#⊸ opposite ┊ jake fitzgerald | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

connorrhodess · 6 years

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Not Alone - And We Act Like Nothing Happend

Pairing: Chicago PD x Criminal Minds x Reader

Warnings: blood, dead people, funeral for my bby Jake

Today was Jake’s funeral. I sat there, slightly listening at what the guy was saying. I was pissed. Jake isn’t here. My best friend in Lakewood isn’t here because some asshole felt it was necessary to kill him. And the worst part is, I don’t know who it is.

“Jake’s best friend, Y/N Y/L/N, had a few words.” I blink, coming back into reality, I stood up walking over to the podium.

“Jake Fitzgerald. To some, he was the jock. To others, he was know as Brooke Maddox’s boyfriend. But to me, he was my best friend. When I met Jake, I thought he was a player, a flirt even. But I knew that it was all a façade, because when he spoke to Brooke and his friends, he became the complete opposite person. It was safe to say that he treated Brooke like a princess, any girl’s dream guy. But Jake was my rock. He knew how to comfort me in a time when I needed it most, he knew everything I liked and everything I didn’t. He knew that something was wrong when I missed a study session, so he came over and checked on me. He stood up to the bullies who picked on me, even told the mean girls to back off.” I wiped a tear, and cleared my throat before continuing. “We shared secrets, both promising not to say a word. But I’m breaking that promise. He made me promise not to tell Brooke, but I think she needs to hear it.” I stop, making eye contact with her. “Jake loved you. He planned on telling you, he really did. But then all this happened. I’m forever bitter about all of this, but I know that he’s watching over all of us. He deserves to be here with all of us. He deserved to graduate high school and to be successful. Jake will forever be in my heart and he will never be forgotten by those here in Lakewood. Rest easy, buddy.”

I stepped down, putting a best friend bracelet next to his casket. A great sob escaped my lips as I covered my face with my shaky hands.

After the funeral, Brooke and I skipped school, getting breakfast instead.

“He really said he loved me?”

“Yeah. I was having a really bad day last week and he had stopped by. I asked him to tell me about the two of you because you guys had the kind of relationship I admired. He told me that after your night in the pool, he was going to bring you flowers at school and tell you later that day.”

“He was probably lying.”

“If only you saw the way his face lit up when he talked about you, Brooke. Man, I’d love for any guy to look at me like that. Even when he was irritated with you, his face said otherwise. Believe me, he wasn’t lying.”

Her eyes became glossy, tears pooling in her eyes. “I just miss him so much.” She tells me, using a napkin to wipe away her tears.

“I know, me too. I can’t wait until this bastard is caught.”

“Who do you think it is?”

“I thought it was Eli, but he was cleared. And then I though it was Branson but he’s dead.”

“I hate to ask, but have you thought about Kieran?”

“I have. After that night a few days ago, I don’t know what to believe.”

“Are you going to the party Audrey and Emma are throwing?”

“They’re throwing a party?”

Brooke nods, showing me the screenshot on her phone. “I might check it out, I don’t know.”

“It looks kind of creepy. Maybe I’ll go with you.”

Back at the police station…

Hotch put the last piece on the board. “We know the killer from last year was Emma’s half sister, could this killer be related to Piper?” JJ asked.

“There’s no other birth certificates or anything. Emma’s mother, Maggie, only had Emma and Piper. Brandon James’ only child was Piper, and Emma’s father is out of the picture.” Garcia peeped from the speaker of the phone.

“Wait, guys, I could be onto something…” Reid starts to say, getting closer to the board. “Piper wanted to get revenge at Maggie and Emma for abandoning her, what if someone wanted to get revenge at Emma for killing Piper?”

“Like a friend?” Prentiss questioned, confused slightly.

“It could be a friend, lover, fan of her podcast… It could be anyone really.” Reid tells her. “Garcia, look to see if there was anyone who was overly excited about Piper’s broadcast or anyone close to Piper Shaw.”

“Agent Hotchner?” Jay asks and he knocked on the door frame. “Y/N just told me that there’s a party tonight at Blessed Sisters Children’s Home.”

And as quickly as that party started, it ended. It turns out the Emma and Audrey didn’t start the party, it was Haley Meyers. She said that a “special friend” hosted the party and before we could get any information out of her, the electricity went out. When we all went to the from of the building, Brooke and I saw Audrey and Emma.

“What the hell is happening?” I asked, glancing at the building behind me.

“We found Piper’s body.” Emma casually mentions. I give her and Audrey a weird look.

“We were looking for Noah and Kieran and in one of the rooms was her dead body. Whoever is behind all of this went back in the water for her.” Audrey explains. I shiver at the fact her body was in there before feeling a material being placed around my shoulders.

“Cold?” Kieran asked, wrapping his arms around my waist. I didn’t know what to feel, so I went along with it.

“And tired.” I mumbled, leaning back into his chest.

It wasn’t long before the police arrived, pulling Emma and Audrey inside.

“And who threw this party?” The officer asked.

“Haley Meyers and her lover or special friend.” Audrey muttered.

Officers walked in, shining their flashlights in every possible direction before stopping at a sign painted in blood. The sign read “Face the Mask” and directly below it was Haley’s body, covered in blood. This was about to be a lot more complicated.

#Chicago PD #Criminal Minds #mtv scream #One Chicago #chicago pd imagine #criminal minds imagine #scream imagine #scream #not alone series

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katrinapavela · 7 years

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#Scandal 601-604 Thoughts: Can You Pay Your Bills?

It’s been a long time. I shouldn’t have left you without a dope review to step to

Real life got in the way.

Anyway. Let me start by saying how much I am enjoying the season so far, thanks in no small part to the lack of Jake and Rowan on my screen.

The episodes sing so much more when their shenanigans are in the background. I needed a reprieve because the daily gas lighting from Mango Mussolini and his staff are too much. I can’t take the kind of season we got in 5B—when I hated everybody. I know Jake and Rowan have been conspicuously absent, and I’ll be tortured with them in the next two episodes, but I’m prepared.

Sigh. Their absence was good while it lasted.

The other thing I am enjoying is the murder mystery of Frankie’s assassination. The individual character focus is a great way to handle Kerry’s pregnancy, as it puts less demand on her, but makes complete sense for the arch of the characters. This is an improvement over the S3 story lines.

I am going to frame this review within the context of relationship dynamics seen in 604. Based on that, plot points and conversations from 601-603 will be incorporated. I am interested in any productive comments you have to add.

Fitz, Angela, Olivia and the Los Angelitz dinghy:

Los Angelitz:

Ahoy, mateys! Enjoy your peanuts and cocktails while aboard because this journey will be very short. But it matters not the length (that’s what she said), but that the journey is taking place. Yes, it hurts my little Olitz Stan soul to actually see Fitz doing homework in bed with Angela while she wears his work shirt over her tig ol biddies.

I mean, it was all just a year ago that we had this:

Yes, I am treating Los Angelitz like vegetables I gotta eat for good health and regular bowel movements. This seems healthy, until it proves otherwise with Angela (more below). I shan’t be referring to this little situation as ‘fauxlitz’ because I don’t think they are an imitation or replacement for what we ache for. It’s a bridge to where we will end up.

Fitz:

The most important point is that I’m happy Fitz is attempting an actual relationship, a pivot from being THOT-THOT-Tholicious as he had been just a year ago with thirst buckets galore. He’s sown his royal oats. Fitz seems like the type of guy who likes himself best when he is in a relationship. At this point, the majority of his life has been spent in relationships with women more than it has been single. Based on 602, Angela asks him out. He’s got to be flattered that a beautiful, self-assured, successful Black woman choosing him as worthy of her time. He was famously left by another one just two years ago. Why wouldn’t he go out with Angela?

Another thing: spare me the shit about him being her boss because

Mmmhmm. Ok, then.

Olitz is more of an ethics violation that Angelitz because Angela’s position is confirmed by the Senate, and there was no conflict of interest at the time she was confirmed. Also, based on the ‘ethics’ logic, Fitz shouldn’t have fucked the woman who was writing an article about him (Lillian, 512), the journalists on WH detail, Lisa from Treasury, etc. Fitz is just looking for some drama-free normal. I ain’t mad at him. He and Angela look hella normal. It’s refreshing. How many times must he not be chosen by the love of his life for him just let things be? This isn’t on him. It’s on Olivia. I do not want to see a romantic attempt at that relationship again until Olivia can be a woman she is proud of. Her journey is more than Olitz.

Angela:

There are a couple of things I like about just Angela, and also Fitz and Angela together. I like that Angela is dark skinned; sports her natural hair professionally and casually; has some thickness on dem bones. Those aesthetics are important because they are markers of her blackness. It’s important to see such a coveted white man as Fitz showering Angela with compliments on her beauty and holding her close---in the presidential bed no less. We’re shown this scene wherein they are being playful, romantic and supportive partners rather than some love making scene to make it clear that Fitz is not sexually fetishizing Black women, as so many of the Ankh-right and ash-adjacent academics accused in the first two seasons of Scandal, with regard to Olitz. Clearly we saw plenty of evidence regarding Fitz’s love for Olivia as a person. We are not going to get a bunch of Angelitz scenes, so the point is being made early that Fitz cares for Angela, not that he necessarily loves her. Which leads me to…the compliment.

Fitz to Angela: “You are beautiful, you know that? absolutely stunning.”

Fitz to Liv:

If we go back to Liv’s dream about Vermont (410), we hear Fitz calling Liv beautiful, which is likely based on actual memories of him saying these things. She imagined Fitz calling her beautiful while they are in the shower together. She’s free of all Olivia Pope armor, her hair is natural and flowing, she’s wearing no makeup, and she’s completely vulnerable. That dream contrasted with the reality of a filthy Liv lying on a dirty floor, thinking she was going to die. She transported herself to a beautiful place.

