP10,704 from Clark, PHP11,198 from Kalibo and PHP10,754 from Manila. These can still go lower when there is a promo. Look:

Actual fares we found for March

All flights from the Philippines will have a layover in Singapore. You can take this opportunity to also tour SG while you’re at it. From SG, the travel time to Athens is 11 hours and 10 minutes. Scoot uses a new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, so you can expect the cabin to be spanking clean and well-maintained.

If you want to score ATHENS PROMO FARES, keep a lookout for Scoot’s monthly Take-off Tuesday promotions, which happens every first Tuesday-Thursday of every month, available on their official website!

Athens to Meteora by Train

It’s easy to reach Meteora by train. Kalambaka has its own train station and is connected to Larissa Train Station, which is the central railway station in Athens.

Take the Metro Red Line to Larissa Station. If you’re coming from Syntagma, it should be easy because Syntagma is also along Red Line, just four stations away. Fare: €1.40. If you’re coming from Athens Airport, you must first take the Blue Line to Syntagma Station and then transfer to Red Line to Larissa Station. Fare: €10.

At Larissa Station, board the train to Kalambaka. There is only one direct train per day, scheduled to leave Athens at 08:20am and arrive in Kalambaka at 01:18pm. Fare: €18.3 – €25.6. If that’s not an option for you, you may travel to Paleofarsalos first then switch to another train bound for Kalampaka. See the schedule below.

Alight at Kalambaka Station. This is the last stop.

From Kalambaka Station, take the bus to Meteora. From March to November, there’s a bus leaving Kalambaka at 9am, 12 noon, and 3pm. Fare: €1.80 one-way, €3.30 round trip. No public buses in winter. You can either take a cab instead or just hike, which is great and very scenic.

For the train timetable, visit: Athens-Kalambaka Train Schedule.

Athens to Meteora by Bus

There are no buses that go directly to Meteora or Kalambaka. Instead you will have to travel by bus to Trikala, the city closest to Meteora, and then transfer to another bus to Kalambaka.

Make your way to LIOSION 260 BUS STATION. This is the terminal where buses bound for Trikala are stationed. It’s at 260 LIOSION STREET. – If you’re coming from other parts of the city center, you may take the metro. The nearest Metro Station is Kato Patisssia Station, which is 900 meters away. If you take the metro, make sure you have enough time allowance for walking. You can also just take a cab. – If you’re coming from the airport, board City Bus X-93 and alight at Liosion Street Bus Station. Travel time: 55 minutes.

Take the bus bound for Trikala or Kalambaka. A bus leaves at 7:00am, 10:30am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm, 6pm, and 9pm daily. An extra 5pm trip is added every Friday and Sunday. Travel time: 5 hours.

In Trikala, transfer to another bus bound for Kalambaka. There’s one every hour. Travel time: 30 minutes to 1 hour. Total fare from Athens to Kalambaka is €31.50.

From Kalambaka Station, take the bus to Meteora. From March to November, there’s a bus leaving Kalambaka at 9am, 12 noon, and 3pm. Fare: €1.80 one-way, €3.30 round trip. No public buses in winter. You can either take a cab instead or just hike, which is great and very scenic.

For the train timetable, visit: Athens-Kalambaka Train Schedule.

Monasteries Tour

Six ancient monasteries remain standing to this day, and they’re all open to visitors. From Kalambaka, you can take the bus to the monasteries. The bus will stop in all six monasteries. Here’s the bus schedule for March 16 to November 30, 2018. This may change in the coming years so make sure to call your hotel to confirm the schedule. No bus service in winter.

Fare: €1.80 one-way, €3.30 round trip.

As you can see, there are only a few buses per day, so you won’t be able to see all the monasteries if you’re relying on the bus. What most tourists do is they take the bus going up and then they just explore the place on foot, then they take the last bus back to Kalambaka. Ideally, you should be able to visit 2-3 monasteries in a day. Although it is possible to see more than 3 in a day, the pace may be too fast or stressful.

Note that these monasteries are not open all week. Each has its own closing day. We indicated the operating days and hours for summer 2018 and winter 2019 below. However, please note that these change every year and every season so double check with official sources before your trip.

Great Meteoron Monastery Summer hours: 9am-4pm (Closed: Tuesdays) Winter hours: 9am-3pm (Closed: Tue-Wed)

Varlaam Monastery Summer hours: 9am-4pm (Closed: Fridays) Winter hours: 9am-3pm (Closed: Tue & Fri)

St. Stephen’s Monastery Summer hours: 9am-1:30pm, 3:30pm-5:30pm Winter hours: 9:30am-1pm, 3pm-5pm Closed: Mondays

Roussanou Monastery Summer hours: 9am-5pm Winter hours: 9am-2pm Closed: Wednesdays

Holy Trinity Monastery Summer hours: 9am-5pm Winter hours: 9am-4pm Closed: Thursdays

St. Nikolaos Anapafsas Monastery Summer hours: 8am-4pm Winter hours: 9am-4pm Closed: Fridays

All monasteries above charge a €3 entrance fee. Kids 12 and below can enter for free.

These monasteries offer not just stunning views. They also house important historical artifacts. For example, the Great Meteoron Monastery also showcases the role of the Orthodox Church in key events in Greek history including World War II. St. Nikolaos Anapafsas Monastery displays frescoes created by Theophanes in 1527.

The Great Meteoron Monastery and the Varlaam Monastery are the biggest and the two most popular. St. Stephen’s Monastery and Roussanou Monastery are the easiest to access.

You can do it on your own, but because of the site’s immense historical importance, joining a guided tour will make your trip not just enjoyable but also enlightening.

Half-day tours usually cost €25 to €35.

Great Saint Scrambling Tour

The Great Saint Rock is one of the most iconic in Meteora. If you’re up for an adventure and you’re in great shape, this is right up your alley. This is a guided tour that will lead you to the tallest rock in the area, around 400 meters above the ground. There will be some climbing, abseiling, traversing, and lots of hiking, so be prepared physically and mentally.

You MUST have a guide to be able to do this because it’s a bit dangerous. Tours start at €60.

Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary

Built in 7th century AD, this is one of the oldest churches in Greece. This Byzantine church is often overlooked by tourists even though it’s centuries older than the monasteries perched on the Meteora rocks. It has three aisles and features frescoes that can be traced back to as far as 14th century. Don’t miss the relics of an older Green temple can also be found inside.

If you’re staying in Kalambaka, you can easily make your way to this church.

