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matan4il · 5 months

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Daily update post:

The fighting in Gaza continues, and the daily lists of soldiers killed are back. We knew they would be. Listening to their families, mourning their precious loved ones, lost forever, is a pain that's only transcended by the pain of listening to the families of those slaughtered on Oct 7. Every once in a while, I think of my darling friend and colleague, Berthe Badihi. She's a Holocaust survivor, and she gives her testimony to our visitors from time to time. Her grandson, Gil, was killed as a soldier in 2002. That's always the part of her testimony that's hardest to sit through, when she talks about how the pain wasn't over even after the Holocaust was, and she kept losing family. But then Berthe speaks about remembering the difference between how Jews died during the Holocaust, with no human dignity, and how her grandson did, and that this is a source of comfort. That he died a free man, with his dignity intact, protecting his family, his people and his country. On Oct 7, Jews were once again slaughtered in ways meant to rob us of our dignity. And that's why we're gonna keep fighting until Hamas is eliminated, no matter how much the death of our soldiers pains us.

The rocket fire into Israel continues, several people were injured today as well, and a school was hit, though thankfully it was empty at the time, so no one was hurt.

Today we salute Gal Gadot. It's been clear that for simply being an Israeli, who's willing to speak for her people, and despite expressing her wishes for the well being of people on both sides of the conflict, there's been (for years!) a campaign meant to demonize her. It's precisely because she's such a big star, that she has so much to lose. Yet, she spoke out loudly against the world's silence when it comes to the atrocities of Oct 7.

Israelis are aware of the rise in antisemitism on college campuses abroad, especially in the US, and we're following as more and more hateful and even violent incidents take place there, and as the congress will be hearing the heads of universities tomorrow. The truth remains that for years, these universities have been taking Qatari money, the government that has taken Hamas under its wing. IDK that there are any donations that these universities stand to lose, which can compete with Qatar's money, but losing their reputation, being called out on the way they've become hotbeds of antisemitism, of hatred, bigotry and violence, might force them to make a change. One can hope, right?

Speaking of money and terrorism, a new study suggests that Hamas made money off of the Oct 7 massacre (or people affiliated with it), by basically trying to bet on an Israeli economic collapse following the massive terror attack Hamas planned. I hope this crime, of making money out of advance knowledge about the imminent slaughter of innocent civilians, can be somehow prosecuted by law.

Speaking of prosecuted by law, Israel is holding a discussion today on how to put the Hamas terrorists who participated in the massacre, and were caught alive. It's not likely they'll go through a normal criminal court. Most people here assume we'll see something mroe akin to the special court which put Adolf Eichmann on trial in 1961.

This is 63 years old Clara Marman.

She was in Hamas captivity for 7.5 weeks. She's been freed during the hostage deal. She has not given any interviews, but I got to hear her daughter, who confirmed something that many speculated on. The daughter, Ma'ayan said explicitly, that the reason why her mother doesn't want to answer questions about how well she was treated by Hamas, is because she's still scared for her brother and partner, who are still held hostage in Gaza.

This is 39 years old Asaf Hamami, with his wife and their 3 kids.

Asaf was a colonel. On Oct 7, he ran straight into battle, and together with his soldiers, they saved kibbutz Nirim from a massacre and butchery, the likes of which we saw at the other kibbutzim. Asaf was considered missing, until the other day, the IDF confirmed that he was killed during that battle with Hamas, and his body was kidnapped to Gaza. The IDF was able to retrieve... enough of Asaf's body to allow for his funeral to be held, but the family understandably wants what Hamas is holding to be saved, and brought back to Israel. I'm going to emphasize again that he was a colonel. In Israel, some of the highest ranking officers still fight themselves. They don't send others to kill and die for them, they put their lives on the line to protect the civilian population. All of it. Jews, Christians, Muslims, Druze, Bedouins, everyone. While Hamas hides in their terror tunnels, leaving the civilians to be their human shields.

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

#israel #antisemitism #israeli #israel news #israel under attack #israel under fire #israelunderattack #terrorism #anti terrorism #hamas #antisemitic #antisemites #jews #jew #judaism #jumblr #frumblr #jewish

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theheirofthesharingan · 2 months

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Okay, sorry if this was asked before but I'm curious and I'd really like to learn more. You've mentioned in a couple of posts now that Itachi wasn't retconned. Could you please elaborate further?

Hey! No, this wasn't asked before. I was thinking of making a separate post for this, but procrastination is evil. So, I am one of the 'Itachi was meant to be a good guy/was not evil/had more to him than he let on' people. Watching the anime, it was the feeling that there was more to him. His reveal was along the lines of devastation and shocking for me than surprise. Detailed post is below the cut.

First thing first.

This was Itachi's first look that Kishimoto had planned.

Itachi was originally conceived as the leader of Konoha's Special Assassination and Tactical Squad called the "Anbu", dubbed the Itachi Squad (イタチ隊, Itachi-tai), which would have been a 70-man group divided into four teams, specializing in assassination and other illicit operations. However, this idea was scrapped in favour of the current Itachi working for the Akatsuki.

The above paragraph is from Itachi's wikipedia that cites a couple of interviews as sources. People can't be too blind in their delusion to think the author who wrote the story had no idea what he was writing.

Next is the Naruto Databook that has some fishy things if we look closely. In the first glance it's not very obvious, but after learning the truth it seems very much obvious.

It says, "the ones who know the reason of its downfall are very small". Go back to Obito's words about only four people being aware of the reason of the clan's downfall.

Additionally, Itachi carried out 134 B-Rank missions. Zero A Rank. And one S-Rank. The S rank mission being the Uchiha massacre. It's very fishy that he was given one s rank mission without any A tank mission. Suspicious? We know later on why.

It's also interesting because the first databook was published in 2002 and Itachi first appeared in 2003. If his twist wasn't planned from the beginning this databook is very telling.

Since I mentioned how he looked, here's him in Sasuke's flashbacks for the first time.

He looks far from evil or sadistic. You want to know who enjoys killing for fun? Hidan. Itachi, on the other hand, on the day of the massacre itself, looks miserable and lost.