Y’all really think Fitzgerald Do-Too-Much Grant never called Olivia beautiful just because you didn’t see it? Y’all assume so much else about their relationship outside of what we have seen, so I don’t know why this would be hard to believe. Shonda prefers showing over telling, and Olivia has been established as a show-don’t-tell person when it comes to her relationship with Fitz (220). With Los Angelitz you are not going to get the depth of the Olitz relationship wherein Fitz shows Liv how beautiful, smart, and talented she is rather than telling her that. Fitz looks at Liv like she hung the moon, so that when you look at her face, you know she feels she is beautiful under his gaze.

We need to hear Fitz say it to Angela in order to gauge where he is in this two week young relationship. It’s not a man in love, but one who clearly cares for the woman he’s in bed with.

Quick PSA to white women about Angela: if you are disparaging her black features (skin, hair, body type) as reasons she is unsuitable for Fitz, you are being text book racist. Comments like those have nothing to do with being an Olitz Stan. Don’t make me revisit specific comments about Edison from S2. Just because Olivia’s aesthetics make it easier for you to project yourself into her place next to Fitz doesn’t mean you ‘love’ Black women.

Quick PSA to Black women and POC about Angela: Period if you are disparaging her black features (skin, hair, body type) as reasons she is unsuitable for Fitz, you are being anti-Black. Period. If you weren’t talking about the features of Fitz’s white girls in 5B, then think about that. Denigrating Angela’s appearance has nothing to do with being pro-Olitz.

Now that I’m off that particular soap box let me say a couple non-aesthetic things about Director Webster. The woman obviously doesn’t feel like she is professionally compromised by love. It is not a one or the other game with her, the opposite of what Olivia has imbibed and is now passing on to Mellie (602). However, I can’t help thinking maybe Liv’s little dig at the FBI was right because this investigation into Vargas’s assassination and Jenny’s death seem less than thorough, bordering on incompetent. Why is OPA the one putting these links together? How was Angela so sure there was nothing found at cabin site when they hadn’t even examined all the taken from the site? Does she just want the easy White supremacist option in McClintock, and now the confession from Tom? She needs to pull her people together. Secondly, erm, I noticed how slick she was with working in that tattletale on Abby while being supportive of Fitz’s feelings about Cyrus. I’mma keep an eye on Ms. Angela.

Olivia:

Los Angelitz is great for Olivia! She just doesn’t know it yet. Angela is a successful and beautiful Black woman who went after the man she thought would suit her. She took the initiative. And Angela is not shying away from the messiness of it all because there’s still something valuable in caring for another person and allowing yourself to be cared for. When Liv returned to Washington she saw that life moved on while she was sunning herself for two months. Fitz, too, can and will move on. If and when she is ready face the wounds that relationship exposed inside her, maybe Fitz will still be there in the future. Tom told her in 407 that Fitz revolves around her. They broke up, at her suggestion, and now she still wants to be the sun in his solar system in the form of the adviser who knows best. The only one who has his best interest at heart. Nah, B. You want it to only be one way, but it’s the other way right now.

Fitz has been trying to fight his implicit trust that Olivia knows best and is always right, but from 602-603 we see that it takes very little for him to reinstate trust. I cannot wait to see how their working relationship changes now that Olivia is so strong and wrong about Cyrus. Fitz is going to look foolish and he will have to contend with his decision to follow Olivia down this rabbit hole. She is literally the only reason they went looking in Cyrus’ direction. Scratch that, Rowan is (601). Then again, it’s so hard to tell the difference these days between father and daughter.

I shake my head at Olivia a lot, and it’s because I love her. I’ll talk about my sympathy later in this piece, but for now let me shake my head. My homegirl needs to see that although she is the love of Fitz’s life, the world does not revolve around her--as her mama said (422). (Mama Pope! I need you back this season. Stat!). Liv only wants Fitz when he’s not there (509), so enter Angel with the kinky hair. What burns her most is that Liv only suggested Angela “go for it” with Fitz because she didn’t think she would be Fitz’s type, or that Fitz was still on his THOTin’ for the USA tour. Angela hits too close to home for Liv. The former’s blackness and familiarity are specific parts of that jealousy. Here’s a Black woman I actually know doing the things I told myself were not possible, or too compromising. This brings me to another topic…

Ghost’s of Olitz past:

Have y’all noticed the interesting ways in which the writers have manifested back at us this season specific fears Olivia and Fitz’s relationship presented, and how Olivia is re-interpreting her past through a more tawdry lens?

Mellie and Marcus:

Liv tells Mellie it would be unwise to get involved with a young staffer who works for her because conflict of interest.

Later, after Mellie tells her the sex with Marcus was bomb.com, and that he made her see baby Jesus, Liv looks like she can remember that feeling.

Feeling further threatened, Liv then sews the seeds of the ambitious slut card against Marcus. This is the same one played against her by the media just last season (504). If we recall, it was initially her PR call to go that route (503) via Abby. And it was Brothe Marcus who swooped in, got the Gladiators together and did a media blitzkrieg to defend her good name. Worse is that she specifically noted the PR-tanking implications of Marcus’s Blackness should the relationship be exposed. It made me sad because that means Liv, PR maven, held inside her those same thoughts and fears about how her relationship with Fitz would be viewed. The Sally Hemmings/Thomas Jefferson comment from 208 was not the end of her considering the public implications of Olitz. We have heard such critiques echoed through Cyrus (212) and Senator Gibson (504) with regard to Liv’s “hue” and the Republican party. It’s as if she’s seeing her past self from the outside, as a threat to the Oval that should have been eliminated. Just like she eliminated Abby and David from getting too close to Defiance. Now Marcus is a threat to—not Mellie’s presidency, but what Liv blindly thinks of as her Oval. This path she’s on has stripped away more and more of the person we’ve known because it’s not the right path. Liv is barely acting like a human.

Quinn and Charlie

I maintain that she show has always used Quinn as a conduit to Olivia. Never forget that it is through Quinn’s admiration that we meet this incredible black woman. We hear about her greatness from Quinn first. Anyway, Liv projects onto Quinn many of the things that held her back from a productive relationship with Fitz, aggressively urging the latter to stop making excuses because she’s scared (602). Quinn is being offered a chance to live and share her life with someone, so she should take it. All the things Liv won’t let herself do, and for the same goddamn reason. She really does think she’s a special snowflake. Is it a coincidence that Liv’s spiel comes on the heels of thinking she lost candidate Mellie? Was the love talk a consolation from a woman who thought she’d lost the Oval. I’m keeping this scene in mind for the future.

Jenny and Francisco Vargas

Liv looked at 2.5 seconds of footage with Frankie and Jenny, after which she concludes they were obviously sleeping together (602). Both she and Cyrus come to the same tawdry conclusion, based off of a cheap idea that did not apply to Olitz.

In all three cases Liv is strong and wrong. But because of paranoia from the past, Liv (and Cyrus) are pre-emptively eliminating the kind of threats with which they have experience.

Hello From the Other Side:

The phone call between Cyrus and Olivia broke my heart, and angered me at the same time. Very similar feelings I had—but less intense—during a way back Olitz phone call. Many of you noticed that the same music (or very similar) used in the Olitz call from Top of the Hour (216) featured in the Cyrus-Olivia phone call. That is purposeful. But why? Here’s a run-down on the parallels and differences I detected between the two relationships:

Unexpected phone calls from men Liv has ruined:

Funnily enough, when Fitz calls Olivia, from the White House, in 216, she answers the phone thinking it’s Cyrus. In 604 it is actually him. Both Cyrus and Fitz call Liv when they are at emotional rock bottom, living in their personal version of hell. Olivia has ruined both men: Fitz with fixing the election in Defiance, and Cyrus with digging up evidence to place him in jail. Both times Olivia stood to gain. No one wanted to discuss with me back in 2B when I realized that love for Fitz was not Liv’s only motivation for Defiance: she stood to gain from the win herself. A plumb job in the WH is a sure bet for most winning campaign staff. Recall from a video of a young Olivia in law school that the White House has been her goal for a long time. She wanted to change the world. She turned her unexpectedly short tenure into social capital to launch OPA. The emotional ruination was not supposed to be part of the bargain. The reward in the case of Cyrus is the same, but this time it’s the ring of power she wants to command again, just as she had before:

That power, as she told Abby in 514, is intoxicating and corrupting. But what’s good for the gander never seems to apply to the goose.

Pleas for honesty and belief: to be heard

Olivia is expected to be, in many ways, the emotional receptacle into which both men unburden themselves. They feel she is indebted to them in this way because she is the reason they are in their present predicaments. As such, both Fitz bemoans Liv’s lack of honesty, and the fact that she did not believe him. Otherwise, she would not have fixed the election. For Cyrus, he needs Olivia to believe that he is telling the truth about his innocence. Olivia does not want to face culpability in either instance. With Fitz she reminds him she is victimized by what she has done, including the outcome of their relationship. With Cyrus, she dismisses her belief in his innocence as unimportant.

Tattered relationships

At the point when Fitz (216) and Cyrus (604) call Olivia, their relationship with her is in tatters. Olivia and Cyrus have been rocky since S4, when she took up house with the man (Jake) who killed Cyrus’ husband. This is the woman who saved his job as CoS by fixing a marriage for him and Michael (409). The woman who gave him a locker room speech about not being a bitch baby who gives up when it gets hard (409). The three of them together represent ‘the band’ that Cyrus was so stoked about being back together (101). Cyrus and Liv’s relationship has been through its own roller coaster ride, just as the Olitz one has.