Kastraki Village

Kastraki is one of the two villages at the foot of Meteora. Although Kalambaka harbors more hotels, restaurants, and tour agencies, Kastraki is quieter and more picturesque. Even if you’re staying in Kalambaka, Kastraki is worth a stop too. The village lies in between two colossal rocks, ensuring an unforgettable view from the base. The 19th-century houses along its streets are well-preserved, too!

Here’s a sample overnight Meteora itinerary. It assumes you’re arriving in Kalambaka before 2pm. We’ve indicated the entrance fees if you want to explore on your own as well as the usual tour rates if you want to join a guided tour.

DAY 1 – SUNSET TOUR

Arrival in Kalambaka

Hotel check-in

Meteora Sunset Tour: €30

St. Stephen Monastery. Entrance fee: €3

Dinner in Kalambaka

DAY 2 – MONASTERIES TOUR

Early check out

Sightseeing Tour: €30

Great Meteoron Monastery: €3

Varlaam Monastery: €3

Roussanou Monastery: €3

Lunch

Departure

If you’re exploring Meteora DIY-style and on foot, Meteora is going to be one of the cheapest trips you’ll have in Greece. But if you’re joining guided tours, prepare to shell out around €100 for the tour fees, entrance fees, and gratuities.

Is Meteora safe?

When it comes to crimes, yes, Kalambaka and Meteora are very safe generally. But as in other places, follow the rules and don’t leave your things unattended.

If you’re not physically fit, don’t join some of the hiking tours, especially the Great Saint Scramble. It is a physically demanding activity.

Because of the rugged terrain and lofty cliffs, there’s always danger especially when it rains, so be extra careful. Don’t go too close to the edge. Wear shoes that have a good grip.

Should I explore Meteora on my own or should I join a guided tour?

It is possible to explore Meteora on your own. As mentioned, from mid-March/April to November, there are buses that can take you to the monasteries. It is also accessible if you just hike. However, having a guide will make you have a better understanding of the history and significance of the place. If you’re hiking, the trail isn’t always well marked, so a guide can be a great help.

What to wear inside the monasteries? Is there a dress code?

Knees and shoulders must be covered. Men need to wear long pants (trousers) that cover the knees. Women must wear skirts that cover the knees. There are wraps and long pants that can be borrowed by the entrance.

Are there restaurants near the monasteries?

None. No restaurants or cafes. There are small stalls selling snacks nearby, but that’s about it. It’s best to bring your own water and easy-to-eat food.

What is tipping policy in Kalambaka?

Tipping is NOT mandatory or expected in Santorini. You can just round up the bill. If your bill is €23.5, they usually just pay €25. But if you’re very happy with the service, 10% of the bill should be fine.

Do I need a visa to visit Greece?

Greece is part of the Schengen Agreement. For short visits, a Schengen Visa is required for most nationalities except for nationals of 62 specified countries which include Singapore, Malaysia, and the United States.

If you’re a Philippine passport holder, you will need a Schengen visa. We have a separate post discussing the visa application process in detail.

Read: Schengen Visa via Greek Embassy

[embedded content]

Source: https://bloghyped.com/meteora-travel-guide-itinerary-budget-things-to-do-2018/

[softboyjoe-blog]

OOC ONLY JOES SECRET.

Early Life:

Joe grew up in the typical, American, cookie cutter, nuclear family. His dad worked and his mom stayed home with the kids. They went to church on Sundays and they had family game nights every Monday night. When Joe was young enough to enjoy playing outside with his friends, he always had to be home in time for dinner with his family. That was just his normal. His parents were pretty supportive and open minded about everything. When Joe turned out to be horrible at traditional sports, his dad didn't complain and act like Joe was messed up. When he went to theater camp at 9 and came home with his first boyfriend, his parents didn't treat him any different. They always went in stride with whatever any of their kids threw them and just wanted them healthy, happy and loved above anything else. 

Joe himself was a good kid. He didn't really get into trouble much and was typically on the softer spoken spectrum of friends and even his family. When he warmed up to people the dude couldn’t shut up, but it took a while for him to get there. He also just always /loved/ people. He had a huge heart and trusted anyone endlessly. These are good traits but easily exploitable and while Joe himself didn't tend to find trouble, the wrong type of people would always hang around and take advantage. When he was a kid it was simple and always for silly things like taking Joe’s new toys or stealing his pudding cups. He had to suffer a-lot of heartbreak growing up because of it, but eventually found his group of real friends and grew up with them.

Dating History: 

Joe had trouble attracting people that used him and more often than not it was with exes. The first horrible ex he had was Hillary. He really loved her, met her freshman year of college and thought they were going to get married. He was even working night shifts in order to buy a ring for her. (Really can you blame him? He grew up on Disney movies and his best friends are his sisters, Joe is beyond a hopeless romantic). It wasn't until he got cut early from his shift one night and he was stumbling back to Hillary’s dorm to hang out with her that he found out she was cheating on him. It was a rough night and week and he had spent the time crying and spending a-lot of time listening to Evanescence. He got over it and moved on, even if he was even more guarded and cautious with his heart. It hurt, but at the time he didn't know he was in for more hurt and pain. 

Theeeeeeen Justin came into his life. Justin was literal hell for Joe. They met after college and a bit before Joe even started in Stranger Things. They were together for 3 years and Joe wanted to die everyday for 2 and a half of those years. At first things started great, amazingly and perfectly. Justin cared about him and surprised him and spent time with him. They were glued at the hips and Justin filled all of Joe’s romantic dreams. They also moved fast, which should have been a warning sign and a few months into the relationship Joe was moving in with him. The abuse started slow. It was a hit here, a slap there, followed by days of Justin buying and spoiling Joe. And, Joe forgave him. It was easy to because he loved Justin and Justin was saying he was sorry and talking about how much he loved Joe. 

But it only escalated from there. It was all physical at first. Joe would mess something up and Justin would take it out on him. Justin had a bad day at work, and Joe would feel it. Money was tight? Joe would be lucky if he was only walking away with a cracked rip or two. He was completely shut off from his family and friends and only knew the inside of their home. Justin hurled insults a hundred a minute and Joe just absorbed it, internalized everything because… Justin still said he loved him, sometimes… occasionally. 

Joe went through countless amounts of different abuse, from pain, emotional, mental and especially physical. Justin would also often bring other people home to sleep with them while Joe was in the house and Joe just had to deal with it. There wasnt much other choice really and it gave him even a brief window of time to himself. He was isolated, alone in a big city but he was still able to read, even if it was a shitty magazine. He was also able to play video games, especially when Justin was at work and he became good at it, but always managed to erase anything he did so Justin wouldnt know. 