In chapter 7, he in a haze-like manner he talks about crying. In many English translations it's translated as 'he made me cry' and in many it's this. It's very, very vague, but his statement is complimented by Sakura's question, to which he still responds in the similar way 'My..' Maybe he was trying to say 'My brother', but he instead finishes his speech with 'my goal is to take revenge' etc., Since it's still very early so it might not be the strongest evidence, but a few chapters later in chapter 27, during their fight against Haku, when Sasuke awakens his Sharingan, he has two tomoe in his right eye.

Yes, he might have awakened it this way, but it also suggests that maybe already had his Sharingan and that's why this is 'asymmetrical' awakening? In the later chapters we find out he actually did have his Sharingan he awakened after the massacre.

This flashbacks in chapter 127 most firmly establishes Itachi's twist. The tilted head-protector. Sasuke remembers it vaguely, but he has no recollection of Itachi crying that night, because his mind is still hazy from the "truth" Itachi wanted him to believe. We know later on the significance of this scene.

There are three moments before Itachi was even introduced that give away what we see right after his truth reveal and connect to the chapter 403.

The 'Itachi was retconned' camp also uses 'Itachi was meant to be older (than 13) but Kishi made him younger later on' as an excuse to justify their retcon bullshit.

Kakashi, in chapter 142, states Itachi was 13 when he was made the Anbu captain.

Itachi graduated when he was just seven. Sasuke is the same age as Itachi was when he graduated from the Academy. Itachi is 17 at the time of his first appearance and Sasuke is 12. It is enough to tell lies were spread about Itachi. We, obviously, learn later on why.

Some more obvious hints were his interaction with Asuma, Kurenai, and Kakashi.

The criminal infamous for annihilating one of the strongest clans refuses to indulge in fight?

He also asks Kisame to keep things low key and not get too much attention. That's an excuse. He's not here to wage war. Yes, later on he does ask Kisame to go ahead. But that's because he's a spy. He cannot let Danzo know he dropped his guard. One single mistake from his side that could unearth the truth of the massacre and Danzo would lay hands on Sasuke. Plus, while he's strong, his opponents aren't just fragile saplings who couldn't stand any blow he or Kisame cast. He knew reinforcements would be on the way.

Kakashi also wonders why Itachi didn't just kill him. Again, yes, the torture was brutal, but they're ninja who are meant to do and endure cruel things. Itachi had to look like he was a menacing criminal reputed to have killed the Uchiha singlehandedly.

So, he completely avoids fighting Asuma and Kuernai, takes on only Kakashi because he's strong and can take it, also has Sharingan. But he completely refuses to go against Jiraiya. Jiraiya may or may not be stronger than him. Maybe they were equal. However, recalling Obito's words again: Itachi devoted himself to fighting Sasuke to death.

Two conclusions come from this:

He didn't want to fight Jiraiya because it would result in a massive bloodbath and killing a leaf Shinobi is out of question for him. He's not a coward. He just doesn't want to fight him.

As we know from later on, he wanted to fight and die at Sasuke's hands only. Killing a Konoha Shinobi or dying at the hands of someone that isn't Sasuke isn't a part of his plan.

This can also be tracked further when Kisame captures the Four Tails.

Kisame most likely knew about Itachi's illness, knew Itachi wanted to die at Sasuke's hands. The reason Itachi didn't fight Jiraiya and Rōshi was most likely the same.

Kisame comments on Itachi's 'lingering affection' towards the village. The Akatsuki pairings' dynamics are quite opposite. Deidara and Sasori love art but have differing opinions on eternal vs explosive. Hidan and Kakuzu represent religion vs materialism (money). And Itachi and Kisame represent treachery vs loyalty. Itachi isn't loyal to Akatsuki, Kisame is.

They also wonder why is Itachi taking the matter of kidnapping Naruto so lightly. He could have done it very easily. We know now that that wasn't his intent and his objective to visit the village was something else.

As popular as 'Itachi knocked on the door before kidnapping Naruto' meme is, the truth is, he wasn't there to kidnap him at all. Replace Itachi with Kisame alone for a moment. Knock on the door? No, sir. Naruto would be half-dead. Or replace him with Hidan and Kakuzu. They're sadistic bastards and would have damaged Naruto in the worst possible way.

Furthermore, when you think of it, he revealed 'Akatsuki are after jinchuriki' years prior to the Akatsuki even began collecting the tailed beasts. It was a message he left because it was important. His job in the Akatsuki wasn't to "pass on the info to the village." It was to keep tabs on them so they don't attack Konoha.

After the massacre, Sasuke's unwavering faith in Itachi despite being put in Tsukuyomi. At first it doesn't seem too much, but we later discover that Itachi used to be a kind and gentle boy. So this bit isn't just Sasuke is blind, but also that Itachi was a kind child before the tragedy happened.

Sasuke's flashbacks in chapter 220 also hint towards Itachi being trapped in the politics of the village/clan. Fugaku is speaking to his own son but the discussion is so intense that he has to activate his Sharingan to convey the message to Itachi.

These are the flashbacks from the chapter #221 that further shed light on Itachi being a spy.

He's the "pipeline between the clan and the village" - a spy. Later Obito says Itachi was callously used for his devotion towards the village, this is an example of his clan doing this to him.

This is Itachi right after being accused of Shisui's murder. He looks in grief, while also processing the news. Once the narrative delves deep into Itachi's story (through Sasuke's eyes) in VOTE1, he continues to look miserable, lost, in pain, and in dire need of help. And once we begin to see more of him before his death, he is quite human. But again, Kishimoto had his whole story figured out by that time, knew what he was to do with Itachi's arc and Sasuke's future there.

_______________

Kishimoto isn't a terrible writer because some people choose to ignore what's written right there or cannot accept happened. Usually the deniers of this are those who question his morality. His morality is never the subject of the debate because Itachi isn't exonerated for his crimes. He's a part of a world that's cruel and violent and his actions align with it very much. The ones who "praise" him have their own bias, and that gives him nothing in return. Characters in fiction always, I mean, always respond to the information based on their morality. When Hashirama praises Itachi, it's because he grew up in the warring era and lost all his family. He learns there's this kid who chose a path with the least damage but at the cost of his life, he's a good Shinobi. Hiruzen also has his bias as well as his guilt. Naruto's praise for Itachi is not only because of stopping a war, but also for loving Sasuke. No one other than Sasuke sees him as a person whether anyone likes him or hates him. He's praised by other Shinobi for doing things that are expected from a Shinobi.

