#second show in as many seasons where there's just A Burger on a poster in the background

[burgers-in-anime]

Bartender: Glass of God, episode 4: "A Bar's Secret Ingredient - The Face of a Martini" (2024)

#bartender #bartender glass of god #2020s #2024 #anime #burger #second show in as many seasons where there's just A Burger on a poster in the background #this barely counts #someone order a damn burger!!

[eyrieofsynapses]

First Thoughts on YJ S4 Panel

WARNING: SPOILERS for the DC Fandome YJ S4 panel!

Okay, before I start chattering away, can I just saw how much I love this title poster? Because I love it. LOOK AT IT. LOOK AT HOW BADASS IT IS. 

Warning: this first bit is a teeny bit ranty, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t genuinely love the panel. It was really fun, but I have a few gripes with the amount of information we got. If you wanna cut straight to the cheery bits, check under the cut.

So... uh. I’m not gonna say I’m disappointed? Because I’m not, this was good, we got info, it was nice to see the voice actors. But I’m... underwhelmed. I definitely wasn’t expecting a lot but this was still, mm, not as much as I thought we’d get. No poster, no previews of character designs, not a peep as to when we’re getting the new season, nothing on where it’ll be streaming, nothing as to new characters, nothing as to who’s going to be the villain, and the Q&A session was maaaayyybe 3 minutes long. Oof, guys. Thought you said you’d leave us with something that’d leave us “more than just ‘whelmed.’” 

Essentially all we got was the title, and a few snippets of information regarding what the current status of the Team and its characters is. They didn’t really get the chance to talk to us at all about the actual season, either- I think Brandon spoke maaaybe three or four times? He got the title reveal, but, well, we knew that already, not that it’s their fault, but still. I love hearing the voice actors chat about their experiences and we got none of that, so that was disappointing. I’m wondering if there wasn’t some material cut, actually, because I distinctly recall seeing a clip on Twitter with Phil Lamarr talking about what it was like returning to the show, and it wasn’t in this. So what’s the deal, DC? Short-changing us on YJ again? When are we gonna get some actual news? 

There is the little problem that their big reveal of the title was spoiled, oh, maybe three or four months ago, and that isn’t their fault, but it does make that revelation more of an “okay, well, glad that’s confirmed” rather than an “OH MY GODS IT’S PHANTOMS WHAAAAAAAT” like I think they were hoping. Still, that’s definitely exciting to hear, and the new title poster looks cool. 

I got a “WHAT!!!” moment maaayybe three times, which is significantly less than I thought I would. There just wasn’t that much new info. But I think that’s less of a Grandon/production team problem and more of a world state and DC problem. I’m not annoyed at them, I’m annoyed at DC and at the pandemic, because I’m willing to bet their snippet was cut short by DC and what information they could’ve revealed just isn’t ready yet because of current events. Probably we would’ve gotten character designs if it weren’t for that.

As for the audio play, it was pretty good. They were definitely struggling what with having a distinct lack of people to pull from for a voice cast, but made some tongue-in-cheek references to it to take off the edge. I don’t think I realized just how many people voice for YJ until now... or how many characters each actor does. It’s a bit janky, and weird what with the arguing over who’s narrating the story (why, are they telling us the story, or are they telling it to someone else? Are you breaking the fourth wall, are you not? Make yourselves clear) but I’m blaming that on the fact that they’re more used to scripts than they are audio plays. These are different mediums, so there’s an inherent gap there; this probably would’ve gone better as an actual episode. 

So, FIRST watch-through, here’s my HAPPY cheery thoughts and reactions, in no particular order! I might do a second one later, we’ll see. (Under the cut, because it’s long.)

Return of Bowhunter Security! 

Clipboard makes a comeback!

The Supermartian marriage has taken place and they’re making reference to taking a long journey with Conner, M’gann, Bioship, Gar and J’onn. So... Mars? Do we finally get to see Mars?  

Forager gets to be sassy! And a hilarious narrator! Which, c’mon, it’s Jason Spisak, honestly, I don’t know what I expected.

Ahahah, Jason makes the most delightful faces when he’s voicing Forager. (And a few flubs, but he’s good at covering them.) We all miss Wally, but man, he does a good job with this character. Also, hey, that’s how he does the clicks!

Rocket! Even though she had a relatively minimal presence, sigh. I’m hoping they build her character more this time, she always get short-changed. 

ARTEMIS IS LEADING THE TEAM, repeat, ARTEMIS IS LEADING THE TEAM!!! YES!!! 

And she also makes a reference at some point to being in this fight for ten years, which, HMM, do I hear a reference point for our time jump? They started back in 2010, so this implies that the season’s caught up to 2020. So... season one was 2010, season two was 2016, season three was... 2018, I think? So does this make the next time jump two years too, or am I off? It also takes place on February 23rd. Eh, either way, it’s absolutely not as long as a lot of people were fearing- heck, I’m thinking this might be the shortest jump yet. Yay!

I’m not sure if the Snapper Carr dialogue is cringy or hilarious. I’m going with hilarious because I’m betting this would’ve been great if it were animated. It definitely loses something without the animation. 

Is... is Crispin Freeman playing four characters? Five? Will, Roy, Jim, Captain Boomerang... I think I’m missing someone, I’m gonna have to go back and rewatch this later, but wow. He switches between them so fluidly, too, that’s impressive.

Forget Freeman for a hot second, Nolan North, what are you doing, dude? Conner, Clayface, Mallah, at least one or two others, with a LOT of animal noises included... wow, okay. I definitely didn’t realize how many of these guys do two or three characters. 

Phil Lamarr doing Brick, Black Manta and Kaldur all at once is definitely impressive. I’m gonna take a guess and say he likes doing Brick best. He seems to get a little grin sometimes when he’s playing the character.

Ahhh, Danica McKellar definitely likes playing Terrence Terror. Don’t ask me why, I’m just getting that feeling watching her. Villains are fun to play.

...Wolf? Where’s Wolf? Uhh, guys? Where’s our fluffy doggo? Don’t tell anyone but I’m scared. 

Oooookay, that was unexpectedly gruesome. Dehydrating a man into sand? I mean, okay, it’s Clayface, but we didn’t know that till later. Eeeewww. Y’all, ik you’re going more dark, but that wasn’t an image anyone needed.

Jokes about Dadbod!Will are... hhh, cringy or funny, cringy or funny... I’m going sorta funny for now. Not enough to make me laugh, but enough to make me smile. 

Okay, Will’s definitely still hilarious. Literally that entire scenario with Captain Boomerang was amazing, and only made better by the fact that it was entirely Crispin Freeman. The “are you the Green Arrow fanclub president or something?” “...you have no idea” moment, the “boomerangs are better and Batman said so!” “...okay, FINE,” FLINGING CLIPBOARD, Boomerang teasing Will for his dadbod and Will answering with a wicked uppercut... ah, man. This is 100% Roy/Will Harper and I am here for it. 

I can see some people disliking this humor, but personally, I’m gonna just sit back and enjoy it. YJ has some quirky humor, but honestly, if you’re part of the fandom and you don’t like it, why are you even here?

Huh, Raquel’s a vegan and nobody’s making jokes about vegan burgers? Nice!

Oh, my gods, Forager deciding that Lian and Amistad playing with the food is an educational activity is AMAZING, 100% in character, and something I really, really want to see. 

(Fanartists? Fanartists, pleeeeaaasse?)

Will and Artemis ribbing each other will never get old.

...wait. Hang on. Is Will the comedic relief character now along with Forager? Is this a thing? I guess it is. If you’d asked me who out of the original Team would replace Wally as the comedic relief back when I had finished the second season, I would not have thought of him first, but I think I’m good with this. It’s definitely in character to his comic version. 

Ahh, Conner and M’gann’s relationship is still... interesting. Still not sure how to feel on this one. But hey, they’re married (?) now? Uh... nice? 

Nightwing’s off on some mysterious mission, hmm? I’m assuming that’s because of Jesse McCartney not being there, but I think I’m gonna headcanon that there are Other reasons for this. 

Yay, Clayface getting redemption! I love this in the Rebirth Batman: Detective Comics, so I’m 100% down for seeing it here. 

Tim did that for Clayface! Sweet! Not a plot thread I expected to go anywhere from that one season three episode, but one I am very happy to see used. 

...more secrets. Uhh, M’gann keeping secrets from Conner is... icky... again... but granted, keeping them because of confidentiality agreements is, well, a better excuse than she’s had in the past. Still, this is getting old.

Huh, so Waller will let out the Team’s secrets if they tell anyone about Belle Reve. I think this was already covered in the third season, but maybe not so explicitly. The reactions... hmm. Of course Conner’s okay with letting out all their secrets (and M’gann’s willing to... go along with that? ...okay...?), but the others, maybe not so much? Hmm. I wonder what Dick would have to say about that one. He definitely has something to lose. Not sure about Kaldur or Artemis, though. 

Jason did NOT get to make any Wally references. That makes me even sadder than if he did make one that made all of us cry. C’mon, guys. Let him have his references. 

