#mr fox you deserve the world buddy

[fledermoved-too]

⬆️ THIS MAN ⬆️

IS DEPRESSED AND I LOVE HIM

#HE FEELS HE HAS NOTHING INTERESTING TO SAY....... #holds him so gently #mr fox you deserve the world buddy #ooc

[cricketnationrise]

for your timestamp ficlet prompts! 8:50am, the streets of brooklyn, and david fox-mountchristen-windsor :))

always love an excuse to write another David POV - that beagle has my whole heart. enjoy!

read the rest of the Ficlet Fest 3 collection on AO3 here

❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙

brooklyn streets, 8:50am

Sometimes David misses the grass and steady pace Kensington. Misses the squirrels and birds and the wide expanse of the sky he could see from the grounds. Misses ThankYouShaan and Bea and Mr. Wobbles something fierce. (Mr. Wobbles must miss him too, despite all his outward hostility.)

But. 

The Brownstone and Brooklyn are so interesting. There’s always people around: from the hugely big SupCash, to random people on the street that always ask if they can pet him from a standard four-David’s away. The smells are fascinating, changing every day – sometimes even differing from morning to evening. He’s gotten to go to Central Park a few times, which he enjoyed despite the pang of homesickness. Best of all, on their normal walks near the Brownstone, David has made so many new friends – a rare occurrence back at Kensington. (Freddie the Black Lab and his brother, Rocketman, are particularly fun.)

This morning they’re wandering in a new direction though. David and His Henry and His Henry’s Alex are all together for once, SupCash following sedately behind. His Henry and His Henry’s Alex are holding hands – His Henry is tracking the movement of His Henry’s Alex’s free hand as he gestures wildly, smiling softly. David is happy to take advantage of his momentary distraction to sniff every single blade of grass in this one-David square where they’ve paused for cars to pass.

His Henry’s squats down to pat him on the head briefly. “Alright, not far now David.”

“Get pumped, buddy,” His Henry’s Alex adds. David can’t help but tilt his head to the side, not sure what they’re talking about. Then they cross the street and David’s world shifts from pavement and cars to a shady wooded path almost as fast as David can blink. He even catches a glimpse of a wide, sweeping lawn off to the side of the path. He wags his tail in anticipation.

“What do you think, David? I know it’s not Kensington, but will it suit?” His Henry asks, scratching David behind his ears. David is practically shaking, he’s so excited. He barks softly once before turning into His Henry’s hand and licking it enthusiastically.

“I’d say it’ll do the job, baby,” His Henry’s Alex notes bemusedly.

His Henry gives him one last pet before standing up again. David immediately starts trotting down the path, nose high, getting to know all the new smells bombarding him enthusiastically.

“It was a good suggestion, love. I can’t believe we haven’t been to Prospect Park before now.”

David tunes out the rest of their conversation, intent on absorbing as much of the park as he can, but the idea that this outing was planned specifically for him by His Henry’s Alex—

Well.

David’s going to lick his face all over and cuddle him for as long as they can both stand it when they get home. His Alex deserves to know how happy he made David, after all.

#cricket writes #ficlet fest 3 #rwrb #red white and royal blue #david the beagle pov #his henry #and his henry's alex #ficlet #yes i'm still writing these #the handful of prompts left that got delayed due to real life #but they are still getting filled #largepeachicedtea

[cyarskj1899]

These quotes need to be studied in schools someday

X

TVLine

YEAR IN REVIEW

2022 in Review: Quotes of the Year!

By Team TVLine / December 18 2022, 9:00 AM PST

Best TV Quotes 2022

Courtesy of Prime Video; HBO; HBO Max; Netflix; Peacock

7

Anthony Bridgerton confessed his true feelings for Kate Sharma. This Is Us‘ Rebecca Pearson got well-deserved kudos. Viktor Hargreeves introduced himself to his Umbrella Academy siblings. And The White Lotus‘ Tanya McQuoid realized something very important… just a little too late.

All year long, we’ve been collecting TV’s best sound bites in our Quotes of the Week compilations, which honor the dialogue that made us laugh and cry — sometimes simultaneously. But as 2022 draws to a close, we’re now looking back at the Quotes of the Year, highlighting 60 of the funniest, most poignant or most wonderfully meta moments from the past 12 months.

Best TV Shows of 2022 | Stranger Things, The Boys, Andor, More

0 seconds of 3 minutes, 52 seconds

In the list below, you’ll find Robin Scherbatsky sharing her romantic past with How I Met Your Father‘s Sophie, Ellen DeGeneres reflecting on how much has changed since her talk show began, Westworld‘s Dolores-Hale uttering a powerful one-word command, and Andor‘s precious droid B2EMO lamenting a major loss.

Of course, some shows — like ABC’s Abbott Elementary and Netflix’s Stranger Things — were just too quotable this year to select only one line, so they’re among the series making multiple appearances on our list. And it’s not just the scripted fare that made our cut: Unscripted programs like American Idol, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Big Brother are in the mix, as well.

As with all of our year-end lists, we should issue a quick spoiler alert for several of this year’s plot twists, romantic confessions and heartbreaking sendoffs. But if you’re ready to dive in, peruse the list below, then drop a comment with the lines that would make your cut for Quotes of the Year.

HARRY POTTER 20TH ANNIVERSARY: RETURN TO HOGWARTS

Photo : HBO Max screenshot

“I killed you, didn’t I? I’m sorry. Had to be done.”

Helena Bonham Carter apologizes to Gary Oldman for what Bellatrix Lestrange did to Sirius Black in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

WOMEN OF THE MOVEMENT

Photo : ABC screenshot

“I want them to see what was taken from me.”

Mamie Till (Adrienne Warren), before the doors are opened for the public viewing of her son Emmett Till’s body

STATION ELEVEN

Photo : HBO Max screenshot

“You walked her home.”

Kirsten (Mackenzie Davis) assures Jeevan that his 20-year-old goal was met

OZARK

Photo : Netflix screenshot

“I shot your d—k off. For that, I apologize. I went to the drug store to look for a card. No such card exists.”

Darlene (Lisa Emery) takes the first step at burying the hatchet with Frank Jr.

GHOSTS

Photo : CBS screenshot

“I cannot believe Elias is back. Till death do us part — it’s right in the vows.”

Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky) laments the return of her dead husband

GHOSTS (Bonus Quote!)

Photo : CBS screenshot

“A travel agent booking other people’s holidays while going nowhere himself.”

“Hey, we went to Epcot, buddy! That’s the whole world all at once!”

Pete (Richie Moriarty) defends himself when the actor (Mathew Baynton) portraying him in a “Dumb Deaths” recreation says Pete was pathetic

THE GILDED AGE

Photo : HBO screenshot

“I may be a bastard, Mr. Thorburn, but you are a fool. And of the two, I think I know which I prefer.”

The women of The Gilded Age may be experts at throwing shade, but they’ve got nothing on literal robber baron George Russell (Morgan Spector)

THE RESIDENT

Photo : Fox screenshot

“Hi, Mommy.”

Gigi (Remington Blaire Evans), upon hearing her late mom Nic’s donated heart beating in another patient

9-1-1: LONE STAR

Photo : Courtesy of Fox

“I always imagine the world of politics to be really smart people walking briskly down corridors, talking real fast and all sort of sounding alike.”

In other words, Owen (Rob Lowe) learned everything he knows about the political world from watching himself on The West Wing

THE RIGHTEOUS GEMSTONES

Photo : HBO screenshot

“Look, I know you may be a backwoods simpleton, who scrubs her dresses on tree bark and stinks up the entire house with roadkill stew, but Godd—n if I wouldn’t miss the pitter-patter of your filthy-ass bare feet, or the way you chew shrimp tails with the ice like an animal — you’re family. And the thought of you running away on this bus right now is making my gooch pucker.”

Judy (Edi Patterson) pours her heart out to her aunt Tiffany to deter her from leaving town

ARTHUR

Photo : PBS screenshot (2)

“Hey, this shows you how to draw an aardvark! I never knew their noses were so long. Weird!”

It took 25 seasons, but Buster (voiced by Daniel Brochu) finally addressed the fact that Arthur looks nothing like an actual aardvark

GREY'S ANATOMY

Photo : ABC screenshot

“… and your plan was to leave without saying goodbye?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Because if I say goodbye to you, Grey, I might not actually leave.”

Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Cormac (Richard Flood), giving us a taste of what might have been

GREY'S ANATOMY (Bonus Quote!)

Photo : ABC screenshot

“When Leo said that he was an owl, did you feel the need to call him silly and correct him?”

“No.”

“No. You just loved him. You just let him explore. Let’s just love Leo, Teddy. Let’s listen when he tells us who he is.”

Regardless of Leo’s gender identity, Owen (Kevin McKidd) refuses to let himself and Teddy (Kim Raver) become the child’s bully

SNOWFALL

Photo : FX screenshot

“Little late for this, but I’m sorry for shooting you and all. I’m glad you… didn’t not make it.”

Stripper-turned-hitwoman Black Diamond (Christine Horn) awkwardly apologizes to Louie for trying to kill her last season

THE GOOD DOCTOR

Photo : ABC screenshot

“Let’s run her bandit ass out of town.”

Dr. Audrey Lim (Christina Chang) vows to take Salen Morrison down, once and for all

HOW I MET YOUR FATHER

Photo : Hulu screenshot (2)

“I once had a guy who said, ‘I love you’ on our first date.”

“Wow, you win! Dude sounds like a real piece of work.”

“You have no idea. But a good piece of work.”

Robin (Cobie Smulders) recalls her very first date with Ted

BRIDGERTON

Photo : Netflix screenshot

“You are the bane of my existence… and the object of all my desires.”

Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) breathlessly tells Kate how he truly feels for her, despite being engaged to her sister Edwina

THE 94TH ACADEMY AWARDS

Photo : ABC screenshot

“I’ve been getting out of that Spider-Man costume. Did I miss anything? There’s, like, a different vibe in here.”

Co-host Amy Schumer masterfully eases the tension after Will Smith’s now-infamous slap of Chris Rock

THE WALKING DEAD

Photo : AMC screenshot (2)

“[Hershel] doesn’t exactly trust me, you know.”

“But I’m starting to.”

Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) reach a turning point as she asks her husband’s killer to babysit their son

THE WONDER YEARS

Photo : ABC screenshot

“Gwendolyn, but he called her Winnie.”

Bruce (Spence Moore II) reveals the reimagining’s unexpected connection to the OG series — that his friend Brian, who died in the Vietnam War, is also Winnie Cooper’s brother — and breaks our hearts in the process

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY

Photo : ABC screenshot

“Let me see these permission slips to the zoo, and they better be real, ’cause I can tell if you faked a Herbie Hancock.”

“Oh, it’s John Hancock.”

“Girl, I know. I just say whatever I want.”

Ava (Janelle James) doesn’t play by the rules

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY (Bonus Quote!)

Photo : ABC screenshot

“We’ve watched Nightmare Before Christmas but only the Christmas parts, Practical Magic without the witchcraft and Hocus Pocus without Sarah Jessica Parker.”

Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) describes her church’s Halloween movie screening tradition

KILLING EVE

Photo : BBC America screenshot

“I did it, Eve.”

“Don’t you mean ‘we did it’?”

“Yeah. But mostly me.”

Villanelle (Jodie Comer) lets Eve (Sandra Oh) know she’s taking the credit for taking down The Twelve

AMERICAN IDOL

Photo : ABC screenshot

“Noah, I feel like maybe you should Wikipedia me.”

Katy Perry, famously an ex-girlfriend of John Mayer’s, balks at Noah Thompson’s suggestion that Perry picked a Mayer song for him to sing

GIRLS5EVA

Photo : Peacock screenshot

“#AlbumMode is a state of mind that started when our deal was announced and ends when I’m at the Met Gala in a catheter because my dress is too complicated.”

Wickie (Renée Elise Goldsberry) has a very clear vision of how the girls’ new album release will play out

STATION 19

Photo : ABC screenshot

“My name is Matt, Mom. This is me. I’m sad for you. I’m sad that you don’t want to get to know me or the man that I’ll become. I’m sad that you’re going to miss out on loving me when I feel the most me.”

“But honey, I love you… I’m trying to save you. Honey, you’re a child. You don’t know what’s good for you.”

“I know that when you call me Mary, it makes me want to die. Do you think me wanting to die is good for me, Mom?”

Whether his mom (Romy Rosemont) wants to hear it or not, transgender youth Matt (Hollidae Livingston) speaks his truth

YOUNG SHELDON

Photo : CBS screenshot

“Wow. I might look too cool.”

Sheldon’s (Iain Armitage) first graphic tee is a total game-changer

THIS IS US

Photo : Courtesy of NBC

“You’re as tough as they come, Rebecca Pearson. And you, my dear, have earned a rest.”

Dr. K (Gerald McRaney) gives Rebecca one last (sniff!) pep talk

THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW

Photo : Warner Bros. TV Distribution (2)

“When we started the show, I couldn’t say ‘gay.’ I was not allowed to say ‘gay.’ I say it at home a lot — you know, ‘What are we having for our gay breakfast?’ or ‘Pass the gay salt,’ or ‘Has anyone seen the gay remote?’ — but we couldn’t say ‘gay.’ I couldn’t say ‘we’ because that would imply that I was with someone. Sure couldn’t say ‘wife,’ and that’s because it wasn’t legal for gay people to get married. Now I say ‘wife’ all the time.”

During her last show, DeGeneres acknowledges how much has changed since 2003 — and calls attention to wife (and front-row audience member) Portia de Rossi

STRANGER THINGS

Photo : Netflix screenshot

“I don’t want to talk about it. I’ll punch you so hard in your face that your teeth’ll fall back out.”

“Whoa. Too far.”

Steve (Joe Keery) instantly regrets the way he tells Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) to stop pointing out his lingering feelings for ex Nancy

STRANGER THINGS (Bonus Quote!)

Photo : Netflix screenshot

“You’ve grown.”

“You shrank.”

Reunited, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Hopper (David Harbour) compare the effects of adolescence vs. the Kamchatka diet

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY

Photo : Netflix screenshot

“Who elected you, Vanya?”

“It’s, uh, Viktor.”

“Who’s Viktor?”

“I am. It’s who I’ve always been.”

Viktor Hargreeves (Elliot Page) introduces himself to his siblings for the first time

OBI-WAN KENOBI

Photo : Disney+ screenshot

“I am not your failure, Obi-Wan. You didn’t kill Anakin Skywalker — I did.”

Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen), reinforcing what Ben Kenobi tells Luke Skywalker in A New Hope — that Vader did, indeed, kill his father

THE BOYS

Photo : Prime Video screenshot

“How long have you been f—king it behind my back?”

“OK, it’s not an ‘it.’ It’s a ‘her.’ Get your pronouns right.”

Cassandra (Katy Breier) and The Deep (Chace Crawford) discuss his relationship with Ambrosius the octopus

TYLER PERRY'S SISTAS

Photo : BET screenshot

“Bitch, you’re f—king Black Panther and Eddie Murphy all rolled into one?!”

In case you couldn’t tell, Danni (Mignon) is pretty excited about Sabrina dating an African prince

THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILLS

Photo : Bravo screenshot

“2020 was bad for a lot of people, but I also think it was kind of like a spiritual awakening. This is going to sound crazy, but I made peace with my vagina.”

“Were you at war with your vagina?”

Not to discredit Sheree Zampino’s epiphany, but Dorit Kemsley poses a valid follow-up question

EVIL

Photo : Paramount+ screenshot

“Boop.”

During her hearing, Sister Andrea (Andrea Martin) subtly reminds Dr. Boggs that he knows firsthand how present demons can be in the world

THE ORVILLE

Photo : Hulu screenshot (2)

“I enjoy spending time with you. You are a male, and yet you possess many prominent female traits. Which I find appealing.”

“Oh.”

Topa (Imani Pullum) puts her crush on Gordon (Scott Grimes) into (awkward) words

BETTER CALL SAUL

Photo : AMC screenshot (inset: Everett Collection)

“Crazy? I’ll tell you what’s crazy: Fifty-year-old high school chemistry teacher comes into my office. The guy is so broke he can’t pay his own mortgage. One year later, he’s got a pile of cash as big as a Volkswagen. That’s crazy!”

Gee, to whom could Gene (Bob Odenkirk) be referring…?

WESTWORLD

Photo : Courtesy of HBO

“Chair!”

Dolores-Hale (Tessa Thompson), the “bored” god, summons herself a place to sit

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

Photo : FX screenshot

“Trust me: Gay is in. Gay is hot. I want some gay. Gay it’s gonna be.”

Laszlo (Matt Berry) thinks faking a relationship with Nandor is a sure-fire way to get Colin into private school

LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER

Photo : HBO screenshot

“We let the [monkeypox] vaccine sit unused on a shelf in our reserves like an expired Chobani — or a $90 million movie on HBO Max. By the way, hi there, new business daddy! Seems like you’re doing a really great job. I do get the vague sense that you’re burning down my network for the insurance money, but I’m sure that that’ll all pass.”

THE BACHELORETTE

Photo : ABC screenshot (2)

“Tino’s being a real baby back bitch.”

Ethan accidentally comes up with an alternate jingle for Chili’s while slamming his romantic rival

HARLEY QUINN

Photo : HBO Max screenshot

“I don’t trust clowns with secrets.”

“I am barely clown-themed anymore. I just think I look hot like this. I mean, check out how good these booty shorts make my ass look, right? [Off Bruce’s confused look] Never mind, you’re 8.”

Harley (voiced by Kaley Cuoco) tries to earn a young Bruce Wayne’s trust

ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO

Photo : The CW screenshot

“I think I might just take these as a reminder of my time in Roswell. … Fits like a glove!”

Seeing Allie (played by Shiri Appleby, aka the Liz of the original Roswell series) put on that alien headband was a full-circle moment we won’t soon forget

74TH PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS

Photo : Kevin Winter/Getty Images

“When I was a little girl, all I wanted to see was me in the media: someone fat like me, Black like me, beautiful like me. If I could go back and tell little Lizzo something, I’d be like, ‘You’re going to see that person, but bitch, it’s going to have to be you.’”

THE GOOD FIGHT

Photo : Paramount+ screenshot

“Mother f—ker. Oh, I’m sorry, you didn’t hear that? Mother f—ker. F—k you and your moronic defund the police bulls—t. Why? Because you’re putting Trump back into the White House, you stupid f—kin’ tai-t lick. You never heard me swear before? Well, aren’t you in for a treat.”

After six seasons of watching his mouth on CBS’ The Good Wife, legendarily blunt political strategist Eli Gold (Alan Cumming) wastes no time taking his pent-up potty mouth for a spin in the Paramount+ spinoff

BLOOD & TREASURE

Photo : Paramount+ screenshot (2)

“So we are saying ‘Jeng-his’ now.”

“She does.”

“It’s the right way!”

Chuck (Mark Gagliardi) points out the Season 2 characters’ different pronunciations of Genghis Khan’s name

BIG BROTHER

Best TV Quotes

Photo : Courtesy of CBS

“Monte may have more blood on his hands than me, but as someone who has sat on this eviction block six times on eviction night, I have bled out the most in this game. But I have bandaged myself together every single time and gotten up and continued to fight, because like so many other women in the world, that is what we have to do to get to the end… I have overcome so much in this game, and I have come to understand that I am not a shield, I am a sword. I am not a victim, I am a victor… Jury members, I am challenging you to make the hard decision and change the course of this game. Choose progress for the course of this game. I can be the winner of this season, and I promise you will not do it in vain if you choose me tonight.”

Taylor clinches the game-winning vote with her epic final plea to the jurors

CHICAGO P.D.

Best TV Quotes

Photo : NBC screenshot

“You’re the love of my life, and if I’m yours, then you’ll know that you have to let me go.”

Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer), breaking our hearts in his tearful goodbye to wife Upton

SHE-HULK: ATTORNEY AT LAW

Photo : Disney+ screenshot

“That’s what Hulks do. We smash things. Bruce smashes buildings, I smash fourth walls and bad endings… and sometimes Matt Murdockkkk.”

Jen (Tatiana Maslany) reminds K.E.V.I.N. of her particular set of skills

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER

Photo : Prime Video screenshot

“When in doubt, Elanor Brandyfoot, always follow your nose.”

The Stranger (Daniel Weyman), giving off serious Gandalf vibes while leading the way for his new adventure with Nori

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON

Photo : HBO screenshot

“He can keep his tongue.”

Before King Viserys can cut out Vaemond’s tongue for publicly questioning Rhaenyra’s sons’ parentage, Daemon (Matt Smith) slices the accuser’s skull in two — but leaves the offending appendage attached

THE HANDMAID'S TALE

Photo : Hulu screenshot

“Hi, June.”

“Hi, Serena.”

“You got a diaper?”

Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) and June (Elisabeth Moss) are in the same boat — er, train — at the end of the Season 5 finale

CHUCKY

Photo : Syfy screenshot

“You think I’m scared to go to hell? F—k that. I’m from Jersey… Jersey!”

Chucky (voiced by Brad Dourif) doesn’t have much love for his home state, it seems

ANDOR

Photo : Disney+ screenshot

“I d-d-don’t want to be alone. I want M-M-Maarva.”

B2EMO (voiced by Dave Chapman) isn’t ready to mourn

CRIMINAL MINDS: EVOLUTION

Photo : Paramount+ screenshot

“You’ve never pulled your gun in the line of duty, have you? Never faced down a psychopath…. You’re a hedge fund manager with a badge.”

Prentiss (Paget Brewster) calls ’em — in this case, FBI Deputy Director Bailey — as she sees ’em

TITANS

Photo : HBO Max screenshot

“This is insane.”

“Compared to what? Two hours ago I was in [Conner’s] stomach trying to kill a ghost snake.”

“And two hours before that we were fighting zombies.”

“And I kissed Bernard.”

Tim (Jay Lycurgo) experienced a different kind of pre-fall finale action

YELLOWSTONE

Photo : Paramount Network screenshot

“How ya feeling?”

“Like I got hit by a truck. How about you?”

“Like I got hit by a Prius.”

Beth (Kelly Reilly) offers Summer (Piper Perabo) faint praise the morning after their brawl

THE WHITE LOTUS

Best TV Quotes

Photo : HBO screenshot

“These gays! They’re trying to murder me!”

Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) has an unintentionally hilarious lightbulb moment about the men with whom she’s been spending her Sicilian vacation

[tanakavox]

here guys. This reaction was done @bssaz97 again. And that's it for the author's note.

"I miss baby Zwei!" Weiss sulked.

"We know Weiss, you've been saying that for the past ten minutes," Blake's vein appeared on her head.

"Why can't we see more of him! He was so cute and innocent!" Weiss crosses her arms and huffs..