He dated Justin through season 1 of Stranger Things. The reason why Joe was part of much promo for season 1 was because he finally stumbled into the E.R. near death and his parents picked him up to get help. Since then he has strong PTSD, severe anxiety and social anxiety which is why he is always uncomfortable around overly dominant men and crowded rooms with no escape. 

His last boyfriend was just manipulative and rude to him constantly and since then he kinda has given up on love and the hope of finding anyone. He doesn't know how to be loved and doesn't want to try.

#this is real heavy and could be trigger so #blood #abuse #alcohol #drugs

[superfurryunknowncollection-blog]

Group Lead-- Here Is Exactly what Your Boss Isn't Informing You, Yet Still Anticipates Of.

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Researches have actually shown that having a healthy team of friends effects your long life and also health and wellness. Buddy remembers that he would certainly sometimes satisfy people and also they would certainly think I was really there to eliminate them". Being an excellent teaching fellowship employer means setting quantifiable goals as well as offering your interns the devices to achieve these goals. Thankfully, nearly half (46 percent) of Americans state they wouldn't care if their following manager were female or male. That is, people can predict their responsiveness into others, impacting their very own partnership experiences, and also at the exact same time, convey responsiveness to partnership partners, affecting partners' relationship experiences. 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As a result, both come to be fast friends practically from the minute they initially satisfy. Thousands of gamers all over the world have enjoyed the paper variation of the game, but now Brotherwise Gamings has partnered with computer game developer Plain Concepts, makers of Wave Engine, to bring Employer Monster from the tabletop to the electronic world! To respond to http://www.choisissanteblog.fr/hero-safe-prix-avis-acheter-gadget-site-fabricant-amazon/ growing power of Walsh's local, which Walsh efficiently possessed to boycott Spokane's employment agencies, city authorities drew the Wobblies' soapbox out from under them by banning street-corner orations. On your part, you would rather murmur concerning your heartaches and dissatisfactions by yourself, compared to risk the connection. This is not a read where anything is solved, excellent inquiries are disputed, household breaks are healed or such. Recurring problems could consist of headaches, gynecological problems, pain in the back or digestive system problems, inning accordance with the post Intimate Partner Physical violence and also Physical Wellness Effects," published by the American Medical Organization. PS: Yes, I imply your best friend does not need to fret about the number of individuals you slept with. Actually, often the break takes place for an excellent reason: A work promotion, a brand-new enchanting connection or a brand-new life instructions such as disappearing to university or taking a year off to travel around the globe. While at Harvard I had actually heard that red ties were in some way frowned on, and consequently I took care never ever to buy a tie with any type of red in it. The one I occurred to be enduring that certain September day was, I was glad to keep in mind, a harmless blue in shade. 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When good friends die, we pass away with them." However it had not been till 2004, when Arnold Schwarzenegger, then governor of California, chose not to authorize the marriage equality bill, that Takei appeared. Gather and also confirm your recommendations currently, not simply when you obtain a deal as well as have to scramble for names, titles as well as present call information the same day. Nonetheless after approving a good friend request from an unknown woman called Marina, Laura comes to be consumed with Marina's account, and also quickly her good friends begin to pass away strongly individually. You've been friends for several years, yet recently you've been paying more attention to your wellness, while your pal seems to be stuck in his unhealthy behaviors. Closure offers you a possibility to heal from any kind of injuries the partnership has actually triggered. Give her words of support and also let her recognize you're there for her if one more good friend is feeling down. At the end of Like A Boss we knew something had happened that shifted points, however were really did not recognize the whole tale. It's easy to do if your manager really did assist you and try to say something, but at the exact same time you possibly must be sincere as well. Below, dating and marriage specialists weigh in with 10 warnings they say must be trigger for concern in any type of partnership. Factors to consider may vary from picking the suitable time throughout your maternity to share the news, to being considerate of feasible sensitivities to ways to inform your good friends that you're mosting likely to have an infant. Some would claim that the specifying mark of a good friend is that they are always there for you as well as thus have a kind of unconditional utility ... That seems like a blessing. Just what a fantastic story Gina Maxwell has given us. One loaded with guarantee for Aly and also Dillon, a few friends considering that they were 6 and also 8, who would do anything for every other. One caution: Friend poaching is undesirable, and maybe even pathological, when a specific continually tries to thwart friendships as well as hurt individuals around her. And also appropriately so. With simply a meager six (seven after Walmsley's promo) female employers in the FTSE 100, there is plainly still a humiliating quantity of job to be done to ruin the glass ceiling stopping most females reaching the upper echelons of company. Next time you have an individually session with your employer (or your peers,) request feedback on your scalability abilities." You 'd be surprise just how it could lower the quantity of stress on your shoulder. These techniques stand for movement towards an egalitarian relationship in which the clinician recognizes as well as cautious with his/her use power.

[bunnymcbunnister]

SPN Season 15 Spoiler Sheet, update 12/9

A few updates this week, some news on the writer/director of 13. 12 is looking packed, with potentially Cas, Jody, Jack, AND Kaia appearing. Still totally up in the air about airing dates past January. Maybe there might be some press around the mid-season finale, so I’ll look out for articles. 

Just a note- if you want to use this for another publication, please drop me a line. The info is for the community, that’s why I take the time to gather it in one place. It’s nice that I’m a published author now in a major online entertainment website, but it would be nice if it was not someone else’s name in the byline. At least change some of the sentences around FFS. Otherwise, enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: This is gathered info from various sources. This is not confirmed information. Stuff in this WILL be wrong. Don’t take this too seriously. This is for fun. Also, if you use this info as in for another publication, please let me know as a courtesy. 

General Info (oldest to newest)

There is hope to wrap up some Wayward Daughters storylines in the back half of the season

They are adding a whole extra day to filming to do the final scene. They will film the final scene last.  (Implies logistics- lots of returning people?)

Brad Bucker used the word “romance” when asked about Sam and Dean’s arcs. Did not specify who. 

In an interview, Kripe indicated that the series ending would have “peace” for Sam and Dean

Not much new at the TCA’s, but it was said it is “unlikely” Jeffery Dean Morgan will be back since his last appearance was such a good end note. There were some jokes about a Castiel spin off. Hell, I’d watch. 

There will be a special tribute ep, not clear if its one of the 20 or additional

Misha will be in 15 out of 20 episodes this season

Also according to Dabb, Jack is still in the empty and “he’s not coming back in the near future”

Cas’ deal with the Empty may come up later in the season. 

Dabb intimated that Chuck was inherently responsible for killing Mary when asked how the boys would respond to Jack. 