Either way, at the end of the day, Itachi himself doesn't see himself who is worth forgiving, worth loving, worth being remembered. That's his whole arc.

Some things above in the post I took from this thread. Some information I ommited from it, so feel free to go through it, please.

#itachi #itachi uchiha #uchiha itachi #akatsuki #kisame #ask #anon #this was a very important ask

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thislovintime · 4 months

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Photo 1 from the Reelin’ In The Years Photo Archive, photographer unnamed; photo 3 by Ken McKay/Shutterstock.

Remembering Michael and Davy on their birthdays.

“The man was unique and a huge, huge talent. We’re not going to replace him. […] [Davy] was such a little heartthrob. I don’t think people knew how bright and talented and gifted he was in all things. I’ve come to believe he was, in his own way, the smartest, most musically talented and best actor among us.” - Peter Tork, Boston Globe, May 16, 2013

“Mike and I have been back and forth with the emails […] I bore him no ill-will. I have a lot of respect and admiration and some affection for Mike. And I’m glad to be back in touch with him.” - Peter Tork, interview with Iain Lee, 2012

Q: “I’m curious about the various reunions that happened over the years. Is it safe to say that you guys were never really friends?” Peter Tork: “Oh, I don’t know. I would say I was pretty good friends with Micky, and there was a lot of love between me and Davy. I have a lot of respect for Mike Nesmith and we’ve structured ways to work together. Things rotate. It’s like having a basketball team. You know, gosh, it’s like having a championship basketball team. They go on the road every so often and do tours, you know, just exhibition tours but fortunately your music skills don’t deteriorate as fast as your basketball skills do, but I wouldn’t know what else to compare it to. We had a chance to go out together and we took it, and we had a great time, and if we were not friends at all we would not have been able to do it. We played tours months and months long: ‘86, ‘87, ‘89, ‘91, ‘92, ‘96, ‘97, 2001, 2002 and 2011, so we couldn’t have been such enemies.” - Phawker, circa 2012; re-published 2019

“[Micky] and Mike and I have a very cordial relationship and share a lot of common topics. We go to lunch together when we’re all in town and have a good time. I love and respect each of these guys in their own way, although the real joys that I shared with Davy were special. At one point we had some good hard connections but as the years rolled on, those things faded away. But I am sorry to see Davy go. He was the one member in the group that I had the strongest human connection with. I still have two guys that I love and respect left from the band, but we share a different dynamic.” - Peter Tork, Review Mag, May 27, 2016

“Well, I’ve never been really close with Michael [Nesmith] for some reason. You know, I have a lot of respect for him and admiration. But somehow we’ve never integrated. We’ve never been warm with each other. We worked together and did pretty well at it really. But Micky on the other hand, I enjoy hugely. We have some very good times together. We laugh a lot. We pay attention to what each other is doing on stage and so there’s communication there. Micky’s always been a lot of fun. Who I miss is Davy of course. Davy is the guy who…I’ve always said I loved, liked and respected [the band members] in different proportions but Davy actually kinda got my heart.” - Peter Tork, Clevescene, March 13, 2017

#Michael Nesmith #Davy Jones #Peter Tork #Tork quotes #The Monkees #Monkees #Peter and Michael #Peter and Davy #Head (1968)#long read #Micky Dolenz #Peter and Micky #Capricorn and Jones birthday remembrance #Happy Capricorn and Jones Day #can you queue it

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blackmoonlightexpress · 9 months

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TTEOTM Creative Team: What else did they work on?

For those who are a bit underwhelmed by the summer drama options or still dreaming about TTEOTM! 😎

Kuk Kok Leung (Lead Director)

Kuk Kok Leung is a veteran director who started his career in Hong Kong's TVB. He's been nominated for the prestigious Magnolia Award and is known for wuxia and serious, warm-blooded historical dramas (he's adapted 7 out of 8 Jinyong novels). His works include...

Legend of the Condor Heroes (1983) as Assistant Director, with Felix Wong and Barbara Yung

The Duke of Mount Deer (1984), with Tony Leung & Andy Lau

Return of the Condor Heros (1983) with Andy Lau & Idy Chan

Legend of the Condor Heroes (2002) with Li Yapeng & Zhou Xun

Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (2003), with Hu Jun, Jimmy Lin, and Liu Yifei

Water Margin (2011), nominated for Magnolia Award

Cool Sword (2013), with Julian Cheung & Wallace Chung

The Patriot Fei Yue (2013), with Huang Xiaoming & Ruby Lin

The Stand-In (2014), with Wallace Chung

The General and I (2016), with Wallace Chung and Angelababy

He's also a frequent collaborator and producer on Johnny To films, including Election, Election 2, Mad Detective.

So you get the picture. He makes TV for men who are ready to bleed for their country. This all makes him a really interesting choice for TTEOTM (and tells you a bit about the ambition and creative vision of the producers), especially since all his more recent idol dramas were widely panned.

Wang Haiqi, Director & Action Director

We don't know too much about Wang Haiqi because TTEOTM is actually his directorial debut. He started his career in stunts and has worked as the action coordinator on Ashes of Love (2018) and Immortality (unreleased) alongside Luo Yunxi. He was also a stunts man/double in a bunch of Hollywood films, including Mulan (2020) and the Foreigner (2017) through the Jacky Chan stunts team.

He's responsible for most of the action/battle scenes in TTEOTM, and his experience working on films probably explains why the fight sequences are unusually cinematic for TV.

Luan Hexin, Art Director

Luan Hexin is a Magnolia Award nominated art director best known for Huanyu productions, including Story of Yanxi Palace, Winter Begonia, and Royal Feast. He's a serious art guy, as you can tell from this interview.