"He spent the entire time antagonizing me!" Jaune replied.

"He can never do wrong." Weiss cemented in her mind.

"Forget it VB, she's a lost cause." Yang told her fellow blonde.

"Well let's see what this next viewing has in store for us all." Ren calmly stated.

The screen shows Jaune on Planet Namek facepalming.

"Urgh, what was that idiot DOING bringing me here!" He mutters before turning to look around his eyes widening. "It's... Wait a minute, I can feel it... This is my home! I can finally see its beauty! The lush blue fields, the crystal clear waters, the wind brushing past my... GOD, THIS IS BORING!" He yelled out before groaning. "No wonder I feel at home."

"We're back to Namek!" Ruby shouted in excitement.

"And there's alien Jaune-Jaune!" Nora jumped in.

"Wait isn't this the world where Cinder is supposed to be really powerful?" Jaune asked.

"...oh crud/shit." Many of the original audience replied. Those who were new to the theater didn't exactly understand what they meant but supposed they would eventually see why.

The scene cuts to Cinder confronting Mercury, Oscar, Neptune, and Trifa

"Oh hell yeah! Emerald wake up, we're back in the world where I'm a badass prince!" Mercury says as he shakes her shoulder.

Emerald loudly snores.

"Hey! You said to wake you when 'the snooze fest' was over."

"Not… interested." Emerald conveniently snored.

"Emerald, you will watch this viewing." Cinder orders.

"Yes Cinder!" Emerald miraculously much more awake.

"Wooow." Mercury drawls, shaking his head in genuine disappointment.

"Shut it!" Emerald hissed.

Cinder smiles coldly at them. "Well, Mercury. You've finally pulled it off. You've managed to dash my hopes entirely. With some help, I see." she turns to look at the rest of the group.

"Quack!"

"Neptune, seriously, not helping!" Oscar said ebowing him.

"I can try."

"I'm very curious. Where exactly are you from?" Cinder asks calmly.

"Don't you snitch!" Nora shouted at the screen.

"We're from rem-" Neptune started before Oscar stopped him.

"Neptune, no!"

"Oh right... Thanks for stopping me, Oscar. 'Cause I can't shut-."

"They're from Remnant." Trifa deadpanned.

"Traitor!" Ruby glared at the girl on the screen. Her anger was shared by many in the audience. Whether good or bad.

Blake was feeling the same amount of betrayal twice after remembering how Trifa was one of Ada-his agents sent to kidnap her in the past.

" Little bow girl, why?!" Neptune shouted out in disbelief.

"Because my name is Trifa."

Nora huffed, "Well maybe your name should little bi-!"

"Nora please." Ren asked his oldest friend and companion to let it go.

"'Sigh.' Fine, but I'm still mad." Nora said.

"Oh good. I'll stop by there on the way home. Pick up some space eggs, some space milk, and BLOW IT THE F**K UP!" Cinder screamed at them before calming here. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm usually far more composed. I'm just a little bit ABSOLUTELY LIVID." She said with barely contained rage.

"Oh, Cinder. Quit being such a bitch. I lost my chance at immortality too and you don't see me crying about it." Mercury said mocking with a smirk.

"Yep. Sucks to suck!" Yang stayed for both Cinder's in the audience and on screen.

"Care to say that to my face." Cinder stood up.

"Whoa now One Eye Cinder. We can't fight here, remember, so I can say whatever I like and there's nothing you can do to stop me." Yang explains with a toothy grin.

Cinder growls, but reluctantly sat back down as she began to curse this theater's damned rules.

"Yes, Mercury. But you see, the difference between us is I'll live long enough to regret it." Cinder charges at Mercury and engages him in battle with a battle cry.

Scene cuts to Jaune flying through the sky

"Hey we were getting to the good part!" Mercury shouted.

"And what part would that exactly be Mercury?" Cinder asked directly.

"The fight scene, what else." He said nonchalantly.

Cinder stared at him for a moment before looking back at the screen. Mercury was one of the few people that she could tolerate back talking to her so she paid it no mind.

"Everything looks the goddamn same on this goddamn planet!" He thinks and sighs before he sees something on the ground. "Wait a minute, a body! SOCIAL ACTIVITY!" Jaune yells as he yells flying down and landing next to a body, which was Hazel. "Please tell me you're not dead!"

Hazel begins to speaks in Namekian/Klingon

"What the hell is he saying?" Coco asked.

"It appears he is attempting to communicate with Mr. Arc's alternate in their native tongue." Ozpin rationalized.

"Do you know what he's saying Jaune?" Velvet asked.

"Velvet, I think Ozpin means-."

Velvet giggles before she starts laughing. Her team along with his shortly after.

Jaune was staring at them confusedly before his eyes widened in realization. He chuckled while rolling his eyes, "Oh haha, very funny Velvet."

Ruby just stared at the exchange expressionless, the joke was funny but for some reason she didn't want to laugh. Weird.

"Ah, crap. I find the only living thing for miles- and he's so broken he can't even talk right."

" I was speaking Namekian, you idiot. Don't you know anything about your own people?" Hazel gasps out, barely holding on to life.

"Well, we're demons, right?" Jaune asks hopefully.

"Eh, more like slug people."

"Ah, dammit! I liked it better when I was a demon."

"And I liked it better when I had proper bladder control. Nobody's perfect."

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask about that. What happened?"

"Let's just say our world elder's kind of a giant green asshole."

Jaune and many of the other male audience members bowed their heads in silence for loss bestowed on the Namekian people.

"Yeesh! Port's a bit of a dick in this one… or lack thereof," Yang quipped.

"YANG!"

"Too soon?" Yang winced.

"Preachin' to the choir on that one." Jaune agreed, an image of Ozpin showing in his head. "Well, it's been fun, but I have to go DIE again…" He turns to leave.

Jaune mentally groaned as he remembered that in this world his life was the one entwined with Ozpin. Also he no more thrilled about the prospect of seeing his alternate die (again?) in a way that could've been easily avoided.

"Dang Arc, you're a bit sassy in this world, huh?" Coco asked.

"And green with antennas." Velvet whispered to Fox.

"Ahhh," Fox nodded, getting a clue of what the counterpart looked like.

"Wait. I might be able to help you." gasped out Hazel.

"Look, buddy. If you want to add me on MySpace, I switched to Spacebook a while ago." Jaune turns to left again.

"What's MySpace?" Oscar asked.

"Beats me, but it sounds mega old." Yang commented.

Ozpin, Glynda, Qrow and even Winter winced at Yang's unintentional jab at them. All of them who used to own MySpace accounts.

Salem just looked confused at the mention of these names. 'What's a MySpace and Spacebook? Is it a form of communication?' She thought to herself.

"No, no, no, no. Listen. I think I know something that might work out for both of us. I don't wanna die and you seem pretty lonely."

"DESPERA-, I mean, go on."Jaune said, getting yells before switching back to a normal tone.

"There's a special ability our people share. Forbidden, even amongst our most sacred clans."

"And we're just going to abuse it?" Jaune asked

"Oh, maliciously!" Hazel said with a grin.

"Bitchin'! How we do?"

"Well that didn't take much convincing at all." Emerald said, impressed by how quickly it took the dying Hazel to convince Arc to comment on what was probably the Namekians form of the Black Arts.

"Hey Jaune-Jaune needs all the power he can get if he wants to kick Cinder's butt!" Nora shot back. "Yeah!" Ruby echoed Nora's sentiment.

"Well, first you put your hand upon me."

" 'Kay" He places his hand on Hazel's elbow)

"Yes. Like that. Now lower."

"Uh-huh."

"Lower."

"Hmm…"

"Little lower."

"Hmm..".

"Ah! If we had junk, you'd be gay right now." Jaune groans as Hazel smirks at him. "Fusing!"

"Gods Dammit!" Jaune facepalmed. He couldn't believe how his alternate would fall for such an obvious trick…. though to be honest he probably would have fallen for it all the same.

Jaune fuses with Hazel, a bright light blinding the viewers. After it's disappears, Jaune only is there and he looks at his hands in wonder.

"Wow. Unreal. My gosh. This is amazing! I feel INCREDIBLE!" He then begins to chant Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! I can win! I feel great! I-can-do-this! HAAA…"

Hazel's voice from inside is heard inside Jaune's head. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"Nothing." Jaune replies after stammering a bit.

"Really? 'Cause it looked like you were chanting to yourself."

"Are you in my head?" Jaune ask changing the subject.

"Yup. Don't worry; supposedly I should fade away into your subconscious. Sooner or later."

"Is this what it was like for you?" Jaune asked Oscar.

"Pretty much." Oscar deadpanned

"...Wow, that's really weird." Jaune slumped in his chair.

"Yep. Well, you kinda get used to it after a while." Oscar replied.

"Does it?" Jaune asked him seriously.

"...No." Oscar slumped into his chair as well.

'If I could have carried this burden in my original body for all these millennia and spared you, I would have… no one deserves this burden.' Ozpin told himself in his mind. He determined it would fix nothing if he told them that, there was no changing the past.

"Okay. So, what now?"

"By my estimate, this fusion should have given you just enough power to wipe out the bitch who killed our people."

"And?"

"Well, let me put this in terms you'll understand: You can win! You feel great! You-can-do-this!" Hazel said, repeating Jaune's chant.

"Oh, ha-ha!"

"Yeah go Jaune/Fearless Leader!" Ruby and Nora both cheered.

Jaune's face turned beet red, but he did appreciate their show of support.

The scene cuts to Mercury and Cinder in a brawler lock

"Impudent... little…" Cinder hissed. Her scouter shows "F**K THIS I'M OUT" before exploding on her face, Cinder grunting in pain.

"Damn, Mercury must actually be pretty strong to make that device off itself," Yang stated.

"Why do you sound so surprised blondie? Still sore about our match up?" Mercury quipped.

"You are so lucky I can't mop the floor with your face." Yang shot back, her eyes flashing crimson.

Mercury and Cinder both back off, producing a small crater due to their power.

"I'm impressed, Mercury. When did you graduate from pull-ups?" Cinder said mocking.

"About the same time you got off the rag." Mercury fired back.

Cinder smirks a bit. "Cute. But bear no false hopes, Mercury. You're a mere paper tiger in front of a storm. You have no idea what true power I possess."

"It's that you can transform, right?"

"I can transform…" Cinder's face's falls. "Okay, when and how?"

"Guldo told me."

A flashback of a conversation between Mercury and Guldo appears

"So... Did you know that Cinder can transform?" Guldo said.

"Huh. That right?" Mercury said disinterested.

"Yeah. And Burter's gay."

"Really!?" Mercury asked, genuinely surprised

(back to present)

"And then I threw a dog treat at him. True story."

"That's so rude!" said the collective voices of Ruby, Weiss, Velvet, and Fiona.

"Oh cry me a river, I lost my conscience long ago." Mercury replied back.

"Right. But if you are so aware, why do you persist in goading me?" Cinder question raising an eyebrow.

Mercury grinned viciously."Because Cinder. You're not dealing with the average Saiyan warrior anymore. I am a Super Saiyan!"

….

"A what?" Oscar asked.

Cinder rolls her eyes at this apparently hearing this before. "Oh, here we go!"

"That's right, Cinder. I've arisen beyond the limits of a normal Saiyan, and into the realm of legend- the legend that you fear. The legend known throughout the entire universe as the most powerful warrior to ever exist!" Cinder starts speaking faintly at this point alongside him. "I, Prince Mercury, have become a..". Cinder cuts him off

"...Super Saiyan. Blah, blah, blah, blah, I get it. Then you slayed the Jabberwocky and went on to save Narnia." She clearly wasn't taking him seriously.

"Wow! This Super Saiyan sounds awesome!" Yang concluded. Her sister as well as Jaune, Nora, Oscar and Ren. What? He could like things.

"Thanks for the praise Blondie." Mercury said.

"Yeah something tells me your alternate is way too overestimating himself." Emerald stated.

"You're just jealous you're not a Super Saiyan." Mercury shot back, unfazed by her earlier remark. Causing Emerald to roll her eyes.

While the name seemed silly to the more mature members of the audience, they too were intrigued by the tale of this being.

"Go ahead and mock me, Cinder, but I'm not afraid of you. So why don't you doll yourself up and get ready for a night on the town, because I'm about to take you to a ballroom blitz."

"Fine. I'll indulge you, Mr. Super Saiyan. But before I do I have a funny little story I'd like to tell you."

"Funny how?"

"I like to call it, "I killed your dad"."

"...Was that supposed to shock me?" Mercury questioned.

Mercury stares at Cinder blankly. "So "ha-ha" funny."

"You see, thanks to a rogue lower-class warrior, your father caught wind of my plans…"

(flashback to planet Mercury)

A saiyan runs up to What seemed to be Marcus Black

"King Mercury, I have urgent news!"

"Speak, Butarega." King Marcus/Mercury said in a booming tone.

'Wait why does the old bastard have my name? Eh, guess it doesn't matter. Wait, does that make me a junior?!' Mercury thought.

"Well well, looks like I should call you Junior now. Huh?" Emerald comments, her smirk showing she greatly appreciated this new knowledge.

"I'm not a junior!" Mercury yelled.

"What's that? Couldn't hear you Junior!" Yang joins in on the teasing.

"I'm gonna get back at you both. Just you wait." Mercury growled. Hating how the tables have turned on him.

"Bardock has gone absolutely mad, sire!"

Off-screen someone screamed out: "Cinderrrr!"

"What's all the commotion about?" King Marcus/Mercury asked.

"He's been telling everyone that Cinder plans to destroy Mercury!"

"Wait, my son, the planet, or me?"

BUTAREGA looks at the king for a few moments before answering " ...Yes."

King Marcus/Mercury blasts Butarega away.

"Oh my gods!" Ruby cried out.

She and many others in the audience were shocked that the Saiyan King just killed his subordinate so callously. However, both Salem and Cinder were impressed at the King's show of force.

"Freakin' smartass." King Marcus/Mercury mutters and goes look a the Counselor. "Counselor Obleck, what do you think?"

"Let me tell you what you need to do. You need to sit him down…" Oobleck began.

"Uh-huh." King Marcus/Mercury said nodding his head.

"...you look her dead in the eye…"

"Yes."

" ...and you say, "Don't blow up my planet.""

"What? He can't be serious." Winter remarked.

"It appears that this version of Bart is not as wise or tactful as he is in our world." Ozpin rationalized.

Teams RWBY and JNR pressed 'X' to doubt.

"And you think that will work?" King Marcus/Mercury asked.

"she'd have to be aaaaaaawfully evil if it didn't. And I'm not gonna lie, I like the cut of her jib." Oobleck said with a grin.

"All right, but I want you to take my son, the Prince, off-planet just in case things go south."

"Don't worry, sir. You'll do juuuuuust fine."

"Wait. Hold on a damn minute, the old bastard actually cares about someone other than himself? Yeah like that's legit." Mercury crosses his arms.

Some in the audience looked at the silver haired assassin and just for a moment, they felt sympathy for him.

shifts to King Mercury approaching Cinder,.

"Cinder, can I sit down and have a word with-" King Marcus/Mercury said before Cinder interpreted him.

"SHORYUKEN!" Cinder yelled out, uppercutting King Marcus/Mercury in the jaw, causing the latter to fall back while producing with an echoing scream.

"K.O.! YOU WIN!" A voice yelled out.

"Yatta." Cinder whisper out looking at the king's dead body with grin

"Seems negotiations didn't go as he was expecting." Cinder floated to herself. What she didn't notice was that Mercury had stared at her after that statement was said.

He wasn't sure why but hearing her gloat about killing his dad made him feel… odd. It's probably the popcorn he was eating. Nothing more.

(back to present)

"And then I blew the planet up. The end."

Mercury stares at Cinder confused. "How did you know about the parts you weren't there for?"

Cinder gives a blank stare at Mercury and then proceeds to transform.

"Wow, nice comeback Cinder. Really showed him." Jaune said.

Cinder chose to ignore the blonde fool, she didn't dare waste the energy to acknowledge him.

"Nep, do you feel that?" Oscar asked with a fearful look as Cinder's power grew as her body.

"I taste that!" Neptune screamed a look as fear on his face as well.

Cinder finishes transforming into his second form, a Bigger bulkier form.

"Whoa! She's huge! Like that Hazel guy from Haven!" Nora shouted.

"She sure is..." Emerald didn't know how to feel about this new form of Cinder's. It looked too bulky and tall.

"She kinda looks like a bull with those horns." Ruby noted.

"All done." Cinder smiles a bit looking at all of them satisfied. "And judging by the expression on your face, so are you."

"What...? How?" The usual cockiness in his voice was gone.

"Let's be practical and put a number to that feeling, shall we? Last time I clocked this form it was at... one million." Cinder's smile only grows widener.

The audience didn't know what she meant by that but they determined that it must've meant that she was terrifyingly strong.

Cinder loved it, if only she could feel what that power was like. She might even get drunk from it.

"You're lying!"

"Am I? Am I really?" Cinder sarcastically said, raises her hand and explodes the island that everyone is currently standing on, making an explosion so big that it can be seen from the planet. Cinder is shown standing on what's left of the island.

"Whoa!" Fiona and CVY cried out. This being their first time seeing a destructive force of this magnitude. Whitley also sweat dropped, while he had been pleased with how powerful he was in one of the previous worlds. This was an entirely different kind of power than he thought was ever possible.

"Not impressed!" Mercury yelled off screen. "I can do that, too!"

"Neptune, are you okay?" Oscar asks flying above the destroyed island.

"Yeah, and I've got a Little bow girl right here!" Neptune replied with a grin holding Trifa closely.

Cinder begans sings to. " Peaceful young races with fires on their houses

Millions of voices all silenced like mouses

Watching the cowards bow toward their new king

These are a few of my favorite things "

"Oh great she's singing now, as if this Cinder wasn't terrifying enough." Oscar said while clinging to his seat in fear.

"Is it just me, or is she singing to herself?" Neptune asks but is cut off by Cinder charging at him and impaling him with one of her horns, causing Neptune to drop Trifa.

(Neptune Owned Count: 15)

Neptune screams in pain.

"Oh no!" Ruby cried out. But immediately was off put by the showed counter on the screen.

Some in the audience giggled at the sight of the counter, even if they knew it was wrong.

"Neptune!" Oscar screamed out.

"Well, he's dead." Mercury deadpanned in his head.

"This is... the worst... pai-i-i-in!" Neptune said through gritted his teeth.

"Really? Sure it isn't this?" She looks up and starts shifting her head up and down." Or this? Or this? Or this? Or this? (Neptune Owned Count: 16-21, with two 1Ups coming up in the last two ones)

"Neptune, stop! You're making him stronger!" Oscar pleaded.

"I-can't-help-it!" Neptune screamed.

(Neptune Owned Count: 22-25)

At this point most of the audience were laughing. It was a horribly dark joke, but the presentation was spot on and too hilarious. The huntsmen and huntresses that knew the blue haired boy felt very guilty, but they couldn't stop laughing.

"One down!" Cinder throws Neptune off her horn and towards the lake. "Ah, I think impalement is my favorite way to kill a person."

Oscar begans to shake with rage. "You condescending... sadistic... callous... MOTHERF**KER!"

"Pardon?" Cinder ask with a raised eyebrow but then Oscar attacks Cinder by kicking and punching her in the face before knocking her upward with an uppercut and finally kicks her towards the ground. Oscar then starts charging up an energy blast.

"WHOO! Go Cute Boy Oscar! Woo-woo-woo!" Nora cheered on her newest teammate. His other friends joined in cheering for Oscar's alternate.

Oscar was deeply embarrassed but also very ecstatic that he was able to keep up with the frightening tyrant.

"Oscar SMASH EFFEMINATE ALIEN! Oscar STRONGEST THERE IS!" Oscar thought to himself.

Oscar launches a ki blast directly at Cinder, causing a massive explosion. Oscar is then seen in midair catching his breath. Cinder is seen lying face down on the ground, covered in sand from Oscar's assault.

"Ten points for team ALPN!" Nora cheered.

"Yeah, how's that feel, Cinder?" Mercury yelled out. "Now if you can, why don't you pick your sorry ass up and take on a REAL Saiyan…" Mercury's voice trails off as Cinder is seen getting up with a annoyed look.

"Huh. That happened." She muttered before turning to Mercury. "Mercury, mind sitting right there for just a moment, I need to go play babysitter."

"Oh crap, abort Oscar! Abort!" Jaune called out.

"Think! What would Dad do in this situation?" Oscar began to think to himself in a panic.

A flashback of Sun wearing a backpack showed up.

"Bye, son!" Sun said in the flashback in a big dopey smile.

"Damn it Sun." Blake facepalmed.

"Wow, my other self has some issues." Oscar realizes.

(back to present)

"I'm beginning to think I have issues…" Oscar thought to himself when he got punched by Cinder and hit the ground. He tries to get up, but gets crushed by Cinder's foot.

Cinder turns to grin at the Silver haired man. "So, Mercury. Does this get you angry?"

"It's getting ME angry!" Nora shouts at the screen. Her team, RWBY, Qrow, Ozpin and Winter show the same hostility towards the Cinder in the screen.

Mercury shrugs. "Not really. Kind of a smartass."

Cinder frowns "Well then, why am I even bothering?"

"Because you get off on it?" Mercury said hetaintly.

Cinder grins viciously. "Oh, unbelievably... Huh?" Cinder moves to dodges a disc but her tail gets cut off. She turns to glare at culprit.

"Alright, who has the balls?!" She screams out.

Camera zooms on to Neptune, who is the one responsible for cutting off Cinder's tail. Neptune then turns around and starts repeatedly spanking his butt.

"Kiss my ass, bitch! I'm immortal!"

Cinder growls angrily and flies after Neptune.

"Whoa! Neptune's back up already? I thought he was out for the count!" Yang confused. Happy that he lived but still confused as to how he was back in good shape.

Neptune imitates Curly's whooping sounds while flying away and screams: "Suuuck myy diiii…"

The shifts to Mercury thinking to himself. "How the hell did he get up? Oh, my God, I swear if he used that wish of immortality on himself, I am going to murd... " He stops himself and opens his mouth in shock. And speaks out loud after a short pause. "That... bastard."

"Hahaha-ha-ha! You can't kill an immortal!" Emerald laughed.

"Why are you laughing? Weren't you cheering for Cinder?" Mercury implies.

"I am but I'm also cheering against you." Emerald explains.

"You're despicable, you know that right?" Mercury deadpanned.

The scene shifts to Trifa healing Oscar "Come on... You can't leave me alone here; you're the only one I can talk to!" She mutters to herself.

Oscar eyes open, regaining consciousness."I... you... healed me."