I’m always a little meh on M’gann, but hey, M’gann gets to be a 100% certified badass! Saving Clayface AND taking down a ton of baddies with telekinesis, yay!

Oh, my gods. LOOPHOLES. WHAT IS WITH THIS TEAM AND LOOPHOLES. I love them so much.

The Team signing on as Bowhunter Security- oh my gods, all of the Team in fucking Bowhunter Security uniforms- oh my gods, so very in-character, so very true to YJ, so absolutely goddamn hilarious, I wanna hug whoever came up with that. That is the BEST mental image and it is a CRIME that they didn’t animate that. 

And, of course, Kaldur just immediately goes along with it. The Team’s corrupted him fully now. I mean, we knew that, but he’s done now. 

Black Manta attempting to roast Kaldur for his security uniform and Kaldur roasting him back 100 times worse is wonderful. “I wear my dignity on the inside, Father. Where do you wear yours?” KALLIE I LOVE YOU 

Ooooo, Artemis is inviting Roy to the Team? This should be interesting. He’s definitely not totally stable, but it seems to me that Artemis should be able to more or less keep him in check. Hopefully. She had to deal with Wally for five years, surely she can keep Roy in check?

...hmm. We’re all thinking there’s gonna be a Red Hood arc... Roy’s joining the team... Roy and Jason did have that run as the Outlaws in the comics with Kory... and this version of Roy has the sort of temper and attitude that I can just see Jason possibly getting along well with... hmmmmmmmm... 

Hah, villain shenanigans. Having Task Force X argue all the time is in character and admittedly sort of funny, especially as Black Manta’s sort of pulling a Kaldur and playing the absolutely exasperated denmother. I dislike BM thanks to him being a Baddie and all, but watching (listening to?) him struggle to contain them is enjoyable if only because I like watching him suffer. 

Ahh, watching the VAs is fun. It’s definitely nice to see that little view behind the camera. There’s the little smiles, the tiny grimaces at the icky bits, the responses to various bits, the way their demeanor changes with each character, everyone egging Nolan on when he’s yelling for Clayface being disintegrated... I’m sad we didn’t get to see them chat, but watching them interact while they work is fun. Pity Jason and Stephanie didn’t really have any interactions, though, I bet watching them work together would’ve been fun. Ah well. Still fun overall.

There’s a lot of variation in where they are/what setups they have. Some of them seem to have proper studios, some of them don’t but they have mics, Danica’s on the lower bunk of her son’s room with what I’m betting are several sheets hung behind her, and then... well, then there’s poor Stephanie with earbuds and what I’m betting is her phone at her friend’s house XD Also, Greg’s library is really awesome, can I steal it please?

Green title card... I know people have been positing this for a while, but Lazarus Pit? Also, the thing people haven’t talked about: Mars?! Is this a nod to the Martians, since M’gann, Conner, Gar and J’onn seem to be going there? 

Lots of speculation regarding Phantoms, but that’s been going around for a while, so *shrug* I’m not gonna spend any time on that for now.

Someone’s gonna have to write this out, methinks, for further examination. We’ll see if I get around to doing that or not before Fandome ends. I’m betting someone will record it and post it on YouTube, but a written-out version of the script would be useful. If I do, I’ll probably post it, so keep an eye out. 

So... season 3.9, episode 1? Hmm. Does this come directly prior to the fourth season? I kinda wanna say it does.

I have more thoughts, but I think I need to do a rewatch first, maybe in a little bit. Anyway... not what I was expecting, I sincerely miss Dick and Wally, but lots of funny jokes all the same, and lots of interesting information on the fourth season even if it’s nowhere near the amount we wanted. I might be underwhelmed but I’m certainly not disappointed. 

#dc fandome #dc fandome reactions #Young Justice #young justice cartoon #young justice: phantoms #phantoms #young justice season 4 #PHANTOMS IS CONFIRMED #underwhelmed but still feeling the aster #BRING WALLY BACK PLEASE #and no we're not gonna shut up about that

[ficsinhistory]

BH6 Season 3 predictions  #1

(this is gona be lowkey long post!) All right, here we go. I'll basically start my predictions here, with a base on the title of each episode and when we have synopsis, I will see what is right and create new theories.

First off, I think the two  episodes will work together. That is, the stories can kind of complement each other, some points of one being used in others. Second, we still have the points of the second season like: Sirque and the portal, Hardlight, Di and Chris than will be used later in this season.

The Hyper-Potamus Pizza-Party-Torium

This is the first episode of the third season, and apparently the only one with 22 minutes and I have very interesting ideas for this one. That will be our introductory chapter of the season that I think will be over the summer. I also think it will be the place where the Noodle Burger Boy will get the new family since he is a place, this one:

And before you ask, no. I don't think it's just him being the villain. We will have several others and I think that the arc is much larger having the noodle Burger Boy as a starting point-aka- Disney is fool us and this is the synopsis only of the many sides of the season.

Anyway ... what I can theorize about the main plot of the episode is that it shows how the gang is after graduation, Hiro adapting to everything and NBB, what he intends and the chaos that ensues; plus mentions of Trina, Obake, Megan and Cheif Cruz. Besides Tadashi, of course.

We also have a screenshot that I think comes from here:

Honey Lemon is afraid of hippos and this may be a subplot in the episode. We also can have a mention of Hardlight by video games in place, which can be used later, and even a reference to Fnaf! You know, animatronic in a pizzeria, Honey may have gotten a job there for some reason, after all she graduated, job is difficult and she may be in need of money and voila! A reference and subplot! And  a hippo animatronic!

I also theorize that the place was built by Krei to profit from college students and students in the summer. After all, a pizzeria is the ideal place for such a plan. We have everything, the palm trees that symbolize summer, the place being pretty fun and what it seems to be on the beach (please be it, I've always wanted to see the beach of San Fransokyo), outside the scientific theme that would easily attract science nerds. Being one, I would. Maybe Granville shows up here for both that and another reason.

The other reason in question is a theory, which I very much wanted to be true: Karmi will appear in this episode working on Pizza-Party-Torium.

Legacies gave a lead and Haley Tju, The voiceactor of Karmi, was confirmed for the third season. I think even if she doesn't have big roles during this part of the season, she will become a much more recurring and present character. Legacies shows it in the room full of SFIT posters, which leads me to believe that Karmi has already returned to the city in that ep.

Now why she's working there is the most fun to theorize. Karmi did not live in the city before coming, perhaps to return after all what happend, she agreed with her parents to work to support herself . Or maybe, it's a way for her to get distracted and spend the summer until the semester comes back, and even prove to her parents that maybe she managed to leave the past and can take care of herself. Anyway I think, even not the main point of the episode, I have a feeling. After all, we already know that she likes children and being a prodigy of science, she would have a profile of an employee in a place like that.

Either way, this episode will be full of hugs and I'm crazy about it.

Mayor for a day / The Dog Craze of Summer

And here we have the first double episode and if my theory that the episodes are going to have a lead wire that is going to connect both, this is going to be fun.

For Mayor for a Day, I think we have a screenshot that in that case would be this

And if it really is, it will be a Fred-centric episode. Another one, again. However, we can take out fun situations and I wonder what could happen with Fred being mayor for a day. Maybe he won some contest or something. I hope Mole get ready.

Already The dog Craze of Summer will almost certainly be the episode in which Gogo and Honey Lemon adopt a dog, as was shown in a trailer. Then it will be a Gogo and Honey-centric episode. And without a doubt, fun. And his name will be Pablo!

Trading Chips / Mini Noodle Burger Max

Here is one of the examples I wanted to bring about the complementary episodes. Trading Chips maybe bring Hardlight since this sounds a lot like a video game term. And whatever happens in this episode will be the catalyst for Mini Noodle Burger Max. We have a sample here

that sure and NBB, Mini Max and Baymax changing body. If you pass the cafe, we'll have a strong presence of Aunt Cass. And this will be fun XD

A Friendly Face / Big Chibi 6

Contrary to popular belief, as I said before, I think in a Friendly Face, Karmi will have already been introduced to the series. And the episode will be nothing more, nothing less about: OLIVIA! And, if I'm right, then we'll probably have, Fred, Mole, plus, more personally, Honey Lemon and Karmi as well. It should spin on comic lathes and fandons, probably. If I'm wrong, it must be Karmi's turn.

And we have, Of course, Big Chibi 6! Which should surely follow Karmi and her fanfics. However, I get the impression that instead of being more about Karmi following on from her passion for Captain Cute and her obsession in general. That would be a big step of maturing her and it will be really cool to see.

Cobra and Mongoose / Better Off Fred

Ah, the last two known episodes!

In Cobra and Mongoose, we'll probably meet the first of the new villains: Cobra. They have been described as "a charming and crafty villain", which can yield very intense and interesting scenes.

Better Off Fred. We'll probably see someone richer than Fred and maybe even giving up being super hero.

All right, those were my predictions! If you have ideas, please share and see you next time.