Hangs up for self-preservation

It hurt me to hear Fitz tell Liv that he didn’t care she was ruined by Defiance, just as it hurt me to watch Liv refuse to be drawn in by Cyrus’s plea for help. She reaches a point on both phone calls where the pain inflicted by both men, and the implications thereof are too much to bear. She hangs up on both. It’s self-preservation. I get it.

Questions:

What’s interesting in both instances is that Liv is sorry that both men are hurt by what has happened, but she is not sorry for the actions that caused the pain. After the 216 phone call, Liv implies, via a conversation with her client Lisa, that she is not sorry for Defiance because Fitz should have been President. She is not sorry for having Cyrus go to prison. Not yet, anyway, because she didn’t know how wrong she was about Cyrus. Olivia never works quite as hard as when she is trying to ignore the truth. She was overtime on the call with Cyrus. I do remain thankful that I saw some genuine, sustained emotion from her this season. It’s been lacking, and I know that is purposeful for where she is right now.

What I am left to wonder is whether Liv has just been doing as taught her father all along, before we even knew this to be the case. Was Defiance just more of daddy. The mantra, as we heard in 419, is that Liv will look at a thing from all angles and make a decision based on what needs to be done to protect the country. She will pick a side. This is Rowan’s manipulative rhetoric, and certainly doesn’t happen in all instances, one of them being now. This time, Liv has behaved carelessly—blinded by the quest for the shiny Oval—that she’s gonna be at the centre of another chaotic mess, left holding the bag. She did not look at all the sides. Or, if she did, she picked the wrong one out of greed.

One potentially positive thing came from Liv and Cyrus’ call, but it’s hard to be sure. Is Save-A-Heaux, Inc closed for business, or is she being more discerning with the clientele? It was a mere few months ago that Liv agonized over saving Jake (again!) from Rowan. In the absence of knowing what transpired between the Liv and Jake after she told him to shove his mediocre dreams up his ass,

am I supposed to believe that Liv has turned over a new leaf? That not everyone is worthy of being dragged into the light (314)? I would support that if it is applied to her pseudo incesting “brother” and her manipulative, controlling father. But, in the case of Cyrus, is her refusal purely based on him standing in the way of her Oval.

Lastly, the most important thing Olivia said on that call to Cyrus has greater implications:

Olivia: “At some point the bill has to be paid. Your bill is due. Your time is up. Do what needs to be done. Do it right. Stop being a monster and be a man. Be a man you can be proud of.”

Where is the pot? Because they kettle is talking a whole lot of jive.

Olivia,

Girl. When are you gonna be a woman you can be proud of and stop trying to be a woman your daddy can be proud of? Stop being the fucking predator he’s groomed you to be—especially since you left the White House—and start being a woman who figures out, for herself, what she wants. Your daddy is the whole fucking reason you are on this vision quest (510), and Mellie is just the horse you are dragging to the finish line. You didn’t even think about creating a president until daddy told you to “get some real power; 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue power” (510). I bet you don’t want to pay too much for the slaughtering of Andrew, do you? I bet that’s completely justified. You fixed an election with Cyrus, but it’s cool for him to pay for the “too much” that has happened, no matter what the facts are. Cyrus is a bastard. And the reason I stomach him is because he knows it, and readily admits it. But Mellie No-one-deserves-anything-more-than-me Grant is somehow entitled to the Oval, despite all of her white woman-ing exploitation of you during the Fitz years. Just because you wanna rule the roost again. Olivia, do you think that being kidnapped absolves you of your past wrongs? That because of that, it’s now you time (514) to act in ways that eschews guilt over the consequences? After all, Cyrus has been operating in this way. Mellie certainly did. Her father does. Jake does, too. The latter have been her circle of influence, almost exclusively, for well over a year. When is your father going to pay HIS bills, Olivia? With all the pain that he has caused you, is the power you can derive from the grooming enough to sustain you? When is Jake going to pay HIS bills for his role in hurting, destabilizing, lying and manipulating you? When are you going to pay YOUR bills Olivia?

Moving on…

A Girl Has No Friends

What is very apparent this season is that Olivia is no one’s friend. She and Angela go “way back”, (602), but they seem more frenemies than actual friends. When Olivia told Marcus, in 601, that she was there as his friend, he looked at her as if she were absurd. Olivia Pope is Olivia Pope.

Dassit. In all of her relationships, Olivia is primarily there in the capacity of Olivia Pope[TM]. Let’s think about this:

Cyrus: See above. Also, the flashback conversation from the night of the VP debate shows how out of touch Cyrus and Olivia are as friends, more so on Liv’s part. When Cyrus said he missed her, Liv did not reply. It reminded me of when Fitz told her the same and she deflected (521). Liv reluctantly acknowledges that Cyrus had change and evolved, but she also thinks it’s a bit of a gimmick. People who are stuck in the same place hate to acknowledge things like this. Think about when Mellie pouted, in 503, that everyone had gone and changed on her. It was more beneficial for Liv to believe Cyrus was monstrous enough to eliminate Frankie, than to believe he had changed. Why? Because she’s trying to compete by out-monstering everyone else.

Mellie: I have written elsewhere why I don’t see it for this relationship on any deep level. I understand that I am still bitter about the ways in which Mellie colluded to hurt Olivia in the past on some petty shit, but was happy to accept her labour when it benefitted her. I think Olivia crossed the line in Mellie’s relationship with Marcus, but Mellie intruded herself plenty of times. I know it’s different because Fitz was her husband. But

The point is that Olivia’s strategic move showed that getting the Oval on Mellie’s back was more important to her than any friendship with Mellie. The photo of Rowan and 12-year old Liv featured prominently when Liv manipulated Mellie into thinking Marcus was a social climber. Those are clues that Liv is not in this for friendship. That was a predator move. We literally know nothing else about this relationship other than their quest for the Oval. When these two women still meet up for drinks after the EC votes for president, then I’ll recognize it as a friendship. Until then, it’s a convenient work relationship. Mellie pays her. Secondly, Mellie is not a good role model for Liv because all Mellie cares about is getting some of that white male power for herself. That’s her type of feminism. As a Black woman, Olivia cannot take that same path, as it is more dehumanizing to her.

Abby: Liv and Abby still seem friendly sometimes, but whenever they are on opposing sides, the necessity of guarding their respective future casts doubt on their friendship. Maybe I’m just supposed to accept that’s the way it is. But when an unhinged Olivia tells Abby “never cross me again” (517), that tells me that Olivia Pope [TM] will always come first. And if Abby puts CoS first, then they are at an impasse. We shall see where this goes once the next president is decided.

Fitz: I have wanted Fitz and Olivia to be friends for a really long time (since S4). Their relationship looks like it has progressed on friendlier terms since being on the Trail together with Mellie. However, I’m not sure if that’s Olivia the adviser, though. How will their friendship be impacted by this road to wrong Olivia has taken, and Fitz has agreed to travel on? This is a huge fuck up for the end of his administration. I don’t wish him to be mean to Liv, as it is his responsibility, but I wonder if he’ll be less quick to think she’s “always right”. Because she isn’t, and the argument that ended their relationship is one of those times.

If Olivia is no one’s friend, then she is essentially alone. That’s different from being lonely, as she’s told Abby (510). I fear that a Liv who follows the predatory example, for which her father has groomed her, will end up exactly like him:

Olivia: The only life you have is the sad, twisted one you built here. The one where you lurk in the shadows, pull puppet strings and pretend the world couldn’t exist without you. You can’t disappear, become a normal person because, dad: you are not normal. You’re a sick, lonely man who only knows how to lie and call it love (409) .

Remember when Huck told Rowan that he is no one’s father (509)? Olivia is no one’s friend in exactly the same way. We have to ask ourselves why is it that we don’t see Olivia with friends, especially Black women friends. I always wondered that about the lack of influence in her life. You can see how damaged this woman has become from walling herself off from nurturing, all while operating in a high-stakes world that require too much of her just to compete. Maya has to come back.

When an Oval isn’t an Oval:

When I think about Olivia in a broader context, I have much sympathy for her. Has the game changed and no one told Olivia? White, patriarchal supremacy loves moving goal posts for us. Just yesterday, some hatin-ass woman who believes Black Studies should be eliminated wrote an article about Beyonce, declaring that pregnancy is not a miracle and being a mother doesn’t make you a goddess .

Cool. When white women level these accusations for other white women, in the name of feminist equality, then maybe they can be taken seriously. Until then, shut the fuck up.

But the point to be made here about Olivia is: have the rules of the game changed on her, or did she change herself to play the wrong game? Unlike some who think Shonda hired a black actress to do a role that could have been done by any white man, I actively think about Olivia as a Black woman. I can see how the brutality and violence of the political world in which she inhabits has taken its toll on her labour and her person. Too often, I see Black people go practically out of their mind, steeling themselves and hardening their hearts to world hostile to their presence. I think of Olivia in that context: a woman who has redefined power according to someone else’s exacting definition. We can say they are those of her father, but he merely did the same thing to escape the hardships of Detroit. Both have been playing this game according to rules devised by white patriarchy. Audre Lorde tells us that, as women, the belief that suppressing the erotic within us in order to display strength is an illusory thought that is anchored in male models of power. She cannot see this yet.

The Oval Olivia is so desperate to have is more about proving that she is a ‘winner’. I wrote last year about wanting Olivia to be a ***flawless loser, in the Beyonce sense: putting her all into something, losing, and then realizing that it is not the end of the world. I still do not know what this woman wants. The White House is a ruse, and further path to being a monster, not a woman she can be proud of. In other words, the Oval is not Olivia’s Oval. I think she’s still trying to figure that out.