Dabb compared Chuck and John Winchester, claiming that Dean would have to break free of “conditioning.” Also, for Jack “there have been cosmic forces fighting for his attention since he was in the womb — and that will continue. As much as this season is about Sam and Dean finding agency, it’s also about Castiel finding agency, and it’s about Jack finding agency. As always, death is never the end. It’s just part of the journey and that’s certainly true with Jack.” 

Jack will be a critical part of the ending of the show

The cage/Adam is looking like it will be coming up for midseason

Shaving People, Punting Things: https://youtu.be/azTwku2uosA

In the cage, Micheal and Adam have formed a working relationship (MarySue)

Dean and Amara’s connection will be explored

There will be a bunker themed episode (MarySue)

According to Misha (Cinablend) Dean and Cas will have discord up to ep 8- which is the mid-season finale. 

At a convention, Jake Abel was asked to share two lies about Adam’s return and a truth. The said 1. Adam is not upset about hell 2. Adam kills someone 3. Adam bring someone back. I am assuming its the bring someone back (Micheal?)

In one of his cookbook interviews, Misha used the word “we” several times when talking about the final scene of Supernatural. He said that would be the last scene they shoot. It seemed to imply that he was in the scene, but that could be open to interpretation. 

The finale will air on Monday May 18th. The show will move to Mondays when it comes back on March 16th. It’s gotta come back either than that and go on a mini break or something, because that is not enough Mondays. 

Dabb mentioned that once Sam realizes what is going on with his connection to Chuck, he will reach out to people “some we expect and some not”

JaxCon spoilers: 

Misha said the ending was “happier than he expected” but also had some sadness. 

Misha mentioned that Claire will be mentioned on the show, but as of yet not appear. 

Jared mentioned April 5th as the date of filming the finale. 

Jensen said Dean will DANCE in an upcoming ep

Jensen reaffirmed his earlier spoiler about Dean/Cas reconciling, explaining why he has so much trouble with “that relationship” and that will “shed some light and then bruise some egos”

Episode 15x08

Title: Our Father Who Aren’t in Heaven

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: GOD BLESSES HIM WHO HELPS HIS BROTHER – Sam (Jared Padalecki), Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Castiel’s (Misha Collins) continued search for a way to defeat Chuck (guest star Rob Benedict) leads them to unexpected places and toward unlikely allies. Richard Speight, Jr. directed the episode written by Eugenie Ross-Leming & Brad Buckner (#1508). Original Airdate 12/12/2019.

Written by: Buckleming

Director: Speight

Filming Dates:  10/8- 10/18 (no filming 10/14 for Canadian Thanksgiving)

Airdate: 12/12

Photos: http://www.ksitetv.com/supernatural/supernatural-spoilers-photos-our-father-who-arent-in-heaven/200190/

Promo: https://youtu.be/6X5b8a9u8s4

Sneak Peak: https://tvline.com/2019/12/10/supernatural-spoilers-season-15-episode-8-jake-abel-returns-adam-michael/

Castiel ? yes Jack ? 

Guest stars: Jake Abel, Shoshannah Stern, Rob Benedict

Other Spoilers/info:

Jake Abel posted a script with the caption “hell hath no fury like a brother scorned”

Shoshannah Stern was spotted on set- Eileen!

This will be the midseason finale

At BurCon, Misha mentioned Dean is still acting like “a dick” in the ep they were filming- which is this one. 

From the pics, it looks like they are in hell. 

According to TVLine, Adam has hard feelings, but is not necesarily out for revenge. Micheal and him have formed a sort of peace and will have to deal with the changes of the past 10 years. 

Jake Abel indicated to EW that his return sets up things for the future. He will definitely be both Micheal and Adam. 

According to Rob in MarySue, we will hear from Chuck about his limitations with the wound in this ep. 

Episode 15x09

Title: The Trap

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: 

Written by: Berens

Director: Singer

Filming Dates:  10/21-10/30

Airdate: 1/16??  1/23

Photos: 

Promo:

Sneak Peak:

Castiel ? I think not Jack ? maybe

Guest stars: Rob Benedict, Kim Rhodes, Jim Beaver

Other Spoilers/info:

Midseason premier episode

Misha was at home for the first week of filming, and I think the second. I don’t think he is in this. 

Alex and Rob were hanging out- Chuck and JACK?

Kim Rhodes posted in front of the SPN set and with her trailer- Jody looks very likely. She also had dyed hair and she has been rockin the grey for the past few Jody eps. Maybe a flashback/AU? UPDATE- her hair is brown in her selfie from 12, so maybe Jody just wanted a change.

Jim Beaver posted from set- Bobby!

Jensen shared that in this episode, Dean will pray to Cas to “confess” why he has been treating Cas the way he has. Misha confirmed this in another interview and said tears would be shed- not sure who is doing the crying (besides me). 

Episode 15x10

Title: The Heroes’ Journey

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: 

Written by: Dabb

Director: Showalter

Filming Dates:  10/31- 11/12 (No filming for Veterans/Armistice Day)

Airdate: 1/23 ?? 1/30

Photos: 

Promo:

Sneak Peak:

Castiel ? maybe briefly?  Jack ? 

Guest stars: 

Other Spoilers/info :

Misha texted some local fans from set in costume about an WA election, but after the convention was promoting his cookbook all over the place. I think he filmed, if he did, for 2 days, max. 

The story will be about Sam and Dean as heroes from the good and bad side (from MarySue)

At DCCon, Jensen shared that  this a bit of a wacky episode- Sam and Dean lose their abilities to fight, Dean gets cavities and Sam gets a cold. Jensen later seemed to refer to this ep when talking to TVGuide- mentioning the Impala will get a flat. 

 Episode 15x11

Title: The Gamblers

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: 

Written by: Davey Perez and Meredith Glynn

Director: Beeson

Filming Dates:  11/13-11/22 

Airdate: 1/30?? 3/16?

Photos: 

Promo:

Sneak Peak:

Castiel ? seems likely Jack ? 

Guest stars: 

Other Spoilers/info:

Misha and Jensen made a video for a fan that I think was filmed during the first day of shooting? Not for sure. So maybe Cas?? J2M made a video about Thanksgiving, so Micha must have been around at some point. 

Megan Fitzgerald (writer/showrunner’s assistant) and Emma Peterson (production office) were very excited about something in the dailies for this ep. 

They filmed at a church and a park in Surry according to YRShoots. 

 Episode 15x12

Title: Galaxy Brain

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: 

Written by: Bobo Berens AND Meredith Glynn

Director: Speight

Filming Dates:12/2-!2/11 

Airdate:  3/23?