#big hero 6 the series #big hero 6 #bh6 the series #bh6 #big hero six #big hero six the series #hiro hamada #karmi #honey lemon

[frederator-studios]

Bryan Caselli: The Frederator Interview

Bryan Caselli is a Storyboard Artist, Writer and Renaissance Faire enthusiast. Following tenure on top-notch cartoons including Star vs. the Forces of Evil and Sanjay and Craig, ‘twas our good fortune when he set sail to Costume Quest as co-Executive Producer, with a treasure trove of story skillz in tow. Here, Bryan provides his advice to young artists, fav things about Costume Quest, and remarkably realistic take on a 17th century Swashbuckler and his Mer-Lassy.

When did you know that you wanted a career in animation?

My friends and family were alway super supportive of my drawing when I was little, but I got really focused on art in high school. I had an amazing teacher named Kevin McGovern who encouraged me to apply to the California State Summer School for the Arts. CSSSA was a four week residency arts summer program on CalArts’ campus featuring many different disciplines. I studied in the animation department, and it was like I finally found my people. After those four weeks, I knew I wanted to work in animation, and I wanted to go to school at CalArts. There was no turning back.

(Every day is Halloween for the CQ crew! But this day was actually Halloween.)

Where are you from, and how did you chart your path to CalArts?

I'm originally from Sacramento, California. It's a legitimately sized city, but it still has a small town vibe that's warm and welcoming. I applied to CalArts straight out of high school, but didn't get in on my first try. I actually didn't apply to any other schools. My plan was to just apply again the next year, but my mom secretly applied for me to CSU Sacramento as a somewhat, "What if he doesn't get into CalArts for ten years?" worst case scenario backup plan. After swallowing the tough pill of not getting into my dream school, I took a collection of figure drawing, portrait drawing, painting, and art history classes at both Sac State and Sac City college. I didn't stay long enough to earn a degree. Luckily, I was accepted into CalArts the following year.

How did you decide you wanted to storyboard and write?

I got into animation thinking I wanted to be a character designer. It seemed to be the most glamorous position at the time, but I found out quickly that you have to be an exceptional draftsman to do that job, which I'm not. I fell in love with the story department in my 3rd and 4th years at CalArts. I had some awesome teachers who really set me on the path that I'm on now.

What do you love most about the job?

I can't get enough of stuff like mythic structure, archetypal symbolism, and fable storytelling. I really get excited by just how universal storytelling is. It can connect you with anyone. That's easily my favorite part of my work.

What was your first job in animation or art, and how’d you land it?

I interned on Regular Show. I actually went in to interview for a different show, but on my way out, I ran into Ben Adams, the Regular Show character designer and my former classmate. He told me to blow those other guys off and come work with him. He introduced me to Regular Show's Producer, Janet Dimon, and we really hit it off. She offered me the position soon after that. At the end of my internship, I pitched the storyboards for my student film, Scout Wars. After the pitch, someone from development came up to me and said, "You need to pitch this upstairs." That's how I got my second gig.

The show was never produced, but getting paid to develop my original concept that early in my career really set in stone my desire to run a show of my own some day. I even got to work with our future Costume Quest Art Director, Ricky Cometa, on the development poster.  After that, I did about a year and a half of full-time freelance, which eventually lead me to work with the creators of Sanjay and Craig on some of their punk side projects. I really liked working with those guys, so when they asked me to come on Sanjay, it was an easy choice.

That’s awesome. Was Sanjay the first show you wrote and boarded for? How is it to work on a board driven show?

Yep, Sanjay was the first TV show that I got to write and storyboard on. Both writing and storyboarding is really demanding, but it's also really rewarding. Nick Bachman (Costume Quest's previously interviewed Supervising Producer) was my Storyboard Director on Sanjay, and we really clicked as a team. Sanjay and Craig was a perfect show to be board driven because it was super cartoony and there were very few rules. It was a great opportunity for board teams to have their specific voices heard. When you watch an episode of Sanjay and Craig you can pretty much spot which teams did which episodes from a mile away.

How was writing on Star vs the Forces of Evil - is it board driven too?

Writing on Star was an awesome change of pace coming off of Sanjay. Daron Nefcy was a great leader to work for, and I became really close with my fellow writers. It was board driven, which made the transition from storyboarding to outline writing a lot more of a doable task for me. I was comfortable in that kind of production pipeline and pretty much knew what would be expected of me as a writer. The coolest part about working on Star was that it was a seasonally arcing, somewhat mythic story. It was so cool to get to craft a large story over multiple episodes. I took a lot of lessons learned writing on Star and brought them with me to the writers' room on Costume Quest.

Is it odd being a bit of a ~star~ yourself, considering you have a whole fan page and everything?!

Oh boy, having a fan wiki page is a strange feeling. It's really cool to be apart of a show that has such a passionate fanbase, but honestly I don't want to be a star. Star Butterfly is the star of Star.  

You’re Costume Quest’s co-Executive Producer. What does the job entail? 

Being the co-EP on Costume Quest means I, along with the rest of our leadership team, am responsible to supervise just about every stage of production. From writing to storyboarding, animatics to art, voice acting and voice casting, logo design, score, sound effects, the list goes on and on. I got to script a handful of episodes. Nick and I storyboarded the first episode. Occasionally I do some (very rough) first pass character designs. I also draw story board punch-ups and animation redline revisions on the episodes I direct. I direct the first story of each of Costume Quest's two part episodes, and Nick directs the second story. Beyond that I mainly keep my eye on the larger narrative of the show, making sure everything is tonally consistent and the story threads line up. If every person that works on this show is making one tree, I try to make sure the forest is working as a whole. I do my best not to force any artist to execute their assignments exactly as I would have, but instead, encourage them to showcase their personal artistic voices.

How have you enjoyed working on Costume Quest, and what do you like most about the show?

Working on Costume Quest has been my favorite gig yet. I am really grateful to Will (McRobb), Kevin (Kolde), and Eric (Homan) for bringing me onboard. I'm super proud of how much the show grows across the first season. The scale, the emotional stakes, and the world building just get bigger and bigger with every episode. Beyond that, having the chance to lead a team has been incredibly rewarding. Our whole crew is so talented, and they are all so supportive of the show. It has really meant a lot to me to learn that these people, who I respect tremendously, are happy to come in to work every day and are proud to help tell this story. I can't overstate how good it feels to know I have a creatively and professionally satisfied crew.

Do you have a favorite character on CQ?

I love all four of the main kids, but my favorite character really is Norm. I always say that he's a cross between Fred Flintstone and Santa Clause. He's such an emotionally vulnerable character, and he's got some great reveals attached to his backstory. Fred Tatasciore also does some incredible voice acting as Norm, so if this show only gets one award ever, it should go to Fred's performance.

Since developing Scout Wars, have you gone out pitching other original ideas?

I’ve pitched Scout Wars and a handful of other show ideas around to the big studios, but when Costume Quest came about, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to learn everything I needed to about the responsibilities of a show runner—without the added emotional pressure of having the show be about my childhood, or my relationship with my father, or whatever. I have a handful of ideas in my back pocket that I'm eager to start pitching again whenever Costume Quest comes to a close.

What are your favorite cartoons?

Not including the shows I've worked on: original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman the Animated Series, Justice League/Justice League Unlimited, Doug, Hey Arnold!, SpongeBob, Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, Archer, Flintstones, the Peanuts specials, and the original Power Rangers gets a non-cartoon honorable mention because the the influence that show had on me and Costume Quest is pretty undeniable.

What is your advice to people who want to write and/or storyboard for animation? 

Study the craft as hard as you can. It's not about networking, or Internet likes, or whatever. If you get as good as you possibly can at the craft, you'll be golden. Take any job that will hire you. Once you get any position anywhere, if you show everyone you work with just how dedicated you are, people will take notice, and they'll want to help you.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I really love hosting backyard BBQ's and parties at my place. My friends tease me that I'd rather they come to me than I go anywhere else pretty much 100% of the time. You can find me most Sunday mornings at any of the LA flea markets with my girlfriend, Madison, looking for more knick knacks to put up in our place. Also, I take my Renaissance Faire costuming pretty seriously. Yearly upgrades are planned months in advance. My mom always sewed my Halloween costumes growing up, so costumes somehow became a thing I really like to do. I guess it's fitting that Costume Quest came my way.

Have anything to say to future fans of Costume Quest?

Watch it again! We did our best to set up, pay off, and foreshadow as much as possible in the season so it would be fun to rewatch. There are a lot of little easter eggs in there. I hope fans enjoy it. ☆

No doubt, they will. Thank you for the interview Bryan, and for your fantastic work on Costume Quest!  Follow Bryan on Instagram.