"You are the only one I respect."

"Then why did you heal Neptune?"

"The better question is: why did I tell him he was immortal?"

"Ok where is this girl in real life, I'm starting to like her style." Emerald comments.

"I'm starting to not like this Bow Girl." Weiss concludes.

"Yeah that was kinda mean." Ruby adds.

"But it did give him a helluva confidence boost." Yang points out.

The audience reluctantly agrees with Yang.

Neptune flies back to the battlefield with a huge grin. "Holy crap! Thank God I'm immortal!"

"Actually, I healed you, you idiot!" Trifa said off-screen.

"Wait, so I could have died back there?" Neptune realized with his eyes widing.

"After all that you're just going to tear him down like that!" Weiss shouted.

"Yeah, and unlike the runt and I, you don't get a power boost from it." Mercury replied.

"Hax! I call hax!" Neptune whined.

The audience agreed with Screen Neptune.

"How did you escape?" Oscar asked.

"Oh, it was awesome!" See, She was gaining on me there for a minute, but then I managed to lose her in some crevices, but she kept cutting me off at every pass."

"She didn't just blow it up?" Mercury pointed out?"

"Thought the same thing, but no! So I thought fast and I used the Solar Flare on her!"

"And then you used your Kienzan to cut her in half?" Oscar asked gleefully

"Um…"

Cinder flies back to the battlefield, angrily and screams at them. "I WILL MOUNT YOUR HEAD WHERE MY TAIL USED TO BE!"

"To answer your question, Oscar. No, I did not do that." Neptune muttered.

"Damn seriously? He could have finished her off so easily, it was literally in his grasp." Coco shakes her head.

"Douse this bitch!" Mercury yelled.

Mercury, Oscar, and Neptune fire a barrage of energy blasts at Cinder, covering her in smoke.

"Did we get her?" Neptune asked

"Neptune, we can feel her energy. Why do you bother asking?" Oscar asked back annoyed.

"I'm an optimist."

"You're an idiot." Mercury said, glaring at him.

"You're both wrong. You're dead." Cinder said as the smoke cleared and is shown to be unfazed by the blasts.

"You know what? I'm sick of this." Oscar said, his face hardening. "If I'm gonna die, then I'm gonna go out the same way Jaune would!" He moves in to attack Cinder head-on.

"Oscar, no!" Neptune goes to fly after Oscar.

"No! What are you doing?! Don't go out like my other self!" Jaune shouted clutching his head.

RWBY, ALPN, and Ozpin were clouded in worry.

" No, goddamn it!" Mercury also flies after Oscar when a new figure surrounded by light appears in front of the trio. The light clears, and the figure is revealed to be Jaune.

"M... Mr. Jaune!" Oscar cried out.

"Yes! Fearless Leader is here for the rescue!" Nora cheered.

The Jaune in the audience let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, well, well! I'm legitimately surprised I missed one of you." Cinder smiles a bit. "But that's just fine because I've been working on some jokes. Now tell me if you've heard this one: How many Namekians does it take to-" She gets sent flying by a punch from Jaune.

"Just one." Jaune said stoically.

"GO JAUNE GO!" Ruby screamed.

Most of the audience looked towards her from her outburst, including Jaune who was staring wide eyed at her.

"Er, you know. Smash Tyrant Cinder's no good face." She attempts to save face, throwing out air punches to diffuse the situation.

"...Yeah!" Nora shouted.

#TFS abridged #dbz abridged #team rwby #team alpn #team cem #rwby ruby rose #rwby jaune arc #oscar pine #neptune vasilias #rwby mercury black #yang xiao long #trifa #cinder fall #salem #headmaster ozpin #rwby #rwby fanfiction #look into the multiverse

[perseusjackson-jasongrace]

Empires on the Horizon V

Jason is a CEO: Part V

Here’s my masterlist for the next part and my other stuff

But the most beautiful things in life are just not things.

They’re people and places, memories and pictures.

They’re feeling and moments and smiles and laughter.

-unknown

“Charles Beckendorf,” Jason answered the phone with a smile, “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Hello Grace, how are you?”

“Absolutely wonderful,” And he was, he hadn’t felt so calm in a long time. “What can I do for you my friend?”

“I need your help with the wedding. I’m planning an outdoor structure with video screenings of all our favourite memories and you have two things that’ll make my dreams come true.”

“Anything for you Charlie.”

“The gorgeous meadow on the far side of town, you own that right?”

“Yep, you want to set up shop there?”

“Yes please,” His eagerness carried through the phone, “And can you send me any pictures or videos you have of us so I can add it to the slideshow.”

“Of course, is that all?”

He could hear the excitement in his friend’s voice, “That’s it, unless you know anyone who’s willing to look after the shop while we’re on honeymoon?”

“I can’t say I do but I can ask Hazel to hire a temp if you want?”

“I’ll suggest it to the ladies and tell them to get back to you.”

“Sounds great, and good-luck with the project. I’m excited for the wedding.”

“Me too man, me too. It’s still surreal to me that I’m getting married to my best friends.”

“You deserve the world Charlie.”

“No way, I am crazy emotional these days.” He sniffled.

Jason laughed, “You’re always emotional Beckendorf.”

“Screw you,” He snorted, “See you soon, and thank you again.”

“Bye man, have a good one.”

He ended the call with a smile. It was unbelievable to think he would be going to his friends’ wedding in a couple months. Just the other day he was sitting in a lecture hall laughing at Beckendorf’s impersonation of their business lecturer. Just the other day he was helping Silena and Drew paint the walls of their boutique. It was strange to face the reality that they were all grown up now– moving on with their lives, living them.

“Ready to go Boss?” Hazel’s head popped around the door.

“Yep, you have the files?”

“All in the room already, anything else we need?”

“Maybe some coffee and a miracle?”

“Unfortunately I can only provide one of those things, and it’s not the helpful one.” She gave him an apologetic look.

“Well I guess wish me luck then,”

“You don’t need it Boss, you’re gonna kill it today.”

“What would I do without you Miss Levesque?” He sighed gratefully, walking to the elevator.

“Forget which day of the week it is, and which shoe goes on which foot,” She grinned.

“Hey, the shoe thing was one time.”

“That only works if you’re a toddler, not a grown man.”

“No excuse for the elderly then?”

She shook her head solemnly, “None I’m afraid.”

The elevator doors slid open.

“Meeting Room A5.”

“Let’s do this.” He took a deep breath and pushed the glass door.

“Hello Jason Grace,”

“Hello Octavian.”

Jason always felt some level of life seep out the room when he me with the head of Titan Industries. The man felt…synthetic; chalk white hair gelled down flat and calculating pale blue eyes that missed nothing. Gods even his skin looked unnatural, pasty and veined.

He reached out a small, bony hand in greeting.

“You look as incredible as ever Miss Levesque,” He lifted her hand to his mouth.

She gave him a tight-lipped smile, “Octavian.”

He didn’t seem to notice, or care for her discomfort and simply turned to Jason.

“So,” They sat down, “Have we come to some agreement?”

“With all due respect Octavian I don’t feel this contract is justified.” He glanced between the man and the folder.

There was silence, as if he were waiting for Jason to continue but two could play at this game. He was not willing to be taken for a fool, fumbling over himself to bow to this man’s whims. So he met those cunning eyes, a smile playing at his lips. The only sound was the scratch of Hazel’s pencil as she set up her notes for the meeting.

Moments passed, frozen in time, and then a sigh, “What can I do to ease your concerns?”

He struggled to reel in a smug expression. “Let’s start with the supply times.”

And they went back and forth, pulling and pushing, cunning and stead-fast, a fox and a wolf. Two hours later the contract had been amended to both their liking and they were once again shaking hands.

“I will ask my assistant to send over the revised contract, once my lawyer has looked over it.”

“I will do the same. Thanks for the meeting.” He guided the door open and waited for his guest to move through it.

“Until then, Grace.”

Without waiting for a reply Octavian snapped at his bodyguard and they disappeared down the passage.

“How do you feel about this?”

“There’s something not quite right Hazel, I just can’t figure out his angle.”

“Fully agree,” She shuddered, “He gives me the creeps.”

“Have you managed to find anyone else that could potentially take over this project?”

“Not yet Boss but you will be the first to know when I do.”

“Thanks Levesque, you truly are my saviour.” He gave her a grateful smile.

“Better put that on my gravestone,” She raised a brow.

“Done,” He laughed, “Any other requests?”

“Let’s get subs for lunch. I could do with some bread.”

He shook his head in amusement, “You drive a hard bargain but I’m willing to sacrifice for you.”

“Oh what was your plan Mr big-shot?” She pushed open the door to their offices.

“Today is burrito-bowl day and you know it.”

“I did forget,” She scrunched her nose, “But I’m extra grateful now.”

He snorted at her, ready to give a snarky remark before he was cut off by the shrill ring of his cell phone.

“Talk to me.”

“What’s up Grace, how’s your lunch hour looking?” Leo Valdez greeted.

“Levesque and I are going to get subs at Garden Girl, want to join?”

“I’ll meet you there.” And then he was gone.

“Ever the efficient caller isn’t he,” Hazel chuckled.

“Most days, which is weird since he’s a rambler face-to-face.”

They got to the contemporary restaurant on eighty-fifth avenue, spotting Leo outside.

“Hello,” His smile was wide as he hugged them.

“Who decided to give you a break? Don’t you have lectures right now?”

“Nah,” He grinned, “Guest lecturer teaching my slot this week, so I got two hours free.”

“The beauty of teaching postgrad, I assume?” Hazel asked.

“You know it Levesque!”

“What are we getting?”

“Don’t know about you but I’m getting the ‘Jazz It Up’ sub, got to stick to my New Orleans heritage.”

“Good afternoon my favourite customers? Where’s the rest of the crew?”

Jason smiled brightly, “Hello Katie.”

“Annabeth is at work, she has some big contract finally closing up,” Leo said by way of greeting.

“Frank is doing the security rounds at the office,” Hazel offered.

“Thalia isn’t even in the country right now.” He shrugged

“There’s still someone missing,” She frowned, scanning their faces, “Piper! Where’s the pretty lady?”

“Oh,” Leo winced, “Yea that is a touchy subject.”

Katie gave them a sympathetic look, “Well what can I help you with today? The usual for you Haze?”

They all rattled off their orders and chatted with the owner of Garden Girl while they waited. Jason had met Katie when he was doing business courses for his urban and regional planning degree. Her forest green eyes and bright smile struck him stupid the first time he saw her in their Entrepreneurship and Business Management lecture. He never had the guts to make a move, but it didn’t matter because she had just entered a relationship with Travis Stoll. Now they’re married and expecting a child, as is the latest update.

“How’s Project Hestia going Grace?” Leo asked, pulling out a chair.

“Ugh I’m having a hard time with the outdoor center. I’m not gelling with the contractor, and I don’t know what to do,” He scrubbed a hand down his face.

“I know I can’t ask what exactly is wrong because of legal reasons but what do you need done?”

He motioned to Hazel to explain as he bit into his sub.

“Basically we want to create an outdoor recreation center for the community which includes a gym area, a kids’ area, movies, a park and picnic area, rock climbing, you know the usual.”

“Right that shouldn’t be too hard to draft up,” Dark eyebrows scrunched, “But this guy is what? Trying to fuck you over?”

“Essentially,” Jason nodded, “The problem is we don’t know how?”

“Okay give me the weekend and let me call up some people. I think I know someone who can help.”

His eyes widened, “You are literally the best friend in the entire world. We’ve been looking for weeks, and we haven’t found anyone else who specialises in this.” 

Leo squeezed his hand, “I’m not letting you get screwed over, and my buddy would be more than happy to do it.”

“What’s his name?” Hazel had her phone out, the notes app open.

“Harley, he’s was the youngest kid in our engineering course. I think he graduated with his masters when he was like twenty,”

Jason choked, “What?”

“The kid is incredible. He beat us regularly in our weekly electrotech competitions.”

“Well tell him to give us a call and I’ll set up a meeting with Jason next week. We have until next Friday before we sign contracts with Titan.”

“Sounds good,” Leo plucked a pen he kept behind his ear and scribbled something on his hand, “So Jase,” His grin was trouble.

The blonde narrowed his eyes, preparing himself for trouble.

“What happened with you and Percy? Last I heard you were going on a date on Tuesday and then getting married.”

It was Hazel’s turn to choke, and after she recovered smacked her boss on the shoulder, glaring as if to say what the hell did you not tell me?

He rolled his eyes at his best friend, “I didn’t even get his number because I left so abruptly. And anyway I hear he’s dating Reyna now.”

Leo’s hickory eyes widened, “He’s what?”

“Yea I went by the school about a month ago and Nico told me they were dating.”

“How do they even know each other?”

“They met at the school. She was visiting Nico and he was wanted to become a sponsor cause he used to go there.”

“Yea sounds about right, he’s crazy nice.” Leo nodded

“How have I never met him before the dinner?”

“He moves around a lot,” Leo shrugged, “I’ve only met him a handful of times because whenever he’s here he makes a point to visit Annabeth.”

“Well he sounds like an angel,” His assistant mused.

“Looks like one too,” He muttered, “It’s okay anyway cause I uh–“ He scratched the back of his neck.

“Oh my gods,” Hazel’s earthy eyes glittered, “You met someone!”

Leo clapped his hands, a smile as bright as the sun on his face, “Who are they?”

“We’ve been on one date so no making a big deal about it.” He gave them a pointed look, “But Thalia set us up and she’s… wow.”

“Oh you are real caught up, aren’t you?” They raised twin brows at him.

“She’s just indescribable. She’s gorgeous and that’s the least impressive thing about her.”

“Well tell us everything.” Hazel prodded.

“Okay she’s a vet. She has four sisters, but she doesn’t talk to them much. She believes in order, oh it’s glorious. Everything in its space and a plan for everything.” He looked at Leo then, to which his friend flipped him off and then motioned for him to continue.

“She eventually wants to open her own animal clinic. And most importantly she gets along with Thalia.”

“She sounds like a dream Jase,” Hazel squeezed his shoulder, “I’m really happy for you.”

Leo nodded, eyes bright with love, “You deserve some happiness bud.”

“Thank you guys,” He found it hard to breathe as the overwhelming gratitude he felt for his friends swept through his body.

“Valdez, you’re going to the lake cabins in a couple weeks, right?”

“Oh yep,” Leo wiggled his eyebrows, “And guess what?”

“You are not!” He yelled, and then lowered his voice, “You are lying to me right now.”

“Oh gods,” Hazel caught on, “Are you ready? No wait of course you’re ready! When, how, what?”

“I bought the ring a couple weeks ago. We’ve been talking about it for a few months and this just feels like the right time.”

Jason whistled, “My best friends are finally getting married.”

“Oh gods I hope she says yes,” Leo looked a little sick all of a sudden.

“Of course she’s going to say yes. You guys have been inseparable since that first maths lecture when we all went to the wrong class.”

“There’s no way she turns you down, I’ve seen the way you look at each other.” Hazel agreed.

“The way we look at each other?” Leo frowned at her, confusion evident in his face.

“Like you’re the only ones in the room. Like she is the match and you are the striker.”

Jason nodded, “The moment you two locked eyes at the bonfire it was like the universe threaded two strands through the same needle.”

“Well now I’m emotional and feeling much more confident about it.”

They laughed then, getting up to hug each other. Jason felt the world settle, still, slow. The wind whispered softly, and beams of sun caught between them. If nothing else he had this, and he would hold onto it until his bones were dust and his soul was a star once more.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

So many weddings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tags (if you want to be added to/ taken off the tag list just let me know, all my channels of communication are open): @lesbian-peanuts

@leydiangelo

@queen-of-demons-and-hell

@msdrpreist

@sparkythunderstorm​

@nishlicious-01

@lucyisblue

#jason is a ceo #ceo jason #jason grace #jason #grace #jercy #leo valdez #octavian #hazel levesque #charles beckendorf #PJO #HOO #pjo fanfic #baby fanfic #baby fanfic series #mini fanfic #mini fanfiction #PJSSG series #PJSSG fanfic #Zoe Nightshade #Katie Gardner #Travis stoll

[animefan299110]

RWBY Christmas Party

Five years have passed since the defeat of Salem.  It’s Christmas time at the Xiao Long/Rose house and everyone is bustling to get ready for the holiday party.

Yang: You almost ready for the party, sis?

Ruby: Yep, I can’t wait to see everyone again.  We haven’t all been together since we saved the world; it’s gonna be great! (her face saddens)  I just wish Oscar was here to celebrate.

Yang (hugging her sister): Hey, don’t be so sad.  You know he’s got that job to do in Atlas. Besides, with any luck, he may be back for Christmas.

Ruby:  I know, but it just won’t be the same without him.

Yang: Daaaaw, does little Ruby miss her Cookie?

Ruby (her face blushing): Yang, quit treating me like a baby!  I’m 23 years old, for Remnant’s sake!

Yang (smirking): True, but you’ll always be my wittle baby sister.

Ruby: I AM NOT A LITTLE KID, YANG!!

Yang lets her sister go and laughs.

Yang: Okay, okay.  Well, don’t stay up for too long.  Everyone will be arriving soon.

Yang makes her way downstairs to see her dad hanging up Christmas decorations along the wall and Zwei walking around wearing a mini-ugly sweater.  She smells something good cooking in the kitchen and walks in to see her boyfriend tending to the stove. She hugs him from behind and rests her head against his back.

Yang: So how’s the food coming, Lover Boy?

Jaune: Almost done with the roast.  And no, you can’t have any before I serve it.

Yang (feigning a hurt look on her face): Jaune Arc!  How could you think such a thing about me?

Jaune (rolling his eyes): Because I know you’re not one to shy away from my cooking whenever you get the chance.

Yang: True, your cooking is great. (smirks) But I’d say you’re the tastiest dish of all.

Tai walks in.

Tai: You know, you might be able to get the cooking done faster if you let me help you, Jaune.

Yang: And I keep telling you, Dad, that the only time that I will let you cook for me or any of my friends is when we are down to cockroaches and dry bread.

Tai: How dare you!  Who gave you those delicious noodles when you and Ruby were little?

Yang: The noodles that were over-cooked?

Tai (gasp): Just for that, one of you gifts is getting returned!

Yang: Real mature, Dad.

DING DONG

Jaune: That’s probably them!

Yang: I’ll get it. (opens the front door) Hey guys!  Glad you could make it!

Blake: Hi Yang, thanks again for inviting me, my parents, and Sun over.

Yang: As if I wouldn’t invite my partner, her parents, and her boyfriend.

Sun: It sure was cool of you to do this, Yang.

The Belladonnas and Sun enter the house.  As they put away their coats, Ghira stares back and forth at various doorways and hanging decorations.

Blake: Dad, what are you looking at?

Ghira: Don’t mind me, Blake.  I’m just trying to find any mistletoe that I can confiscate.

Tai: Don’t bother; I made sure that there wouldn’t be any this year.

Ghira nods toward Tai in appreciation.

Blake: Dad, we’re not kids anymore, we’re adults.

Ghira: True, but we are here to celebrate this holiday, not to have make-out sessions.

Tai: Exactly, and as long we’re celebrating it here, this house shall remain PG-13.

Ghira: Mr. Xiao Long, I seem to have some newfound respect for you.

Ghira and Tai shake hands and nod in respect for each other while Kali pinches the bridge of her nose and their kids give each other deadpanned looks.

Yang (to Jaune): I don’t know what’s weirder: The fact that they still see us as kids, or the fact that they think we wouldn’t have make-out sessions without mistletoe.

DING DONG

Sun: I’ll get it (opens the door) Neptune, buddy!  Glad you, Weiss, and Penny could ma- (sees the position the two are in) Dude, why are you carrying Weiss in your arms?

Neptune: Well, the snow covered up most of the trail and Weiss didn’t want to get her shoes damaged.

Weiss: Of course I didn’t, these are very expensive shoes.  I didn’t want them to get broken or wet.

Blake: Well, glad to see that some things don’t change.

Ruby comes downstairs, to which Penny takes notice.

Penny: Ruby! (tackles Ruby into a bear-crushing hug)

Ruby (weakly): Hey Penny.

Penny stands up.

Penny: It is so good to see you again!  And thank you for inviting me to this Christmas party!  I am certain this will be a splendid cele- (notices Ruby’s sad features) What is troubling you, Ruby?

Ruby: Oh, it’s nothing Penny.  I just….I just wish Oscar was here.

Penny: I am certain he is fine, Ruby.  He’ll probably be home for Christmas. Besides, one should never be sad during such a joyous and festive occasion.

Ruby: Yeah, I guess you’re right.

KNOCK KNOCK

Jaune: More guests! (opens the door to reveal the next set of guests) Guys; glad you could make it!

Nora: C’mere, you big lug!! (wraps Jaune in a bone-crushing hug)

Jaune (strained) Good to see…you too, Nora.  *crack* Oh Gods, my ribs!

Ren: It’s good to see you all again.

???: Hey guys!

The others turn to see Coco, Ilia, Yatsu, and Fox behind Ren and Nora.

Blake: Glad you all could make it.

Ilia: Thanks for the invite, Blake.

Coco: We would have gotten here sooner, but we had to let a certain someone set the pace.

Coco, Fox, and Yatsu glance back at a woman who is six months pregnant and her husband slowly walking up the steps.

Jaune: Glad you two could make it.

Cardin: No problem, Jaune.  Thanks for inviting us. (turns to his wife) Okay hun, just a few more steps.

The couple enter the house and Cardin helps his wife onto a plush chair.

Cardin: Need anything at the moment?

Velvet: Some water would be nice, Cardin.  Oh, and some cold cuts!

Jaune: I can help with that. (to Cardin) I’ll show you where they are.

Cardin: Great. (whispers to Jaune as they head to the kitchen) I’ve heard of food cravings, but hers are on another level.

Yang (to Velvet): So, how many more months?

Velvet: Only a few. (rubs her stomach affectionately) I just can’t wait to see her.

Blake: I still can’t believe you and Cardin ended up together.

Velvet: It…was a bit of a shock to see him and have him apologize to me.  Even more so when he asked me out on a date. But he’s gotten better over time.  There are moments when he feels hesitant on trusting Faunus, but he’s better than he was at Beacon.

Blake: It’s something.  (Directs herself to Coco and Ilia) So have you two been?

Ilia: Great; I’ve been helping with more Faunus rights groups without going to extremes.

Coco: And I’ve been going around Mistral helping with any Grimm problems.  (Takes Ilia’s hand and smiles at her partner) On the plus side, we’re thinking about moving to Menagerie.

Sun: Really? That’s awesome!  We’d be neighbors!

Ilia: Yeah, we figured it would be nice to be close to your parents and help them out in any way we could.