(Note: Huanyu is Bai Lu's management company. There is a rumor that Luan Hexin is part of Bai Lu's "dowry", but the parties have since clarified that Luan was brought in after she was cast.)

He's also an interesting choice, having never worked on costume fantasies before and better known for his authentic representation of the look and feel of bygone eras.

Huang Wei, Costume Designer

Huang Wei is one of the most sought-after costume designers working today, especially for xianxias. She started her career as a Vogue China editor and was in fact the person responsible for TTEOTM's Dunhuang-inspired aesthetics.

Her better known works include A Dream of Splendor (2022), One and Only (2020), Love O2O (2015), Back from the Brink (2023) as well as a bunch of highly anticipated dramas like Immortality and The Last Immortal. (The joke on Chinese internet is that there is an "expensive" vs. "cheap" version of Huang Wei costumes - her design can be much simpler on lower-budget productions.)

I'd like to think that after designing 40 mostly white costumes for Luo Yunxi in Immortality, she decided to go nuts on color with Tantai Jin.

Tsang Ming Fai, Makeup Designer

Tsang Ming Fai is a big name in the xianxia circuit. He and his team of “students" have worked on a large number of costume dramas, including Ashes of Love (2018), Love & Redemption (2020), Under the Power (2019), Noble Aspirations (2016), Sword of Legends (2014), as well as the... wait for it... unreleased Immortality and Luo Yunxi's currently filming drama Follow Your Heart.

He's sadly been receiving a lot of hate in fan circles over the heavy makeup in TTEOTM (which may or may not have been his call). What I do appreciate is his ability to help actors craft distinct characters with varied hair and makeup choices. For example you can distinguish between different Luo Yunxi characters and their personalities with Runyu's clean cut tie-back half ponytail (ethereal & straight laced), Tantai Jin's slightly brown hair, messy bangs and heavy eye shadow (dark & sickly), Chu Wanning's angular eyebrows and geometric hair puff (strict & proud).

He also excels at creating unusual, iconic looks even for side characters, e.g. Chen Yao's dark lipstick paired with gothic jewelry in Immortality and Chen Duling's retro updo in TTEOTM.

#till the end of the moon #black moonlight holds the be script #luo yunxi #cdrama #chang yue jin ming #chinese drama #tteotm #bai lu #tantai jin #ye xiwu #huanyu #yanxi palace #ashes of love #immortality #2ha #winter begonia

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in-death-we-fall · 11 months

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Slipknot

The Tightest Knots Never Fray

Metal Edge 48-11, March 2003

By Roger Lotring

(google drive link) Murderdolls interview here – Stone Sour interview here

“Someone has to bring down the whore, dude,” says Shawn Crahan, determinedly addressing the soulless gluttony that has devoured integrity from contemporary music. “I’ve been all over the place,” he admits, readily likening his foregone ranting as being “almost schizophrenic, man.” But for #6—the Clown percussionist of Slipknot—the corporate impurity that desecrates his sacred rock ‘n’ roll art form pits him as the proverbial David in the face of a Goliath. “People always say Clown’s a fuckin’ retard genius,” he exhilarates. “And I say, ‘You’re right.’ I’ve taken an oath, spilled a lot of blood, and I’m part of an organization that is going to do nothing but bring down the pig.”

The challenge of Disasterpieces is the first of the slings and arrows. A turbulently intense package, the very first Slipknot DVD is largely centered around a February 2002 live performance filmed at the London Arena. A fast-paced style of editing moves conjunctively with 5.1 surround sound to overwhelm both the aural and visual senses, making for an extreme Slipknot experience. An accompanying second disc features a video history of the band, including the banned clip for “Spit It Out,” plus a previously unreleased animated version of “Wait And Bleed.” Enhanced bonus material and an exclusive audio track—”Purity”—make this DVD the gauntlet of a challenge to sedentary bands reigning over hard rock popularity. “I’ve kind of made the DVD like, ‘Look, if you’re not this good, and you don’t know what the fuck’s going on, why don’t you quit and do us all a favor?’” Moreover, Disasterpieces is an architectural draft by which metal fans can judge what to expect from their music. Nothing less will suffice anymore in a landscape of media saturated mediocrity.

“It’s the cattle thing,” Clown defines, a cultural popularity branded by lethargy. “If you’re not at the back of the pack, something in life forced you to be at the front,” he says, intimating music fans as an order of natural selection. “There’s probably a chance for everyone, but it means we’re going to have to go, ‘Hey, you guys at the back of the pack, they’re going to eat you, do you understand?’” It’s what he calls an education. “That’s what Disasterpieces is,” he says by comparison, something by which metal fans can decipher the natural order of musical innovation.

Metal Edge sat down on a Saturday afternoon for an intense conversation with Clown about Disasterpieces, as well as his perspective on the Stone Sour and Murderdolls branches of the Slipknot family tree. “I used to talk about unity and pushing forward,” he concedes, noting that, “I think Slipknot did that to the point that we don’t need to anymore. Now, it’s obvious all of us are looking for our insides. We are trying to evolve Slipknot. All of us need to fuckin’ find some stuff for ourselves,” he explains, assuring diehard Slipknot fans that “they ain’t got nothing to worry about. Let the Maggots know it’s all coming for ‘em. We’re not getting older, we’re getting better.”

METAL EDGE: Is the Disasterpieces DVD meant as a means of focusing attention on Slipknot in the interim before a new album? SHAWN CRAHAN: Most people in the world have to realize that we, the band, have been doing this for seven years. We’ve been doing it professionally, nonstop, for four years. We just got to the point where we understand what home is. So, everybody’s kind of doing their own thing right now—which is totally cool with everybody in the band—because we need time. The third album is coming, right around the corner, and we know it’s going to be different. No one has to be worried about anything drastically changing, ‘cause we’re pretty focused on what we need to be. However, the third one, I think it’s gonna be a really crazy, weird, all-out war. Every member is gonna bring who he is to the table, with all the experience he’s downloaded for the last seven years. This DVD was never intended to let people know that we were alright or whatever. It’ll run its course for two or three months, and we’re starting to write the new album in January—not all of us, but people are gonna fall into place as need be. But, like I said, man, this new album’s gonna be completely insane, as far as I’m concerned.