- Cooper ☆

#The Frederator Interview #costume quest #star vs #star vs the forces of evil #sanjay and craig #frederator #cartoon #nickelodeon #disney #animation #writer #producer #interview #artist #new cartoon #costume #cosplay

[riboku]

How do you feel about Voltron's new season?

christ why would you ask this lmao it’s not like i post my opinions on here on a regular basis??? anyway this gives me a good opportunity to rant tho so

1. HAHA okay let’s just get the big fucking issue out right here but i was absolutely mad with how they marketed this season based on lgbt rep! this has been said before (and probably better lmao) by other people, but what they did was in extremely poor taste and is pretty low tbh. they hyped up and marketed that voltron would have lgbt rep in this season, and hyped up adam as a character, then were so incredibly vague about it and didn’t confirm anything on screen and killed adam off lmao.

anywAY this ended up fucking long and i threw in some positives i enjoyed from the season at the end of this post, but this is 95% a big fucking long rant about the issues i have with this season so it’s going under a read more!!

and like, before i get into this more i’ve also seen people mad about people getting mad which is ??? but the most common things i’m seeing people saying are ‘stop being mad your ship didn’t happen!!!,’ ‘it doesn’t matter what happened shiro is still gay so there is still rep,’ ‘this is NOT queerbaiting guys! -insert screenshot of dictionary definition-,’ and 'they’re at WAR guys people die during a war’

okay. one lmao how tf did this get to a point where people think it is a ship issue because it’s not. idgaf about shipping or who ends up with who, i will likely be indifferent regardless! do not give a shit! not about shipping! nobody is talking about shipping??? also this could have LITERALLY been avoided mostly by the insertion of a few words. they could have gone with something as simple as 'if you do this, the wedding’s off. i won’t be here when you get back’ bam. insta confirmation! no vagueness there! and then like, not unecessarily kill a gay character off for no reason lol. what happened here is an issue with largely how this was marketed vs how they delivered. they marketed the fact they’d have lgbt rep pretty extensively. and adam! they talked about how we were going to meet adam this season. hyped him and him and shiro’s former relationship up in their promo materials and posters. like, this doesn’t happen on its own lmao. this was a conscious marketing decision that they went with beforehand knowing that they were not going to confirm anything on screen and knowing that they were going to kill adam off. and like, if you need an analogy to get this??? let’s say some fast food place does a whole campaign on how their burgers are made of REAL beef. maybe they don’t specifically say 100% beef, maybe they do, w/e, but they hype the fact that their burgers are real beef and not fake stuff like crazy and their consumers hop on that. then you get there and it’s like. 35% beef. people are mad! is it still made of beef? well, yeah. but they have misrepresented themselves a bit here and probably should have never said anything in the first place. bad business move. and as far as hyping up adam??? that’s like coming up with a new product line and deciding to axe it. BUT ADVERTISING IT ANYWAY. lol. and then people are upset with the company when they go to buy it. literally does not make sense. like, regardless of what you expected to go down with these characters or how you feel about them or literally anything, this was a conscious decision on their part and they should have not marketed it like this.

as far as shiro still being confirmed gay, yes that is true and great! but it still wasn’t confirmed on screen and not the issue at hand here! the issue is still how they marketed lgbt rep for this season without really delivering and killed off a gay character without reason. if your issue is the use of the word queerbaiting then lmao okay, whatever, maybe it’s not the most 100% accurate use of the word idc but that is a semantics issue and is deflecting the issue at hand here. like if you wanted to sum up the issue with all this in one fucking word that would be pretty accurate and the closest thing to describe what happened! like come on guys i work in advertising but this??? is not that hard of a concept to understand. they utilized lgbt rep in their marketing for this season. if you’re marketing something, that content has to be targeted towards a certain audience. if you are marketing lgbt rep, your target audience is likely going to be - shocker - the lgbt community lmao. AND FINALLY if you’re going with the 'people die in war’ thing like. okay. yup. that happens. from a marketing perspective though, it’s still dumb to advertise a character and then kill them off. like, if you’re using a cHARACTER in your ads you uh. generally expect people to feel something for that character lmao otherwise there is no point, and seeing as how many fanfics and fanart and shit popped up of adam before the season even aired??? def a lot of attachment there. so literally if they had done this with any other character it would have been stupid? but doing this to a gay character is a whole other mess of worms and is in very poor taste! fucking stop killing off gay characters for no good reason, it’s a gross trope with a long history behind it! also unless something is plot related and done well, there is literally no point for killing off your characters lmao. doesn’t matter if it’s war, it’s just shock value at that point. that scene was a couple of seconds at most, and literally nothing about the season would have changed without it. moot point. this is not a case of character death that has moved the plot significantly or significantly affected the story or the character.

like, as a queer person i’m mad and very disappointed. do i still like the show and its characters? yeah. did i enjoy the season? yeah. will i still watch it? yeah. but this whole thing was still a fucking mess lol. that being said, some positives:

2. lmao ok that gameshow episode gave me serious ergo proxy flashbacks to when they did the whole 'i’m suddenly and inexplicably on a magical gameshow hosted by a weird entity with my life on the line??’ deal

3. hunk development???? good and it’s about time, star of the season tbh. i really hope they continue with the diplomat angle for him!

4. pleasantly surprised by ezor and zethrid, now let’s hope they’re not fucking dead lmao

5. atlas was uh. weird? weird.

6. granted i stayed up all night to watch this so my perception by the point i got there was uhhhh but the finale was odd and kinda fell flat, especially in comparison to how much of an impact last season’s had. that being said, the season overall was pretty enjoyable?

7. sorry but during the whole time they were drifting through space in their lions i just kept thinking 'where is kaltenecker tho’ and then at first i thought acxa had went with them so then i was wondering where tf she was too and my sleep deprived brain’s beautiful answer to that question was 'wait what if acxa is with kaltenecker???’ yeah.

8. matt’s new design looks gr8 but it looked pretty familiar and again, sleep deprived brain was like 'oh my god he looks like discount space judeau’ so hope you know that

9. V E R O N I C A also i really super enjoyed the earth team!!! like idk how i feel about james yet because they went pretty hard on painting him as a jackass as a child lmao so i’m positive but also on the fence about him, but i adored the others and i hope we see more of all of them!! ALSO ROMELLE loved her to death too. and the cosmic wolf. yes.

10. okay so as soon as shiro got his new arm my first thought was 'i bet him and sendak are going to have a floaty arm showdown’ and i was very glad to be right

#dumb text post #voltron spoilers #i'm sorry if you have the voltron tag specifically blocked lol but i'm not putting this in the main tag #Anonymous

[hobiwan-kanobi]

Got7 - Gives You The Silent Treatment

Not Requested

Mark Tuan

He has been giving you the silent treatment due to the slightly friendly conversation you had with a male cashier at one of the shoppettes at the theme park. You had to admit you weren’t flirting for Mark to actually talk to you again. He wasn’t the one to ignore you, but the guy was overly friendly and was obviously trying to get your number which bothered him. Yet, you decided to keep it going since he was basically scolding you over text and thought it was cute. At the end, it got boring and you ended up apologizing and the smile of his face came back. 'You're too cute for me to ignore.'

Im Jaebum

While on a trip to California, the two of you decided to go out on a date to one of the most popular restaurants that were only known in the state. In-N-Out. While there, you decided it would be best to share some fries with JB without him knowing and just ordered a milkshake and a burger. When the order was ready and placed in front of you, you knowingly reached over and grabbed a couple frenchfries from his tray. JB stared at you with wide eyes before picking up his tray moving to the table next to you. You couldn’t help but laugh as he pouted while eating his food while giving you the silent treatment that wouldn’t last very long. 'These are my fries. It's not my fault you didn't order any.' JB mumbled.

Jackson Wang

You and Jackson always bickered about the smallest things such as; a water bottle, blankets, color schemes, outfits, and many other items that caused unnecessary arguments. Today, the both of you had went to far on one of those types of arguments (started with a poster) and Jackson ended up pretending you weren’t there all the way back to the house despite you saying his name repeatedly and running around him. Jackson ended up tackling you onto the couch smothered you until you agreed to buy that poster. 'Fine you big baby. I'll get it for you!'

Park Jinyoung

It was another night out with the guys and Jinyoung had invited you to tag along since it’s been awhile you two actually relaxed with them together. Sitting across from each other, You and Jinyoung would casually play footsies under the table which happened every time you two went out. Only this time, you had gotten distracted by Youngjae who had been wanting to talk to you for the longest time about a song he has been writing. Jinyoung noticed this and ended up glaring at you the whole time you spoke to Youngjae. It took you a couple seconds to feel his gaze and once you made eye contact you couldn’t help but snort and take a snap. 'Awe. Don't worry pouty face. I'll pay attention to you when we get back to your room.' You winked.

Choi Youngjae

It was cold season which meant you were bound to get sick at some point due to your sucky immune system. It has been two days since you fell ill and had been feeling quite better due to your mom brewing you up some nice tea. You had promised Youngjae to met him at the studio for lunch that day, so you got all nice and snug with warm clothing before heading out. Once you got there, Youngjae screamed out your name and greeted you with a hug. When you took off you mask, he leaned in for a kiss only for you to turn and have his lips connect with your cheek. Knowing Youngjae, he pouted and sat at the table thinking about what he had done for you not to kiss him. The pout soon turned to a surprised and worried look minutes later when you stated you had a cold and didn’t want to get him sick. 'I'm so sorry Jagiya. I didn't know. I'll take care of you. Okay?'