Coco: Plus, Menagerie’s got some great clothing shops.

Ilia (shaking her head): Not one to turn away from fashion, Coco?

Coco: You know it, babe. (kisses Ilia)

Meanwhile, in the kitchen…

Jaune: So Velvet’s a vegetarian, but the baby craves meat?

Cardin: Yep, and not just any meat.  Specifically cold cuts; roast beef, turkey, ham, salami, the works.

Jaune: Look on the bright side, at least the baby’s not hankering for seafood.

Cardin (shivering): I don’t want to think about that.  We’d be flat-ass broke if the kid did. (hears Jaune chuckling to himself) What?

Jaune: Nothing, it’s just…this situation between you and Velvet is kind of ironic.  One day, you’re picking on her and calling her names. The next, you two are married and about to have a kid.

Cardin: Yeah, it’s a miracle that she even gave me a second chance.  After everything I’d done not just to her, but to others…I sometimes feel like I don’t deserve any of this.

Jaune: We all deserve second chances, Cardin.  Even you.

Cardin: It hasn’t been easy; I still have moments where I’m hesitant about trusting other Faunus.  But…that’s when Vel’s there for me.

Jaune (handing Cardin a beer): At least there’s that.  And she’s not the only one willing to help you, Cardin.  We’re all here for you; you don’t have to be afraid to ask for help.

Cardin: Thanks, Jaune.

The two sipped their beer before Jaune holds up a paper plate with cold cuts on it.

Jaune: Duty calls.

Cardin (chuckling): No kidding.

As the party continues on, the guests preoccupy themselves before dinner.  Velvet and Cardin talk with Yang, Jaune, Ren, and Nora about potential baby names.  In the end, they come up with Jack for a boy’s name and Cottontail for a girl’s. Blake, Sun, and Neptune talk with Ilia and Coco about open houses in Menagerie.  Tai has a deep conversation with Ghira and Kali about Faunus rights. Ruby, meanwhile, shows old family photos to Penny and Weiss, the former of whom is elated to see what her best friend was like when she was little.  Around 6:20pm…

KNOCK KNOCK

Yang: Were we expecting anyone else?

Jaune: Not that I know of.

Jaune walks to the door and cautiously opens it to reveal…

Everyone: Oscar?!

Oscar: Hi; sorry I’m late.  I just got back from my mis-

Ruby: COOKIE!!!!!

Using her Semblance, Ruby tackles Oscar, causing both to sail out of the house and onto the snowy pathway.  Ruby lands on top of Oscar before peppering his face with kisses.

Ruby: What are you doing here?  I thought you were gonna be gone for a few more days.

Oscar: I thought so too, but we were able to get the job done a few days early.  So I figured I’d surprise you by coming home for the party.

Ruby: *sniff* This is all I wanted for Christmas: you being home.

Oscar: Glad your wish came true then. (holds up a plate)  I also got you cookies from that bakery you liked in Atlas.

Ruby: Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!! (peppers his face with kisses)

Yang (from inside the house): Hey lovebirds!  How about getting out of the snow and into the house?

Ruby and Oscar laughs before she rides him piggy-back style into the house.

______________________

After the party…

Ruby: Well, tonight sure was a good turnout.

Oscar: Yep.  Oh by the way, I know it’s not Christmas yet, but I wanted to give you this.

Oscar hands Ruby a rectangular box.  Ruby opens it and gasps when she sees a necklace with a customized rose in the center.  She flips it over to read “The most beautiful rose in the world” on the back. Oscar helps her by fastening the necklace around her neck.

Ruby: It’s beautiful.

Oscar (wrapping his arms around her back): Merry Christmas, Rubes.

Ruby (wrapping her arms around his neck): Merry Christmas, Cookie.

#rwby ships #rwby #rwby dragonslayer #rwby rosegarden #rwby blacksun #rwby renora #rwby color coordinated #rwby iceberg #christmas prompts #christmas party #rwby bird and the bunny #christmas cuteness #happy holidays

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Disney+ What To Watch: My Top 10 Favourite Modern-Day Disney Classics

#6. Zootropolis

Disclaimer: I am aware that this movie's official title is Zootopia, but I'm from the U.K. where it's called Zootropolis both describing the movie and in the movie so that's how I'm going to refer to it as.

So yes, as I stated yesterday with Big Hero 6, it was a real toss-up as to which would be #7 and which would be #6, but I chose Zootropolis as my #6 ultimately because I feel as a story and from an imagination point of view, it does have the superhero movie beat.

Why? Well unlike in the past of Disney movies when you have animals depicted in real-world settings, interacting with humans and simply being able to talk, Zootropolis consists of an entirely animal cast in a completely fictional setting based on any major metropolitan area you can think of and they're all anthropomorphic.

It's any mainstream buddy cop plot you can think of, but one told in this fictional animal populated setting with the same levels of discrimination and issues surrounding prejudice and hierarchy that you would see in any human based movie.

The animation and designs on these animals and the settings are fantastic. It's so obvious to see a fox as a con artist being sly by nature and for a lion to be the mayor as he is king of the jungle, but to actually see them in this setting is just really fun.

The theme of the movie about the metaphorical glass sealing and not being defined into one single trait just because that's what society seems you should always be is really inspiring and there is something about having that message delivered through animals that makes it that much more accessible.

The comedy is so good particularly in places, not just the spoken humour but also the distinct and somewhat obvious character tropes like the sloths working at the licence registration company and being very slow in both working and talking, but also Judy and Nick's reactions to this with Judy getting more and more frustrated and simultaneously Nick smirking.

Even the fact the big crime family of Zootropolis is lead by a rodent called Mr. Big, it's such an obvious gag at this point having someone small being called that, but it still feels fresh here because they're animals.

The names for the districts here are incredible. Little Rodinta could easily be Little Italy but is also inspired by Greenwich Village. TundraTown is this world's polar region, the Bunnyburrow beautifully sums up suburbia and it is also just wonderful.

Now the actual plot is kind of dated in the sense that it is the young plucky dreamer bunny working hard to beat the odds and become a police officer despite every single individual, parents included, trying to tell her she needs to stick to the natural order of things and be a carrot harvester.

Then you have the shady fox who has given up on his dreams and decided to simply take from the world that scarred his childhood as he’s also always been told what he is and been ostracised because of it.

Much like Moana, I love the buddy comedy dynamic that these two have. Because while Judy does seem like the naive dreamer while Nick is the more worldly realist, they both learn through the other one what they need to make them whole, with Nick learning humility and discovering he actually wants to be a cop, while Judy gets some teeth and does things she may not have thought capable of doing, being a bit sly, being cunning.

Realising that the working world is always an upwards climb and there is no resting on her laurels; just because she got into the police force doesn’t mean she’ll be taken seriously, just because she finally gains some recognition and respect, doesn’t mean she’ll please everybody. It’s realistic, it’s everyday, she’s not a Mary Sue but she keeps going and persisting and that’s what makes her such a great character.

Now obviously there was a lot of talk in this movie about the hierarchy of predators and prey, in real-world terms this could be any form of discrimination. Race, homosexuality, gender, religion, all of these real-world discriminatory issues can apparently be summed up in the animal kingdom of predator vs. prey.

One of the best lines in this movie is Officer Clawhauser packing his desk after the new wave of predator discrimination comes in because of Judy and Clawhauser tells her how he’s been demoted because having someone like him being the first face everyone sees isn’t the best fit with the department.

Obviously he’s talking about him being a cheetah and a predator, but because there are also hints of him being an LGBT character one could also make the argument that his line works on multiple levels.

Speaking of Clawhauser, Disney have recently developed a trend of queerbaiting which, as a gay man, is slightly frustrating especially when most of the queerbaited characters are supposedly gay men. Clawhauser, LeFou, Poe Dameron, even Ryder in Frozen II there are so many telltale signs that they indeed are queer characters, but nothing official. Nothing that clearly states they are. It is frustrating, roll on The Eternals.

Judy Hopps as a main character is fantastic because never would I have thought a plucky young bunny cop would be a compelling leading character as a mid-20s man. Two reasons I love Officer Hopps; not only is she voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin aka Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard in Once Upon a Time, but she has such a soothing and gentle voice that it suits a bunny rabbit beautifully.

As for Jason Bateman voicing Nick Wilde, not only do I not really know who the actor is but it never sounded like a celebrity coming from an animated characters mouth, I believed Bateman as a fox.

Idris Elba needs more recognition for roles he is great in and as Chief Bogo he is fierce, intimidating, strong and everything that a good Elba performance has.

Jenny Slate, JK Simmons and Alan Tudyk all very well melt into their roles, even though Tudyk plays kind of a parody on his character from Frozen. But it is just great having these supporting players so strong, also Kristen Bell plays Mr. Big’s daughter and is unrecognisable she is that good.

As for Shakira, she’s Shakira but she’s a gazelle, I have never looked at gazelles with any interest before but seeing Shakira as one, I’m sorry but she works it and delivers a great song with “Try Everything”.

There is a reason this movie won the Oscar for best animated picture and why it continues to be such a popular candidate for a sequel. This movie deserves a sequel, I want to see these characters have their stories continue. Through no particular rhyme or reason this was the very first thing I watched when I got Disney+. I wanted a feel good, hopeful, entertaining yet insightful movie to watch and distract me from all the bad that is plaguing this planet currently.

It’s a brilliant movie, it’s innovative yet familiar, light yet dark, action-packed yet laid back viewing. Everything that you want from this sort of movie is here.

So what do you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Disney+ What to Watch Top 10s as well as more Top 10 Lists and other posts.

#disney #disney+ #disney plus #disney+ what to watch top 10s #disney+ what to watch #my top 10 favourite modern day disney animated movies

[placetobenation]

Oh the Horror! Or is it the Horror Show at Extreme Rules!

We are now just one week away from the next WWE PPV in the COVID-19 pandemic era from the Performance Center. This PPV is usually built around the gimmicks and this year is no different. We’ll get a Swamp Match from Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman for the Universal Title. We’ll get an Eye for an Eye (or whatever that means) Match between Rey Mysterio and Seth Rollins. It’ll be a Bar Fight between Jeff Hardy and Sheamus and so much more.

Dolph Ziggler is waiting to tell the World what the stipulation will be against Drew McIntyre for his WWE Championship. It’s building to be a pretty decent PPV. I would expect the Swamp Match to be cinematic of course. It’ll be interesting to see how they incorporate the wetlands into their history. My expectations aren’t very high, so here’s hoping!

I expect Asuka vs. Sasha Banks to steal the show too! Could it be time for Sasha and Bayley to wear ALL the women’s gold in the WWE. I think so!

It’s hard to imagine that SummerSlam is one month away and we are still in the crowd-less era. Who would’ve ever thought that would be. It will be interesting to see how New Japan Wrestling handles their first event with fans, roughly 3,500 for this weekend’s event in Japan. But, things are so different here in the United States that I don’t see fans in the stands anytime soon with all the spikes we are getting, especially with the WWE based in Florida these days, the new epicenter of the coronavirus.

But, with that in mind, here’s where we stand:

Extreme Rules – Horror Show – Updated Card

WWE Championship Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler

RAW Women’s Championship Match: Asuka vs. Sasha Banks

Universal Championship Swamp Match: Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt

SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bayley vs. Nikki Cross

Eye for an Eye Match: Rey Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins

United States Championship Match: Apollo Crews vs. MVP

Bar Fight: Sheamus vs. Jeff Hardy

Star of the Week – Ketih Lee – No explanation needed!

RAW

RESULTS

WWE Championship Non-Title Match: Drew McIntyre defeated Heath Slater

Kairi Sane vs. Sasha Banks ended in no-contest

Rey Mysterio & Kevin Owens defeated Seth Rollins & Buddy Murphy – Mysterio picks Eye for an Eye Match for Extreme Rules

MVP & Bobby Lashley defeated Ricochet & Cedric Alexander

Billie Kay defeated Ruby Riott

Champion vs. Champion Match: Asuka defeated Bayley

Overall, a mixed bag of a show this week.

The highlights:

Speaking of a GHOST from @DMcIntyreWWE's past…@HEATHXXII is here on #WWERaw! pic.twitter.com/B5W1DkF7gG

— WWE (@WWE) July 7, 2020

Heath Slater – Talk about delivering the promo of his WWE life! Slater brought the reality to bestie Drew McIntyre before Drew claymored him straight to defeat. Loved the surprise of Slater showing up while in the final days of his no-compete clause of his contract. I just wished they would’ve had Slater beat up Dolph Ziggler to further the storyline. Maybe, like Drew Maverick on NXT, it’s not the last of Heath just yet?

#ChampionvsChampion had EVERYTHING … including a VICTORY for @WWEAsuka! #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/jEW0Vitrts

— WWE (@WWE) July 7, 2020

Asuka vs. Bayley – Two of the best in-ring performers right now, men or women, in the WWE. Nikki Cross showed how unpredictable she is too by showing up behind the plexiglass to help Asuka pull off the win. We are all fans in these weekly battles between Asuka, Bayley and Sasha Banks!

Hello, RKO – Found it funny that Randy Orton is again paired with two third-generation wrestlers in Andrade & Angel Garza. Brings back memories of Curtis Axel, Bo Dallas & Cody Rhodes. I love Orton’s slow build too! So good at the storytelling to the eventual “legend Killing” of Big Show to come.

The lowlights:

No-contest – I see no point in having matches end in no-contests these days. Love that Kairi Sane is back to help Asuka and set up next week’s Tag Team Title Match against Banks & Bayley, but we could’ve at least gotten a finish to the match between Sane & Banks.

Ruby Riott, again – I don’t get feeding Ruby Riott to the IIconics each week without the pay-off of Liv Morgan coming to help her former friend. It just makes too much sense not to do it. Having her lose weekly in mere minutes doesn’t do her any favors.

Enough:

That's a beauty.

@The305MVP has unveiled a NEW #USTitle on #WWERaw, claiming that he IS the new champion after defeating @WWEApollo last week! pic.twitter.com/GzyOzS9vUQ

— WWE (@WWE) July 7, 2020

MVP – We’ll say it again. The man sure does win alot these days. But, that belt is sweet! So, just how is Apollo Crews out of action again?

Explain please:

#WWERaw @reymysterio pic.twitter.com/F6NIiZFkDM

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) July 7, 2020

Eye for an Eye – Just what is the outcome of the Mysterio vs. Rollins expected to be? Does the winner really get to rip out the loser’s eye? I NEED to know! Clarification please! And yes, I’m sure we will be disappointed.

NXT

RESULTS 

Street Fight: Candice LeRae defeated Mia Yim

Bronson Reed defeated Tony Nese

Johnny Gargano defeated Isaiah “Swerve” Scott

Legado del Fantasma defeated Drake Maverick & Breezango

Mercedes Martinez defeated Santana Garrett

Winner Take All Champion vs. Champion Match: Keith Lee defeated Adam Cole to win NXT Championship & North American Championship

Uh-oh.

Competition is already lurking for new #NXTChampion and #WWENXT North American Champion @RealKeithLee… #NXTGAB @WWEKarrionKross @Lady_Scarlett13 pic.twitter.com/onKPrjDqL8

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) July 9, 2020

Night 2 of the Great American Bash set a new path for NXT. We get a new champion, one helluva of a Street Fight and a foreboding feud for the future.

The highlights:

July 8, 2020 will forever be known as the day that #WWENXT became N-X-Lee.#NXTGAB @RealKeithLee pic.twitter.com/fDaHpZ712N

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) July 9, 2020

Bask in his Glory – Give Keith Lee his due. He is now Mr. NXT! He holds all the Gold and can cement his position as to where either the NXT Championship or the North American Championship goes. The loaded main event helped NXT take the total viewership win again against AEW and sets in motion the Lee vs. Karrion Kross feud too, which could be EPIC! Now, what becomes of Adam Cole? Does he move forward to RAW after 403 days atop the Full Sail mast. Either way, he deserves a ton of credit too for elevating the NXT Championship.

LeRAE, YOU SLAY!

@CandiceLeRae puts away @MiaYim in an absolutely BRUTAL #StreetFight on Night 2 of #NXTGAB! #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/NFQOjm2E99

— WWE (@WWE) July 9, 2020

Holy crap! – Candice LeRae’s neckbreaker off the table on the top rope onto a pile of chairs is truly an OMG moment! It made scream out loud HOLY CRAP! Well done ladies!

Welcome back – Mercedes Martinez could be the bad ass Shayna Baszler was in NXT and I could surely see a feud with Rhea Ripley down the road.

Funny as hell:

Nothing to see here, just @ShotziWWE 𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯' care of business. #WWENXT #NXTGAB @RobertStoneWWE pic.twitter.com/8dXobJ5tDI

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) July 9, 2020

Robert Stone – Keep the comedy coming! Shotzi Blackheart running over Stone with her mini-tank is comedic gold! Another embarrassing moment of reject for the Robert Stone brand.

Solid:

The middle of the show – It wasn’t epic but it was truly very solid and a buidlng moment as we see Bronson Reed continue to gain momentum with a victory. The cruiserweights continue their feud of Legado del Fantasma against the rest of the division.

Gargano vs. Scott – Given a spot on a different night, this one could’ve stolen the show. But after the street fight and Championship vs. Championship match, it takes a back seat. Wouldn’t mind seeing it again though!

SMACKDOWN

RESULTS

Jeff Hardy defeated The Miz

WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Non-Title Match: Sasha Banks & Bayley defeated Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross

Lacey Evans vs. Naomi went to a no-contest

SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day vs. Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura went to a no-contest

Wow! This one felt so mailed in it’s not even funny.

Highlights:

.@itsBayleyWWE & @SashaBanksWWE pick up the win on #SmackDown! pic.twitter.com/n7jw4sHA9e

— WWE (@WWE) July 11, 2020

Sasha, Bayley, Alexa and Nikki – Strongest part of the show. Fun tag team that keeps the storyline going with Bayley sneaking the win over Cross. It gives me a reason to care about their upcoming title match.

The lowlights:

The rest of the show! Honestly, from the start of the show with Miz TV (again) setting up Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz with the usual barbs to the end of the show with a tag team title no-contest, there just was not a good vibe to this show.

Don’t get me wrong, Hardy vs. The Miz was serviceable and a nice match between two vets, but nothing spectacular other than to set up what we already knew – a Bar Fight for Hardy vs. Sheamus at Extreme Rules

.@TaminaSnuka, @NaomiWWE, @LaceyEvansWWE & @DanaBrookeWWE face the music in this #SmackDown Karaoke challenge.

pic.twitter.com/MmZXAu3HfB

— WWE (@WWE) July 11, 2020

The Karoake Showdown was a disaster! Having Lacey Evans, Naomi, Dana Brooke and Tamina sink WWE entrance themes is a waste of everyone’s time and if you wanted to sing the “Common Man” theme for Dusty Rhodes, wouldn’t it have been more appropriate at NXT’s Great American Bash? Then, to have a no-contest for Evans and Naomi further wasted our time and was just a time filler.

Do @WWECesaro & @ShinsukeN have your attention now? #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/sfOgxMljQS

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) July 11, 2020

Finally, don’t get me started with the tag team title match. Why build up a championship match only to see it halted at the first sign of chaos that only seemed to let the World know we have a tables match coming at Extreme Rules. There are 100 different ways to accomplish that goal than to waste a title match on broadcast TV.

And oh yeah, did I mention we got a replay of Money In the Bank’s Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt’s title match? Time filler folks. They could’ve wrapped up that in a 3-minute production piece.

Here’s hoping that next week’s go home show is much better. I’m not holding my breathe. This one was not good people!

Parting shots:

Reigns vs. Lee – Sign me up for one, whenever it’s possible. Roman Reigns tweeted out this week his congratulations to Keith Lee for his NXT Title win and wants a shot down the road. Make this happen WWE! That is, of course, if you ever acknowledge that Reigns is still part of the company still.

Coming up this week:

RAW – Grudge Matches Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens R-Truth vs. Randy Orton (what’s the grudge exactly?) Andrade & Austin Theory vs. The Viking Raiders

NXT NXT Women’s Championship Match: Io Shirai vs. Tegan Nox Damian Priest vs. Cameron Grimes

SMACKDOWN Intercontinental Championship Match: AJ Styles vs. Matt Riddle

Thanks for letting us share our thoughts! Shoot me an email at [email protected]. We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions! You can also check out my blog, The Crowe’s Nest as we delve into more pro wrestling, sports entertainment and the World of Sports. My apologies ahead of time – I AM a Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins fan! If you’re not down with that, I’ve got TWO WORDS for you… NEW ENGLAND

#IFTTT #Place to Be Nation

[aremenyegybudoskurva-blog]

Best 80s Tv Shows List

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Original Run: 1987 94 Creator: Gene Roddenberry Stars: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis Network: Syndicated The original collection was groundbreaking. Deep Space Nine and Voyager had their occasions. But TNG was head-and-shoulders the Star Trek franchise. Jean Luc Picard. Data. Worf. The holodeck. The Borg. Gene Roddenbury mustn't have had a cynical bone in his human anatomy, and as I watched his characters explore unusual new worlds, look for new life and new civilizations, and boldly go where no one h-AS gone before, I didn’t either.

The Cosby Show

Original Run: 1984-1992 Creators: Bill Cosby. Weinberger and Michael Leeson Stars: Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rash? d Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Tempestt Bledsoe, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Sabrina Le Beauf, Geoffrey Owens, Joseph C. Phillips Network: NBC George Jefferson may happen to be moving on up, but The Cosby Present gave the nation a mo-Re relatable glimpse of the expanding middleclass among African-Americans but much mo-Re usually, dealing with all the trials that we all faced. Inspired by Cosby’s own family encounters which had been a staple of his stand-up routine, the show dominated the 2nd half of the ’80s, topping the Neilsen scores from 1985-90 and averaging more than 3-0 million viewers in the ’86-87 period. Cosby’s legacy might currently be in shambles, but the display was bigger compared to the man.

Magnum, P.I.

Original Run: 1980 88 Creator: Donald P. Bellisario, Glen A. Larson Stars: Tom Selleck, John Hillerman. Mosley, Larry Manetti Network: CBS When every other adolescent male of the ’80s and I grew up, we needed the li Fe of Tom Magnum, performed by Tom Selleck and his mustache: dwelling in an opulent Hawaii beachhouse as a guest of a never-current millionaire novelist and driving his Ferrari 308 GTS; wracking up a never-to-be-paid tab a T the country club run by one war-vet buddy and bumming helicopter rides from still another; and periodically solving mysteries using a mixture of smarts, toughness and mostly chutzpah. I never did figure out the way to walk that particular career path, but it was fun to dream.