Photos: 

Promo:

Sneak Peak:

Castiel ? yes Jack ? possibly

Guest stars: Yadira Guevara-Prip (?), Kim Rhodes

Other Spoilers/info:

Alex canceled a comic con appearance in Argentina for “professional obligations” so it seems likely he would film this week

IMDB lists Yadira Guevara-Prip as a guest star, so Kaia? They are not always reliable on casting

Misha posted from set in costume (yea, thanks Misha!) 

Kim Rhodes also has been posting from set

 Episode 15x13

Title: Destiny’s Child

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: 

Written by: Buckleming

Director: Amyn Kaderali

Filming Dates: 

Airdate: 3/30

Photos: 

Promo:

Sneak Peak:

Castiel ? Jack ? 

Guest stars: 

Other Spoilers/info:

#spn spoilers #spn season 15 #supernatual #spn 15x08 #spn 15x09 #spn 15x10 #spn 15x11 #spn 15x12 #spn 15x13

[cleo60p7939313-blog]

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[stannesdamascus]

Weekly News, October 26, 2017

THIS is a plain-text version of the Weekly News - for the full (and much prettier version click here)

 Weekly News of St. Anne's Episcopal Church, Damascus, MD View this email in your browser

Weekly News, October 26, 2017 ------------------------------------------------------------

Explore our Community - Sunday 8am and 10am

“Let us go forward in Christ's name as a community of faith; to grow in faith through worship, witness and love for one another and our neighbor” — St. Anne's Mission Prayer ------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to St. Anne's Episcopal Church, an inclusive community of faith located in Damascus, Maryland (http://saintannesdamascus.net/location) , the "northern star" of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington (http://www.edow.org/) . We invite you to establish roots in the rituals, tradition, and fellowship of the Episcopal faith. All are welcome!

Your Support is VITAL to ensure our future! ------------------------------------------------------------

Income as of End of September: $278,879 Expenses: $280,041 Deficit $1,162

Pledges are about 5% ($14,000) behind from the summer. - this makes it difficult to stay current on our bills!

We are projecting a deficit for the year of at least $30,000 - don't forget to submit your estimate of giving for 2018 and please PRAY about increasing your giving for 2018!

Enter your 2018 Pledge Here! (http://saintannesdamascus.net/living-out-our-mission-pledge)  

Living Out Our Mission ------------------------------------------------------------ How close are we to our goal for 2018?

Goal for 2018 Pledges:                      $323,134 Commitments as of Wednesday, October 25:    $   24,800

Right now, commitments amount to 7.67% of the goal of this year’s Living out our Mission Pledge campaign.

We can reach this goal if every family or individual who committed to supporting St. Anne’s last year were to increase their weekly contribution by ONLY $19 per week. Not so bad, is it?

It gets even easier if those who were not able to contribute last year or are new to St. Anne's can make a commitment for 2018.

Let’s keep the momentum growing!  If you are ready to make your commitment, complete and mail your paper Living Out our Mission Pledge form (and thanks in advance for the envelope and stamp!) to our address below, fold and staple it and drop in the offering plate this Sunday, or go online to securely make your commitment here:   http://saintannesdamascus.net/donate/ click on Living Our Mission at the top of the page!

To those of you who have already committed to supporting St. Anne’s in 2018 – THANK YOU!

Tim Pacey Generous Giving Campaign

Social Media Concept Update ------------------------------------------------------------ After seeing some of the videos featuring people, that of course were not our own people, two different parishioners stepped forward to check with some contacts they have to see if they would create some personalized footage. This would allow us to use our own people on any social media ad! Stay tuned - we may have parish video shoot in our future...in the meantime -feel free to take a look at these other ideas - which don't need to be as specific as having our own parishioners in them...

Communion (https://slide.ly/promo/share/59e9fc467a97fd0c317b23c9)

Life's Challenges (https://slide.ly/promo/share/59ea7a94b5729852727b23c8)

Lost (https://slide.ly/promo/share/59ea73c5b57298386e7b23c6)

Why You Should Go To Church Part 3 ------------------------------------------------------------ The following is reprinted from the blog The Art of Manliness and authored by Brett and Kate McKay (although this article is for women as well as youth). The blog created in 2008 has grown to be the largest men's interest magazine on the web. This is a really good article and offers some incredibly valid reasons why belonging to a faith community and attending regularly makes a difference in people's lives. It also offers some great points for EVANGELISM! It is long - so I will be reprinting it here in sections over the next couple weeks. Although if you want to read it in it's entirety just check out the blog (http://www.artofmanliness.com/2017/04/14/go-church-even-youre-not-sure-beliefs/) . By the end of the article you will see how, in the authors' view

"regular church attendance functions as one of the best keys for anyone wishing to create a flourishing life — not just the religiously inclined, but even agnostics and atheists as well."

Now on to the article PART 3!!

The Benefits of Regular Church Attendance ------------------------------------------------------------

For those who are already religiously affiliated, the purpose of church services is obvious: to worship God. Yet for more than half of this nominally faithful demographic, this raison d’etre is seemingly insufficient to compel their butts into pews each Sunday. Thus for them, the “secular” benefits of church attendance outlined below will hopefully add another layer of motivation for going.

For the “spiritual but not religious” crowd, I invite you to consider these benefits in light of the possibility that spirituality may in fact thrive most when given a little structure — a prism for focusing one’s feelings, intentions, and thoughts in a more consistent and fruitful direction.

And for the agnostics and atheists, who will surely be the hardest to convince(!), I propose looking at church like something of an anthropologist — seeing it as a common organizing principle of society, weighing whether it might not just be the best possible vehicle for meeting universal human needs, and contemplating the idea that one can admit to having those needs, and rationally accede to fulfilling them through this particular channel, without wholly assenting to their theological foundations.

For all these groups stand to benefit from the myriad social, psychological, physical, mental, and spiritual benefits church attendance has to offer.

Greater Social Support ------------------------------------------------------------

Anyone who’s graduated from college and headed out into the real world can tell you one thing: making friends in adulthood is dang hard.

It’s quite a bit easier though, if you go to church.

Experts say that two of the three keys to fostering friendships (http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/04/17/how-to-make-friends-in-a-new-city/#friendship)  are “repeated and unplanned interactions” and “a setting that encourages vulnerability.” Church amply provides both.

You see the same people every weekend, without having to plan to see them (and trying to sync your crazy schedules to make a meet-up happen). “Repeated and unplanned interactions” obviously happen in the context of things like work and the gym too, but church has the added benefit that its participants don’t just feel moved to get to know people if the mood strikes, but consider themselves duty bound to foster a tight community; they see fellowshipping as part and parcel of the whole purpose of church. Principles of love, forgiveness, self-sacrifice, charity, confession, and unity underpin congregants’ efforts to get to know each other, and even if they don’t always succeed in being animated by these lofty impulses, such virtues still function as touchstones and ideals that inform their relationships. In other words, church provides a “setting that encourages vulnerability” in a way few others can match.