ME: Would it be fair to say that this DVD almost closes a chapter of Slipknot? SC: I’ve been getting into a lot of trouble lately, because I’ve been telling people that it ends an era. And I don't care what anyone says about it, it ends an era. I’m not interested—the Clown is not interested—in using goats anymore. I’m not interested in half the shit that’s on our stage. Have I talked about this with everyone else? No. But I do a lot of that stuff, and I’m just not interested in the Iowa show no more. I mean, I’m done, I’m bored, and it’s over with. The DVD captured it as best as we could. There were over ten thousand people, over twenty-one cameras, and it was just pure mayhem. You got the most of the show that we could do, that we did for Iowa for over a year.

ME: But isn’t that the point? Why continue doing the Iowa show? It wasn’t meant to be forever, it was meant to be that album. SC: Right, I think people just think that we’re breaking up, or something stupid like that. But no, it’s absolutely the end of an era, get fucking used to it! People change. Fourteen-year-old fans that were there [when] we came out, they’re eighteen now. We’re changing, too, and if no one likes it, fuck off.

ME: You mentioned that this project consisted of a multiple camera shoot, comprising a double DVD. When the idea was first conceived, was it readily apparent that it was going to be so intensive? SC: I knew what was going to happen. I came up with the idea of so many cameras, and the reason was, before, we had only a couple that would film the band. I would just pretty much almost shoot myself, every time we got something in, ‘cause I was so disappointed. Great, you got footage of Sid jumping in the crowd, but what about Joey’s excellent footwork? Where’s all the angles? So, I knew we were going to have a monster. They were talking about one disc, but I knew it would be literally impossible. There’s over four thousand edits in the show itself, and that just takes a lot of information for a computer to recognize.

ME: But with a band like Slipknot, and what it does onstage, you almost have to do it the way Disasterpieces was done, because if you’re at the show, visually, there’s so much going on. SC: That’s how I edited the whole thing with Phil [Richardson]. We edited it like we were in the front row. The reason why I was so excited about being able to do this project was, just like you said, yes, it moves very fast. But how is it moving? Is it moving out-of-control, or is it literally going Clown… Chris… joey… Mick… Sid… Paul… Jim… Mick… Clown… Sid—Ya’ know what I mean? That’s what it’s doing. You’re literally getting to see the chaos as it’s being done. Yeah, it moves very quick, but so does Slipknot. [Laughing] This is for kids to identify with what the fuck exactly goes on at a Slipknot show—Who starts what, who’s playing where, and what they’re doing while they’re doing it. This is all about cues, and the only way to do it right is to do it quickly. Plus, I don’t make anything for the weak, dude. I am here to cleanse the weak away from the idea known as Slipknot. I only want people that understand, because after they take it all in, they’re teachers. And they’ll go out and start molding the future. I’ve kind of made this DVD like, ‘Look, if you’re not this good, why don’t you quit now and do us all a favor?’ That’s how angry I am at the music scene. I understand music has to move, but I’ve never felt so sorry for people listening to music right now, ‘cause it’s fucking crap! Nu Metal? Garbage! It’s garbage, dude! It is! If you know you’re a nu metal band, you’re fucking garbage, end of story. This DVD is about real music, real players—there’s not one musical overdub in the whole thing. What you hear is what happened that night. The only thing that was done, I believe, was in the beginning of “Purity,” because the pyro blew up a couple of the mics. I don’t know any bands that can go through an hour-and-a-half of intensive, dead-on musicianship as we do. I pride myself very, very much to be honored in a band in such good company, ‘cause we’re all incredible musicians, and we make it fly.

ME: So it’s fair to say that this DVD is a challenge to any other band out there right now? If you can’t live up to this… SC: …If you can’t live up to this, why are you even bullshitting? I’ve been on tour with bands that suck. And I’m looking at 'em like, ‘You got a record deal? You’re getting a chance to change the world? Who signed you, some fuckin’ dork? Some idiot over at some big company that knows the formula?’ Man, they’re all losers, dude. Record people get a formula of something that works—Just take Slipknot, for example. Look at all the little fashion statements that have been started, because a band like Slipknot works. Most of the idiots that sign bands because of us are people that said no to Slipknot. I could call four people out from every label. The industry’s a fuckin’ joke, dude! I’m in rock ‘n’ roll, and I’ve never been so embarrassed to be a part of something in my entire life. But it doesn’t matter, dude, ‘cause Slipknot’s there. That’s what we stand for, and that’s what we break down.

ME: Isn’t that a cue, then, with your band being a leader within the rock genre, to throw a monkey wrench into it and make a total left turn? SC: I think so. I never sit here and intend to break the rules. I go, ‘This is the band I’m in.’ The whole time I was editing the DVD, I said, ‘Oh my God, I’m in that band! Yeah, I’m getting to design this, and the whole idea of the DVD is mine, but holy fuck, that’s me in the band! I’m in this band!’

ME: It’s a little surreal, isn’t it? SC: Oh, it’s completely surreal, man! I am so honored to be in the company of eight dudes that fuckin’ throw down. We throw down, man, and I’m proud of it. And I’m not gonna sit back like other people in the band—Everybody would be humble. I don’t care anymore! If your band isn’t this good, then you suck! I’m tired of all the political bullshit, all the bands making fun of us, talking shit. Well, guess what? All your bands suck. None of you could do what we do. I’ve watched all of you, and it doesn’t happen. You come short.

ME: It’s like the early days of KISS, when they would be ridiculed, and then blow other bands off the stage. Nobody would be laughing afterward. SC: We’re actually now managed by KISS’ manager. And we’ve talked a couple stories, ‘cause I play music because of KISS. That was my introduction to music. In the early stages, no one knew what they looked like, and people used to flip out. And I was thinking, goddamn, that sounds a lot like Slipknot!