TV Boxed Sets DVDs

At the Movies

Original Run: 1982-2010 Creator: Gene Siskel Stars: Roget Ebert, Gene Siskel Network: Syndicated Two different exhibits, both titled In The The Films from various production companies, the combination of Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert completely revolutionized the notion of movie criticism. Greatly admired for his or her ability to succinctly sum up the newest films together with their honesty and integrity in sparring with each other when opinions differed, the pair were also criticized by many for degrading the integrity of film criticism by decreasing it to arbitrary “thumbs up“or “thumbs down“gestures. Such was the legacy of Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert and the duality of the show. They were among the only film critics whose thoughts an “average American“could often be expected to respect and did much for legitimizing the idea of film criticism outside of a class-room environment. Some might nonetheless criticize the idea of a two-outcome rating program, but it was the approachable eloquence of the hosts that created the format work.

Taxi

Original Run: 1978 83 Creators: James L. Ed, Brooks, Stan Daniels, David Davis. Weinberger Stars: Carol Kane, Judd Hirsch, Danny DeVito, Marilu Henner, Tony Danza, Andy Kaufman, Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Conway Network: ABC/NBC Let’s just pause for a moment and remember that somebody once confident a community to set Andy Kaufman to the air. I just wish it'd been live TV. Like M*A*S*H, Taxi frequently tackled serious social problems like drug and gambling addiction, but did it with an incredibly unusual cast of characters from the alien-like Latka Graves (Kaufman) to drugged-out hippie Reverend Jim (Christopher Lloyd) to misanthrope Louie De Palma (Danny DeVito).

St. Elsewhere

Original Run: 1982 88 Creator: Joshua Brand, John Falsey Stars: William Daniels, Ed Flanders, Norman Lloyd Network: NBC The seminal hospital drama of the 1980s, St. Elsewhere was never resoundingly productive in the ratings, but it racked in Emmys over the years for its practical, frequently-dark tone and occasions of humor. Its big, ensemble forged carried on several long and had a number of cross overs together with the Hill Street Blues that are related - serialized story-lines, type, leading to fantastic character development within the course of the series. Needless to say, it’s today often remembered for a different cause: For having perhaps the single-most WTF finale moment in TV history. At the conclusion of the final St. Else Where episode, the characters are revealed as having all been the creation of the autistic Tommy Westphall, who owns a snow globe wherein the imaginary St. Eligius hospital exists. Moreoever, because so many other exhibits and characters overlapped with St. Elsewhere, some followers posit this signifies that everything from Hill Avenue Blues and Murder: Life on the Road to The X-Files all take invest the “Tommy Westphall Universe“by extension.

Pee-Wee’s Playhouse

Original Run: 198690 Creator: Paul Reubens Stars: Paul Reubens, Laurence Fishburne, Lynne Marie Stewart Network: CBS There are two types of folks within my life: Those who like Pee Wee Herman and enemies. Years ago, I was gifted the total collection of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse DVDs. Over the years, I’d created a point to watch Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure and Big Top Pee-Wee whenever the feeling was correct. As much as I loved this show as a child, I only expected to get a great kick from an episode here and there, but I found myself inhaling these DVDs. Pee-Wee’s Play-House is joyous morning viewing (over a bowl of Mr. T cereal, of course) or a great way to unwind at evening (I’d recommend taking a drink from a good beer whenever somebody says the “secret word“ only if your day was exceptionally hard). To get a display that had a cast of breakfast plates and genies, cowboys, puppet couches, pterodactyls, clocks, I think Playhouse still makes sense in 2014. It’s a fully realized vision of Pee-Wee’s whimsical, wacky world—puppet strings and all—and the collection is just pithy enough to pull in adults that are ready to go on the ride, too. Paul Reubens is a comedy icon and master of timing, and it’s unusual that a well-placed Peewee gurgle or squeal doesn’t get a chuckle out of me. If you can’t find any joy in all of that, we’ve got to re Consider our friendship.

Wonder Years

#s#The Original Run: 1988-93 Creators: Neal Marlens, Carol Black Stars: Fred Savage, Dan Lauria, Alley Mills, Olivia d’Abo, Jason Hervey, Danica McKellar, Josh Saviano Network: ABC The Wonder Years is a family present, and yes, a few of its episodes inch dangerously shut to after school-unique territory, but make no error: revisiting this late-’80s/early-’90s staple as a grown-up is just as—if perhaps not more—enjoyable than observing it the first time around. It’s unabashedly nostalgic, but it chronicles the ups and downs of Kevin Arnold’s, Winnie Cooper’s and Paul Pfeiffer’s adolescence from the backdrop of the Vietnam era and our nation’s changing social landscape with a maturity most exhibits geared towards kiddies absence. The small childhood moments that stay with us are treated with the respect they deserve. We laugh when Kevin’s brother Wayne gets him in a headlock and calls him “scrote“for the umpteenth time (attempt sneaking that by the Nick a T Nite censors today!) or when Kev squares off along with his mortal enemy Becky Slater, and we cry when Kevin’s periodically distant father struggles to relate solely to his teen-age children. And sorry, but if you don’t hold your breath when Kevin puts that letterman jacket over Winnie’s shoulders, you’re lifeless within. Music geeks will enjoy the amazing sound track as well.

Family Ties

Original Run: 1982-89 Creator: Gary David Goldberg Stars: Meredith Baxter-Birney, Michael Gross. Fox, Justine Bateman and Tina Yothers Network: NBC We were given the Keatons by one of the finest family sit-coms of our time; these were were our family. Liberal working parents Steven (Michael Gross) and Elyse (Meredith Baxter) raised their three children—smart and conservative older brother Alex (Michael J. Fox), flighty and trendy middle kid Mallory (Justine Bateman) and sarcastic younger sister Jennifer (Tina Yothers)—with love, compassion and limits. Fox, whose job was introduced with all the collection, made Alex’s Republicanism humorous yet not cliched. The collection is still remembered for the very special episode, “A my name is Alex,“ where Alex struggled to accept the sudden death of his friend. Today family comedies continue to try to capture the magic that was Family Ties

[mysteriouslyzealouspandalov-blog]

The Trump-Hannity Relationship Takes Conservatives One More Step Toward the Moral Low Ground

New Post has been published on https://relationshipguideto.com/must-see/the-trump-hannity-relationship-takes-conservatives-one-more-step-toward-the-moral-low-ground/

The Trump-Hannity Relationship Takes Conservatives One More Step Toward the Moral Low Ground

Conservatives, including myself, have endlessly complained that the mainstream media has long been too cozy with Democrats in power. Now it's time for conservatives to talk about Sean Hannity.

Reports that Fox News host Sean Hannity is so close to Trump that some White House aides have dubbed him the unofficial chief of staff probably deserve more attentionand (for those of us who want to be consistent) condemnation.

Now, Im aware that Hannity wavers on whether the title journalist accurately describes his role. Entertainer is probably more accurate, but when you anchor of an hour-long primetime TV show on what is ostensibly a cable news network, you have a responsibility to to disclose potential conflicts of interest to your audience. It matters not that Hannity is a pundit and not a straight reporter. As Jonah Goldberg has pointed out, being an opinion journalist does not absolve one of this responsibility. People need to trust that our opinions are really our opinions.

Whether one cares about upholding ethical standards, this makes it impossible for conservatives to complain the next time a Democrat cozies up to a member of the press. Back in March, conservative John Ziegler authored a column titled, A Comprehensive List of Things Republicans Can No Longer Legitimately Criticize Thanks to Trump. Its time to add one more to the list.

The truth is that for years, conservatives had every right to complain about Democrats and the media. Examples are rife.

At least one of FDRs speeches was actually written by a reporter covering him. As Jonathan Alter recounts in his book, The Defining Moment, after one of Roosevelts speeches was panned by the press, the president challenged New York Herald Tribunes Ernest K. Lindley to write a better speech for himand he did! Alter goes on to suggest that this would get him fired for unethical behavior, but Im not so sure.

According to his Washington Post obituary, Mr. Lindleys prolific literary production included the first book about Roosevelt, Franklin D. RooseveltA Career in Progressive Democracy. He also wrote The Roosevelt RevolutionFirst Phase, Half Way with Roosevelt and How War CameU.S. Foreign Policy from the Fall of France to Pearl Harbor.

The torch then passed to a new generation of cronies. According to The New York Times, Arthur Krock, the papers Washington bureau chief, rewrote, without credit, Why England Slept, thereby rendering it publishable, awarded his personal valet to the young Congressman John Kennedy upon his arrival in Washington and, later, worked like hell, in his own words, in a successful lobbying effort to obtain the Pulitzer Prize for Profiles in Courage.

But Krock wasnt JFKs only powerful journalistic buddy. While covering JFK as Washington Bureau Chief offor Newsweek, Ben Bradlee was, as John Dickerson writes, straddling two worlds, playing the role of both reporter and friend with Kennedy.

In a 2014 column for Newsbusters, conservative Jeffrey Lord alleged that Bradlee suppressed negative information about the Kennedys. Once upon a time Walter Cronkite really was the most trusted man in America, Lord lamented. But those days are long gone. And the blame for this total lack of trust lies with the American media itself.

Indeed, as Cronkite, himself, confessed: I dont know why to this day I got away with it (regarding hiding his liberal leanings).

But get away with it, they did. And for decades. As recently as 2009, Politico reported that ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent George Stephanopoulos participated in daily conference calls with then-White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, as well as Democratic strategists James Carville and Paul Begala. This was the kind of thing that used to make conservative heads explode. But at least Stephanopoulos was going through President Obamas chief of staff.

In the case of Hannity, they have eliminated the middle man. The phone calls between President Trump and Sean Hannity come early in the morning or late at night, after the Fox News host goes off the air, writes The Washington Post.

Chalk this up as just the latest example of conservatives wanting to fight fire with fire and ape the other side. But it also means surrendering the moral high ground and becoming no better than your adversaries.

As John Ziegler explains, Once you have defended and accepted certain behavior from a president, it is awfully difficult,even in a world where hypocrisy is now longer seen as politically lethal, to claim that similar acts are unacceptable for any other elected office.

Donald Trump and Sean Hannity are doing the kind of things that conservative Republicans used to rightly abhor. Were all hypocrites, now.

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com

[relationshipadviser-blog]

The Trump-Hannity Relationship Takes Conservatives One More Step Toward the Moral Low Ground

New Post has been published on https://relationshipqia.com/must-see/the-trump-hannity-relationship-takes-conservatives-one-more-step-toward-the-moral-low-ground/

The Trump-Hannity Relationship Takes Conservatives One More Step Toward the Moral Low Ground

Conservatives, including myself, have endlessly complained that the mainstream media has long been too cozy with Democrats in power. Now it's time for conservatives to talk about Sean Hannity.

Reports that Fox News host Sean Hannity is so close to Trump that some White House aides have dubbed him the unofficial chief of staff probably deserve more attentionand (for those of us who want to be consistent) condemnation.

Now, Im aware that Hannity wavers on whether the title journalist accurately describes his role. Entertainer is probably more accurate, but when you anchor of an hour-long primetime TV show on what is ostensibly a cable news network, you have a responsibility to to disclose potential conflicts of interest to your audience. It matters not that Hannity is a pundit and not a straight reporter. As Jonah Goldberg has pointed out, being an opinion journalist does not absolve one of this responsibility. People need to trust that our opinions are really our opinions.

Whether one cares about upholding ethical standards, this makes it impossible for conservatives to complain the next time a Democrat cozies up to a member of the press. Back in March, conservative John Ziegler authored a column titled, A Comprehensive List of Things Republicans Can No Longer Legitimately Criticize Thanks to Trump. Its time to add one more to the list.

The truth is that for years, conservatives had every right to complain about Democrats and the media. Examples are rife.

At least one of FDRs speeches was actually written by a reporter covering him. As Jonathan Alter recounts in his book, The Defining Moment, after one of Roosevelts speeches was panned by the press, the president challenged New York Herald Tribunes Ernest K. Lindley to write a better speech for himand he did! Alter goes on to suggest that this would get him fired for unethical behavior, but Im not so sure.

According to his Washington Post obituary, Mr. Lindleys prolific literary production included the first book about Roosevelt, Franklin D. RooseveltA Career in Progressive Democracy. He also wrote The Roosevelt RevolutionFirst Phase, Half Way with Roosevelt and How War CameU.S. Foreign Policy from the Fall of France to Pearl Harbor.

The torch then passed to a new generation of cronies. According to The New York Times, Arthur Krock, the papers Washington bureau chief, rewrote, without credit, Why England Slept, thereby rendering it publishable, awarded his personal valet to the young Congressman John Kennedy upon his arrival in Washington and, later, worked like hell, in his own words, in a successful lobbying effort to obtain the Pulitzer Prize for Profiles in Courage.

But Krock wasnt JFKs only powerful journalistic buddy. While covering JFK as Washington Bureau Chief offor Newsweek, Ben Bradlee was, as John Dickerson writes, straddling two worlds, playing the role of both reporter and friend with Kennedy.

In a 2014 column for Newsbusters, conservative Jeffrey Lord alleged that Bradlee suppressed negative information about the Kennedys. Once upon a time Walter Cronkite really was the most trusted man in America, Lord lamented. But those days are long gone. And the blame for this total lack of trust lies with the American media itself.

Indeed, as Cronkite, himself, confessed: I dont know why to this day I got away with it (regarding hiding his liberal leanings).

But get away with it, they did. And for decades. As recently as 2009, Politico reported that ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent George Stephanopoulos participated in daily conference calls with then-White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, as well as Democratic strategists James Carville and Paul Begala. This was the kind of thing that used to make conservative heads explode. But at least Stephanopoulos was going through President Obamas chief of staff.

In the case of Hannity, they have eliminated the middle man. The phone calls between President Trump and Sean Hannity come early in the morning or late at night, after the Fox News host goes off the air, writes The Washington Post.

Chalk this up as just the latest example of conservatives wanting to fight fire with fire and ape the other side. But it also means surrendering the moral high ground and becoming no better than your adversaries.

As John Ziegler explains, Once you have defended and accepted certain behavior from a president, it is awfully difficult,even in a world where hypocrisy is now longer seen as politically lethal, to claim that similar acts are unacceptable for any other elected office.

Donald Trump and Sean Hannity are doing the kind of things that conservative Republicans used to rightly abhor. Were all hypocrites, now.

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com

[thesnhuup]

Pop Picks – December 4, 2018

December 4, 2018

What I’m listening to:

Spending a week in New Zealand, we had endless laughs listening to the Kiwi band, Flight of the Conchords. Lots of comedic bands are funny, but the music is only okay or worse. These guys are funny – hysterical really – and the music is great. They have an uncanny ability to parody almost any style. In both New Zealand and Australia, we found a wry sense of humor that was just delightful and no better captured than with this duo. You don’t have to be in New Zealand to enjoy them.

What I’m reading:

I don’t often reread. For two reasons: A) I have so many books on my “still to be read” pile that it seems daunting to also reread books I loved before, and B) it’s because I loved them once that I’m a little afraid to read them again. That said, I was recently asked to list my favorite book of all time and I answered Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. But I don’t really know if that’s still true (and it’s an impossible question anyway – favorite book? On what day? In what mood?), so I’m rereading it and it feels like being with an old friend. It has one of my very favorite scenes ever: the card game between Levin and Kitty that leads to the proposal and his joyous walking the streets all night.

What I’m watching:

Blindspotting is billed as a buddy-comedy. Wow does that undersell it and the drama is often gripping. I loved Daveed Diggs in Hamilton, didn’t like his character in Black-ish, and think he is transcendent in this film he co-wrote with Rafael Casal, his co-star.  The film is a love song to Oakland in many ways, but also a gut-wrenching indictment of police brutality, systemic racism and bias, and gentrification. The film has the freshness and raw visceral impact of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing. A great soundtrack, genre mixing, and energy make it one of my favorite movies of 2018.

  Archive

October 15, 2018

What I’m listening to:

We had the opportunity to see our favorite band, The National, live in Dallas two weeks ago. Just after watching Mistaken for Strangers, the documentary sort of about the band. So we’ve spent a lot of time going back into their earlier work, listening to songs we don’t know well, and reaffirming that their musicality, smarts, and sound are both original and astoundingly good. They did not disappoint in concert and it is a good thing their tour ended, as we might just spend all of our time and money following them around. Matt Berninger is a genius and his lead vocals kill me (and because they are in my range, I can actually sing along!). Their arrangements are profoundly good and go right to whatever brain/heart wiring that pulls one in and doesn’t let them go.

What I’m reading:

Who is Richard Powers and why have I only discovered him now, with his 12th book? Overstory is profoundly good, a book that is essential and powerful and makes me look at my everyday world in new ways. In short, a dizzying example of how powerful can be narrative in the hands of a master storyteller. I hesitate to say it’s the best environmental novel I’ve ever read (it is), because that would put this book in a category. It is surely about the natural world, but it is as much about we humans. It’s monumental and elegiac and wondrous at all once. Cancel your day’s schedule and read it now. Then plant a tree. A lot of them.

What I’m watching:

Bo Burnham wrote and directed Eighth Grade and Elsie Fisher is nothing less than amazing as its star (what’s with these new child actors; see Florida Project). It’s funny and painful and touching. It’s also the single best film treatment that I have seen of what it means to grow up in a social media shaped world. It’s a reminder that growing up is hard. Maybe harder now in a world of relentless, layered digital pressure to curate perfect lives that are far removed from the natural messy worlds and selves we actually inhabit. It’s a well-deserved 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and I wonder who dinged it for the missing 2%.

September 7, 2018

What I’m listening to:

With a cover pointing back to the Beastie Boys’ 1986 Licensed to Ill, Eminem’s quietly released Kamikaze is not my usual taste, but I’ve always admired him for his “all out there” willingness to be personal, to call people out, and his sheer genius with language. I thought Daveed Diggs could rap fast, but Eminem is supersonic at moments, and still finds room for melody. Love that he includes Joyner Lucas, whose “I’m Not Racist” gets added to the growing list of simply amazing music videos commenting on race in America. There are endless reasons why I am the least likely Eminem fan, but when no one is around to make fun of me, I’ll put it on again.

What I’m reading:

Lesley Blume’s Everyone Behaves Badly, which is the story behind Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises and his time in 1920s Paris (oh, what a time – see Midnight in Paris if you haven’t already). Of course, Blume disabuses my romantic ideas of that time and place and everyone is sort of (or profoundly so) a jerk, especially…no spoiler here…Hemingway. That said, it is a compelling read and coming off the Henry James inspired prose of Mrs. Osmond, it made me appreciate more how groundbreaking was Hemingway’s modern prose style. Like his contemporary Picasso, he reinvented the art and it can be easy to forget, these decades later, how profound was the change and its impact. And it has bullfights.

What I’m watching:

Chloé Zhao’s The Rider is just exceptional. It’s filmed on the Pine Ridge Reservation, which provides a stunning landscape, and it feels like a classic western reinvented for our times. The main characters are played by the real-life people who inspired this narrative (but feels like a documentary) film. Brady Jandreau, playing himself really, owns the screen. It’s about manhood, honor codes, loss, and resilience – rendered in sensitive, nuanced, and heartfelt ways. It feels like it could be about large swaths of America today. Really powerful.

August 16, 2018

What I’m listening to:

In my Spotify Daily Mix was Percy Sledge’s When A Man Loves A Woman, one of the world’s greatest love songs. Go online and read the story of how the song was discovered and recorded. There are competing accounts, but Sledge said he improvised it after a bad breakup. It has that kind of aching spontaneity. It is another hit from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, one of the GREAT music hotbeds, along with Detroit, Nashville, and Memphis. Our February Board meeting is in Alabama and I may finally have to do the pilgrimage road trip to Muscle Shoals and then Memphis, dropping in for Sunday services at the church where Rev. Al Green still preaches and sings. If the music is all like this, I will be saved.

What I’m reading:

John Banville’s Mrs. Osmond, his homage to literary idol Henry James and an imagined sequel to James’ 1881 masterpiece Portrait of a Lady. Go online and read the first paragraph of Chapter 25. He is…profoundly good. Makes me want to never write again, since anything I attempt will feel like some other, lowly activity in comparison to his mastery of language, image, syntax. This is slow reading, every sentence to be savored.

What I’m watching:

I’ve always respected Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but we just watched the documentary RGB. It is over-the-top great and she is now one of my heroes. A superwoman in many ways and the documentary is really well done. There are lots of scenes of her speaking to crowds and the way young women, especially law students, look at her is touching.  And you can’t help but fall in love with her now late husband Marty. See this movie and be reminded of how important is the Law.

July 23, 2018

What I’m listening to:

Spotify’s Summer Acoustic playlist has been on repeat quite a lot. What a fun way to listen to artists new to me, including The Paper Kites, Hollow Coves, and Fleet Foxes, as well as old favorites like Leon Bridges and Jose Gonzalez. Pretty chill when dialing back to a summer pace, dining on the screen porch or reading a book.

What I’m reading:

Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy. Founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, Stevenson tells of the racial injustice (and the war on the poor our judicial system perpetuates as well) that he discovered as a young graduate from Harvard Law School and his fight to address it. It is in turn heartbreaking, enraging, and inspiring. It is also about mercy and empathy and justice that reads like a novel. Brilliant.

What I’m watching:

Fauda. We watched season one of this Israeli thriller. It was much discussed in Israel because while it focuses on an ex-special agent who comes out of retirement to track down a Palestinian terrorist, it was willing to reveal the complexity, richness, and emotions of Palestinian lives. And the occasional brutality of the Israelis. Pretty controversial stuff in Israel. Lior Raz plays Doron, the main character, and is compelling and tough and often hard to like. He’s a mess. As is the world in which he has to operate. We really liked it, and also felt guilty because while it may have been brave in its treatment of Palestinians within the Israeli context, it falls back into some tired tropes and ultimately falls short on this front.

    June 11, 2018

What I’m listening to:

Like everyone else, I’m listening to Pusha T drop the mic on Drake. Okay, not really, but do I get some points for even knowing that? We all walk around with songs that immediately bring us back to a time or a place. Songs are time machines. We are coming up on Father’s Day. My own dad passed away on Father’s Day back in 1994 and I remembering dutifully getting through the wake and funeral and being strong throughout. Then, sitting alone in our kitchen, Don Henley’s The End of the Innocence came on and I lost it. When you lose a parent for the first time (most of us have two after all) we lose our innocence and in that passage, we suddenly feel adult in a new way (no matter how old we are), a longing for our own childhood, and a need to forgive and be forgiven. Listen to the lyrics and you’ll understand. As Wordsworth reminds us in In Memoriam, there are seasons to our grief and, all these years later, this song no longer hits me in the gut, but does transport me back with loving memories of my father. I’ll play it Father’s Day.