Kunpimook Bhuwakul (BamBam)

BamBam had wanted to spend some quiet time with you after being placed on a one month long break from his busy schedule. It has been awhile since the two of you were intimate and it was a stress reliever since you had school and him being an idol. While kissing passionately in the safety of his room and he was getting ready to strip from his clothing, you ended up ruining the moment by laughing at his ringtone when it rang out. His reaction; leaving to the living room and giving you the silent treatment. It didn’t last long once you apologized and kissed him. 'Now. I'm going to show you something that won't be funny at all.' He chuckled.

Kim Yugyeom

The guys often stated that the two of you were made for each other since you were both as stubborn as a rock. It had become known to both of your families that when both of you wanted something, none of you ended up getting it due to the fact that the arguments would get you nowhere. It usually ended up being 50/50 when the others were around to help sort out the situation. It was one of those days that Yugyeom had wanted to go to an certain ice cream parlor while you wanted to go to a coffee shop for some hot chocolate. The silence and pouts lasted for five minutes until you realized why he wanted to go to the ice cream parlor in the first place. ‘Jagi! Are you taking me to the ice cream parlor where we first met?’ He continued to ignore you all the way there.

#got7 scenarios #got7 boyfriend #got7 snaps #got7 mark #got7 jb #got7 jackson #got7 jinyoung #got7 youngjae #got7 bambam #got7 yugyeom

[fapangel]

MSM is spinning the proposed immigration reform as a reduction of legal immigration from the Obama era but I've been unable to find numbers of whether there was an increase during the Obama administration. Nonetheless, I do think a point based system for entry to allow for more skilled immigrant to come is overall a better move for the US rather than just a simple lottery. Your thoughts?

Before anything else, I want you to see what I saw on NBC News tonight - skip the biased article and just watch the 1 minute clip from NBC News’s August 2nd 6PM broadcast. Note Senator Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, who’s commentary I will transcribe for posterity: 

“The biggest flaw in this proposal is the notion that there are long lines of Americans waiting to pick fruit, work in hospitals, and hotels, and restaurants, and meat processing plants; exactly the opposite’s true.” 

Let me boil that statement down to its essence: “we need those spics to do the scut-work white people are too good for.” This phrase, “immigrants do jobs Americans won’t do,” is a common utterance on the Left, but it’s still shocking to see a US Senator admit to it in as many words on national TV. I know people who live in rural, poverty-stricken Red America, and you know where they work? They often work in restaurants and meat-packing plants. Not that this asshole would know - to him and Democrats like him, Hispanic immigrants are just cheap labor to maintain the lawns of their expensive homes, to bring them food at restaurant, and to do all the other scut work of society - and cheaply. There aren’t any jobs “Americans won’t do,” if you pay them what it’s worth - ever seen an episode of Dirty Jobs? But that, apparently, would “wreck the economy,” according to reliable RHINO Lindsey Graham, (whom most Republicans would like to see right behind McCain on Musk’s Mars to Stay rocket.) Good thing we’ve got all those Mexicans to do the back-breaking labor on the cheap, eh? 

It’s not just Dickface Durbin saying this - ABC News, and New York Times have also published passionate screeds attesting to the necessity of that poor underclass to maintaining our way of life. From the NYT: 

Why? Immigrant workers aren’t a “cheap labor” alternative, as so many Americans think. They are the only labor available to do many unskilled jobs, and if they were eliminated, most would not be replaced. Instead, whole sectors of the economy would shrivel, and with them, many other jobs often filled by more skilled Americans.

If the spics don’t pick our cotton for us, who will? Not those fucking Americans!

In 1960, half of all the native-born men in the U.S. labor force were high school dropouts eager to take unskilled outdoor jobs in agriculture and construction. Today, fewer than 10 percent of the native-born men in the work force lack high school diplomas. But the economy still generates plenty of unskilled jobs, and most unskilled immigrants don’t displace American workers. They fill niches — not just farmhand, but also chambermaid, busboy and others — that would otherwise go empty. And they support more skilled, more desirable jobs — foremen, accountants, waiters, chefs and more — at the businesses where they work and others in the surrounding community.

It’s almost like they knew it was a waste of time to finish high school when they could get a job paying good money down at the sawmill - but only if they started their apprenticeship now. But that world’s over and done with - having a high school degree makes you physically incapable of flipping burgers, digging ditches, or picking fruit. True story. 

Just raise the wage, you say, and an American would take the job? Not necessarily, and very unlikely if it’s a farm job. Farmers have been trying that — for decades. They raise the wage. They recruit in inner cities. They offer housing and transport and countless other benefits. Still, no one shows — or stays on the job, which is outdoors and grueling and must get done, no matter how hot or cold or otherwise unpleasant the weather.

That’s right - American farmers, already laboring in an industry with narrow profit margins, turned their backs on that vast pool of dirt-cheap, asks-no-questions labor and went to the inner city to hire Americans that’d cost them more money, instead. Nostalgia is powerful, but even if the Red South is as racist as Democrats believe, somehow I doubt lots of American farmers were journeying to the inner city and asking the predominantly black youth there if they were interested in picking cotton on their fucking farms. 

And of course, at some point, there are limits to how high a wage a grower or dairy farmer can pay before he is forced out of business by a farmer who produces the same commodity in another country, where the labor actually is cheap. 

Which we could handle easily with import/export controls, if not for those fucking free trade proponents - like most Democrats, eh? Of course that doesn’t do you any good when the cheap labor is already in the country and being used by your own domestic competitors.

But worst of all would be the jobs lost for Americans. According to economists, every farm job supports three to four others up and downstream in the local economy: from the people who make and sell fertilizer and farm machinery to those who work in trucking, food processing, grocery stores and restaurants. 

A harvest-season fruit picker isn’t a fucking farm job. A farm job is a year-round thing, and there aren’t many of them. I live in rural Michigan, a very agriculture-heavy state, and I have a pony. An actual, living, breathing pony, who eats hay, hay that we purchase from a local farmer. He and his wife run a huge farm and they run it alone, as their sons are too young to do any of the serious work. He does this via automation - the shed under which he stores the hay that we buy also shelters two massive farm tractors, three bale wagons, a combine, and various other attachments and heavy equipment. In our own barn we have a Farmall Cub and a Farmall Super C, two crop-row tractors from yesteryear. They’re about one-quarter the size of those modern New Holland tractors. In fact you can watch the size progression, from the Farmall C to the beefier Farmall H to the imposingly large Farmall M. Tractors increased in size as farms got bigger and more corporatized, and as smaller farmers had to reduce labor and increase automation to stay competitive. For those crops that aren’t harvested en-masse by combines, I’m sure we’ll find some way to pick the fruit. That Farmall Super C in my barn was owned by my great-grandfather - the 3-point implements it used to haul around his farm are still in our possession. My mother picked fruit - for a dime a bushel basket - so she could earn money to buy hay for her own pony. Somehow, they managed. Hell, I managed - I was 12 years old when I was helping my folks put up hay we cut and baled off our own property to help feed our animals. 

Arguments so facile that even someone with third-hand knowledge can see through them is one thing, but this is so obvious that the fucking Washington Post, of all places, has a relatively level-headed and informed article covering the matter that perilously resembles actual journalism. It both acknowledges the miserable conditions and low pay of the workers, and dismisses the sweeping claims of absolute economic necessity with actual numbers, provided by subject matter experts.

In absence of established economic necessity, how else are we to interpret statements like Dickface Durbins, but as endorsing class-based systems of oppression? The phrase “jobs Americans won’t do,” the NYT columnist’s equating having a high school diploma with the willingness to do unskilled labor, and Dick Durbin’s own commentary all speak to the same basic hubris: that Americans find these jobs beneath them. I have a 4 year college degree - but I’ve worked manual labor myself, and I never considered burger-flipping to be beneath my dignity. I guess the elite class, the ones that grow up in fabulously wealthy communities and adore their Nature Hikes in the National Parks but let the poor people mow their lawns on a hot day, see things differently. When you combine the Left Wing’s passionate and frequent arguments to the necessity of unskilled, underpaid immigrant labor to supporting our way of life, the inherent elitism that colors their tone and worldview of Americans who “won’t” do these jobs, and above all their unstinting efforts to inhibit the enforcement of immigration law or any initiative to halt illegal immigration, it’s impossible to see their position as anything but encouraging the formation of a permanent underclass of second-class citizens. What happens when those immigrants, or their children, get educated? Get those high school - or even college degrees - that so inhibit their willingness to work menial labor jobs? What happens to our economy then, if we have no cheap, miserably desperate people to exploit for the labor that our economy apparently depends so heavily upon? By their own logic, it would be bad for the country if those poor Hispanics ever worked their way out of the poverty ghetto. 