ME: Watching Disasterpieces, everybody’s faces have been carefully obscured to preserve that mystique. But is the marketing necessity of Murderdolls and Stone Sour detrimental to Slipknot? Joey, Corey and Jim have all been unmasked. SC: I don’t know how to answer that, man. I love Joey, Corey and Jim—As I love everybody in the band. However, things have changed now, and they’re the only ones that have to live with that. And they’re the ones that have to be responsible for that. It is what it is, man, but I don’t think it matters. Joey and Corey and Jim have found another extension of themselves, okay, and I want to clear it up. Corey is a genius. He writes all the time, all day long. I got notebooks that he’s just left laying around, full of conceptual pieces. Some belong to Slipknot, some belong to Corey Taylor. There’s things he won’t even bring to Slipknot, because it’s not the ‘Knot. And no one knows that better than Corey. Think about what he did, man. I mean, he takes the mask off—You know how hard that was? And he did it, and he’s succeeding. And I say, good for him, because that’s what Slipknot stands for. Recently, I said we’re the biggest punk band in the world. I didn’t mean like we’re a punk band, [but] I mean we live the punk feeling. We’re the biggest metal band in the world, and I got three dudes trouncing around the world without masks, succeeding, okay? That’s exactly what Slipknot is.

ME: Meaning that Slipknot is at the point where it can fly in the face of convention and do whatever it likes. SC: I think what we’ve always preached, if we’ve preached anything, is to thyself be true. Don’t ever judge me, just let me do my fucking thing. We’re Slipknot. We stand up and teach kids to stand up! Fight for who you are! Be who you are, don’t worry about it. And now, my own members are like, ‘I gotta do this.’ They go up against all odds and break down all the fuckin’ walls. And they look everybody in the face with their real face, after relying on rubber masks for fucking years? People need to shut up. Fucking ignorance, man! I don’t care what any of ‘em say, we do what we want.

ME: Isn’t that the fundamental basis of being in rock ‘n’ roll to begin with? SC: Yeah! You got Slipknot, now you got the Murderdolls, you got Stone Sour—I will bet my left testicle, there will be other things. Who knows? Every member of the band might have its own entity, and then get together as Slipknot. Oh, some might suck, some might be good. But the point is, what do you do with your life? Most people that have an opinion, aren’t you just cattle being programmed with the imprint? I’m ready for this whole thing to change, man. I’m ready for the pictures in your magazine to change color; I’m ready for people to start talking about things they want, instead of their editors. I’m ready for bands to start telling the truth and lift the veil of rock ‘n’ roll, instead of all this bullshit.

ME: Have you listened to either the Stone Sour or Murderdolls albums yet? SC: Oh, yeah. I listened to the Murderdolls by myself—Joey gave me the copy. When we’re on the road, we’re both very, very busy, and we don’t have a lot of Shawn and Joe time. But Corey, when we were in Europe last time, we both happened to be up very early in the morning, and we were on a long drive. I got to listen to the whole Stone Sour album with Corey. Sitting there with the creator of it, somehow I understood all of it and knew where he was going. I even told him what his next single after “Bother” would be.

ME: Their exploration of musical direction will be invigorating when working on a new Slipknot album. That’s going to be the most positive effect on what the band comes up with, creatively. SC: Yeah. I would have used to have told you that I’d have my people take your head off with that explanation, but I agree with you now. I mean, dude, we’ve been going for four fucking years. Only now can I say thank you to the rest of the guys for allowing ourselves to be home and figure it out. And let me tell you, the three years before being signed—Pure hell. You want to see the evolvement of Slipknot? It took fuckin’ years. I used to wear a Barney outfit. One weekend, I’d be Barney, the next, I’d be a priest. Mick would be Little Bo Peep—Look at Mick, almost seven foot tall, in a Little Bo Peep outfit, slamming with a bonnet on.

ME: But that makes sense, because it wouldn’t have worked if it was something formulated. SC: No! I’ll be honest, man, I hurt some feelings when those guys did that. I hurt some serious feelings. I think people are still angry at me, ya’ know? And that’s cool. I don’t give a fuck. So what? [Laughing] But I take the responsibility of Slipknot hardcore, man. We gave these kids with nothing, something. They were the ones that were so far gone, they were like, I’m outta here, I’m gonna kill myself. Boom—Slipknot comes alone. I’ve had kids wear Slipknot shirts—you know how they are when they wear Slipknot shirts—it’s like a fucking army. They’ll wash it every day, to wear it every day. It lets other kids now (sic) what kind of kid they are. It’s a mentality. That kid is basically telling us where he’s at, by wearing that statement. That’s why I get so nuts, [and] why people are mad at me. Slipknot’s come to a point where—we know we’re a band, dude—but we’ve become icons of responsibility in the world we live in. I try to live my words, man. I try to be really, really responsible.

#lemme know if you want anything else from this scanned #slipknot #shawn crahan #metal edge 48-11 mar 2003 #interview #corey taylor #joey jordison #jim root #chris fehn #paul gray #craig jones #mick thomson #sid wilson #THEY'RE ALL IN THE PICTURES I'M SORRY

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saltygilmores · 9 months

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I Found A Small Archive of Super Old Interviews With Milo And Here's Another Incredible One

May 10, 2002

Milo Ventimiglia is burning in the minds of teen girls everywhere due to his role as Jess on the surprise hit series, "Gilmore Girls". What may be a surprise to his fans however, is that he has quite the knack for using the 'love them or hate them' four-letter words, something that I am personally a big fuckin' fan of. (Ok, so that's using six letters, but you get my point!)

Don't let my swearing take away from Milo the actor though, because he is the real deal. So much so that Warner Brothers paid him to NOT work for a whole year. Does that sound a little confusing? Well, it did to us as well, so we went ahead and had Milo give us the lowdown.

JB: How are you?

MV: Ugh. I'm fuckin' wrecked! We had a wrap party last night. I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't do anything? But I bowled like a crazy muther.

JB: (Laughter) So it was a long night?

MV: Yeah it was a long night! (Laughter)

JB: And nothing hurts more than an early morning interview.

MV: Actually this isn't too early. I got back last night and saw that I had the interview in the morning. I woke up like half an hour ago and my publicist said the interview was pushed back by an hour. I was just like, "Great" and I really didn't have any idea what was going on. I got up and I checked the fax and saw the interview was bumped, so I went back to bed.