What I’m reading:

The Fifth Season, by N. K. Jemisin. I am not a reader of fantasy or sci-fi, though I understand they can be powerful vehicles for addressing the very real challenges of the world in which we actually live. I’m not sure I know of a more vivid and gripping illustration of that fact than N. K. Jemisin’s Hugo Award winning novel The Fifth Season, first in her Broken Earth trilogy. It is astounding. It is the fantasy parallel to The Underground Railroad, my favorite recent read, a depiction of subjugation, power, casual violence, and a broken world in which our hero(s) struggle, suffer mightily, and still, somehow, give us hope. It is a tour de force book. How can someone be this good a writer? The first 30 pages pained me (always with this genre, one must learn a new, constructed world, and all of its operating physics and systems of order), and then I could not put it down. I panicked as I neared the end, not wanting to finish the book, and quickly ordered the Obelisk Gate, the second novel in the trilogy, and I can tell you now that I’ll be spending some goodly portion of my weekend in Jemisin’s other world.

What I’m watching:

The NBA Finals and perhaps the best basketball player of this generation. I’ve come to deeply respect LeBron James as a person, a force for social good, and now as an extraordinary player at the peak of his powers. His superhuman play during the NBA playoffs now ranks with the all-time greats, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, MJ, Kobe, and the demi-god that was Bill Russell. That his Cavs lost in a 4-game sweep is no surprise. It was a mediocre team being carried on the wide shoulders of James (and matched against one of the greatest teams ever, the Warriors, and the Harry Potter of basketball, Steph Curry) and, in some strange way, his greatness is amplified by the contrast with the rest of his team. It was a great run.

May 24, 2018

What I’m listening to:

I’ve always liked Alicia Keys and admired her social activism, but I am hooked on her last album Here. This feels like an album finally commensurate with her anger, activism, hope, and grit. More R&B and Hip Hop than is typical for her, I think this album moves into an echelon inhabited by a Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On or Beyonce’s Formation. Social activism and outrage rarely make great novels, but they often fuel great popular music. Here is a terrific example.

What I’m reading:

Colson Whitehead’s Underground Railroad may be close to a flawless novel. Winner of the 2017 Pulitzer, it chronicles the lives of two runaway slaves, Cora and Caeser, as they try to escape the hell of plantation life in Georgia.  It is an often searing novel and Cora is one of the great heroes of American literature. I would make this mandatory reading in every high school in America, especially in light of the absurd revisionist narratives of “happy and well cared for” slaves. This is a genuinely great novel, one of the best I’ve read, the magical realism and conflating of time periods lifts it to another realm of social commentary, relevance, and a blazing indictment of America’s Original Sin, for which we remain unabsolved.

What I’m watching:

I thought I knew about The Pentagon Papers, but The Post, a real-life political thriller from Steven Spielberg taught me a lot, features some of our greatest actors, and is so timely given the assault on our democratic institutions and with a presidency out of control. It is a reminder that a free and fearless press is a powerful part of our democracy, always among the first targets of despots everywhere. The story revolves around the legendary Post owner and D.C. doyenne, Katharine Graham. I had the opportunity to see her son, Don Graham, right after he saw the film, and he raved about Meryl Streep’s portrayal of his mother. Liked it a lot more than I expected.

April 27, 2018

What I’m listening to:

I mentioned John Prine in a recent post and then on the heels of that mention, he has released a new album, The Tree of Forgiveness, his first new album in ten years. Prine is beloved by other singer songwriters and often praised by the inscrutable God that is Bob Dylan.  Indeed, Prine was frequently said to be the “next Bob Dylan” in the early part of his career, though he instead carved out his own respectable career and voice, if never with the dizzying success of Dylan. The new album reflects a man in his 70s, a cancer survivor, who reflects on life and its end, but with the good humor and empathy that are hallmarks of Prine’s music. “When I Get To Heaven” is a rollicking, fun vision of what comes next and a pure delight. A charming, warm, and often terrific album.

What I’m reading:

I recently read Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, on many people’s Top Ten lists for last year and for good reason. It is sprawling, multi-generational, and based in the world of Japanese occupied Korea and then in the Korean immigrant’s world of Oaska, so our key characters become “tweeners,” accepted in neither world. It’s often unspeakably sad, and yet there is resiliency and love. There is also intimacy, despite the time and geographic span of the novel. It’s breathtakingly good and like all good novels, transporting.

What I’m watching:

I adore Guillermo del Toro’s 2006 film, Pan’s Labyrinth, and while I’m not sure his Shape of Water is better, it is a worthy follow up to the earlier masterpiece (and more of a commercial success). Lots of critics dislike the film, but I’m okay with a simple retelling of a Beauty and the Beast love story, as predictable as it might be. The acting is terrific, it is visually stunning, and there are layers of pain as well as social and political commentary (the setting is the US during the Cold War) and, no real spoiler here, the real monsters are humans, the military officer who sees over the captured aquatic creature. It is hauntingly beautiful and its depiction of hatred to those who are different or “other” is painfully resonant with the time in which we live. Put this on your “must see” list.

March 18, 2018

What I’m listening to:

Sitting on a plane for hours (and many more to go; geez, Australia is far away) is a great opportunity to listen to new music and to revisit old favorites. This time, it is Lucy Dacus and her album Historians, the new sophomore release from a 22-year old indie artist that writes with relatable, real-life lyrics. Just on a second listen and while she insists this isn’t a break up record (as we know, 50% of all great songs are break up songs), it is full of loss and pain. Worth the listen so far. For the way back machine, it’s John Prine and In Spite of Ourselves (that title track is one of the great love songs of all time), a collection of duets with some of his “favorite girl singers” as he once described them. I have a crush on Iris Dement (for a really righteously angry song try her Wasteland of the Free), but there is also EmmyLou Harris, the incomparable Dolores Keane, and Lucinda Williams. Very different albums, both wonderful.

What I’m reading:

Jane Mayer’s New Yorker piece on Christopher Steele presents little that is new, but she pulls it together in a terrific and coherent whole that is illuminating and troubling at the same time. Not only for what is happening, but for the complicity of the far right in trying to discredit that which should be setting off alarm bells everywhere. Bob Mueller may be the most important defender of the democracy at this time. A must read.

What I’m watching:

Homeland is killing it this season and is prescient, hauntingly so. Russian election interference, a Bannon-style hate radio demagogue, alienated and gun toting militia types, and a president out of control. It’s fabulous, even if it feels awfully close to the evening news. 

March 8, 2018

What I’m listening to:

We have a family challenge to compile our Top 100 songs. It is painful. Only 100? No more than three songs by one artist? Wait, why is M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” on my list? Should it just be The Clash from whom she samples? Can I admit to guilty pleasure songs? Hey, it’s my list and I can put anything I want on it. So I’m listening to the list while I work and the song playing right now is Tom Petty’s “The Wild One, Forever,” a B-side single that was never a hit and that remains my favorite Petty song. Also, “Evangeline” by Los Lobos. It evokes a night many years ago, with friends at Pearl Street in Northampton, MA, when everyone danced well past 1AM in a hot, sweaty, packed club and the band was a revelation. Maybe the best music night of our lives and a reminder that one’s 100 Favorite Songs list is as much about what you were doing and where you were in your life when those songs were playing as it is about the music. It’s not a list. It’s a soundtrack for this journey.

What I’m reading:

Patricia Lockwood’s Priestdaddy was in the NY Times top ten books of 2017 list and it is easy to see why. Lockwood brings remarkable and often surprising imagery, metaphor, and language to her prose memoir and it actually threw me off at first. It then all became clear when someone told me she is a poet. The book is laugh aloud funny, which masks (or makes safer anyway) some pretty dark territory. Anyone who grew up Catholic, whether lapsed or not, will resonate with her story. She can’t resist a bawdy anecdote and her family provides some of the most memorable characters possible, especially her father, her sister, and her mother, who I came to adore. Best thing I’ve read in ages.

What I’m watching:

The Florida Project, a profoundly good movie on so many levels. Start with the central character, six-year old (at the time of the filming) Brooklynn Prince, who owns – I mean really owns – the screen. This is pure acting genius and at that age? Astounding. Almost as astounding is Bria Vinaite, who plays her mother. She was discovered on Instagram and had never acted before this role, which she did with just three weeks of acting lessons. She is utterly convincing and the tension between the child’s absolute wonder and joy in the world with her mother’s struggle to provide, to be a mother, is heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once. Willem Dafoe rightly received an Oscar nomination for his supporting role. This is a terrific movie.

February 12, 2018

What I’m listening to:

So, I have a lot of friends of age (I know you’re thinking 40s, but I just turned 60) who are frozen in whatever era of music they enjoyed in college or maybe even in their thirties. There are lots of times when I reach back into the catalog, since music is one of those really powerful and transporting senses that can take you through time (smell is the other one, though often underappreciated for that power). Hell, I just bought a turntable and now spending time in vintage vinyl shops. But I’m trying to take a lesson from Pat, who revels in new music and can as easily talk about North African rap music and the latest National album as Meet the Beatles, her first ever album. So, I’ve been listening to Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy winning Damn. While it may not be the first thing I’ll reach for on a winter night in Maine, by the fire, I was taken with it. It’s layered, political, and weirdly sensitive and misogynist at the same time, and it feels fresh and authentic and smart at the same time, with music that often pulled me from what I was doing. In short, everything music should do. I’m not a bit cooler for listening to Damn, but when I followed it with Steely Dan, I felt like I was listening to Lawrence Welk. A good sign, I think.

What I’m reading:

I am reading Walter Isaacson’s new biography of Leonardo da Vinci. I’m not usually a reader of biographies, but I’ve always been taken with Leonardo. Isaacson does not disappoint (does he ever?), and his subject is at once more human and accessible and more awe-inspiring in Isaacson’s capable hands. Gay, left-handed, vegetarian, incapable of finishing things, a wonderful conversationalist, kind, and perhaps the most relentlessly curious human being who has ever lived. Like his biographies of Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein, Isaacson’s project here is to show that genius lives at the intersection of science and art, of rationality and creativity. Highly recommend it.

What I’m watching:

We watched the This Is Us post-Super Bowl episode, the one where Jack finally buys the farm. I really want to hate this show. It is melodramatic and manipulative, with characters that mostly never change or grow, and it hooks me every damn time we watch it. The episode last Sunday was a tear jerker, a double whammy intended to render into a blubbering, tissue-crumbling pathetic mess anyone who has lost a parent or who is a parent. Sterling K. Brown, Ron Cephas Jones, the surprising Mandy Moore, and Milo Ventimiglia are hard not to love and last season’s episode that had only Brown and Cephas going to Memphis was the show at its best (they are by far the two best actors). Last week was the show at its best worst. In other words, I want to hate it, but I love it. If you haven’t seen it, don’t binge watch it. You’ll need therapy and insulin.

January 15, 2018

What I’m listening to:

Drive-By Truckers. Chris Stapleton has me on an unusual (for me) country theme and I discovered these guys to my great delight. They’ve been around, with some 11 albums, but the newest one is fascinating. It’s a deep dive into Southern alienation and the white working-class world often associated with our current president. I admire the willingness to lay bare, in kick ass rock songs, the complexities and pain at work among people we too quickly place into overly simple categories. These guys are brave, bold, and thoughtful as hell, while producing songs I didn’t expect to like, but that I keep playing. And they are coming to NH.

What I’m reading:

A textual analog to Drive-By Truckers by Chris Stapleton in many ways is Tony Horowitz’s 1998 Pulitzer Prize winning Confederates in the Attic. Ostensibly about the Civil War and the South’s ongoing attachment to it, it is prescient and speaks eloquently to the times in which we live (where every southern state but Virginia voted for President Trump). Often hilarious, it too surfaces complexities and nuance that escape a more recent, and widely acclaimed, book like Hillbilly Elegy. As a Civil War fan, it was also astonishing in many instances, especially when it blows apart long-held “truths” about the war, such as the degree to which Sherman burned down the south (he did not). Like D-B Truckers, Horowitz loves the South and the people he encounters, even as he grapples with its myths of victimhood and exceptionalism (and racism, which may be no more than the racism in the north, but of a different kind). Everyone should read this book and I’m embarrassed I’m so late to it.

What I’m watching:

David Letterman has a new Netflix show called “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction” and we watched the first episode, in which Letterman interviewed Barack Obama. It was extraordinary (if you don’t have Netflix, get it just to watch this show); not only because we were reminded of Obama’s smarts, grace, and humanity (and humor), but because we saw a side of Letterman we didn’t know existed. His personal reflections on Selma were raw and powerful, almost painful. He will do five more episodes with “extraordinary individuals” and if they are anything like the first, this might be the very best work of his career and one of the best things on television.

December 22, 2017

What I’m reading:

Just finished Sunjeev Sahota’s Year of the Runaways, a painful inside look at the plight of illegal Indian immigrant workers in Britain. It was shortlisted for 2015 Man Booker Prize and its transporting, often to a dark and painful universe, and it is impossible not to think about the American version of this story and the terrible way we treat the undocumented in our own country, especially now.

What I’m watching:

Season II of The Crown is even better than Season I. Elizabeth’s character is becoming more three-dimensional, the modern world is catching up with tradition-bound Britain, and Cold War politics offer more context and tension than we saw in Season I. Claire Foy, in her last season, is just terrific – one arched eye brow can send a message.

What I’m listening to:

A lot of Christmas music, but needing a break from the schmaltz, I’ve discovered Over the Rhine and their Christmas album, Snow Angels. God, these guys are good.

  November 14, 2017

What I’m watching:

Guiltily, I watch the Patriots play every weekend, often building my schedule and plans around seeing the game. Why the guilt? I don’t know how morally defensible is football anymore, as we now know the severe damage it does to the players. We can’t pretend it’s all okay anymore. Is this our version of late decadent Rome, watching mostly young Black men take a terrible toll on each other for our mere entertainment?

What I’m reading:

Recently finished J.G. Ballard’s 2000 novel Super-Cannes, a powerful depiction of a corporate-tech ex-pat community taken over by a kind of psychopathology, in which all social norms and responsibilities are surrendered to residents of the new world community. Kept thinking about Silicon Valley when reading it. Pretty dark, dystopian view of the modern world and centered around a mass killing, troublingly prescient.

What I’m listening to:

Was never really a Lorde fan, only knowing her catchy (and smarter than you might first guess) pop hit “Royals” from her debut album. But her new album, Melodrama, is terrific and it doesn’t feel quite right to call this “pop.” There is something way more substantial going on with Lorde and I can see why many critics put this album at the top of their Best in 2017 list. Count me in as a huge fan.

  November 3, 2017

What I’m reading: Just finished Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere, her breathtakingly good second novel. How is someone so young so wise? Her writing is near perfection and I read the book in two days, setting my alarm for 4:30AM so I could finish it before work.

What I’m watching: We just binge watched season two of Stranger Things and it was worth it just to watch Millie Bobbie Brown, the transcendent young actor who plays Eleven. The series is a delightful mash up of every great eighties horror genre you can imagine and while pretty dark, an absolute joy to watch.

What I’m listening to: I’m not a lover of country music (to say the least), but I love Chris Stapleton. His “The Last Thing I Needed, First Thing This Morning” is heartbreakingly good and reminds me of the old school country that played in my house as a kid. He has a new album and I can’t wait, but his From A Room: Volume 1 is on repeat for now.

  September 26, 2017

What I’m reading:

Just finished George Saunder’s Lincoln in the Bardo. It took me a while to accept its cadence and sheer weirdness, but loved it in the end. A painful meditation on loss and grief, and a genuinely beautiful exploration of the intersection of life and death, the difficulty of letting go of what was, good and bad, and what never came to be.

What I’m watching:

HBO’s The Deuce. Times Square and the beginning of the porn industry in the 1970s, the setting made me wonder if this was really something I’d want to see. But David Simon is the writer and I’d read a menu if he wrote it. It does not disappoint so far and there is nothing prurient about it.

What I’m listening to:

The National’s new album Sleep Well Beast. I love this band. The opening piano notes of the first song, “Nobody Else Will Be There,” seize me & I’m reminded that no one else in music today matches their arrangement & musicianship. I’m adding “Born to Beg,” “Slow Show,” “I Need My Girl,” and “Runaway” to my list of favorite love songs.

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ArcTanGent 2018 Review

Photo Credit : Helen Messenger

It's no secret that we love ArcTanGent festival, it's a chance to catch up with all our mates in one place and enjoy the music that brought us all together in the first place. We've been every year since it started and have never been disappointed and year number 6 was no exception.          

 In fact this year was actually one of our favourite editions, partly due to the fact that it stayed dry and sunny for the majority of the weekend for the first time since the first year but mainly because the lineup was fucking AWESOME!!!!!!

We arrived Thursday afternoon to the sounds of the much hyped Boss Keloid crushing it in the background as we made our way to set up camp for the weekend, we could hear their big heavy stoner riffs as we were setting our tent up and wish we'd managed to catch them but unfortunately we were never going to make it in time so we'll have to catch them another time.     

BODY HOUND - Photo Credit : Snap, Rock and Pop photography 

The first set we actually caught was from the ever excellent scamps in Body Hound who shred their way through a half hour of power including new material from their long awaited debut album to a packed out tent as we crack open our first beers of the weekend, and get off to a great start. It's always a joy watching these guys as they play some seroiously technical music but manage to make it look effortless throughout as their linch pin Ryan Bright holds it all together with some truely jaw dropping drumming. 

Up next are ATG house band Alpha Male Tea Party, these guys have pretty much played every year now and you know exactly what you're getting at this stage as they delight the crowd with tracks from "Health" and "Droids" and the crowd just continued to grow for their set. These boys just know how to smash it!

ALPHA MALE TEA PARTY - Photo Credit : Snap, Rock and Pop photography 

 Something shiny, new and experimental next as new Bristol improv/jam band People Like Milk Products open the massive new covered main stage for the first time on a Thursday, comprised of Chiyoda Ku and Memory of Elephants it's a big band affair as the six guys jam their way through a bunch of ideas which given more time and focus could grow into something really very special in the future, the highlight of their set however was the MOE/Chiyoda Medley of "Tiles, You're Dead" and "Hurry up it's time" to close their set.

PEOPLE LIKE MILK PRODUCTS - Photo Credit : Carl Battams

Foxing were one of our surprise highlights, we've seen them before and love them but this show was special as it was clear the band were overwhelmed by the response from the crowd and we were witnessing them playing at their very best. A great set filled with material from new album "Nearer my God" and favourites "The Medic" and set closer "Rory" from their debut album The Albatross

FOXING  -  Photo Credit : Helen Messenger

Thursday Headliners And So I watch You from afar are always one of the most eagerly anticpated bands to play at ATG and this was certainly one of the best shows we've ever seen the guys play as they rattle their way through their last album The Endless Shimmering in its entirety before launching into a 7 track encore from their back catalogue and never seeming to lose any of the energy which has made them one of the best live acts in the world. A special shout out to whoever was controlling the lights for this set as the production was simply incredible!

Photo Credit : Helen Messenger

We started the Friday a little late unfortunately missing the start of Seven Colour Drive's set - the Bristol based post-rock newbies opened the main stage to a hefty crowd of people munching down their breakfast in preparation for the day ahead.Fuelled up and ready for Chicago based duo Space Blood, the band take to the main stage for their last ever UK show and it's only a matter of seconds before confetti cannons and blow up dolls are popping off and dancing round the tent as the duo play one of their tightest shows we've seen to date. We've known these guys since they first came to the UK and we're going to miss their daft antics and beautiful noise. The highlight of the set was "Unintentional manscaping" and drummer Will Covert seemingly channelling Damon Che from Don Caballero before being shot in the head with a cannon and ending Space Blood as we know it!

God mother and Orchards were up next with a complete juxtapostion between the heavy roars from the Swedish Metal act and the joyous upbeat math-pop from the Brighton bunch who are currently making big waves in the UK since signing with Big Scary Monsters.

Never shy about bringing a gimmick to the table, this year saw Poly-math go bananas (literally) and chuck 100 inflatable bananas out into the crowd, the prog rockers showcased triple drummers, a new member (Josh Gesner) on Keys and the "super cool" Joe Branton pulling all his best moves while dressed all in black and rocking the indoor shades look while they effortlessly glide through a high octance set featuring tracks Melancolia and "Ink of Scholars" oh and of course there was guitarist Tim's little baby Poly-math upfront with her ear defenders on rocking out.

POLY-MATH - Photo Credit: Snap, Rock and Pop Photography

Yorkshire lads Bearfoot Beware proved themselves more than deserving of a slot at ATG as they made their first appearance here with a velvet caped front man Tom Bradley snarling his way through tracks from latest album "Sea Magnolia" and it's predecessor "World owes you nowt". Bearfoot channel their inner fugazi as they tear the Bixler a new one in front of a busy and receptive crowd who were more than happy to sing along especially to "Should have died as a kid"

Our boys Chiyoda Ku never disappoint and managed to sneak their way back on to the lineup this year thanks to Mugstar pulling out at short notice, the tents rammed and we're treated to some new material from the shrimps. This band just get better and better every time we see them and we can't wait for the new material to be recorded later in the year.

CHIYODA KU - Photo Credit: Snap, Rock and Pop Photography

 A tight clash between Strobes and Zeal and Ardor meant trying to do a 50/50 split between sets but we ended up being sucked into the crazy math styles provided by Strobes which meant we missed Zeal and Ardor but thankfully they'll be on tour in November so we'll be doing our best to catch them then!

 Amid rumours of cancellations Friday night headliners Glassjaw did show up but they missed the mark a little with only the older material like “Ape Dos Mil” and “Siberian kiss” really making an impact for us.  

DEATH AND THE PENGUIN - Photo Credit : Helen Messenger

Friday nights silent disco went big this year which meant we were nursing hangovers on Saturday morning but with a stacked lineup ahead for the final day there was no time to sit around feeling sorry for ourselves so it was off to see our buddies Death and the penguin as they played an absolute blinder to a very attentive early morning crowd, the band recently released their debut album Anomie and played a lot of the more energetic tracks from it and certainly won over many new fans, a nice touch in the crowd were the people who had donned their Death and Penguin costumes in the front row too.

Irish boys Ilenkus are a menacing act and it's only minutes before frontman Chris is out in the crowd getting the crowd pumped as the band pummel their way through an intense 30 minute set which included lots of new material from the Galway Metal/Hardcore band, the only criticism of this set was the time of day as this show would have been a hell of a lot more chaotic if it had been later in the evening but that didn't stop the band giving it their all.