#Scandal #Scandal 604 #The Belt #Olivia Pope #Olitz

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cdga · 7 years

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LILY COLLINS ANNOUNCED AS RECIPIENT OF THE LACOSTE SPOTLIGHT AWARD AT THE 19TH CDGA (COSTUME DESIGNERS GUILD AWARDS)

Ceremony to Take Place on February 21, 2017

Los Angeles, CA (January 23, 2017) – The Costume Designers Guild announced today that Golden Globe® nominated actress and fashion icon Lily Collins will receive the annual LACOSTE Spotlight Award at the 19th CDGA (Costume Designers Guild Awards) on Tuesday, February 21, 2017 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

The LACOSTE Spotlight Award honors an actor whose talent and career personify an enduring commitment to excellence, including a special awareness of the role and importance of costume design. Collins is being honored for her on-screen talent and her widely known respect and affection for the designers she’s worked with. When Collins last attended the CDGA, she wore a statement dress with an oversized bow on the back as an homage to Eiko Ishioka, her Mirror Mirror costume designer, who had passed away that year. Ishioka went on to win the award for Excellence in Fantasy Film that night.

Lily Collins is a rising star in Hollywood. She has already gained praise for her roles in numerous films such as Love, Rosie, The Mortal Instruments, Stuck in Love, The English Teacher, Mirror Mirror, Abduction, and The Blind Side. Most recently, Collins starred in the highly acclaimed film Rules Don’t Apply, directed by Warren Beatty. The role gained Lily her first Golden Globe® Award Nomination in the Best Actress Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy category.

Collins recently wrapped production on the dark comedy To The Bone, directed by Marti Noxon, as well as the Bong Joon-ho directed Okja, starring opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton, and Paul Danno, which will premiere on Netflix in 2017. Currently, Collins is filming the Amazon/Sony Pictures drama series, The Last Tycoon with Kelsey Grammer and Matt Bomer. The series is based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s final unfinished novel and the pilot has already received much acclaim.

In addition to acting, Collins is a rising fashion icon and journalist. She has been writing for ELLEGIRL UK, Nickelodeon, SEVENTEEN Magazine, and CosmoGIRL! since she was 15. Collins is also set to release her first memoir, Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me, which will be published through HarperCollins on March 7, 2017. This debut collection of raw and deeply personal essays will resonate with teenagers and young women, and help inspire honest conversations.

LACOSTE has been a supporter of the CDGA for more than a decade and returns as Presenting Sponsor for the eighth consecutive year.

For the fifth year, LACOSTE will partner with the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) and their costume design students on creative collaborations. This year, six students were asked to select an iconic fairy tale character, then sketch and design a polo shirt based on that character. LACOSTE provided each student with its famous branded polo shirts, as well as piqué fabric, trims, and crocodile logos. The completed designs and their accompanying sketches will be displayed at the 19th CDGA as well as at the LACOSTE Symposium, an intimate panel discussion with award-winning Costume Designers, on February 22nd. The FIDM students will attend CDGA and the LACOSTE Symposium as guests of LACOSTE.

Produced by JumpLine, the annual CDGA gala celebrates excellence in film, television, and short-form Costume Design as voted on by the Guild’s membership.

ABOUT THE COSTUME DESIGNERS GUILD:

The Costume Designers Guild, IATSE local 892, is a proud member of the international alliance of theatrical stage employees. In addition to our union services, we promote the artistry, technical expertise, and creative vision of our members who design authentic fictional characters with accuracy and integrity. The Guild’s membership includes more than 900 Costume Designers and Illustrators working in motion pictures, television, commercials, music videos, and new media programs throughout the world. Find the Guild at Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @CDGlocal892.

ABOUT LACOSTE:

For LACOSTE, Life is a Beautiful Sport! Since the very first polo was created in 1933, LACOSTE relies on its authentic sportive roots to spring optimism and elegance on the world thanks to a unique and original lifestyle for women, men, and children. With a vision to be the leading player in the premium casual wear market, the Crocodile brand is today present in 120 countries through a selective distribution network. Two LACOSTE items are sold every second in the world. As an international group gathering 10,000 women and men, LACOSTE offers a complete range of products: apparel, leather goods, fragrances, footwear, eyewear, home wear, watches, and underwear, all of them being elaborated in the most qualitative, responsible, and ethical way. In 2015, the brand garnered a turnover of 1.95 billion euros. For more information: www.lacoste.com

ABOUT JUMPLINE:

JumpLine Group: The intersection of live production and original content. JumpLine www.jumpline-group.com specializes in high-touch events, such as the CDGA (Costume Designers Guild Awards). Its content division BehindTheLine www.behindthelineprod.com develops film, television, and digital content, and recently produced the feature-length documentary about Saturday Night Live, Live From New York!

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Find the CDGA on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and use #CDGA19. For updates and live tweeting during the show @CostumeAwards.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Brian Rubin

PMK•BNC

[email protected]

310.854.4800

For more information about the awards visit: www.jumpline-group.com/cdga

NOTE: Please do not abbreviate “costume designer” by using “costumer.”

These are two different union locals, referring to completely different job descriptions.

If it is necessary to abbreviate “costume designer” for space, please use “designer.”

#CDGA19

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poker88onlineleo-blog · 5 years

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How to Outsmart Your Peers on afa poker

Some rookies will are available in and make an instantaneous influence while in the league. Some others may have a far more subtle influence and work their way in the lineup. Just how much playing time these rookies acquire will ascertain not only their worth, but in addition the value of many other verified veterans who could possibly be higher fantasy draft picks. Many of these veterans may eliminate many price because of rookies stealing precious taking part in time from them. This is especially troubling in keeper leagues.

Rookie Starters

This was among the list of much more remarkable drafts lately. Quite a few proficient players really should stage correct into main roles with their NFL groups. Many of these guys are going to be properly worthy of owning in your fantasy crew. If youre in a very keeper league, these men could be very substantial picks.

Reggie Bush The Texans may need handed on him, however you shouldnt. Bush may have an abundance of chances to score fantasy factors for his owners as he is anticipated to separate carries with Deuce McAllister, whose worth drops drastically. Bush is going to be a huge concentrate on out in the backfield for new Saints QB Drew Brees and at times hell line up as a broad receiver. Bush could also be capable to get within the scoreboard returning punts and kickoffs.

Vernon Davis The massive tight conclude will instantly develop into Alex Smiths most loved goal in San Francisco. Whilst the 49ers offense is absolutely nothing to write down home about, they need to make improvements to and they're going to Engage in in opposition to some weaker defenses. Some say Davis may be the up coming Antonio Gates. That almost certainly wont take place at once, but he might be a leading 5 restricted conclusion and also have figures much like Baltimores Todd Heap.

Joseph Addai The Colts hurried to exchange Edgerrin James by drafting the LSU managing again in the initial spherical. Addai will stage correct into your leagues most potent offense and will be the attribute back. Like James, hes a superb go catcher and shouldn't have any problem beating out Dominic Rhodes For almost all of your participating in time.

Waiting around during the Wings

These guys might not start instantly, but They are going to be precious players for his or her new teams offenses.

Laurence Maroney & Chad Jackson The Patriots leading two picks is probably not immediate starters, however it wont be long until finally they pressure their way to the lineup. Rated by several as the top broad receiver within the draft, New England was in a position to seize Floridas Chad Jackson in the 2nd spherical. Jackson fills a right away hole to the Pats after they lost David Givens in cost-free company. Regardless of whether he doesnt start, New England loves to run three-, four- and five-receiver sets, and you'll guess Tom Brady will find the rookie. The Patriots No. 1 choose was RB Laurence Maroney. Maroney rushed for in excess of 1,000 yards three straight seasons at Minnesota. He wont displace incumbent Corey Dillon given that the starter right away, but Maroney can get his share of carries and could produce into an exceptionally productive NFL managing again very quickly. He is an excellent mid-spherical decide on greater in keeper leagues.

DeAngelo Williams The undersized functioning back again is definitely the NCAA job leader in all-objective yards. He will have to struggle DeShaun Foster and Carolinas 2005 leading decide Eric Shelton for taking part in time. Williams will likely be Section of the backfield rotation from the beginning. Foster and Shelton have both had issues staying nutritious, so Williams may be in line for all the more enjoying time.

Santonio Holmes The Steelers, similar to the Patriots, had a right away will need for a large receiver and stuffed it with the amazing Ohio Condition speedster. He should really fit in nicely While using the Tremendous Bowl champs and has a terrific tutor in Hines Ward. Search for Pittsburgh to relieve him into your lineup and for Holmes to help make his way into your starting off lineup by mid-period.

LenDale White The other USC operating again fell to the center of the 2nd spherical after a hamstring injury and character concerns have appear up in latest months. On the sphere, White has become a strong runner which has a nose with the conclusion zone. Tennessee by now has two confirmed backs in Chris Brown and Travis Henry, but equally have already been prone to accidents. Try to find White to get started on the season as being the intention-line back again and obtain an opportunity within the element again position afterwards from the period.

Better of the Rest

Some other gamers to control this period involve: Leonard Pope The 6-foot-eight limited close will probably be an enormous target for Curt Warner and will get an abundance of Pink Zone alternatives in the Cardinals new higher-run offense; Sinorice Moss The Miami (Fla.) receiver need to be a superb complement to Plaxico Burress to the Giants. Moss will have to struggle for catches within an offense that features Tiki Barber, Jeremy Shockey, and Burress; Anthony Fasano Monthly bill Parcells hopes Fasano will turn into another Mark Bavaro for the Cowboys. Dallas presently has Jason Witten, a solid limited close, but Parcells likes to Participate in two tight ends, and Drew Bledsoe likes to work the middle of the field.