This is the true import of what Dickface Durbin openly stated on national prime-time television. It’s also the strongest argument I can possibly make in favor of Trump’s proposed immigration reform - it is anathema to the class-based exploitation the “progressive left,” self-anointed champions of the poor and down-trodden, argue for so passionately. 

[gessvhowarth]

London's Most Interesting Gastropubs

The North by Northwest pub. Hitchcock game: strong. London's gastropubs are so many and varied you can have lunch in a repurposed 1930s cinema, dinner in an old gin palace and dessert presided over by Hitchcock. And empty your bladder to the sound of Blackadder. Visit the Londonist Best Pubs guide for more inspiration.  Duke of Cambridge Though the pub itself is nice in a really Highbury-ish way -- with big windows, hefty wooden tables and lots of family dining at a weekend -- it's their kitchen-model that sets it apart from nearby pubs. They're in partnership with Riverford, of fruit and vegetable box fame, but that's just the start of their organic credentials. Fish is sustainably-sourced in Cornwall, venison and game come from Rhug Estates, and 100% of the ingredients they work with are organic, making them the first entirely organic pub in London. If that conjures up images of limited cooking and a restricted menu, think again. As you'd guess with somewhere focused on the organic and seasonal, the menu changes regularly but at time of writing you could be sitting down to dishes of sriracha Cornish crab on toast, and braised wild rabbit leg with polenta. And the desserts are proof they aren't about to sacrifice indulgence -- they might be an almond brownie or orange-rich bread and butter pudding.  30 St Peter's Street, N1 Source Riverford @ The Duke Source Riverford @ The Duke The Angelic The decor might earn this pub a place in this article, with intense wallpaper, carved wood and guttering candles lighting the way to the bathrooms. It's friendly. It's spacious. It has a rococo bar upstairs. And we've never had less than great food there. But we've chosen it for one, important reason: they have the audio for Blackadder playing over speakers in the bathrooms. Every time. Different visits, different seasons of Blackadder, but the same joyous experience. We don't know why Rowan Atkinson chastising Baldrick over the soundwaves while you're in the toilet feels so right. It just does.  57 Liverpool Road, N1 Source The Angelic Source The Angelic The Warrington Swirls, whirls and organic curls decorate every millimetre of this outrageously gorgeous pub. Mosaics, stained glass, tiled columns... you'll want to lick the decor. A set of nubile nymphs, playfully lacking in wardrobe, gaze down from the bar canopy, perhaps a nod to the venue's former reported use as a brothel. According to their site, the word 'randy' was invented here, thanks to the pub's close proximity to Randolph Crescent. Today, it's a bustling place with plenty of room to spread out and an impressive range of beers. There's also a good food offering -- the place used to be owned by Gordon Ramsay, but the food focus has been continued (we think maybe improved on?) by current owners Faucet Inn. And they've recently relaunched the hotel rooms above the pub in show-stopping style. We stayed the night in the Gamekeeper's Room and can confirm it's got the four poster bed, ceramic deer head statues stuck to the wall and enormous copper freestanding bathtub in the middle of the bedroom to compete with the downstairs pub for strange splendour.  93 Warrington Cres, W9 Source faucetinn Source faucetinn Balham Bowls Club Affectionally known, and cheekily logo'd as the BBC, Balham Bowls Club is one of the most original pubs around. It was one of the first venues to get the Antic Pubs treatment: requisition a tired old building with some character -- this was an abandoned bowling club -- and turn it into something special.   On entering, a series of bar areas can be found to the left, a function room known as the Presidential Room sits to the right, and through the back lies a vast dining hall. The poor cleaner has his or her work cut out, for there's a capacious space known as The Ballroom upstairs — used for private hire (including weddings) and film screenings. There's even a beer garden should you need to stretch your legs out even further. No shortage of patrons keep the space full, and you'd be lucky to get a table if you arrive at 12.30 pm for their (great) Sunday lunch. It would be easy to assume that the BBC, with its ironic subverting of a traditional community space, might be populated with trendy young things, but this isn't so. The pub houses a mix of ages, with family diners crammed in among the couples and elderly gentlemen.  7-9 Ramsden Road, SW12 Source londonist Source londonist Princess Victoria This pub was a gin palace in another life and comes with all the gilt, carvings and chandeliers -- and gin -- you could ask for. After a while as an unkempt local, the Princess Victoria was recalled to its statelier roots a few years back as one of Shepherd's Bush's most handsome gastros. A stately island bar is offset with wood-panelled walls and a rounded skylight. To label it a gastropub is a bit unfair. There's a division between dining room proper and the wider pub, with plenty of space for those who just want to drink. It's so spacious, in fact, that this has become a firm favourite with families -- plenty of kids running about, even on our Monday night visit. If you want to escape it all, there's a diminutive beer garden through the back of the restaurant area. Deliveroo now from Shepherd's Bush 217 Uxbridge Road, W12 Source The PV Source princessvictoria The Ivy House The recent history of The Ivy House pub in Nunhead's a fascinating story of people power against the march of corporate-sponsored gentrification. London's first community-owned pub is Grade II listed, with original 1930s features. Despite that -- and also the venue’s clear cultural significance and the fact that CAMRA nominated it to be listed -- in 2012 the umbrella company that owned The Ivy House decided to give the tenants just five days’ notice to pack up their peanuts and get out. The pub was saved from developers when locals clubbed together and set the place up as a co-op, securing the future of the pub and getting it listed as an asset of community value. These days it's impossible to walk through the Ivy House without a massive grin on your face. It's so convivial, you'll want to take it home to meet your parents. Or maybe just enjoy one of their burgers as you watch an act on their small cabaret stage.  40 Stuart Road, SE15 Source The Ivy House The Churchill Arms This pub's instantly recognisable, the exterior a mass of hanging baskets and flowers almost entirely covering the front. Inside, too, there's little hint of the fabric of the building, with pots, pans, porcelain commodes, sporting gear, lamps, royal memorabilia, bunting and assorted Churchillian gimcracks hanging from the ceiling. The back room echoes the outside with more plants than Homebase. To awkwardly paraphrase Churchill, 'Never in the field of pub decoration has so much been displayed to so many, in such a tight space'.  It claims to be the very first London pub with a Thai restaurant -- over 25 years ago these trailblazers knew the city was ready to pair a pad Thai with an ice cold lager, and opened their conservatory -- complete with tiny waterfall and real fish -- in which to do it. For other secrets about this pub, read the full article here.  119 Kensington Church Street, W8 Source churchillarmskensington Source churchillarmskensington Well & Bucket There's a genuinely sinister edge to this pub's interior, including the crumbling glazed tiles rescued from the pub's previous incarnation, and huge skull portraits. The Well & Bucket is one of the East End's oldest pubs, but also one of its newest, pouring pints from 1818 till 1989. For the following quarter-century it traded as a restaurant and later a wholesale shop. Now it has reopened thanks to Barworks and it's tempting to declare this the best pub in this corner of London and be done with it. Let us count the reasons: - Great ale selection, with rotating casks and a big range of bottled beers- Exceptional food. Who'd have thought a spelt salad could be the dining highlight of one's week? More-ish sliders come highly recommended- A small beer garden- A candle-lit basement cocktail bar - from the 5cc bar group, with venues in the basement of the Singer Tavern and the attic at the Exmouth Arms  Needless to say, it can get very busy — but being a little further from the working population than nearby rivals, you should get a table if you get here early enough. 143 Bethnal Green Road, E2 Source londonist Source londonist Mirth, Marvel & Maud After decades of sad decline, we're pleased to see Walthamstow’s historic EMD Granada cinema opened up again, partially-restored and now serving as one of the most atmospheric pubs in East London. The Grade II listed picture house, frequented by Alfred Hitchcock as a young boy, dates back to 1930, while the site itself was screening all way the back in 1896, the year cinema was officially born. The hugely characterful building, with its chandeliers and William Morris inspired décor, has been renamed by new managers, the Antic pub chain. The head of the company Anthony Thomas explains the odd moniker: “We wanted to bring Mirth back to the Foyer, which is in itself a Walthamstow Marvel. My Great-Aunt Maud took me to a similar space as a child, hence our chosen name.” The vast entrance foyer opens into a three-storied drinking palace. The first of the two bars is an octagonal booth just inside the doors serving cocktails, the second a bustling basement where you can try beer from Wathamstow natives Wild Card Brewery. Vintage tables and benches contrast the faded but still gorgeous interiors. The double height ground floor features soaring mirrors and ornate Ionic pilasters in turquoise and gold. Then up the sweeping staircase you’ll find a long, low-slung barrel-vaulted upper level with freshly painted and papered walls and rich red carpets. Just watch out for the ghost rumoured to flit between the projectionist’s booth and the cinema upstairs -- said to resemble a rotund, bald man. 186 Hoe Street, E17 Source Mirth Marvel & Maud Source Mirth Marvel & Maud The North by Northwest Pub If you've ever visited The Alma in Canonbury, you're in for a similar experience at North by Northwest, under the same management. The pub opened in early 2016, replacing the North Pole. Despite enjoying a complete refit, the place feels comfortable, even lived-in. The long drinking space is punctuated with numerous tributes to Alfred Hitchcock. (The great director began his career just south of here at Gainsborough Studios, now turned to residential blocks surrounding a giant Hitchcock head.) The bar serves a good range of ales, they do decent, two for one pizzas from Monday to Wednesday -- and a small beer garden at the back gives al fresco options. Just watch out for the birds. 188-190 New N Road, N1 Source No®thByN??rthwestPub Source No®thByN??rthwestPub

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/londonist/sBMe/~3/rE1o65M-wJ4/london-s-most-interesting-gastropubs

#London #Best Of London #gastropubs #pubs

[buytabletsonline]

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Ars readers likely recognize a few of these faces on the poster for The Toys That Made Us.