GIRAFFES? GIRAFFES!  - Photo Credit : Snap Rock and Pop Photography

Giraffes? Giraffes! marked their first show outside of the US with this UK exclusive, we've been massive fans since we first came across G?G! 12 years ago and damn was it worth the wait. The duo took to the stage full of smiles and the main stage tent just continued to fill up. It took a song to get the sound right but when they brought in an extra guitar cab it was just perfection as the highly anticipated set got into full swing. 

"A quick one while she's away" was an emotional rollercoaster which left us trying to compose ourselves. G?G! blasted their way through their 40 minute set barely saying a word instead focusing on playing as many songs as they could into their allocated time. the set which included favourites like "I Am S/H(im)e[r] As You Am S/H(im)e[r]" and set finale "When the Catholic Girls Go Camping, the Nicotine Vampires Rule Supreme" was one of our festival highlights and the only complaint here was that it wasn't long enough. Hopefully G?G! will be back at ATG next year with a Thursday headline slot! We can but hope!!!!

GUG - Photo Credit : Snap, Rock and Pop photography

GUG were up next and it marked the return of the one and only Mr Dan Wild-Beesley, It was bloody lovely to see Dan back in action with his Baritone guitar at ATG and you could feel the love in the tent for him as the trio (which also includes Ben Forrester (peaks) and Alpha Male Tea Party's Tom Peters) powered through a ferocious set showcasing tracks from their debut EP "I gotta GUG feelin"

The Guru Guru were another festival highlight, these crazy Belgians know how to put on a show and made a whole heap of new fans in the process, those who had seen them before had clearly dragged their friends along and sang along to every song taken from their debut album Pchew, this is a band that will be back again for sure!

Shellac don't need an introduction, they're legends, but the most down to earth legends that ever walked this earth, we spotted them walking around site talking to fans and getting involved at the silent disco (Bob Weston even got involved in DJ'ing the final silent disco along with the Artscare guys). Shellac don't need fancy lights or stage propes they just do their thing and it's glorious. They treat us to belters including "A Minute" "Compliant" and of course "Prayer to God" and keep us entertained throughout. You could tell they were happy to be at ArcTanGent and were more than happy to engage with the crowd and as a result we were more than happy to watch them do their thing in a little field just outside off Bristol

Roll on 2019 and edition number 7 - we can't wait to see what James, Goc and Simon have in store for us!

[funnythingshere0-blog]

The 100 Best Comedies of All Time

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The 100 Best Comedies of All Time

Of all Paste’s curated Best 100 lists, this one has probably been the toughest to put together. It’s not because there’s any shortage of great comedies out there—as a category, the film comedy has existed from pretty much the beginning. But while all lists, no matter how objective a scale one tries to apply, have some degree of subjectivity to them, few things are as subjective as humor. For some, slapstick and farce hit the spot while more cerebral fare falls flat. For others, deft character studies that find the humor in our all-too-human foibles are the only comedies worth watching. There are as many flavors of culturally specific comedy as there are cultural sensibilities (and, of course, there are plenty of folks capable of enjoying more than one type). Faced with this challenge, we’ve decided to approach this particular list in a manner that seeks to guarantee laughter and amusement for the people most likely to look to it when seeking something that will bring some joy to the daily grind. These films have been chosen (and ranked) based on how many laughs we think they are likely to generate for the modern audience. That, in turn, means a couple of things for what might otherwise be the usual suspects on a Best Comedies list.

First, it means some great films that are also comedies may appear lower on the list than they would if we were weighing technical execution of those non-comic elements equally with humor present. In some cases, that may mean just a spot or two lower on the list. More often, it’ll mean a more precipitous drop. Second, there are some films—and some comedic actors—whose importance to the development of the genre is unquestioned even as their appeal to modern audiences has waned due to changing times and tastes. Or perhaps, as with Laurel and Hardy and the Three Stooges, the type of humor they pioneered has been adopted and developed in iterations that have the end result of bumping them down or off the list. Finally, and related to the previous point, since this list does not weigh factors such as “cultural impact” or “pioneering importance” as heavily as it could, it inevitably skews more modern. This should not be seen as a slight (intended or unintended) against any director or movie. We appreciate those pioneers, but there are plenty of lists out there giving them their due.

Ultimately, it’s all about the laughs. Every film on this list should be a dependable source of grins, chuckles and guffaws. After all, life is hard, people can suck, misfortune may indeed lurk around every corner, and we all know how it ends. Let the films on this list—and the laughter they elicit—help balance the scales.

(Note: Because so much of the impact of foreign comedies relies on language, we’ve only included English language films on this list.)

Here are the 100 best (English language) comedies of all time:

100. Clerks (1994) Director:   Kevin Smith  

Sometimes a labor of love becomes something much bigger. When Kevin Smith spent $27,575 to film a black-and-white film about a slacker working at a Quick Stop, no one could imagine how much it would resonate. Filled with philosophical discussions on relationships, purpose and the relative innocence of construction workers on the Death Star, it established Smith as a unique voice for at least a corner of the slacker generation. Smith would return to the world of Dante, Randal, Jay and Silent Bob many times (and with modestly larger budgets), but it would never feel quite as a perfect as the original. —Josh Jackson

99. Waking Ned Devine (1998) Director: Kirk Jones

Waking Ned Devine may be the most feel-good heist flick ever made. Ned is an old-timer in a small Irish village who wins the lottery and dies from the shock of it. Two of his old-timer buddies, Jackie (Ian Bannen) and Michael (Fawlty Towers’ David Kelly), decide to scam the big-city lotto agent into thinking that one of them is Ned, alive and well. What ensues is not so much a con-artist caper but more an Irish celebration of community, camaraderie and the spirit of human generosity. Other Irish themes championed: whiskey, lush landscapes, poetry, naked old dudes riding motorcycles, whiskey and the fiddle. Did we mention whiskey? —Ryan Carey

98. This Is the End (2013) Directors: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen 

Too often, Hollywood comedies aimed at a male audience skew more towards the single-digit side of the age scale. Yet there’s a pretty potent distinction between puerile and “late-juvenile” humor. The former—all fart, poop and pratfall—is the stuff that the eye rolls of girlfriends and wives is made of (not to mention a good portion of Adam Sandler and Kevin James’ careers). But the latter, done right, is an equal opportunity amuser. (Oh, eyes may still roll, but they do so while laughing.) Fueled by a mercilessly self-skewering ensemble effort from its principles (Craig Robinson, Danny McBride and Jonah Hill round out the core cast), the humor of This Is the End goes turbo as soon as the End is near, providing scene after scene that is dependably funny and frequently riotous. In comedies especially, the “actors starring as themselves” approach is so often more painful than funny, especially when a brand-conscious star betrays an ego-tinged reluctance to make fun of oneself. The stars and bit players of This Is the End show no such inhibitions. (In fact, Michael Cera seems intent on presenting the worst—though still hilarious—version of himself possible.) If anything, this willingness to mock themselves makes the characters all the more endearing, especially as the initial bro-mance between principles Jay Baruchel and Seth Rogen reasserts itself amid flames, desperation and demon cocks. As over the top as many of its scenes are, it’s hard not to credit the apocalypse itself for This Is the End’s sustained hilarity. Though plenty of the film’s scenes possess an honed improv feel much like the extemporaneous riffing of Anchorman, they are also usually more focused—in terms of plotting, there’s so little time to waste when the end is nigh. —Michael Burgin

97. Elf (2003) Director:   Jon Favreau  

In a sense, making Christmas “funny” can be as easy as responding to something meant to be sincere and joyful with cynicism and darkness. Is there any comedic Christmas character that embodies a genuine love of Christmas? Thankfully, we have Will Ferrell’s fearlessly committed performance as the titular elf to answer this question with a resounding yes. Nothing represents Christmas cheer better than Will Ferrell in yellow tights, a green parka and cone-shaped cap. He wrings a ton of comedy out of responding to everything with wide-eyed, childlike wonder. Arguably our generation’s classic Christmas movie, watching Buddy the Elf makes you laugh, makes you smile and, to paraphrase from the Grinch, makes your heart grow three sizes bigger. Even if the movie devolves into a formulaic, race-against-the-clock flick in the last 30 minutes, its myriad gifts outweigh its problems. From endlessly quotable nuggets like “cotton-headed ninnymuggins”; the hysterical fruit spray scene; Zooey Deschanel showcasing her pre-She & Him singing chops; Mr. Narhwal and the arctic puppets (a band name if I ever heard one); to, finally, Ferrell’s infectious enthusiasm, Elf is instant holiday merriment. —Greg Smith & Jeremy Medina

96. 21 Jump Street (2012) Directors: Phil Lord, Chris Miller

Against all odds, 21 Jump Street—a movie based on a Fox television series remembered mainly for helping launch the career of Johnny Depp and briefly reminding the world that Dom DeLuise had a son—is an immensely enjoyable, frequently hilarious film. The premise is unchanged. Two youthful-looking (and since this is a comedy, spectacularly incompetent) police officers are assigned to a special division that places undercover agents in schools in an attempt to stop illegal activity. For officers Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum), fresh out of the academy, this is not so much an opportunity as a richly deserved exile. Their mission, as delivered by a purposefully prototypical Angry Black Police Captain (Ice Cube): Contain the spread of a dangerous new drug that has shown up at a local high school. For Jenko, the return to high school represents a return to his glory days. For Schmidt, it’s more of a return to the scene of a crime where the body outlined in chalk looks suspiciously like his own. Unlike so many comic remakes, reboots and long-delayed sequels, 21 Jump Street doesn’t overly rely on nostalgia to generate its laughs. Hill isn’t doing anything he hasn’t done before, but that doesn’t make his deadpan-acerbic delivery any less funny, especially alongside the earnest doofus-ness of his partner. Hill and Tatum are supported by a strong ensemble of recognizable faces, including Rob Riggle, Ellie Kemper and Chris Parnell. But though “ensemble piece” usually refers to cast and crew, 21 Jump Street is even more impressive when viewed as an ensemble of comedic approaches. There are laughs to suit all tastes—from sarcastic jibes to pratfalls, from pokes at film conventions (“I really thought that was going to explode.”) to exuberant, undeniably infectious, juvenile displays. And each is conveyed in a measure appropriate to its form. As a result, there’s just not much time spent watching 21 Jump Street without at least a smile on one’s face. —Michael Burgin

95. In the Loop (2009) Director: Armando Iannucci

If clever verbal humor were easy, we’d have more comedies like In the Loop from Veep and The Thick of It creator Armando Iannucci. But it’s not, and this one stands in a class of its own. It’s the most quotable film of the 2000s—by miles—and the cynical potty mouths on screen are so articulate and creative that, after the avalanche of witticisms, you’re left with the lingering sense that you’ve seen not just a funny movie but also a wicked political satire of the highest order, the kind where the absurdity speaks for itself. —Robert Davis

94. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) Director:   Adam McKay  

Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly go together like reconciliation and getting thrown out of Applebee’s. In one of the finest films directed by Adam McKay, the duo play race-car drivers in a loving send-up of NASCAR culture. Sacha Baron Cohen is perfect as Ferrell’s European foil Jean Girard, and the film is jam-packed with both sight gags (the live cougar in the race car) and brilliant dialogue (the prayer to eight-pound-six-ounce-newborn-infant Jesus). His sons Walker and Texas Ranger, the random appearance of Elvis Costello and Mos Def in Girard’s back yard, and Amy Adams recreating the Whitesnake video in the bar all provide Hall of Fame moments from the Judd Apatow canon. —Josh Jackson

93. What’s Up, Doc (1972) Director: Peter Bogdanovich

Half the pleasure of Peter Bogdanovich’s What’s Up, Doc? is its velocity. The other half, of course, is its treasure trove of punchlines, but those punchlines aren’t merely delivered to us at rapid speed: They’re enhanced by it. A slower version of this film doesn’t work as well. The humor is predicated on overwhelming the audience with too much laughter, keeping us in fits of giggles without a chance to regain composure. The effect is additive, best exemplified in a scene where mischievous Judy (Barbra Streisand) accidentally orchestrates the combustion of Howard’s (Ryan O’Neal) hotel room. Rube Goldberg couldn’t invent a more roundabout means of setting a space on fire, much as the Coen brothers, or even Alfred Hitchcock, couldn’t come up with a “mistaken identity” plot this convoluted. What’s Up, Doc?’s habit of tying itself in knots is perhaps its greatest claim to fame, more so than its pronounced irreverence and fundamental bedlam. Comedies need not be straightforward. When occasion calls, they can be utterly labyrinthine. Bogdanovich effortlessly leads us through the maze, even as its many moving parts close in on each other and the story grows ever more madcap, culminating in a car chase that ends with everyone in court and Liam Dunn passed out on his desk. By the time the credits roll, you may be so out of breath that you’ll join him soon after. —Andy Crump

92. Girls Trip (2017) Director: Malcolm D. Lee

While it’s great to experience movies that are powerful and groundbreaking and devastating—we all love to weep at the theater or in our homes, wiping away tears as the credits roll on movies like Call Me By Your Name—but some of the best movies can be both well-written and unapologetically fun. And I’m not sure anybody had more fun this year than those of us who experienced Girls Trip. You go in likely expecting a solid, heartwarming tale about a group of friends who reconnect on a trip to New Orleans, but you leave wondering how you’d gone your whole life without experiencing this sort of black, female-centered version of The Hangover. It’s not just that Girls Trip, is so reminiscent of those raunchy, absurd (and kind of disgusting) comedies, it’s that the shocking, laugh-out-loud moments are so earned and so excellently delivered that it’s easy to forget there’s some kind of message wrapped up in it all. That’s a good thing, because it makes those final confrontations and confessions at the end of the film all the more compelling. Of course, what really made this movie one of the most beautiful and hilarious movies of the year was its cast, featuring performances from an incredible group of women with the kind of chemistry you dream of seeing on screen: Regina Hall, Tiffany Haddish, Jada Pinkett Smith and Queen Latifah all turned in phenomenal work. Haddish has been (rightfully) celebrated as the breakout star, but her comedic prowess could have been lost on a lesser script. Luckily, writers Tracy Oliver, Kenya Barris and Erica Rivinoja laid an impeccable foundation for director Malcolm D. Lee, and the result was one of the biggest blasts—among any genre—of the year. —Shannon M. Houston

91. The Jerk (1979) Director: Carl Reiner

From the first couple of lines, co-writer/star Steve Martin and director Carl Reiner establish how much they’re willing to sidestep any traditional narrative norm in favor of whatever joke pushes the limits of irreverence and extreme silliness. Here is the pale image of Steve Martin’s face, about to invite us into a melodramatic series of flashbacks concerning his character’s tragic life, and he begins the story with, “I was born a poor black child.” From there, whatever episodic shenanigans that Nevan—Martin’s ode to painfully self-unaware idiots everywhere—finds himself in, these plot points are used only as excuses to string together as many dumb jokes as possible. It’s hard to call The Jerk a parody, since it’s not necessarily lampooning a specific genre or a popular movie (Martin and Reiner left that to Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid and The Man with Two Brains), but its manic addiction to extract as many chuckles out of any random situation, pushing the boundaries of exaggeration and then pushing it some more, places its tone squarely into the Zucker, Abrams, Zucker camp, who were on their way to perfect that approach with Airplane at the time of The Jerk’s release. Just look at the scene where Nevan storms out of his house, taking random belongings out of spite. It reaches an extreme point of comedic exaggeration, and then pushes it even further, finding a spot beyond mere parody. —Oktay Ege Kozak

90. Napoleon Dynamite (2004) Director: Jared Hess

Napoleon Dynamite was never really intended to become a pop-cultural touchstone of the mid-2000s. Made for a shoestring budget of $400,000 (star Jon Heder was originally paid just $1,000 for his performance), this was just meant to be a quirky, indie awards show novelty, not a generator of countless memes and catchphrases that would persist in the high school lexicon for years to come. But as we all know, the film took on a life of its own and became a huge sleeper hit. This had the effect of making it far better known to general audiences, yes, but it simultaneously obscured a bit of the film’s brilliance in terms of its critical appraisal. Because with success and overexposure, came some level of derision. Napoleon Dynamite, its title character and its quotes were thrown around as shorthand for “dumb comedy,” but the truth of the film is a rather cutting satire of American unexceptionalism. Napoleon and the residents of his Idaho town are a uniquely pathetic lot, and Napoleon Dynamite is a comedy that dares to present an entire universe of ugly personalities, fragile egos and social ineptitude. The character of Uncle Rico alone, best captured in his endless, masturbatory, self-shot football videos, is someone who you might typically expect to appear in a tragedy rather than a comedy, so crushing is his characterization. Hell, the most popular kid in Napoleon’s school looks like a young Jake Busey, for God’s sake. The film’s unusual sense of Midwestern ennui may have been lost on some audiences, but it’s the element that makes Napoleon Dynamite more than just a Comedy Central weekend afternoon feature. —Jim Vorel

89. Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) Director: Robert Hamer

There’s nothing kind about familicide, but Robert Hamer improbably takes the subject of offing one’s family for revenge and personal gain and turns it into giddy black comedy bordering on the absurd. It helps that the victims of our spurned hero, Louis Mazzini (Dennis Price), are each played by Alec Guinness, wearing the guises of dukes, bishops, and suffragettes alike and posing in increasingly ridiculous scenarios, from boating mishaps to balloon accidents, as Louis exacts his vengeance on the family that ruined his life. His mother, you see, was the youngest daughter of the 7th Duke of Chalfont, until she married an opera singer and was promptly booted out of the clan for daring to find love from outside of her social strata; this single act of cruelty is the sole source of Louis’ misery in life, and so he finds reparation in death. You may, at first, balk at the notion of murder as comedy, but Kind Hearts and Coronets carries out its grim duties with such cheer that you surrender morality to Hamer’s comedy and guffaw at the film’s dry British wit and gallows humor. —Andy Crump

88. Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985) Director:   Tim Burton  

Tim Burton’s full-length directorial debut is also one of his best. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure brings us into the bizarro world of Pee-wee Herman, the excitable, ageless protagonist that’s hopelessly attached to his bike. After it’s stolen in broad daylight, we see Herman travel across the U.S. to reclaim his baby. And through the adventure and its ongoing discoveries (who knew the Alamo didn’t have a basement?) we’re introduced to unforgettable characters like Herman; his (sort-of) love interest, Dottie; the horrifying trucker ghost Large Marge; the snotty, rich Francis; and Herman’s dog, Speck. Herman’s wacky world is fully realized through the eye of Burton, and this one stands alone as a film that kids and adults can both get a kick out of. —Tyler Kane

87. Deadpool (2016) Director: Tim Miller

Amidst the deluge of Marvel-related movies that have flooded movie theaters in the last decade, it might be easy to overlook Deadpool’s importance as a genre milestone. Amidst those early signs of viewer interest (Blade), franchise launches (X-Men), moments of director/source material synergy (Raimi’s Spider-Man) and 18 or so MCU films, Deadpool is recognizable as a triumph of perseverance and (baby) hand-in-glove casting, as well as proof that R-rated superheroing is viable at the box office (which in turn smoothed the way for more serious takes like Logan). There’s also the fact that, fueled by the character’s signature irreverence and meta commentary, Tim Miller’s take on the Merc with a Mouth is easily the funniest comic book movie out there. This itself can be seen as a sign of the genre’s growth—just as Airplane produced a relentless stream of verbal and visual gags mined from the serious tropes of big event disaster movies, Deadpool shows how so-called “genre fatigue” can actually translate as “comedy goldmine.” While humor has always been an ingredient in the MCU and elsewhere, Deadpool lifts a leg and lets loose its own deluge of wall-to-wall humor, proving itself the franchise with the most ammo (and biggest bladder?) when it comes to laughs in the Marvel Universe. —Michael Burgin

86. Being John Malkovich (1999) Director:   Spike Jonze  

The feature film debut from director Spike Jonze and writer Charlie Kaufman is a long, absurd joke whose punchline is its final shot: the view of a man who whimpers as he’s forced to watch his loved ones forget he’s ever existed. Being John Malkovich admits, with sad clarity, that our lives are totally out of our control. In the film, we follow street puppeteer Craig (John Cusack, looking like a small, humming pile of hair) as he confronts the economic viability of his chosen occupation by getting an admin job on the 7½ floor of a building that also happens to hide a tiny door which leads, if one crawls through cobwebs and puddles, to the inside of John Malkovich’s head, wherein for 15 minutes the brain tourist can vicariously live through famous actor John Malkovich’s eyes before getting spit up into a ditch off the New Jersey Turnpike. Having had his way with marionettes for years, Craig slowly understands how to control Malkovich while inside his head, crouching in the man’s sewer of an unconscious to hide away from the requisite 15-minute limit, but not before falling in love with a coworker (Catherine Keener) who seems to be falling in love with Craig’s wife, Lotte (Cameron Diaz), but only via various liaisons through John Malkovich’s manipulable corpus. Throughout, Jonze and Kaufman only afford as much logic as is needed to movie the story from one weird scenario to another, but never letting the bleak heart of the film’s happenings overtake how goofily the plot unfolds. Visual detritus litters Jonze’s shots: A chucked can from a speeding car bounces off Malkovich’s head, the culprit recognizing Malkovich in time enough to call him out by name, though why John Malkovich poorly disguised in a ball cap and covered in ectoplasm would be on the side of the road in Jersey is anyone’s guess; a documentary features Brad Pitt briefly only to ignore him; an alternate universe Charlie Sheen embraces his receding hairline. Ideas pile atop more ideas, until the whole thing collapses in on itself, the film’s centerpiece basically John Malkovich singing his own name to another John Malkovich over and over, attempting to seduce the actor into liking himself. —Dom Sinacola

85. I Heart Huckabees (2004) Director: David O. Russell

By the very nature of how we approached this list (mentioned in that intro you might not have read), the laugh riot ensues immediately, the humor being less “acquired taste” and more “in your face.” Still, there are a few films whose second or third viewing is as likely to “set the hook” as the first, and David O. Russell’s 2004 existential screwball comedy is one of them. I Heart Huckabees features an amazing cast either at the top of their respective game (Jude Law, Naomi Watts, Dustin Hoffman, Lily Tomlin), in a game they aren’t typically thought of as playing (Isabelle Huppert), or, well, Mark Wahlberg in the best role he’s ever had. On first viewing, the jargon can overwhelm viewers less philosophically inclined, but in his efforts to find meaning in a series of coincidences, Albert Markovski (Jason Schwartzman) is engaged in the same comedy as the film’s viewers—desperately trying find order and meaning in a chaotic world. Whether you deem that particular comedy of the human condition dark, breezy, inscrutable or just “what it is,” will depend on you state of mind. I Heart Huckabees just knows it’s pretty damn funny, regardless. —Michael Burgin