JB: I admire your perseverance.

MV: (Laughter) Thanks, man.

JB: So shooting is done for the year!

MV: Yeah. We wrapped up last Friday. I have a nice three and a half months off. I feel like I'm back in school. I felt like saying, "Have a bitching summer and see you next Fall!"

JB: "Please sign my yearbook." (Laughter)

MV: I swear to God that's what it feels like. It's crazy.

JB: Anything planned for the hiatus?

MV: So far I have no work lined up, but I'd really love to continue working. As of right now though, nothing.

JB: Enjoy the time off!

MV: Yeah! I'm sure I'll find something to do. Some kind of trouble to get into. I just bought a house, so I'm remodeling that. I'm doing a lot of handy work around that place.

JB: Some exciting summer Home Depot trips are in your future.

MV: Oh man! There is a 24-hour Home Depot right near my house.

JB: There are 24-hour Home Depots? That's crazy!

MV: Yeah! So at three in the morning I'll be banging away and turning on my circular saw? Just going for it.

JB: Tell me about your WB holding deal? What exactly did that consist of? Is it that you couldn't go and work for another network?

MV: Basically? yeah! They said, "Here's a lot of money and don't work for anybody else. We don't have anything for you, so you're going to be sitting for awhile." That was an interesting thing.

JB: Was it hard convincing family members that it actually happened? I'd imagine it was difficult to describe to people that you were getting paid to not work?

MV: Not with my family members because they run my books for me, so they saw the checks. Convincing my friends was another a thing. They'd be like, "What are you doing today?" "Well, I think I'm going to go to the beach." They'd be like, "Dude, you said that like two months ago?what are you really doing today?" "I think I'm going to go to the beach." (Laughter) And then the next day I'd be like, "I think I'm going to go to Europe." I was just out of my head bored. Warner Brothers didn't have anything for me to do, so I had to go to do something. The first month or two of being in the deal was fine?I was just hanging out around in LA, going to my parent's house in Orange County or catching up with old friends. Six months into things I was like, "Fuck this shit?I've got to go do something!"

JB: So it lasted for quite some time?

MV: Oh man, it was like a year. They wanted to hold me for almost like two years, but my management team said no.

JB: Could you at least do film?

MV: Yeah. I could do film. In the course of the contract, I did book a film and they did release me to do a guest spot on CSI. They also let me do a commercial or two. There were opportunities but they were getting ready to put me in a show. The holding deal kind of had nothing to do with "Gilmore Girls".

Pilot season came around and I was only reading for the studio's pilots because the contract was with the studio and not the network. I was reading for other pilots and nothing was clicking. I read for "Smallville" and all of these different pilots and for one reason or another I just wasn't getting them. The producers were like, "He's great, but we're not interested." I read for a pilot that was outside of my contract and the producers were really excited about me and Warner Brothers was going to let me out of the contract. At the last minute they said "no" and sent me in for this one pilot and then I tested for it. Next thing I know I was in a meeting with the casting directors for "Gilmore Girls" and the part was a guest spot with the possibility of returning. It wasn't as a series regular or anything. They brought me back to the producers the day of my studio test and that night they called and said, "Hey, we want you to be a series regular." That kind of threw an interesting twist on the contract because it was geared towards putting me in a new show, not an existing show.

JB: Prior to that or even now, do you get yourself worked up about pilot season?

MV: I think this is the first season that I really didn't think about it. I didn't have to audition because I was on a show and I knew we were coming back. I had a contract so now I could focus on my work. I've talked to some of my friends who are actors and they are going crazy and here I am at the craft service table. It was nice to not have to worry about that. Pilots are stressful as it is because you don't know if they'll get picked up. There are some like "Smallville" where they are filming the pilot, knowing that they were picked up for 22 episodes. I'm sure it makes you feel a little more comfortable.

JB: Have you found yourself getting noticed more?

MV: Occasionally. I'm still a nobody, which I enjoy because I can just go about my business. Time to time I'll get somebody who says, "Are you that guy on Gilmore Girls?" They freak out for a second. I was out to dinner with some friends the other night and some girl walked up to me. She was probably about 15 or something. We were finished eating and I was sitting back. The girl walks up and asks, "Excuse me?are you from Gilmore Girls?" I say yes and she asks if her sister can have my autograph. I say, "Yeah that's cool, but where is your sister?" "She's over there but she's a little embarrassed." I said, "Do you want me to go meet her?" I got up and went to meet her. You can tell the people that are genuinely excited about meeting someone who's on TV and I try to relate to them as, "I'm just a person and I'm not larger than life!" It's fun for them though and in a way it's kind of fun for me.

JB: Since jumping in "Gilmore Girls", you've appeared in your share of teen oriented magazines. Have you been the subject of jokes because of it?

MV: Oh my God! Yeah! Oh yeah! One of my oldest friends used to rip on me when we were in college. He's always known that I wanted to be an actor and when we got to the age where we understood the publicity end of it, he would give me crap about Tiger Beat and Teen Beat. I'd be like, "I just want to act and I'm not going to go that whole route." Now my mom was in a grocery store and pulled up a Tiger Beat and my picture was in it. I was like, "You've got to be fuckin' kidding me!" Then I popped up in Teen Beat and others. It's crazy. Hopefully other things will come up. I did a thing for Seventeen that comes out this month and just some other random stuff.

JB: They ask those weird, "What's your favorite color?" kind of questions.

MV: Oh my God. Nothing against the magazines because they definitely have their purposes, but I don't want to answer questions like "Do you have a girlfriend" and "What is your favorite color". Answering more adult questions is more intriguing and that's the vibe I'd like to give off.

(Silence)

MV: My favorite color is black by the way!

#gilmore girls #jess mariano #milo ventimiglia #fascinating stuff

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kellyvela · 11 months

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Hi. Sorry to bother you with this, but I'm wondering if you know any interview where GRRM confirms that Jaime's is a redemption arc? I don't doubt it, and I'm not denying Jaime can't be redeemed, but I think we will only know when TWOW drops. Right now it doesn't feel line redemption just because he ignored cersei's call. But fans are claiming GRRM did confirm it, so I thought maybe you can help me find the source?