Netflix

Volk-Weiss and his team went straight to the source, as you can see these original notes from Kenner on their famed Star Wars toy line…

Early X-Wing sketch from Kenner!

Early everyone sketches from Kenner, too!

Naturally, the popularity of space toys encouraged a few corporate marketing spin-offs…

Creator Volk-Weiss has a soft spot for Star Trek, having directed a 50th anniversary documentary for The History Channel. The series has teased Trek toys will be coming into focus in the spring…

Brian Volk-Weiss has seen his share of documentaries. Heck, he’s even made a few, including a two-hour documentary going where no one has gone before (specifically, the History Channel’s 50 Years of Star Trek). But when the longtime TV producer first approached Netflix with an idea near and dear to his heart, it didn’t exactly cut through the clutter.

Previously, the only work Volk-Weiss had done for the streaming company were comedy specials centered on everyone from Jim Gaffigan to Tiffany Haddish. But he’d been sitting on a pitch about an even older passion—his 30+ years of collecting toys.

“For a long time, I kept annoying [Netflix] about what they kept calling, ‘Brian’s Toy Show,’” he tells Ars. “Eventually, I was lucky enough to get someone to listen and take me seriously.”

If the History Channel connection didn’t give it away, Volk-Weiss loves a good backstory. “Brian’s Toy Show” started from a few Internet deep dives when he came away dissatisfied with the lack of origin story information on iconic toys from Barbie to He-Man. But Netflix—contrary to the hands-off reputation the “network” has gained with its high-profile originals—gave Volk-Weiss a bit of honest feedback. That feedback ended up saving “Brian’s Toy Show” and eventually shaping it into the delightful, recently released docu-series The Toys That Made Us.

“They said, ‘We trust that you’re a nerd about toys, but if you make a show only for people like you, you’re going to have 30 people watching it,’” Volk-Weiss recalls. “‘We don’t greenlight shows for 30 people.’”

So, instead of a serious historical project Ken Burns could love, Volk-Weiss embraced what he knew: comedy. And now that I have finally caught up on the four episodes that debuted this winter, I can declare that this tweak frankly makes the whole thing.

Enlarge / Brian Volk-Weiss (right) presents with Craig Ferguson ahead of their History Channel project.

A doc for those raised on Saturday morning cartoons

To be clear, The Toys That Made Us has no shortage of information. Volk-Weiss and his team get practically every designer and exec you could ask for on camera, despite dealing with major brands like Hasbro, Kenner, and Mattel. The first four episodes cover Barbie, He-Man, and G.I. Joe, while George Lucas ends up being the only “so-and-so declined to appear” slide throughout. Even if that disappointed Volk-Weiss, he’s quick to note how rare his access was and how interesting all the minds behind these toys turned out to be.

“Listen, sitting there meeting the dude who sculpted the original Tie-Fighter model was way more exciting ahead of time than it was to meet the woman who figured out what Barbie’s hands would look like,” Volk-Weiss says regarding access (and revealing Star Wars as his preferred brand of toy obsession). “But after I understood what Barbie was, I’m now more interested in Barbie than many things—but nothing will ever dethrone Star Wars.’

With that trove of information, however, Volk-Weiss leaves room for his documentary to have a sense of humor. The He-Man episode does not shy away from how many of the side characters—like villain Stinkor or hero Ram Man—seem like split-second ideas and naming decisions. A G.I. Joe creator’s insistence on his toy being “an action figure, not a doll” gets turned into a running soundbite joke throughout that hour. And almost unthinkable ideas in retrospect—from the Heinz Burger Blaster to the puberty-themed Growing Up Skipper—get proper acknowledgment and roasting. You’ll chuckle regardless of fandom, but even diehards of a certain toy line seem to walk away with new revelations.

“The biggest surprise for me—because the truth was the exact opposite of what I spent my life believing, and it felt like 98 percent of people my age felt the same way—we all grew up thinking George Lucas made 99 cents out of every dollar from the toys,” Volk-Weiss says. “And I remember reading the transcripts from the field producers and hearing George Lucas only got 2.5 percent. I said, ‘No, no, that’s wrong. That’s not true, you misheard him. That’s wrong.’”

(#NoSpoilers, but let’s say Lucas didn’t make as lucrative of a deal as Star Wars fans assumed. This discovery definitely made Internet headlines for the documentary.)

Where else do you turn for life lessons? Television inspired by toys, duh.

The Toys That Made Us also (inadvertently, it turns out) does a smart thing and borrows its format from the TV spinoffs associated with the very toys being analyzed. Each episode includes an animated title sequence with a Saturday morning cartoons-ish jingle near the start. All the toys have genuine moments of conflict involved—He-Man execs trying to sell what’s essentially marketing research by promising comics or TV on the spot; Barbie’s on-point leadership being ruthless and fast-tracking concepts to market to usurp things like Jem or Bratz; etc.—throughout the middle. And all the episodes end with those signature life lessons-ish post-scripts you’d see on G.I. Joe or He-Man. This is when The Toys That Made Us encapsulates a given toy’s lasting impact in the face of any do-or-die moments overcome.

“Actually, I learned the importance of a good ending from early Jackie Chan movies,” Volk-Weiss admits, citing how Chan would play funny outtakes over his films’ credits. “Even if you sat there for an hour and a half kinda bored, you watch these brilliant outtakes and leave the theater laughing and smiling about how great the movie was.”

(To drive home this storytelling philosophy: Volk-Weiss says hundreds and hundreds of hours went into each episode, but he knows he spent at least 11 hours in the editing bay on just the last five minutes of the Barbie episode, for instance.)

The Toys That Made Us docu-series has four more episodes in the works focusing on Hello Kitty, Transformers, LEGO, and Star Trek. They’ll be available on Netflix sometime in the first half of 2018 (Volk-Weiss was still in production and didn’t have a firm release date to share when speaking with Ars).

While no second season has been announced yet, Volk-Weiss is confident he has oodles of additional material if Netflix wants to move forward. He says the reaction has been extremely positive from both collectors and non-collectors, and plenty of fans have been reaching out to him about plenty of other toys—Hot Wheels, Power Rangers, WWF figures.

“If I’m ever found dead in a ditch at some con, ask the president of the My Little Pony fan club for an alibi,” he jokes. But if things do move forward, there’s a clear first episode for any hypothetical season two.

“Turtles [as in Teenage Mutant Ninja], without a doubt, is what people asked about the most,” Volk-Weiss says. “People were repeatedly asking me, ‘Why would you do a Star Trek episode and not a Turtles? I’m pretty sure if I was watching the show I’d be wondering that, but I did Star Trek because I love Star Trek. I didn’t know if I’d get more episodes, and I wanted to do Star Trek.”

Listing image by Netflix / The Toys That Made Us

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Profile of a Possible Savior: King Rice

Can King David slay the blueblood giants?

Several intrepid BTP message board posters have put forth the argument that to be like the bluebloods, you need a blueblood at the helm. Roy Williams' coaching tree is surprisingly thin, and Coach K's protégés have had uneven success. But what about the Great Schnozz, Dean Smith? Dean's coaching tree includes the likes of Ol' Roy, Larry Brown, and George Karl, among many others. There's a lot of gross in that last sentence, but you can't argue that they've won a lot of basketball games.

Smith's former floor general, King David Rice, is taking an anything but storied Monmouth program to new heights, and, unlike the names above, Rice is not 106 years old. The former Tar Heel point guard is an up and comer, and it's just a matter of time before he's hired for a higher profile position.

Important Questions, In Rough Order Of Importance:

1. Has he coached teams that have won a national title, made multiple deep NCAA tournament runs, and/or consistently been highly ranked?

Well, no. Rice is in his sixth season at Monmouth, which is coming off a program record 28-win season but has not yet reached the NCAAs or been ranked under his leadership. The program has NEVER been ranked, in fact, but currently sits in vaunted "others receiving votes" territory in the AP poll. The Hawks are 23-5 and have a four-game lead in the MAAC standings this year but will probably need to avoid another slip up in the conference tournament to ensure a bid. That 51st ranking in RPI is impressive for a team from a lower tier conference, but it probably won't make for an at-large bid.