84. Superbad (2007) Director: Greg Mottola

Every generation of teens has its generation of teen movies, and Greg Mottola’s Superbad is the epitome of mine. In Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera), my friends and I had a mirror for our own insecurity and awkwardness—they were our modern-day Anthony Michael Halls. In Fogell/McLovin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), we had an icon of weird who somehow ended up a winner, a sort of photonegative of Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick). And in Superbad’s constant dick jokes (care of a script by namesakes Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg), we had an accurate representation of the way we all talked, maturity be damned. The film helped create a white-adolescent-boy language made up entirely of lewd, absurd references. It’s a rom-com in many respects, but unlike its predecessors, Superbad is a romance between two buddies, a story wherein the ostensible sex drive is secondary to Platonic need. In the film’s denouement, with the two leads snuggled up close in sleeping bags, Seth literally says, “I just wanna go to the rooftops and scream, ‘I love my best friend, Evan.’” For teenage boys struggling with anxiety over the seeming hopelessness of losing their virginity, Superbad provides a welcome respite, an acknowledgement that focusing your entire life upon your dick is pointless when there’s fulfillment to be had by your side the entire time. —Zach Blumenfeld

83. National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978) Director: Jon Landis

John Belushi created an entire character archetype in his too-short career, but it’s best vehicle is quite possibly in John Landis’ party romp as the intoxicated slob, Bluto. Written by the late Harold Raimis, Animal House captures all of the excessive, mindless fun of college in a memento that never becomes any less funny or nostalgic, no matter how many times you rewatch it. —Sean Edgar

82. Dazed and Confused (1993) Director:   Richard Linklater  

Set in 1976 Texas, Dazed and Confused flows from one group of high-school and middle-school students over the course of one night—the traditional cinematic one-night-that-changes-everything.— Richard Linklater’s follow-up to Slacker shows a variety of vantage points on a number of issues, philosophical, political and otherwise. The camera lingers, offering multiple perspectives, and allowing you to take your time and consider all sides of these various excursions. Ultimately, these digressions circle back on one another, and Linklater forms them into a coherent narrative that resembles an updated American Graffiti for a new generation. As the day begins, there is a very rose-tinted-glasses style outlook on the whole scene, one that is, layer by layer, peeled away over the course of the ensuing evening. For all the seeming importance placed on things like playing football, chasing romantic partners and finding some good old-fashioned visceral experiences, there isn’t much in the way of consequences. You may get your ass kicked a little bit, but there isn’t a lot at stake. Whatever happens, you’ll be fine. This is never more apparent than as Dazed and Confused draws to a close and the film takes a dark turn towards what can only be described as adulthood. —Brent McKnight

81. The Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) Director:   Wes Anderson  

Wes Anderson’s trademark ironic eccentricity and Roald Dahl’s vaguely menacing but entirely lighthearted surrealism combine to form Fantastic Mr. Fox, Anderson’s first animated effort, which uses the same maddeningly traditional stop-motion techniques as Isle of Dogs. It’s ostensibly a children’s film (Mr. Fox and his family and friends try to outrun the mean farmers), but rather transparently aimed at their parents, who likely read Dahl’s books in grade school, remember stop-motion when it didn’t feel vintage, and have followed Anderson’s work for years. But Fantastic Mr. Fox is broader and more straightforward than any of Anderson’s other films. The tale has been greatly expanded from the Dahl original to cover familiar Anderson themes of family, rivalry, and feeling different. And with its lush autumnal palette and hijinks worthy of Max Fischer or Dignan, the result is a film that only Wes Anderson could have made. —Alissa Wilkinson

80. A Shot in the Dark Director: Blake Edwards

Amazing to think that when the first film in the Pink Panther series was made, it was intended as a vehicle for its top-billed star David Niven. Wisely, director Blake Edwards realized the true star of the show was the bumbling French policeman Inspector Clouseau, as embodied by the brilliant Peter Sellers. So, they rushed another film into production (it was released in the States a mere three months after The Pink Panther) and comedy greatness was born. Ever the sport, Sellers quite literally threw himself into the part, crashing and stumbling through his investigation of murder and mangling the English language each step of the way. Try as they might to recapture the fire of this first sequel, nothing quite matched the freewheeling spirit of A Shot in the Dark. —Robert Ham

79. Step Brothers (2008) Director:   Adam McKay  

If we’re judging in terms of pure quotability, the only comedy film of the last 20 years to even exist in the same solar system as Step Brothers is Anchorman. What does this say of us as viewers? That we’re all still schoolyard kids who chuckle at fart jokes, perhaps, but that doesn’t make the fart jokes any less funny. Step Brothers is perhaps the finest distillation of the post-2000s man-child comedy subset, taken to the illogical extreme. Its two central characters are each in their 40s, and equally incapable of taking the barest shred of responsibility for their lives outside of the protective cocoon of home. Brennan (Will Ferrell) doesn’t understand where a person might go in order to obtain toilet paper when they run out. Dale (John C. Reilly) erroneously believes he can inherit his father’s “family business” of being a medical doctor. The characters are so exaggeratedly helpless that the film somehow manages to achieve hilarious punchlines toward the end simply by showing them forced to adapt to the mundanity of normal life—what other film could turn “taking baby Aspirin to reduce my risk for heart attack” into a genuinely laugh-out-loud moment? But more than anything, Step Brothers is what happens when you simply let two of the finest comic actors of a generation play off each other and improvise to their heart’s content, with a rare form of chemistry that would be impossible to fake. The brilliant supporting work from the likes of Richard Jenkins and Adam Scott are simply bonuses. —Jim Vorel

78. Coming to America (1988) Director: John Landis

If this movie consisted of the barbershop scenes inside of My-T-Sharp and nothing else, it would still be one of the greatest comedies of all time. Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall teamed up with director John Landis (Blues Brothers) and created a classic. As Prince Akeem from the fictional African country of Zamunda, Murphy travels to the great United States of America to evade his arranged marriage and find true love (in Queens, obviously). Akeem encounters all of the wonders of black America, but the satirical twist is genius—the black preacher (via Hall as the incomparable Reverend Brown), the club scene, the barbershop, hip-hop culture, and Soul Glo—it’s all here. Cameos from actors like Cuba Gooding Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Louie Anderson, and Murphy’s Trading Places co-stars Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy take the Coming to America experience to a whole new level. An excellent comedy and a great tribute to New York City, this story of a prince just looking to be loved is a must-see for everyone—including those of us who’ve already seen it. —Shannon Houston

77. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) Director: John Hughes

Anyone who’s ever endured holiday traffic on their way home for Thanksgiving can relate to this John Hughes tale—although hopefully you’ve never had to endure the sheer number of transportation mishaps (not to mention some accidental spooning) Neal Page and Del Griffith go through. Planes, Trains and Automobiles pits a petulant Steve Martin (Neal) against the usually mirthful John Candy (Del) as they travel home for the holidays. Weather and time are stacked up against them, so they end up traveling together with some disastrous results. Of course, nothing goes according to plan as Thanksgiving gets closer and closer. —Bonnie Stiernberg and Pete Mercer

76. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) Director: Jake Kasdan

Although Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story claims to be a spoof of biopics and their extreme depictions of artists—especially musicians—biopics’ exaggerations are a reflection of the frailties and eccentricities of the artists which they profile, so it’s hard to distinguish a satire about biopics from a satire about musicians. Regardless of what category the film falls into, Walk Hard does not really tow the fine line of being clever so much as it provides a fun and absurd romp with heaps of laughs. John C. Reilly, who plays rising and troubled music star Dewey Cox, skillfully presents a dopey-yet-conniving and shallow-but-sincere character with a heart of fool’s gold. Looking something like Johnny Cash crossed with Tom Waits, Cox has multiple addictions, wives and musical phases. Aspiring to a level beyond greatness after he accidentally kills his brother by splitting him in half with a machete when they are young boys growing up in Alabama, Cox is compelled to compensate for the loss of his brother, leading to a life of excess and indulgence. But Reilly isn’t the only star of the film. Kristen Wiig shines as Cox’s frustrated wife and the mother of their seemingly infinite amount of children; as Cox’s other frustrated wife and duet partner, Jenna Fischer is superb. Tim Meadows is hysterical with a stand out performance as Cox’s bandmate who can’t seem to stop doing or introducing Cox to increasingly heavy drugs. Additionally, cameos from Jack White (Elvis Presley), Jack Black (Paul McCartney), Paul Rudd (John Lennon), Jason Schwartzman (Ringo Starr), Justin Long (George Harrison), Eddie Vedder, Jackson Browne and Lyle Lovett make the film even more ridiculous. Like most films of its ilk, Walk Hard may go too over-the-top to prove itself, but there is something charming about it, underscored by its genuine love of music and affinity for musicians. It is also obvious from one of the first lines in the film (“Guys, I need Cox!”) that this project neither takes itself too seriously nor asks the same of its viewers. —Pamela Chelin

[tuthillscopes-blog]

Didn't see all the Oscar movies? Here's your party cheat sheet

check it out @ https://tuthillscopes.com/didnt-see-all-the-oscar-movies-heres-your-party-cheat-sheet/

Didn't see all the Oscar movies? Here's your party cheat sheet

1000’s of years from now, humans will break forth using their gold shells and shower generations to come with hot takes about &#39La La Land.&#39

Image: MIKE NELSON/Environmental protection agency/REX/Shutterstock

We obtain it: There’s an excessive amount of content.

You are binging 17 shows and way behind on podcasts and also, since when have there been a lot of Best Picture nominees so when was the final time you read a magazine? We in media biz are here to assist, beginning together with your 2017 Oscar cheat sheet.

Whether you have often seen all of them or simply *could not* reach it, here’s the lowdown about this year’s Best Picture nominees, together with things to say at the Oscar party which means you seem smart and informed.

SEE ALSO: The Oscars movies get ‘Honest Trailer’ treatment

Moonlight

The poster for Craig Jenkins’ ‘Moonlight’

Image: A24

TL DR: Moonlight is that this year’s “_____ was conned.” Craig Jenkins’ poignant and poetic consider the existence and identity of the youthful queer man, Chiron (performed at different ages by Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes) is breathtakingly beautiful and heartbreaking within the same swoop.

Party take: Moonlight was conned!

Lion

The implausible true story of Saroo Brierley (a really grown-up Dev Patel) starts with him stranded on the train like a 5-year-old and that’s when Sunny Pawar will steal your heart. There are seen the film, search Pawar on the internet, and when that does not have you ever grabbing your coat and ditching work early to trap the following showing, you had been always a hopeless situation. Brierley is adopted by an Australian family, matures, will get hot and uses Google Earth to find his birth mother.

Party take:

Image: usa today

Hidden Figures

This is actually the film that needs to be mandatory for film buffs and in science and history classrooms round the nation. Figures informs the storyline of black women performing crucial calculations for NASA within the 1960s and, you realize, casually saving lives and paving the way forward for the area program.

Party take: History is much like, so problematic (after which watch the conversation change to politics).

Image: johnny tarajosu/thanks to fox

Arrival

Can Be, the new Leo DiCaprio, might not be up for any Best Actress statue this season, but she carries this film in regards to a linguist who helps human talk to an alien race that arrives at Earth. Thinking about the multitudes of alien films in Hollywood history, Arrival is brilliantly fresh in not presenting us to bipedal aliens who speak perfect British (sorry not sorry, Mr. Thor).

Party take: A wan smile for Amy and discover to diagram a sentence to thrill your buddies.

Fences

Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, both nominated for acting awards, give jaw-shedding performances as Troy and Rose Maxsen inside a gripping adaptation of August Wilson’s 1983 play, in roles they both also performed (and won Tonys for) on Broadway this year.

Party take: “Denzel is winning Best Actor within an upset, I’m able to just feel it.” (Pssst, it will not be much of the upset, but everybody at the party most likely thinks Casey Affleck will win, so you’ll seem smart.)

Hacksaw Ridge

Amazing Andrew Garfield or otherwise, Hacksaw will be the film that got Mel Gibson nominated for multiple awards in 2017. The The Second World War drama is dependant on a documentary about Desmond Doss (Garfield), a pacifist embroiled within the Fight of Okinawa.

Party take: Use words like “gritty” and rave about Garfield, turning it to works you have often seen as evidence that his accolades are very well-deserved. Avoid speaking about Gibson (or watch the conversation change to politics again).

Manchester through the Ocean

Colonial in the winter months is an extremely appropriate spot to be sad.

Image: amazon . com

2016 was a significant year for dying, which made Kenneth Lonergan’s devastating study of grief even more resonant. As with real existence, you will find moments of surprising levity among losing, and relationships that strengthen as others suffer.

Party take: Quote the above mentioned sentence after sentence and you will expertly dodge any reference to Casey Affleck, if perhaps as it were.

Hell or High Water

In another year, this Western heist movie about two siblings who take advantage of banks could’ve try to escape in the box office and with lots of awards. Shaun Bridges, Chris Pine and Ben Promote create a compelling crew and there is a revenge storyline to help keep you hooked.

Party take: Honestly, it most likely will not show up.

La La Land

Hey, have you ever heard of the movie about two beautiful individuals who fall madly in love while chasing their dreams within the Town of Stars? The classic mixture of song, dance and sultry landscape is Hollywood catnip along with a pile of golden statues are basically within the bag.

Party take: We are regarding this but additionally omg take a look at Ryan’s suit Emma is gorgeous Stonefield for existence THAT ENDING THO.

BONUS: CineFix predicts Oscar winners

Find out more: http://mashable.com/2017/02/24/oscars-cheat-sheet/

#arrivals #fences #hacksaw-ridge #hell-or-high-water #hidden-figures #la-la-land #lionsgate #lists #manchester-by-the-sea #Moonlight

[placetobenation]

It’s time to turn the page for the WWE.

FINAL #SurvivorSeries SCORE:#WWERaw: 1️⃣#WWENXT: 4️⃣#SmackDown: 2️⃣#WWENXT has officially TAKEN OVER #SurvivorSeries! pic.twitter.com/xJk259DDS9

— WWE (@WWE) November 25, 2019

After a very successful Survivor Series weekend for NXT, between NXT: WarGames and NXT’s win at SS, it’s time for both RAW and Smackdown to pick up the pieces. And with that, we get some brand new storylines, new faces and some old faces returning. All which should make for an interesting final PPV of the year & decade with TLC coming up in December.

A heel-ish Seth Rollins should be good for business on RAW, especially if he brings the Authors of Pain into his fold to start a new faction. Sheamus returning to Smackdown, along with more of Daniel Bryan vs. The Fiend, is intriguing. Will he partner up again with Cesaro or go it alone? Meanwhile on NXT, Finn Balor seemingly made his choice NOT to follow Adam Cole and The Undisputed Era. What comes next should define the next few months at Full Sail.

N-X-T spells VICTORY.@RheaRipley_WWE @shirai_io & @CandiceLeRae SURVIVE for #TeamNXT! #WeAreNXT #SurvivorSeries pic.twitter.com/QDkUTy98T2

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) November 25, 2019

Star of the Week – Rhea Ripley

Hands down, she owned the week leading up to Survivor Series and cemented this week’s award by playing the underdog and leading herself and Candice LeRae to a 2 vs. 4 win over Shayna Baszler’s team at WarGames. Then, just for fun, Ripley survived the Survivor Series in an NXT win over RAW and Smackdown in the women’s elimination match, taking out Sasha Banks for the victory. Size, smarts and the “look” will certainly elevate Ripley who looks the part on any stage she’s been put in these days. Well done!

RAW

RESULTS

Lashley defeated Titus O’Neil (DQ when Rusev interferes)

The AOP defeated Ryder & Hawkins

Andrade defeated Akira Tozawa

Buddy Murphy defeated Matt Hardy

United States Title #1 Contender’s Match: Rey Mysterio defeated Ricochet, Randy Orton, & Drew McIntyre

United States Title Match: Rey Mysterio defeated Champion AJ Styles

Asuka defeated Charlotte

Erick Rowan defeated Bartholomew Kickpads

Kevin Owens defeated Seth Rollins (DQ when AOP interferes)

What we loved:

The town hall meeting – What better way to make Seth Rollins the bad guy than to have the entire (well, not the ENTIRE – we’ll get to that below in what we hated), RAW roster walk out on him as he takes them to task for losing Survivor Series. Lest we forget Seth, Keith Lee took you out. Remember what they say about people who throw stones, right Kevin Owens!

Not a word, as it turns out…#StunOwensStun #RAW @FightOwensFight pic.twitter.com/EIZjeZc5gq

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) November 26, 2019

AOP – Closing the show with a cliffhanger as to whether the Authors of Pain will join Seth Rollins was a good choice. The AOP took out Kevin Owens but did nothing to Rollins leaving us to believe there’s a deal there to be made. Yet, will they follow through or be their own men without Seth? Stay tuned!

Asuka vs. Charlotte – Always a classic of top notch, elite athleticism. Plus, how could we NOT love Charlotte getting the green mist? The expression alone is worth the price of admission.

VIVA LA RAZA! An emotional @reymysterio celebrated with his son Dominik after capturing the #USChampionship from @AJStylesOrg on #Raw. pic.twitter.com/gHAMeX2WXU

— WWE (@WWE) November 27, 2019

Viva La Raza – Rey Mysterio Jr. is a WWE Champion again. This time, defeating AJ Styles for the United States Championship. Surprising. Deserved. And who knows, maybe a springboard to the final chapter and bringing son Dominik along into the spotlight after the Brock Lesnar beatdown?

What we hated –

The town hall WITHOUT Becky Lynch – Where was Seth Rollins’ girlfriend to point the finger at? Becky lost too at SS. Shouldn’t she have been there too? She certainly wouldn’t have taken the venom Seth was spewing without interjecting The Man’s point of view, right? Or would she? Maybe she knew what Seth was going to do and wanted no part? I hope there’s a story there with that one. Something to keep your eye on, I think.

Matt Hardy’s return – While we loved seeing Matt Hardy return to Monday Night RAW, there could’ve been more done to further his character. Is another deletion on the horizon? Having him lose to Buddy Murphy is fine, but having him lose with nothing to it makes for a lost opportunity.

NXT

RESULTS

NXT Tag Team Title Match: Champions Undisputed Era defeated Keith Lee & Dominik DIjakovic (Roderick Strong subs in for injured Bobby Fish)

Mansoor defeated Shane Thorne

Candice LeRae defeated Dakota Kai (DQ when Dakota Kai uses knee brace)

NXT Cruiserweight Title Match: Champion Lio Rush defeated Akira Tozawa

Xia Li defeated Vanessa Borne

Finn Balor defeated Tommaso Ciampa

What we loved:

Sit front row. Get your system SHOCKED.@RealKeithLee @AdamColePro #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/qrYKfJLwMl

— WWE (@WWE) November 28, 2019

Holy Keith Lee – Mr. Lee continues to impress week in and week out. And now, talk about your moves to talk about. Lee sent Adam Cole flying right out of Full Sail, into the crowd and Bobby Fish right out of the tag team match with one humungous body block.  

Balor vs. Ciampa – I was a little disappointed we got this one so soon without buildup and anticipation, but the match itself delivered. Give these guys a good 30-40 minutes though and they’ll really impress.

The Prince stands alone.@FinnBalor #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/iw291A7bmd

— WWE (@WWE) November 28, 2019

Balor vs. Cole vs. Ciampa – Way to swerve, Bay Bay! Just when Adam Cole thought he was bringing Finn Balor into The Undisputed Era, Balor pele kicked him straight out of the Balor Club. So, now we have Balor vs. Cole vs. Ciampa in so many shapes and forms to come over the next few months. The possibilities are endless with these three!

A live music video, anyone? – The open with a live performance by Josiah Williams, cut to highlights from WarGames and Survivor Series while the whole NXT roster celebrated was well done. Nice reaction from the crowd, who later disappointed, made it special as well. A moment indeed!

What we hated:

Full Sail – I’ve said once and I’ll say it again. NXT has outgrown Full Sail as a week in, week out venue. Sometimes, in such a small venue, the dramatic twists and turns lose some of the crowd appeal. I thought there was a bit of a disappointing reaction, short and sweet and understated, to Balor’s kick to Cole in the main event. If NXT’s going to be the hot brand that is on par with RAW and Smackdown, it has to be put in front or larger crowds on a more regular basis. They deserve as m

SMACKDOWN

RESULTS

Roman Reigns defeated Robert Roode

Mustafa Ali defeated Drew Gulak

Nikki Cross defeated Sonya Deville

Open Challenge: Smackdown Tag Team Champions The New Day defeated Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro

What we loved:

WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED?!? #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/fM1NvHCq8F

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) November 30, 2019

The Fiend vs. Daniel Bryan, part 2? – Multiple Firefly Fun House episodes on one Smackdown is a treat, a Thanksgiving Day after treat. Great stuff, right Huskus! Love the homage to all of Wyatt’s characters. Well done. Let him in Daniel! The YES movement is back and possibly with a new look after The Fiend was left with a handful of hair from Bryan’s own body!

Welcome back Sheamus – I guess The Fiend isn’t the only Smackdown superstar to get the red-light treatment! “Smackdown will be mine” says Sheamus. But who will he go after? Sounds like everyone. Let’s hope he delivers. Sorry Elias, Sheamus was cooler!

Welcome back Alexa – Awesome to see Miss Bliss return to the ring to save her bestie, Nikki Cross against Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose. Here’s hoping Alexa stays healthy for a bit.

What we hated:

"There are some lines you just don't cross when it comes to @WWERomanReigns." – @WWEGraves #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/E1YhhaRG8i

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) November 30, 2019

Reigns vs. Corbin continues – Not really feeling it. While Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode against Roman Reigns has some fun qualities to it, Baron Corbin’s feud with the Big Dog is lacking a certain something. Maybe some physicality will be added at TLC to light a spark or maybe to end the rivalry once and for all.

Lacey Evans back and forth continues – Heel. Face. Heel. Face. Can the WWE please decide what they want us to do with Lacey Evans. Love her. Hate her. I just don’t get it. Now, after all those failed attempts against Becky Lynch on RAW, Evans somehow now gets a chance at Bayley and the Smackdown Women’s Title. Sure, she got a 10-second chant from the crowd, but they’re fickle.

Always Fun:

The New Day – Whether it be an Open Challenge or just Big E and Kofi Kingston on the mic, they always deliver an entertaining segment or two each week.

Parting Thought:

Stay strong Mauro Ranallo! We hope we see you soon back where you belong, calling NXT!

Thanks for letting us share our thoughts! Shoot me an email at [email protected]. We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions! You can also check out my blog, The Crowe’s Nest as we delve into more pro wrestling, sports entertainment and the World of Sports. My apologies ahead of time – I AM a Patriots and Red Sox fan! If you’re not down with that, I’ve got TWO WORDS for you… NEW ENGLAND!

#IFTTT #Place to Be Nation