The Quarterbacks

The theres the 3 large-profile quarterbacks: Vince Younger, Matt Leinart, and Jay Cutler. I believe they can all have successful Professions, but just not this year. Younger has a chance for enjoying time with Tennessee given that Steve McNair has still left for Baltimore. Billy Volek is ready to stage up, nonetheless, so Young ought to be carrying the clipboard this season. Leinart fell on the tenth pick, but he couldnt have questioned for a far better predicament. The Cardinals are loaded on offense with the most beneficial young wide receiver duo from the league Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald and also a stud working again inside the newly acquired James. Kurt Warner sales opportunities the Arizona attack and nevertheless has a great calendar year or two still left, but Warner includes a historical past of injuries so Leinarts time could arrive sooner as opposed to later. The Broncos drafted Cutler a single decide on right after Leinart was selected. Cutler will again up Jake Plummer in Denver following year as he is groomed for that starting up location at the time Plummer wears out his welcome.

Monitor the situation battles around the summertime and dont be afraid to take an opportunity on a rookie that could be described as a afa poker difference maker.

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#agen poker terpercaya #dewa poker 88 #poker 88 online #afa poker

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placetobenation · 6 years

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We have begun the ride on the road. The first official Playoff Rankings are out, and for the most part there’s no surprises. Yet, this weekend brings a ton of chances for things to change. Let’s look at this past weekend’s hottest takes and get ready for the road to Santa Clara!

LOGAN:

Mississippi State’s Offense Comes Alive: A week after scoring three points, people were calling for Mississippi State coach Joe Moorehead to make a change at QB. Luckily Coach Moorehead and QB Nick Fitzgerald were up to the task of proving of everyone wrong and shutting up the doubters. They came out with the game plan that they were going to throw the ball this week and that they were going to live and die by it. This week Fitzgerald was incredibly accurate and very good on third down. He scored two touchdowns through the air and two more on the ground. This helped the Bulldogs surge to a 28-13 victory.

Kentucky Stays in the Hunt: The biggest surprise of this season might very well be the Kentucky Wildcats. They have persevered to this point and are literally one game from possibly going to Atlanta. This week’s game against Missouri proved to be a little bit tougher of a contest than they may have anticipated though. If not for a late punt return and timely pass interference call this might’ve been season killer for the Wilcats. Luckily the punt return happened and the pass interference lead to an untimed down at the end of the game which they were able to convert into a game winning touchdown. This win sets up a winner take all game next week with Georgia, with the winner having their ticket punched to Atlanta.

Georgia Gets Their Mojo Back: Speaking of Georgia, they came into this week following their blowout loss to LSU needing a win in a huge way. They would be in for a tough matchup as they would travel to Jacksonville to take on their rival, the Florida Gators. The winner would join Kentucky in the driver’s seat in the SEC East. The defenses both came to play, but Georgia’s was able to create turnovers which proved to be the difference. Like Fitzgerald above, Georgia QB Jake Fromm needed to answer the doubters and he did so with flying colors leading his team to a 36-17 victory. The Dawgs now travel to Lexington, as discussed above, for a winner take all game with the Kentucky Wildcats. This defacto championship game will be the game of the week and should be a great defensive battle.

Texas Hits a Bump in The Road: After a victory in the Red River shootout, Texas had all the momentum and was in the driver’s seat in the Big 12. They had also set themselves up as the conferences most likely playoff contender. This means all they needed to do was get through the rest of their schedule, with the only real tough game left is the game against West Virginia, and they would set themselves up to not only play in the Big 12 title game but possibly qualify for the playoff. Well, Oklahoma State had other ideas. The Cowboys were to build a 31-14 lead heading into half by physically outplaying the Longhorns. Texas put a comeback that was very admirable, but ultimately game up three points short falling to OK State by a score of 38-35. Lucky for Texas this doesn’t put them in a bad spot when it comes to winning the Big 12, but it likely ends their playoff hopes unless a lot of teams in front of them start losing.

AAC Update: As I spoke about last week, the AAC is a conference that consistently pumps out entertaining games and sported a few undefeated. Cincinnati fell last week, meaning South Florida and UCF were only two undbeatens left. UCF had the week off, while South Florida traveled to play the Houston Cougars. Houston entering the day was the leader in the division opposite the two Florida teams, having only lost a non conference Texas Tech to this point. This game was a shootout from the beginning, with Houston heading into the locker with the 28-21 lead. Houston was then able to keep the offense rolling outscoring South Florida 29-15 in the second half to come away with a 57-36 victory. With the South Florida loss, UCF is now the only American Conference team with no losses, but still have to play Cincinnati, USF, and Temple, as well as likely Houston if they make it to the conference title game. This road left for the Golden Knights will be tough, but they definitely have the talent to make it through. This will continue to be a very interesting conference race to watch.

SCOTT:

Irish momentum continues: No. 3 Notre Dame got off to an inauspicious start against Navy when top receiver Miles Boykin fumbled after a catch on the first play from scrimmage. Turns out that was merely a hiccup. Ian Book was remarkably efficient in leading the Fighting Irish to a 44-22 win that kept them undefeated and in the playoff rankings. Book threw for 330 yards and two touchdowns, and Dexter Williams ran for 142 yards and three scores.The Irish are 8-0 for the first time since the 2012 Title game run, when they were taken to the ‘shed by Alabama. Maybe revenge is on the agenda?

Speaking of Revenge: #2 Clemson handed Florida the worst loss in Doak Campbell Stadium history with a 59-10 win. No Atlantic Coast Conference team had ever knocked off Florida State for four straight years. Clemson spent the week making sure it would be the first as Trevor Lawrence threw four touchdown passes. Florida State routed Clemson 51-14 in 2013, a victory that was part of the Seminoles’ undefeated run to the national title. But since then, the Tigers have been the class of the ACC, and owned their rivalry with Florida State. It’s clear Willie Taggert is over his head and doesn’t belong in an elite program like this.

Sooners Roll: It seems like Oklahoma is being forgotten in the Playoff Race after their loss to Texas. However, even with rumors of Lincoln Riley’s future in the air the Sooners get back on the horse with a 51-14 win over Kansas State. The Sooners are 7-1 and still very much alive in the chase. Kyler Murray passed for 352 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another. The Sooners are in prime time this week and a date with Texas Tech.

I mean..it’s only Bethune-Cookman: Nebraska got what it wanted out of its game against Bethune-Cookman. The Cornhuskers won, nobody got hurt, and a lot of guys got to play. Adrian Martinez passed for 213 yards and two touchdowns and Devine Ozigbo ran for 110 and another score — all in the first half — and Nebraska prepped for next week’s road game against Ohio State with a 45-9 win Saturday. A month ago, Nebraska was in the middle of its 0-6 start and coming off a 46-point loss at Michigan. Last week’s win over Minnesota and the fast work they did against the Wildcats of the Football Championship Subdivision have lifted the Huskers’ spirits heading into their trip to the “Horseshoe” to face the 11th-ranked Buckeyes, who were off Saturday after losing at Purdue last week.

Academies Update: Air Force can wrap up the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy this Saturday when they face Army at West Point. Navy, coming off the loss to ND is at Cincinnati.

Again, the inaugural Playoff Rankings are out, and here’s what we got:

IN THE PLAYOFF 1. Alabama 2. Clemson 3. LSU 4. Notre Dame

IN THE HUNT 5. Michigan 6. Georgia 7. Oklahoma 8. Washington State 9. Kentucky 10. Ohio State

All that can change after this weekend, and there will be some shakeup as two of the top four are facing each other in Death Valley. Here’s the schedule of important games:

3:30pm: #6 Georgia at #9 Kentucky 3:30pm: #13 West Virginia at #17 Texas 3:45pm: #14 Penn State at #5 Michigan 7:15pm: #3 Notre Dame at Northwestern 8pm: #1 Alabama at #3 LSU 8pm: #7 Oklahoma at Texas Tech

#IFTTT #Place to Be Nation

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mrmichaelchadler · 6 years

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Natural Woman: A Tribute to Aretha Franklin

The world lost actual royalty on Thursday, August 16th, 2018, when the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, passed away at age 76. Our own Odie Henderson already paid tribute to her in his eloquent obituary, but we wanted to open the floor to a few more thoughts from our team, including Chaz Ebert, Nell Minow, Brian Tallerico, Omer Mozzafar, B. J. Bethel, Steve Erickson, Peter Sobczynski and Matt Fagerholm. Words can’t really do her justice, but we will try.

CHAZ EBERT

ARETHA FRANKLIN: NATURAL WOMAN

Ms Aretha Franklin, the undisputed Queen of Soul, was the singular musical influence in my life. Not the single, as in only, but the most important. I have great admiration for many singers such as Sara Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Esther Phillips, Lena Horne, Whitney Houston, June Anderson, Dianna Ross, Adele, Dionne Warwick, and Barbara Streisand but Aretha’s singing helped me to discover the music of the heartstrings. Whether she was crooning "Natural Woman," "Dr Feelgood," "Giving Him Something He Can Feel," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Brand New Me," "This Girl's In Love With You," "Chain of Fools," “Nessun Dorma” or “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” her brand of soul seeped deep into my psyche, taking me through various experiences of love, as she was never timid about letting you know whether she was deliriously in love or woefully in pain, or on some platform in between the two.

There is a certain kind of down-home blues called “gut bucket” blues, not only because you feel it in your gut with each strum of the guitar but because it sounds like it is wrenched from the guts of the singer, from his or her firsthand experience with no money for rent and the baby needs shoes, and your love done got up and gone. Aretha’s songs came from her gut. There was no artifice. Her soulful moans were a direct translation whether you were wondering about love, falling in love, discovering sex, nursing a broken heart or telling a man to give you some Respect. She was that natural woman, who struggled with her weight, and her clothes but never with her affection for family and friends. When she performed professionally she sometimes demanded to be paid in cash and was known for carrying it around in her purse within her eyesight on stage. But that was her way of being assertive, for standing her ground and making sure she didn’t end up penniless like a lot of the entertainers who were taken advantage of. Whether in love or in life, her songs came from deep emotions and a myriad of deep experiences.