Church isn’t just a good place to make some buddies either, but to simply extend and deepen your bench of social connections as well. As The New York Times reports (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/21/opinion/sunday/luhrmann-why-going-to-church-is-good-for-you.html) , “A study conducted in North Carolina found that frequent churchgoers had larger social networks, with more contact with, more affection for, and more kinds of social support from those people than their unchurched counterparts.” Getting to know different people, from different walks of life, widens the roster of people you can call on should you find yourself looking for work, or needing advice, or beset with a familial crisis.

In a time of greater isolation and shrinking social circles, when people lack face-to-face contact and have few they can turn to when in trouble, churches provide a last bastion for intimate, close-knit community.

A Chance to Remember/Reorient/Reflect/Re-center ------------------------------------------------------------

There are a lot of things that sound great in the abstract — things I think will work in theory, but don’t pan out in practice.

I want to believe that I can still be just as productive if I don’t plan my week. But I’m not.

I want to believe I can get just as strong without counting my macros. But when I don’t watch what I eat, I just get fat.

And I want to believe I can be spiritual without being religious, without going to church – because how seemingly great would it be to have a robust spiritual life without having to take on any of the time-requiring responsibilities and inconvenient disciplines required by attaching your beliefs to an institution?

But alas, through experiment and experience, I’ve found that I simply can’t maintain my spiritual life on as high a plane without giving it some structure.

We all feel like we hypothetically should be able to keep our moral compasses pointed north, our minds on deep matters, our hearts looking for ways to help others in the absence of external check-ins and prompts. But day-to-day life has a terrible way of intervening with our best intentions: we sacrifice ethics on the altar of convenience; we pay attention to what’s urgent instead of contemplating the infinite; we turn increasingly inward, and end up thinking far more about ourselves, than others.

The reality is that we’re forgetful creatures who need regular tune-ups to keep our course. Without such, earthly, immediate concerns crowd out everything higher, something even research (http://www.pewforum.org/2015/11/03/u-s-public-becoming-less-religious/)  bears out: folks who are not religiously affiliated are less likely than those who are to think about the meaning and purpose of life.

Weekly church attendance invites us to reflect on our gratitude for the good things in our lives, reinforces our moral values, fosters reverence and humility, and re-focuses us on our larger purpose. It’s a chance to re-center and re-orient our lives.

There is, after all, only so far you can get off track in seven days. (continued next week)

Parish Conversations - Contrary to What you may think - THESE HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH STEWARDSHIP! SO.... ------------------------------------------------------------ Don't Forget to sign up for one of the Parish Conversations!

These conversations are meant to help the vestry continue to plan our future as a community of faith, and to help keep us growing! It's really important that we have your input and we hope that you will be able to make one of the sessions that are graciously being hosted at homes of parishioners. The conversations will last approximately 2 hours and will be facilitated by members of the Vestry.

You will see signup sheets in the parish hall for the currently scheduled sessions - each session can hold 10-12 people. Currently scheduled sessions are as follows: * 10/27; 7pm - Reed and Peggy Owens Hosting - Damascus - FILLED * 11/3; 7pm - Shane and Cindy Lippert Hosting - Clarksburg * 11/5; 1pm - Tom Warfield and Robin Mustain Hosting - Germantown * 11/8; 7:30pm - Bettianne Quinn Hosting in Multi Purpose Room at St. Anne's * 11/12; 2pm - Bill and Chris Mathews Hosting - Ijamsville * 11/18; 3pm - Bryan and Victoria Imhoff Hosting - Clarksburg

What makes you feel good about contributing to St Anne's? ------------------------------------------------------------

We are looking for people willing to stand up and tell us –  in 2 to 3 minutes at church services during our giving campaign to start in late October – how they answer this question.  Doesn’t matter if you have been giving to St. Anne’s for a month, a year, a decade or most of your adult life.  Your answer may get others thinking about giving in a way that they had never considered before!

I can point to 2 stories I heard from those willing to get up and talk about their reasons for giving that have been the great inspiration to us to commit our financial support of the faith community we have been a part of (including St. Anne’s of course)over the past 20 years or so.  I know how important it is to hear people speak of reasons for giving in their own words.  So please devote some thought and prayer to doing this, and if you are willing to do it,  call or text me at 240-620-2441, email me at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])  or see me in church.

Finally, if you have thoughts to share but speaking in front of the congregation terrifies you, not to worry.  By next week, we will provide an opportunity for you to share your thoughts in writing or electronically on What makes you feel good about contributing to St Anne's, that we can share anonymously with the rest of the congregation.

Tim Pacey Giving campaign chairperson

Did You know? ------------------------------------------------------------ Did you know that St. Anne's posts on Facebook most weekdays, with pictures, news and stories about our parish and our world?  If you want to be sure to see all our posts, click "like" on the St. Anne's Facebook page right under the cover photo, and also change the setting for the page to "see first" as shown below.  That way you won't miss a single thing!

Commemoration of the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day) ------------------------------------------------------------ All Souls Day (November 2) is a time when we particularly remember those who have died. The prayers appointed for that day remind us that we are joined with the Communion of Saints, that great group of Christians who have finished their earthly life and with who we share the hope of resurrection from the dead.

Join us for a Spirit Filled Taize Style Service

Thursday, Nov. 2 7:30pm in the Sanctuary

St. Anne's Book Club: Books and Brunch! ------------------------------------------------------------

The St. Anne's Book Club will meet on Saturday, November 4 at 11 a.m. at Jean Hampton's home for books and brunch.

All are welcome! Please RSVP to Jean by Wednesday, November 1 if you plan to attend.

The book: A Piece of the World, by Christina Baker Kline https://www.amazon.com/Piece-World-Christina-Baker-Kline-ebook/dp/B01G1FFH6Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505043024&sr=8-1&keywords=a+piece+of+the+world

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the smash bestseller Orphan Train, a stunning and atmospheric novel of friendship, passion, and art, inspired by Andrew Wyeth’s mysterious and iconic painting Christina’s World.

"Later he told me that he’d been afraid to show me the painting. He thought I wouldn’t like the way he portrayed me: dragging myself across the field, fingers clutching dirt, my legs twisted behind. The arid moonscape of wheatgrass and timothy. That dilapidated house in the distance, looming up like a secret that won’t stay hidden."