Of course as a player Rice went to the NCAA tournament in each of his seasons running Smith's offense, including a Final Four trip in his senior season, 1991, and never failed to make the Sweet 16.

2. Has he built a program from the ground up?

Absolutely, though it took some time. Rice took over a program that had posted a losing record for five consecutive seasons. It took him until his fourth season to post a winning record, but in the past two years the team is 51-13.

3. Has he substantially improved the program from when he took over?

In Monmouth's 34-year history, only once did it lose fewer than 10 games in a season before Rice took over. The Hawks should do so for a second consecutive season this year. Monmouth has made the Dance four times but never won a game save for one of those play-in deals against Hampton; if Rice can get in this year and pull off an upset, they'll probably erect a statue in picturesque West Long Branch, NJ. And winning a tourney game isn't such a stretch when you consider that Rice knocked off a ranked Notre Dame squad last year (not to mention UCLA, USC-West, Georgetown, and Rutgers). Princeton is the team's lone RPI top 100 win this season, but they did take Frank Martin's USC-East squad to overtime. Monmouth beating genuinely solid basketball programs simply did not happen pre-Rice.

4. Has he succeeded at more than one head coaching job?

Monmouth is Rice's lone head-coaching gig thus far unless you count a three-year stint as head man of the Bahamian National Team. (I didn't make that up.)

5. Does he have significant high-major experience as either a head coach or an assistant?

Rice had a brief stint as an assistant at Oregon and Providence but most of his assisting has come under the tutelage of Kevin Stallings at both Illinois State and Vanderbilt. Vandy made the dance in four of his six seasons as Stallings' assistant, but Stallings is perhaps the lone coach in the ACC I'd take Mark Gottfried over, so I'm not sure this is a big positive.

6. Is his team one of the best in its conference right now?

The Hawks are by far the class of the MAAC, ranking 86th (which is 22 spots ahead of NC State) in KenPom Land. Iona is second in the league at 115th. They were a top 100 team last year as well, finishing 95th. They'll win the MAAC regular season title for a second straight season this year.

7. Do his teams actually play, what is this thing called, "defense"?

The MAAC is such a far cry from the ACC that it's hard to say what kind of team he might put on the floor at NC State, but the metrics aren't overly kind in this regard from a national standpoint. The Hawks were a pretty solid (considering the adjustment for competition) 68th in this regard overall last year, which was first in the MAAC by a good margin. They've slipped to 98th this year, but that's still second only to St. Peter's in their league. Could we then project that a Rice-coached Pack would be a top two defense in the ACC? Ha. Nope. But his dominating results against like competition at least suggest that he has a philosophy that goes beyond "They got to guard us too, pal."

Monmouth used a matchup zone defense pre-Rice, who prefers an attacking man-to-man. His current squad ranks 60th in the NCAA in block percentage and 100th in steal rate, so they create a good bit more havoc than NC State which ranks 102nd and 301st in those measures. Monmouth is impressive in field goal defense, where they hold opponents to a 47.1 eFG%, good for 47th in the country, but that's coming against some truly anemic offenses. The Hawks are tied for 114th in total rebounding percentage (51.1), so Rice hasn't exactly been able to replicate UNC's kill everyone on the boards philosophy. There's nowhere to go but up here for NC State, but nothing in Rice's brief tenure so far confidently suggests that he would bring a top 25 defense to Raleigh.

8. So how about offense?

The offense mirrors the defense for Monmouth this year; the Hawks are 99th in KenPom. Hey howabout that for consistency: 99th in offense and 98th in defense. Breaking in to the top 100 is a first for Rice, as his team was just 131st in their breakout, 28-win season a year ago.

Though his defenses have been a little ahead of his offenses—and that is somewhat encouraging as an undermanned team in the ACC, which State will likely be after a coaching transition, will likely need to hang its hat on defense to compete until the roster improves—Rice's offenses probably hold the most long-term promise. He wants to run like his Heels did and do, and encourages his players to get a shot up within the first five seconds of the shot clock if a good shot is available. Stallings (kind of the balding, non-philandering version of Gott as a one-dimensional, offense-first coach) typically has efficient, fast-paced offenses, and Rice of course learned from both Stallings and Smith's high-octane teams. With the right players, a Rice-coached Pack could put on a show.

9. Any indication that he can recruit McDonald's All-American-type players?

Rice was a Burger Boy himself and, as a native New Yorker and New Jersey coach, has ties to the NYC pipeline that's been very good to NC State in the past, though, interestingly, the team's most highly-touted recruits all hail from Texas. He's only pulled in one guy, Je'Lon Hornbeak, who garnered four stars from any recruiting site (Rivals), and he was a transfer from Oklahoma. Pierre Sarr and Micah Seaborn were consensus three-star recruits. All three are from the Lone Star State.

We're talking Monmouth here. It's impressive if he has anyone that even garnered a ranking. With that UNC pedigree and relative youthfulness—Rice is just 48—I think he would be a successful recruiter. Really, recruiting hasn't been NC State's problem. It's what the coaches have done (or failed to do) with said recruits that's at issue.

10. Does he have any connection to NC State, North Carolina, or the ACC?

He played for UNC.

11. Any other random red flags or positives?

Rice was arrested for assaulting his girlfriend while at UNC and readily admits that his preference for partying over basketball as a Tar Heel cost him any chance for a professional career as a player. He very well could've lost his coaching career when he was arrested for DUI while serving as Stallings' assistant at SIU. But, to his credit, Rice got his shit together. He entered a rehab facility after the DUI and is now 17 years sober. (As a raging alcoholic myself, that is pretty impressive. Good on ya, King.)

Rice regularly welcomes "at-risk" youth to Monmouth and volunteers for speaking engagements to share his personal experience of coming from nothing—his father never learned to read and his large family was supported solely from his mom's income as a secretary—and rising out of that situation only to nearly throw it away due to substance abuse. Rice, who I must say I loathed as much as any Tar Heel ever when he was in the powder blue, genuinely seems to have matured into a decent human who wants to make a difference in the lives of his players and in his community. Rice and former teammate Rick Fox even started a foundation to mentor kids and provide them with scholarships (though it appears said non-profit is now out of existence).

Of course we would be remiss not to mention that, as a UNC player, Rice was (allegedly) part of a system of academic fraud designed to keep athletes eligible to play sports ball. I suppose his time predates the scope of the allegations, but do we really for one second think that he and his teammates weren't "schooling" on an uneven playing, uh, chalkboard? And do we care if we win and don't get caught (or punished too harshly)?

Summary:

Would he be better than Gottfried?

This questions makes it hard, so hard, not to be cruel. Fuckin' A, man. Day-old leftover lo mein would be better than Gott at this point. But if we harken back to feel-good Gott of the original Sweet 16 run, then who knows. Rice is a lottery ticket and most of those don't scratch the way you want them too, but a middle school coach in Russia (or Bahamian National Team coach) is a step up from Gott at this moment in time. I'd wager that he might not make the Dance four times in six years but that the program would be on an upward swing in year six if he was given the time and patience from the fan base and administration to build something.

OK, so what is his ceiling?

I'm given pause by how long it took him to turn Monmouth around. Can WPN wait until year five to be really good? Can WPN wait until year four simply not to suck? But if Rice could speed that mess up a little this time, he might find himself being uniquely positioned as the hot thing in the ACC as oldass rivals like Ol' Roy, K, Yankee Nose Picker, and Slick Rick Pitino die of heart attacks on the sidelines. If things break right, forget the ceiling; the sky's the limit. (But you could say the same about just about everyone not named Weber thus far profiled in the POAPS).

Would he take the job if offered?

From my 12-second effort on Google, it would appear that Rice is making a base salary in the six-figure range. We're talking way closer to five figures than seven. My guess is that he doesn't feel confident UNC is going to call on him when Roy mercifully dies, and that it would be impossible to turn down increasing your salary by, oh, about 10 times its current rate. I'd go to Afghanistan for a couple million a year, especially if it means getting the hell out of Jersey. The ACC is > Afghanistan. Seems like a no-brainer for a guy that I think wouldn't be scared away by the media perception of NC State as a terrible career move.

How would I feel if he were hired?

Conflicted. I could most likely swallow enough June-Aid to convince myself that the "if you want to be a blueblood, you need a blueblood" argument is legit, despite the evidence that stands to the contrary. (Matt Doherty, anyone?) There's also the pesky fact that Rice played at UNC for Chrissakes. But you cannot deny that the man has done more at Monmouth than anyone else, including beating teams Gottfried couldn't beat these days, and Rice has done so without the advantage of actual ACC talent. I have an open mind.

How would the fan base as a whole feel if he were hired?

I don't think there would be rioting in the streets, but if it's not Archie Miller, then it probably better be someone who has more of a track record of success, like Mick Cronin. Of course winning cures all, but I don't know that NC State is set up to compete in the immediate aftermath of the Gottfried capsizing due to potential roster turmoil and a class of 2017 that holds a grand total of one pledge. Send a UNC alum to a gun fight with a knife? Hmm.

And of course there's always that whole Monmouth bench thing.

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