But she was also a multi-talented original, so her songs also came from her heart and soul, beginning with the gospel songs she sang in her father Reverend C. L. Franklin’s church in Detroit. Her rendition of “Amazing Grace,” brings me to tears each time. And the miracle is how well she seamlessly blended the gospel and the secular, finding the divinity in each. She took this blend of gospel and secular on the road with Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. to help with the struggle for civil rights. She didn’t back down from confrontation. “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” became a clarion call both for the civil rights movement and the women’s liberation movement.

I loved Aretha and what she stood for and the news of her death leaves me heartbroken. On the few occasions when Roger and I ran into her at events, I was surprised to find out that she could be shy. Or so she told me. Maybe that was part of her need for privacy; part of her Diva shield. She would get us alone and kick off her shoes, and she became playful and warm and funny. She could give as good as she got, and she loved teasing and catching up on the latest goings-on. It is so hard to say goodbye to someone who feels like they have been a part of your life for so long, even if you know them mainly through their music. I am just “saying a little prayer for her” and thanking her for all of the deeply soulful heart connections she engendered. And I am sending out the most heartfelt condolences to her family. Heaven has a new Queen.

BRIAN TALLERICO

When I was a teenager in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, I worked in a book store called Metro News Center (it was mostly magazines and newspapers, but also had a healthy supply of new books). I can still remember the first time Aretha Franklin walked through the front door. There was no mistaking who it was. She wasn’t the kind of face you didn’t place. It was as if actual royalty had entered the building. A hush fell over the whole store that felt almost supernatural, as if the world made way for her wherever she went. When I think of the very concept of a celebrity being “larger than life,” I think of that encounter—the Queen of Soul wandering the aisles in a book store and the world stopping to watch her do it. It was unforgettable—although I’d pay a lot of money to remember what books she bought.

The world didn’t just lose a generational musical talent, it lost that increasingly rare degree of celebrity and superstar that can truly justify the title Queen.

OMER MOZAFFAR

She was that older sister who knocked down walls with the sheer will of her personality and the power of her voice.

NELL MINOW

I won’t try to express the greatness of Aretha Franklin with superlatives. Even the most extravagant would not do her justice. I will just say that beyond that voice, her magnificent instrument, the match of any musical genre or mood, beyond the inerrant musicianship that could take a melody, twist it, stretch it, toss it to the moon and back again without losing a brilliantly shaped note, was her grace as a person and a performer. When she demanded respect, when she told you to think, when she sang, “Mary, Don’t You Weep,” when she stepped in at the last minute to substitute for the foremost tenor of the world, Luciano Pavarotti, to sing his signature aria, Nessun Dorma, everyone who was lucky enough to hear her understood that her real greatness came from the honesty of a true natural woman.

B.J. BETHEL

Aretha Franklin's title of "Queen of Soul" was more than befitting the greatest singer America ever produced. She defended her reign in numerous feuds with other singers and celebrities. But one wonders if she took the title so personal because she was a Queen without a King.

Sam Cooke was more than inspiration for Franklin. The two met when she was 12 and he was in his early 20s.

Cooke died in 1964 after being shot by the manager of a hotel, an incident that still hasn't been wholly investigated and one he family - 50 years later - still wants re-opened.

Cooke was 33 years old when he died but was already dubbed the "King of Soul" for a string of songs and hits that may never be repeated, and a voice that expressed a joy and inspiration that was quite opposite of the hard life he lived.

"A Wonderful World," "Saturday Night," "Twistin' the Night Away," "Chain Gang." were a few of his hits, songs that were all staples of pop and soul music. His talent was equaled only by Franklin.

On Franklin's hit album "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You," she covered two of Cooke's songs. "Good Times," and his hit "A Change Is Gonna Come" as the final track on a record that began with "Respect." Pitchfork named the record one of the 10 best of the ‘60s, Rolling Stone had it in a list of top 100 records of all time. Cooke's inspiration was all over it.

What the two could have done if they had both been blowing up the charts at the same time has always been a question hanging in my imagination.

STEVE ERICKSON

When I went out for breakfast this morning at a Manhattan cafe, the radio was tuned to a station playing '80s and '90s R&B and hip-hop. The DJ spoke in between songs about Aretha Franklin's death today and her immense importance in American culture, but at least while I was there the station couldn't be bothered to play any of her actual music. But the artists they did play - Mary J. Blige (one of her most obvious descendants), Anita Baker, even a male singer like Prince - would have sounded much different without the bravery and swagger of her late '60s and early '70s music. "Respect" is just the beginning. Albums like SOUL '69, SPIRIT IN THE DARK and YOUNG, GIFTED & BLACK offer plenty of deep cuts, and a stylistic range that includes rock, jazz, blues and gospel, although she usually just gets summed up as a soul singer. The kind of female African-American rebellion summed up by "Respect" isn't exactly absent from our culture, but it says something about our times that the attitude and struggle represented by her best music and public persona still seem very contemporary.

PETER SOBCZYNSKI

As was probably the case for a lot of people who share my age and general background, my first real exposure to the majesty of Aretha Franklin came from the silver screen. For my ninth birthday, my family went to go see “The Blues Brothers,” a film that I had been champing at the bit after having seen its production virtually take over the Chicago area the previous summer. During the first section, our heroes are jumping bridges, getting blown up, driving through shopping malls, getting smacked by nuns and getting redeemed by the power of James Brown and for a movie-mad kid like me, every frame of it was a delight. Then Jake and Elwood decide to step into a restaurant on the famed Maxwell Street to grab some lunch and, hopefully, their old guitar player and saxophonist. What they run into is a force of nature that not even the combined efforts of all the top visual effects artists in Hollywood could ever hope to equal—a pissed-off Aretha Franklin laying down the law to her husband, the guitarist, via a rendition of “Think,” the 1968 song that she co-wrote with her real life then-husband Ted White. Her performance was volcanic—a show-stopper in the best possible sense—and for the three minutes and change that she is singing, the film essentially shifts in tone from goofy musical comedy to grand opera. Even people who didn’t like the film as a whole—and such miserable creatures do exist—were blown away by that scene and many critics pointed out that one flaw in the film is that when Jake and Elwood leave with their former bandmates, they inexplicably neglected to bring her along as well.

As a result of that movie, I began looking into the R&B/soul legends who populated the soundtrack and whose careers were given a welcome boost as a result of their association with the film, Franklin chief among them. I will admit that there are other people who could better articulate the power of her voice and how it not only revolutionized the music world but proved to be a force of strength in the battles for civil rights and women’s rights. I am not even going to attempt to do that for fear of inadvertently sounding like a character out of a lesser Nick Hornby novel. I will, say, however, that she was an artist who well and truly gave her all with every performance. She could take a dumb song (I’m looking at you, “Freeway of Love”) and usually invest it with far more passion and energy than it deserved so that even the throwaway filler tracks had more life to them than the best efforts of most of her contemporaries. When she had the chance to work on better material—(“You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” to “Think” (which she would eventually perform in “what would be one of the few highlights in the otherwise dire “Blues Brothers 2000”) to “Nessun Dorma,” the aria from Puccini’s “Turandot” that she famously performed during the 1998 Grammy Awards for millions of viewers, literally at the last minute, after original performer Placido Domingo fell ill—the results were simply exhilarating. She may be gone now in the literal sense but thanks to her musical legacy, the power and presence that she demonstrated every time she stepped up to a microphone will never be diminished.

MATT FAGERHOLM

Some people have you at "hello." Aretha Franklin had me at "Think." Her performance of that iconic tune in "The Blues Brothers" was such an electrifying and hilarious showstopper that it made me a lifelong fan. I received a six-CD boxed set of her greatest hits for Christmas that I listened to throughout my childhood, amazed by the versatility of her genius. Three years ago, she made a surprise appearance at the Kennedy Center Honors, where she paid tribute to Carole King by bringing down the house with "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman." President Obama wept, and I did too. Thank you, Aretha, for your limitless inspiration.

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ssweeneys · 4 years

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#jakefitzgeraldedit #tommadenedit #mtvscreamedit #will belmont #jake fitzgerald #mine*#⊸ opposite ┊ jake fitzgerald #⊸ brotp ┊ ryan & adam

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yahoo-shutdown-corner-blog · 6 years

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2018 NFL Preview: Cardinals start a brand new era with Josh Rosen and Steve Wilks

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Yahoo Sports is previewing all 32 teams as we get ready for the NFL season, counting down the teams one per weekday in reverse order of our initial 2018 power rankings. No. 1 will be revealed on Aug. 1, the day before the Hall of Fame Game kicks off the preseason.

(Yahoo Sports graphics by Amber Matsumoto)

The Arizona Cardinals kicked off an NFC championship game in Charlotte on Jan. 24, 2016, only 29 months ago.

It seems like a generation has passed since then. The Carolina Panthers swarmed the Cardinals in the first quarter, went to Super Bowl 50, and a couple years later the Cardinals are expected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL. The speed in which the NFL world moves is unfair.

When Las Vegas oddsmakers posted their season win totals for 2018, the consensus lines have two teams at the bottom with 5.5 wins: the Cleveland Browns and Cardinals. Quarterback Carson Palmer retired, and so did coach Bruce Arians. Tyrann Mathieu, who for a flash was one of the best defensive players in the NFL, was cut for salary-cap reasons. There are still some big names remaining from the 2015 team that nearly went to the Super Bowl, but these Cardinals look a lot different.

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The Cardinals still have elite talent. David Johnson, who missed almost all of last season with a wrist injury, is one of the NFL’s best backs. Patrick Peterson is a Hall-of-Fame cornerback, and Chandler Jones is one of the best pass rushers in the league. Larry Fitzgerald, another future Hall of Famer, had 1,156 yards at age 34.