To Christina Olson, the entire world was her family’s remote farm in the small coastal town of Cushing, Maine. Born in the home her family had lived in for generations, and increasingly incapacitated by illness, Christina seemed destined for a small life. Instead, for more than twenty years, she was host and inspiration for the artist Andrew Wyeth, and became the subject of one of the best known American paintings of the twentieth century.

As she did in her beloved smash bestseller Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline interweaves fact and fiction in a powerful novel that illuminates a little-known part of America’s history. Bringing into focus the flesh-and-blood woman behind the portrait, she vividly imagines the life of a woman with a complicated relationship to her family and her past, and a special bond with one of our greatest modern artists.

Told in evocative and lucid prose, A Piece of the World is a story about the burdens and blessings of family history, and how artist and muse can come together to forge a new and timeless legacy.

And looking ahead: The book after this one will be Tea Girl on Hummingbird Lane, by Lisa See https://www.amazon.com/Tea-Girl-Hummingbird-Lane-ebook/dp/B01HMXRVL8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1505043214&sr=1-1&keywords=tea+girl+of+hummingbird+lane

Cathryn Conroy

St. Anne's Community Concert Series Presents ------------------------------------------------------------ Tom Rohde Nov 19th 4:30pm

Classical guitarist, Tom Rohde, specializes in playing Classical, Brazilian, and Spanish music. A graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, earning a Master’s Degree with honors in classical guitar performance, he has done extensive research of Brazilian music. Thomas Rohde, guitarist, has performed throughout the United States, Brazil, and Taiwan as a soloist and chamber musician. Select performances include the 92nd Street Y in New York City, the Spoletto Festival in Charleston, SC, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Ryles Jazz Club and the Regattabar. He has performed with the New World Symphony, the New Bedford Symphony, and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project.

Cathedral Task Force ------------------------------------------------------------

For the next few month the Cathedral Task Force is gathering information from the people of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington (AKA - EDOW). We would like to know your thoughts on the questions below.  Listening Sessions are on the calendar and they are : October 30th at Grace Church in Silver Spring, and November 1st at the Cathedral in DC.  The time of the sessions are 7pm to 9pm.  If you find you cannot get to a Listening Session, please feel free to answer the questions and share your thoughts with us.  Please look for the survey on the EDOW website: edow.org.  We hope to have it online very soon.  If you want to send your thoughts to an email then you can use mine: [email protected].

1. What is the relationship between your congregation and Washington National Cathedral (AKA - WNC)? 2. What would you like the relationship to be/what are the opportunities for your congregation and WNC to collaborate and share resources? 3. The founding charter and tradition charge it to be a House of Prayer for all People, the chief mission church of the diocese, and a great church for national purposes, in all of these things working to promote religion, education, and charity.  Is that a role that the Cathedral is serving? 4.  What is WNC's role in public square? 5. What might the WNC do that it isn't currently doing?

Thank you for your time and attention to this concern. Thank you and may peace be with you, Pam Brewer

** ------------------------------------------------------------ ==============================================

[bunnymcbunnister]

SPN Season 15 Spoiler Sheet, update 11/25

JaxCon was generous with a few tidbits, now we have all the ep titles through 13, we got an episode description on ep 8, some director/writer details  for ep 12 (I was right about Speight, wrong about the writer) AND some photos from 7, which I did not expect since there is no episode this week. Happy Thanksgiving!

DISCLAIMER: This is gathered info from various sources. This is not confirmed information. Stuff in this WILL be wrong. Don’t take this too seriously. This is for fun. 

General Info (oldest to newest)

There is hope to wrap up some Wayward Daughters storylines in the back half of the season

They are adding a whole extra day to filming to do the final scene. They will film the final scene last.  (Implies logistics- lots of returning people?)

Brad Bucker used the word “romance” when asked about Sam and Dean’s arcs. Did not specify who. 

In an interview, Kripe indicated that the series ending would have “peace” for Sam and Dean

Not much new at the TCA’s, but it was said it is “unlikely” Jeffery Dean Morgan will be back since his last appearance was such a good end note. There were some jokes about a Castiel spin off. Hell, I’d watch. 

There will be a special tribute ep, not clear if its one of the 20 or additional

Misha will be in 15 out of 20 episodes this season

Also according to Dabb, Jack is still in the empty and “he’s not coming back in the near future”

Cas’ deal with the Empty may come up later in the season. 

Dabb intimated that Chuck was inherently responsible for killing Mary when asked how the boys would respond to Jack. 

Dabb compared Chuck and John Winchester, claiming that Dean would have to break free of “conditioning.” Also, for Jack “there have been cosmic forces fighting for his attention since he was in the womb — and that will continue. As much as this season is about Sam and Dean finding agency, it’s also about Castiel finding agency, and it’s about Jack finding agency. As always, death is never the end. It’s just part of the journey and that’s certainly true with Jack.” 

Per Variety: At the outset of the season, the “Supernatural” foursome of Dean, Sam, Castiel and Jack are split up, but Dabb notes they won’t be for long because “ultimately this is a found family, and they have deep emotional bonds” that make up the most important part of the show.

Sam’s wound from the equalizer gives his powers/an advantage of some kind (per TVGuide)

Jack will be a critical part of the ending of the show

The cage/Adam is looking like it will be coming up for midseason

Shaving People, Punting Things: https://youtu.be/azTwku2uosA

In the cage, Micheal and Adam have formed a working relationship (MarySue)

Dean and Amara’s connection will be explored

There will be a bunker themed episode (MarySue)

According to Misha (Cinablend) Dean and Cas will have discord up to ep 8- which is the mid-season finale. 

At a convention, Jake Abel was asked to share two lies about Adam’s return and a truth. The said 1. Adam is not upset about hell 2. Adam kills someone 3. Adam bring someone back. I am assuming its the bring someone back (Micheal?)

In one of his cookbook interviews, Misha used the word “we” several times when talking about the final scene of Supernatural. He said that would be the last scene they shoot. It seemed to imply that he was in the scene, but that could be open to interpretation. 

The finale will air on Monday May 18th. The show will move to Mondays when it comes back on March 16th. It’s gotta come back either than that and go on a mini break or something, because that is not enough Mondays. 

Dabb mentioned that once Sam realizes what is going on with his connection to Chuck, he will reach out to people “some we expect and some not”

JaxCon spoilers: 

Misha said the ending was “happier than he expected” but also had some sadness. 

Misha mentioned that Claire will be mentioned on the show, but as of yet not appear. 

Jared mentioned April 5th as the date of filming the finale. 