That’s a good base, but it’s a new era in Arizona. Former Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks takes over as coach, promising change on both sides of the ball. He wants to run the ball more, a thought that goes counter to modern NFL thinking and will be a heck of a culture change from Arians’ deep-passing ways. The Cardinals will also shift from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3. The Cardinals’ defense was good last season, finishing fourth in Football Outsiders’ DVOA, but it’s being overhauled with Wilks.

Not to mention, their quarterback is brand new. The Cardinals did what every quarterback-desperate team in the 2010s seems destined to do: They overpaid Sam Bradford because they panicked. Then Arizona caught a break in the draft when Josh Rosen slipped, and it wasn’t too expensive to go up and draft him 10th overall.

Rosen brings a desirable chip on his shoulder after falling in the draft.

“I was angry. I was really angry,” Rosen said in an interview with Westwood One Sports on draft night. “One, two and three went through, and I was really pissed off. But for some reason, the second I got that call, all of that went away and motivation stepped in.

“They made nine mistakes ahead of me, and I couldn’t be more excited to prove them all wrong.”

If Rosen can channel that, his “nine mistakes” comment will become legend. If not, it’ll end up more like Johnny Manziel proclaiming he was ready to “wreck this league” on draft night. But Rosen has the talent to make the Cardinals look smart.

We knew the Cardinals’ rise under Arians had an expiration date. Palmer was on the back nine of his career, Fitzgerald has flirted with retirement the past couple years and Arians had health issues. Still, it’s startling how quickly it came and went. Arizona was one step from playing for a title, then went 15-16-1 the next two seasons. This year, they are undergoing a transformation.

Just a reminder: If your favorite NFL team is good, enjoy it. It can turn quickly.

Josh Rosen, left, stands next to coach Steve Wilks at Rosen’s introductory news conference after the NFL draft. (AP)

The Cardinals made two of the better value picks in the draft, with Josh Rosen at No. 10 and receiver Christian Kirk in the second round. Kirk should seamlessly replace Larry Fitzgerald whenever Fitzgerald decides to step away, and NFL Films’ Greg Cosell thought Rosen was the best quarterback in this class. Center Mason Cole was a good third-round pick, too. The rest of the offseason wasn’t so kind. Signing guard Justin Pugh was fine, but they’ll regret overpaying Sam Bradford because everybody regrets overpaying Bradford. It was sad to see Tyrann Mathieu go. And for all his ups and downs, Carson Palmer made the Cardinals a (fleeting) contender. The Cardinals are restarting, but the draft was a good step.

GRADE: B-

Steve Wilks has some pieces to work with on defense. Cornerback Patrick Peterson and pass rusher Chandler Jones are All-Pro candidates. Linebackers Deone Bucannon and Haason Reddick are impressive athletes, and pass rusher Markus Golden had 12.5 sacks two years ago when healthy. How will the pieces fit going from a 3-4 to 4-3? Will Jones and Golden still thrive as ends? Can Bucannon and Reddick make plays as outside linebackers? But there is talent; the defense carried a poor offense to an 8-8 record last season.

It seems like the Cardinals have been searching forever for a cornerback opposite Patrick Peterson. They squeezed a surprisingly good year out of Tramon Williams last year, but Williams is gone. And there’s no proven replacement. Brandon Williams, a 2016 third-round pick who played one snap on defense all last season, seems to be the favorite to start. Arizona didn’t draft a corner before the sixth round. Veteran Bene Benwikere might win the job, but he has just 14 starts in four seasons. If the Cardinals can’t figure out that position it lessens the impact of having a great talent like Peterson; teams will avoid him and relentlessly pick on the other cornerback.

The Cardinals have said Sam Bradford is the starter, though there will be a competition between Bradford and Josh Rosen. History says Rosen will start at some point. Since 2006, the year after Aaron Rodgers was picked by the Green Bay Packers, only two first-round quarterbacks (Jake Locker and Brady Quinn) didn’t start at least one game as a rookie. That’s 27 of the past 29 first-round quarterbacks who got at least one start. Considering Rosen is the quarterback of Arizona’s future and the Cardinals don’t look like playoff contenders, you have to assume the team wants Rosen to start as soon as possible. It wouldn’t be entirely shocking if that happens by Week 1.

There are plenty of candidates, but David Johnson tops the list. In 2016 he was one of the best players in football, an NFL offensive player of the year candidate after posting 2,218 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns. When Johnson’s 2017 season ended after just 17 touches due to a wrist injury, the offense suffered. And the Cardinals still have one of the steepest drops from starting tailback to backup in the NFL. Johnson, who wants a new contract and skipped minicamp to make a statement, will be the focal point of Steve Wilks’ run-first approach if he’s healthy. If he’s hurt again, Arizona doesn’t have Plan B.

From Yahoo’s Dalton Del Don: “David Johnson is an easy top-three pick. He’s coming off a season-ending injury, but it happened in Week 1 and was to his wrist. So Johnson enters with fresh legs in his prime, having totaled 2,118 yards with 80 catches and 20 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2016. Johnson is the league’s most dangerous receiving back by a mile, and he’ll be the centerpiece of an offense relying on newcomer (and brittle) Sam Bradford or rookie Josh Rosen at QB behind an offensive line that looks improved. There’s some risk using such a high pick on someone who played just 75 snaps last season, but Johnson offers as much fantasy upside as any player in the NFL.”

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Football analyst Warren Sharp annually calculates strength of schedule using Las Vegas’ projected win totals for each team, which is a much better way of predicting SOS than looking at last year’s records. Sharp found that the toughest projected schedule in the NFL this season belongs to Arizona. For a team undergoing a lot of changes, that’s bad news.

HOW LONG CAN LARRY FITZGERALD KEEP DOING THIS?

Nobody knows when Fitzgerald will retire. There were rumors 2016 would be his last season, and Fitzgerald is still going two years later. It wouldn’t be a surprise if this is it, or if he keeps playing after this season. He could play, and play well, beyond this season if he wants to.

One of my favorite stats of the offseason was this: Rotoworld’s Evan Silva noted that Fitzgerald’s average yards of separation actually improved last season: 2.4 yards in 2016 to 2.6 in 2017. Yes, he was better at getting open at age 34 than he was the year before. Fitzgerald’s move to the slot has rejuvenated his career. The past two seasons he has 216 catches, 2,179 yards and 12 touchdowns. His numbers improved across the board last season. There are only 17 instances of a 35-year-old receiver posting 1,000 yards, according to Pro Football Reference, and the great Jerry Rice has three of those spots. Don’t count out Fitzgerald being the 18th. Maybe the 19th in 2019, too.

Let’s get really, really optimistic. The Cardinals went a respectable 8-8 last year and while there’s a new quarterback, it’s not like those seven starts by Carson Palmer last season were magical. David Johnson’s return can’t be understated. It’s hard to say Steve Wilks is better than two-time NFL coach of the year Bruce Arians, but he might be, and a new voice often invigorates a team. If everything comes together – someone emerges as a productive quarterback, Johnson looks like he did in 2016, the Cardinals’ stars on defense take to the scheme change, Wilks is a coaching dynamo – Arizona could stay in the playoff race for a long time.

The offense could struggle. The Cardinals will presumably have a rookie quarterback at some point, a bad offensive line, no backup to David Johnson and at some point Larry Fitzgerald will look like he’s in his mid-30s. Then if there’s a tough transition to a new defense and a rookie head coach makes rookie mistakes (perhaps something like promoting a run-first foundation on offense in a pass-first NFL world), it’s easy to see how this could get very ugly. There’s a reason the Cardinals’ win total is just 5.5.

The Cardinals will find a way to crawl past that 5.5-win mark despite a tough schedule because they have some true superstars. But the fringes of the roster need work, and it’s alarming Steve Wilks believes the best way to win in 2018 is to run the ball more. What has happened to the Cards happens to most non-Patriots teams in the NFL: You make a run at the ultimate prize, and the bill comes due sometime soon after. The Cardinals are starting over with the Wilks-Josh Rosen nucleus, and it will take at least a couple years to rise again.

32. Cleveland Browns 31. Indianapolis Colts 30. New York Jets

– – – – – – –

Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab

#_author:Frank Schwab #_lmsid:a077000000CFoGyAAL #_uuid:9fb62868-4a06-3100-a6ff-33c24e5c06ec #_revsp:99add987-dcd1-48ae-b801-e4aa58e4ebd0

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usatrendingsports · 6 years

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2018 Heisman Trophy betting odds: Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa amongst leaders

The 2018 school soccer season remains to be an excellent eight months away nevertheless it’s by no means too early to take a position over who may win subsequent yr’s Heisman Trophy. Because of the oldsters over at Bovada, we’ve an preliminary checklist of odds.

There aren’t many surprises on the very high. Stanford working again Bryce Love, the chances chief at 7/1, was final yr’s runner-up to Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield. Wisconsin working again Jonathan Taylor has the next-highest odds at eight/1 as a result of he checks off lots of bins. He is a manufacturing machine (1,977 yards, 13 touchdowns) in a run-heavy offense on a group coming off a banner yr with playoff aspirations subsequent season.

Even Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate is sensible with 9/1 odds seeing as he was essentially the most thrilling participant within the nation final October.

However Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa at 10/1 warranted a double take; shoot, a triple take at that. Not solely is Tagovailoa listed as an actual Heisman candidate, he is ranked highest amongst any SEC participant.

Vegas odds all the time require two disclaimers. The primary is that they are sure to vary. The second is oddsmakers create numbers with the intent of getting the utmost quantity of bets.

However the truth that Tagovailoa is listed in any respect, not to mention this excessive, additionally speaks to the Catch-22 of Alabama’s quarterback scenario. With out query, the upcoming competitors between Tagovailoa and Hurts might be among the many most mentioned offseason storylines. It will likely be essentially the most carefully watched place battle of its form since J.T. Barrett, Cardale Jones and (for awhile) Braxton Miller have been within the working to be Ohio State’s beginning quarterback following the 2015 School Soccer Playoff Nationwide Championship win.

On one hand, Hurts was 25-2 as a two-year starter heading into the nationwide championship in opposition to Georgia. He was the SEC Offensive Participant of the yr and Freshman of the 12 months in 2016, and he is already No. 2 all-time in program historical past for touchdowns chargeable for by a quarterback.

However … he was additionally benched within the nationwide title sport in favor of Tagovailoa, who performed nicely given the circumstance and confirmed off a downfield passing assault that Hurts merely wasn’t capable of present. Tagovailoa could have solely performed one significant half of soccer for Alabama nevertheless it’s not possible to overstate simply how vital that half was. He threw the walk-off landing in extra time, so in fact he is earned the prospect to compete for the beginning job.

Nevertheless, because of this Tagovailoa and Hurts got here to Alabama. It is why any blue-chip recruit goes to Alabama with the expectation of competing in opposition to different former blue-chip gamers. How will all of it shake out? Who is aware of, nevertheless it’s fascinating, to say the least, that oddsmakers have Tagovailoa listed and Hurts absent. (For the report, Hurts was listed at 12/1 odds to win the Heisman this time final yr.)

Now, on to the remainder of the chances …

Participant

Pos., Faculty

Odds

Bryce Love

RB, Stanford

7/1

Jonathan Taylor

RB, Wisconsin

eight/1

Khalil Tate

QB, Arizona

9/1

Tua Tagovailoa

QB, Alabama

10/1

J.Okay. Dobbins

RB, Ohio State

12/1

Jake Fromm

QB, Georgia

12/1

Jarrett Stidham

QB, Auburn

12/1

Will Grier

QB, West Virginia

12/1

Justin Herbert

QB, Oregon

15/1

Kelly Bryant

QB, Clemson

15/1

McKenzie Milton

QB, UCF

18/1

Hint McSorley

QB, Penn State

18/1

Cam Akers

RB, Florida State

22/1

Jake Browning

QB, Washington

22/1

Rodney Anderson

RB, Oklahoma

25/1

Ryan Finley

QB, NC State

25/1

Brandon Wimbush

QB, Notre Dame

35/1

D’Andre Swift

RB, Georgia

35/1

Nick Fitzgerald

QB, Mississippi State

35/1

Travis Etienne

RB, Clemson

35/1

David Sills

WR, West Virginia

45/1

Ed Oliver

DL, Houston

55/1

Nick Bosa DL, Ohio State 75/1

Greatest Bets

Hint McSorley: 18/1 feels surprisingly low for a man who simply went 12-of-12 for 193 yards and two touchdowns on third downs alone in his final sport of the season. Now that Saquon Barkley is off to the NFL, McSorley is the undisputed Heisman favourite for Penn State. In fact, questioning how he performs with out Barkley, DaeSean Hamilton and Mike Gesicki round him is a warranted hesitation.

Rodney Anderson: Let’s be sure we’re not writing off Oklahoma in any dialog just because Mayfield is gone. Anderson was relentless within the second half of final season, with 1,333 complete yards and 16 touchdowns in his remaining eight video games. It is taken a number of years attributable to damage issues for Anderson to succeed in his full potential, however he performed an vital position within the No. 1 offense within the nation final yr. At 25/1, it is a good time to get on the Anderson wagon earlier than too many others do. Additionally of observe: no Sooners quarterback Kyler Murray on the chances checklist … but.

D’Andre Swift: The freshman is at an interesting 35/1 after quietly ending third in Georgia’s stacked backfield with 618 yards and three touchdowns. Nick Chubb and Sony Michel have been the “two-headed monster,” however consequently it felt like Swift received wrongly neglected for being an impression participant. However with Chubb and Michel gone, Swift turns into the chief in that backfield subsequent to Fromm.

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auburnfamilynews · 7 years

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How to set up your day on the couch before and after the Auburn game! Auburn plays Mercer this weekend! It’s Homecoming! Get back to the Plains and enjoy what should be a glorious pre-fall weekend with an assured win. It’s days like this that we get to watch an easy Auburn victory, and then bask in the glory and excitement of everyone else having a tough go with whoever they’re playing. We were on pins and needles last week. No need for that two weeks in a row, especially this early in the season. So what should you be watching? Well, we’ve got a couple games in the SEC and Top 25 that should be alright. Since Auburn’s right in the middle of the day, let’s just go in order. BRUNCH/LUNCH/ELEVENSIES/AFTERNOON TEA Florida vs Tennessee - 2:30 pm CST - Gainesville, FL A good portion of the SEC continues its early-season run against the Poughkeepsie School for the Blind and other members of that conference, but the first intriguing matchup in the league comes from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville for Florida and Tennessee. Tennessee’s 2-0, with the opening win over Georgia Tech and then an easy victory against Indiana State last weekend, while Florida’s had just one game so far. The Gators fell to Michigan and then had their meeting with Northern Colorado canceled last weekend due to Hurricane Irma. This game will be played in Gainesville, and Florida will seek revenge for last year’s collapse in Knoxville. The Gators aren’t particularly good on offense, and Jim McElwain seems like he’s not all that confident about this game, despite it being at home. Florida’s even about a 5.5 point favorite at this time, but I just don’t see that holding up, and I think Tennessee makes it two in a row as they plant the flag in the Swamp. Missouri vs Purdue - 3:00 pm CST - Columbia, MO At the exact same time Auburn’s on the field, our next opponent will also be in action against a Power 5 opponent. Missouri’s offense looked fantastic against Missouri State in the opener, but their defense gave up 43 points and looked horrible. Then last week, South Carolina shut down the Tiger offense on the way to a big win. This game will go a long way in telling us about Missouri, since Purdue’s offense has actually looked pretty fun as well, and we’ll have an idea of what Auburn will be able to do next week in CoMo. I really don’t know how to feel on this one, but I’m not sold on Mizzou, so I believe Purdue gets the win. DINNER/SUPPER Mississippi State vs #12 LSU - 6:00 pm CST - Starkville, MS It’s hard to know how to feel about either one of these teams right now. Yeah, LSU shut out BYU, but the Cougars have proven to be terrible. Mississippi State blew out La Tech last week, but that’s not any sort of real litmus test. All that we really know here is that someone’s 0 will go. LSU’s defense is fantastic, and they’ll get Arden Key back this week, and so we’ll get to find out how Nick Fitzgerald (Ryan Sterritt’s NUMBER ONE QUARTERBACK IN THE SEC) will do against a real defense. We may also find out just how good LSU’s offense is, so there will definitely be some interesting questions answered here for a couple of future Auburn opponents. Vanderbilt vs #18 Kansas State - 6:30 pm CST - Nashville, TN This is an interesting one! Vanderbilt’s looked really good under Derek Mason so far, and they’ve even already got a CBS date with Alabama lined up for next week. If they can get through this game, the Commodores will be on the rise and able to meet the Tide at 3-0 apiece. The defense has allowed just six points through two games, and Kansas State is a complete unknown with games against nobodies through the first two weeks. The Wildcats are just 4.0 point favorites, so this could really go either way. Pull for Vandy so that the Tide are as scared as possible next week when they head to the pressure-cooker in Nashville next weekend. South Carolina vs Kentucky - 6:30 pm CST - Columbia, SC What we may see here is the best team in the SEC East playing at home in Columbia, trying to win its second conference game through the young portion of the season. The Gamecocks have been as solid as you can be so far, taking out NC State in the opener, then shutting down Missouri last weekend to improve to 2-0. Jake Bentley’s playing like one of the league’s best quarterbacks, and he’s got an early All-SEC candidate in Deebo Samuel on the outside (also a scourge returning kicks). Meanwhile the Kentucky “They s’posed to be SEC” Wildcats struggled with Eastern Kentucky last weekend at home, so I expect South Carolina to have a pretty good weekend and improve to 3-0. #14 Louisville vs #3 Clemson - 7:00 pm CST - Louisville, KY Here we go. The best game on the week three slate comes from the Bluegrass State as reigning Heisman winner Lamar Jackson meets the stupid Clemson defense that’s racking up the sacks* and shutting down the opposition. Last year this was an instant classic, where Jackson led Louisville on a nearly-game winning drive, but the Cardinals failed on a fourth down inside the Clemson ten to lose 42-36. Now, Jackson is stronger and somehow slipperier than even before, racking up over 1,000 total yards and eight touchdowns through the first two games. I’m not sold on Louisville’s defense, but Kelly Bryant’s not Deshaun Watson (yet) and so I don’t think he’ll put up 42 on the Cards. I’m also not sure who I want to win. I do really love watching Lamar Jackson play, but the more Clemson wins, the better it makes Auburn look. I’ll begrudgingly pull for Clemson, while hoping for a fun game and something magical from Lamar in the loss. #4 USC vs Texas - 7:30 pm CST - Los Angeles, CA The last time these two met, it produced what’s considered in some circles to be the greatest college football game of all time. Obviously we know that the Kick Six was better, but USC-Texas for the national championship at the Rose Bowl was fantastic, with Vince Young scoring in the final seconds to give the Longhorns their last title. I don’t see a similar fortune for Tom Herman and his group this weekend, because the Texas defense gave up 51 points to Maryland in the opener. That was Maryland. This weekend it’s Sam Darnold, who came to life last weekend in an easy win over Stanford. Come for the majesty of the rematch many years later, but I don’t anticipate that this game will be the classic in the same vein of the last meeting. USC wins easily. *Punch me in the face, please. from College and Magnolia http://bit.ly/2jvzsd0

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