Jensen said Dean will DANCE in an upcoming ep

Jensen reaffirmed his earlier spoiler about Dean/Cas reconciling, explaining why he has so much trouble with “that relationship” and that will “shed some light and then bruise some egos”

Episode 15x07

Title: Last Call

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: CLOSING TIME – Dean (Jensen Ackles) goes off on his own to take on a case. Meanwhile, Castiel (Misha Collins) has an idea of how he can help Sam (Jared Padalecki) track down God. Amyn Kaderali directed the episode written by Jeremy Adams (#1507). Original Airdate 12/5/2019.

Written by: Jeremy Adams

Director: Amyn Kaderali

Filming Dates:  9/26- 10/7

Airdate: Dec 5th

Photos: http://www.ksitetv.com/supernatural/supernatural-last-call-images-description-released/199736/nggallery/image/sn1507b_0301b/

Promo: https://youtu.be/ztvk50kN29A

Sneak Peak:

Castiel ? Yes Jack ? 

Guest stars: Shoshannah Stern

Other Spoilers/info :

Misha posted from set in new shoes- very shiny with well tailored pants. (The next day he posted in full Cas costume, so are the shoes a one off? Another outfit with new shoes?). 

Misha and Jensen made a video from set. I feel like if Jared was around he would have been in it since it was about money raised?  Maybe a Dean Cas scene?

There will be a battle scene in this that Jensen mentioned he was looking forward to and we would enjoy. 

After NJ Con, it appeared that Jensen returned to work, Jared and Misha stayed an extra day and then Misha went home. Misha only did about 2 days of filming. 

Jensen and Christian filmed at a bar called Swazey’s. This was the fight scene Jensen was referring to. 

At some point, Sam might be shirtless or we can see part of his chest- Jared had his anti-possession tattoo at the weekend convention.

Per TVGuide, Leo and Dean will have a wild night out in an effort for Dean to recapture his mojo. Dean will become the lead of a band called Dean and the Impalas, which is made up of Supernatural crew. 

Osric Chau popped over to set, but he is filming on Legends of Tomorrow in the same studio. Sebastin Roche also indicated he would come by, he is filming on Batgirl. Unfortunately, neither Kevin or Balthazar will appear in this one. 

Eileen is in the promo photos

 Episode 15x08

Title: Our Father Who Aren’t in Heaven

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: GOD BLESSES HIM WHO HELPS HIS BROTHER – Sam (Jared Padalecki), Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Castiel’s (Misha Collins) continued search for a way to defeat Chuck (guest star Rob Benedict) leads them to unexpected places and toward unlikely allies. Richard Speight, Jr. directed the episode written by Eugenie Ross-Leming & Brad Buckner (#1508). Original Airdate 12/12/2019.

Written by: Buckleming

Director: Speight

Filming Dates:  10/8- 10/18 (no filming 10/14 for Canadian Thanksgiving)

Airdate: 12/12

Photos: 

Promo:

Sneak Peak:

Castiel ? yes Jack ? 

Guest stars: Jake Abel, Shoshannah Stern

Other Spoilers/info:

Jake Abel posted a script with the caption “hell hath no fury like a brother scorned”

Shoshannah Stern was spotted on set- Eileen!

This will be the midseason finale

At BurCon, Misha mentioned Dean is still acting like “a dick” in the ep they were filming- which is this one. 

 pisode 15x09

Title: The Trap

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: 

Written by: Berens

Director: Singer

Filming Dates:  10/21-10/30

Airdate: 1/16?? 

Photos: 

Promo:

Sneak Peak:

Castiel ? I think not Jack ? maybe

Guest stars: Rob Benedict, Kim Rhodes, Jim Beaver

Other Spoilers/info:

Midseason premier episode

Misha was at home for the first week of filming, and I think the second. I don’t think he is in this. 

Alex and Rob were hanging out- Chuck and JACK?

Kim Rhodes posted in front of the SPN set and with her trailer- Jody looks very likely. She also had dyed hair and she has been rockin the grey for the past few Jody eps. Maybe a flashback/AU?

Jim Beaver posted from set- Bobby!

Jensen shared that in this episode, Dean will pray to Cas to “confess” why he has been treating Cas the way he has. Misha confirmed this in another interview and said tears would be shed- not sure who is doing the crying (besides me). 

Episode 15x10

Title: The Heroes’ Journey

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: 

Written by: Dabb

Director: Showalter

Filming Dates:  10/31- 11/12 (No filming for Veterans/Armistice Day)

Airdate: 1/23 ??

Photos: 

Promo:

Sneak Peak:

Castiel ? maybe briefly?  Jack ? 

Guest stars: 

Other Spoilers/info :

Misha texted some local fans from set in costume about an WA election, but after the convention was promoting his cookbook all over the place. I think he filmed 2 days, max. 

The story will be about Sam and Dean as heroes from the good and bad side (from MarySue)

At DCCon, Jensen shared that  this a bit of a wacky episode- Sam and Dean lose their abilities to fight, Dean gets cavities and Sam gets a cold. Jensen later seemed to refer to this ep when talking to TVGuide- mentioning the Impala will get a flat. 

 Episode 15x11

Title: The Gamblers

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: 

Written by: Davey Perez and Meredith Glynn

Director: Beeson

Filming Dates:  11/13-11/22 

Airdate: 1/30??

Photos: 

Promo:

Sneak Peak:

Castiel ? Jack ? 

Guest stars: 

Other Spoilers/info:

Misha and Jensen made a video for a fan that I think was filmed during the first day of shooting? Not for sure. So maybe Cas?? I’d love the king of social media to post publicly in costume to know for sure. The 2nd week of filming, I think he was away at least Wed-Friday. He’s been harder to track. 

Megan Fitzgerald (writer/showrunner’s assistant) and Emma Peterson (production office) were very excited about something in the dailies for this ep. 

They filmed at a church and a park in Surry according to YRShoots. 

 Episode 15x12

Title: Galaxy Brain

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: 

Written by: Bobo Berens AND Meredith Glynn

Director: Speight

Filming Dates:12/2-!2/11 (?) The production office tweeted they have a week off for Thanksgiving

Airdate:  2/6??

Photos: 

Promo:

Sneak Peak:

Castiel ? Jack ? 

Guest stars: 

Other Spoilers/info:

 Episode 15x13

Title: Destiny’s Child

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: 

Written by: 

Director: 

Filming Dates: 

Airdate: 2/13 (??)

Photos: 

Promo:

Sneak Peak:

Castiel ? Jack ? 

Guest stars: 

Other Spoilers/info:

I think there will be a hiatus after this ep which will lead into the switch to Mondays

#supernatural #spn spoilers #supernatural spoilers #spn season 15 #spoiler sheet