Hello, Anon!

I don't think GRRM confirmed anything about this, as far as I know.

Some Jaime fan tried to make him give a direct answer in 2006, but this is what GRRM said:

JANUARY 27, 2006

VERICON (HARVARD UNIVERSITY, MA; JANUARY 27-29)

So he said that he likes to paint characters in shades of grey (recurring theme of the weekend, yay! so refreshing from these damn didactic TV show runners... anyway....). And that even what seem like the most horrific people have other sides, aren't pure caricatures of evil, that even Hitler had his nice moments. And he wanted to explore what might cause that kind of villainy, because no one just wakes up and says "I want to be evil today," and that Jaime didn't start out evil--that he actually was a very idealistic young man who was disillusioned by life, and that there was always much more to his killing of Aerys than just "evil."

Since he was going on so much about Jaime as "exploration of evil" (and I certainly don't think Jaime is evil anymore!) I kind of tried to ask "Do you think he's changed?" to get him to talk about Jaime's redemption arc, so he said something like he wanted to explore the concept of forgiveness and whether it's ever possible to be forgiven for doing such horrible things, and that his goal was to ask the question, not give an answer.

Um, so that was neat. (Well, except for the fact that Hitler came to his mind when talking about Jaime!)

[Source]

And six years later, in 2012, GRRM still called Jaime Lannister a villain:

JUNE 22, 2012

SWORD & LASER VIDEO PODCAST

GRRM: I am sometimes surprised by the reactions, of women in particular, to some of the villains. The number of women over the years who have written to me that their favorite characters are Jaime Lannister or Sandor Clegane [the Hound] or Theon Greyjoy… All of these are deeply troubled individuals with some very dark sides, who have done some very dark things. Nonetheless, they do draw this response, and quite heavily, I think, in the case of some of them, from my female readers in particular.

[Source]

From this post:

He will never give a direct answer about this particular matter, as you can see in this interview from 2002:

[Source]

Hope this helps you!

#anon asks #grrm #asoiaf #jaime lannister #villains #lol they even asked him about 'jaime's redemption arc' in some brown university debate . . . .#see more quotes in the reblogs #grrm didn't forgive that michael vick guy #and i doubt he will forgive the man that attempted to kill his main protagonist leaving him a crippled . . . .

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denimbex1986 · 9 days

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''Does the world need another cinematic representation of the Ripley story?' That is the question I asked myself when the teaser, and then trailer, of the new Netflix series dropped a few months ago.

I answered the question myself: 'Yes, of course, we can definitely do with more Ripley on the screen, even when I know the story so well.'

I have been a fan of the films based on the character Tom Ripley, a conniving imposter, an insecure man and yet utterly charming, created by Patricia Highsmith in her five Ripley books also referred to as Ripliad, starting with The Talented Mr Ripley (1955), the source for the 1960 French film Purple Noon directed by Rene Clement (the restored version of the film was re-introduced to the world in 1996 by Martin Scorsese). The same book was also adapted by Anthony Minghella for his 1999 film, also called The Talented Mr Ripley.

The new Netflix series, written and directed by Steven Zaillian (Oscar winner for Schindler's List), is based on Highsmith's first book.

While I will admit I have not read Highsmith's books (her 1950 novel Strangers on a Train was adapted for the screen by Alfred Hitchcock), I have been engaged with the Ripley films for some time, including Ripley's Game (2002) starring John Malkovich. No spoiler here, but Malkovich makes a surprise appearance in Zaillian's Ripley.

There is also a Wim Wenders' take on Ripley's Game called The American Friend (1977), which is on my watch list. In last year's Saltburn, Barry Keoghan plays a Ripley-like character. Emerald Fennell's film is clearly inspired by the Ripley story, but it also takes many departures from Highsmith's narrative.

So I really waited for the Netflix show.

There were many reasons why I was looking forward it, one of which was that it stars Andrew Scott -- the 'hot priest' from Fleabag, who recently shattered our hearts into small pieces with his tragic performance in All of Us Strangers (a film criminally ignored by Oscar voters).

Zaillian's eight-part slow-burning, moody and at times riveting show, with stunning black and white cinematography stands on its own. But I could not help that the other versions of the Ripley story played in my mind at the same time.

In a 1971 short French documentary, Highsmith talked about seeing a man walk on the beach in Positano, Italy. The documentary is available on the Criterion Channel.

It was in the early 1950s, 6 am.

The man looked upset.

From that image of the man who Highsmith did not speak to, she created Ripley, her most famous fictional character who impersonates his friend, is an expert at forgery and even kills to survive in the world of the rich and the famous, where he is an outsider. In the same interview, Highsmith said she did not think Ripley was very likable.

But the Ripley in Zaillian's show, as well as in Purple Noon (a very handsome Alain Delon) and The Talented Mr Ripley (an equally handsome Matt Damon) are all very likable. That is why we care so much for the character. We want Ripley to survive even when he leaves a trail of crimes -- horrific murders and forged bank checks.

A part of it has to do with Ripley's insecurities and how he is taunted by his friend -- Richard Greenleaf, better known as Dickey, played by a charismatic Johnny Flynn in the current show. Flynn is good, but possibly overshadowed by Jude Law, who played a very sexually charged Greenleaf in Minghella's film, which also had the most gay subtext among all the representations of the story.

Ripley was sent to Italy to track Greenleaf by his wealthy shipbuilding father, played in the show, by a subdued, yet tough Kenneth Lonergan, better known as a playwright and director of films such as Manchester By The Sea.

Greenleaf Senior funded Ripley's trip to Italy. But when his son shows no signs of returning to the US, he decides to cut the flow of money and cancel the large sum he had promised Ripley upon completion of the job.

That is when Ripley's life, his plans and dreams start to fall apart.

In order to pick up the pieces and stand back on his feet, Ripley starts to commit crimes: Some that take place in the heat of passion, while others are meticulously planned and executed.

We watch Andrew Scott's Ripley struggle through the mess he has created, at times finding it hard to keep it straight in his head if he is Ripley or Greenleaf, while the police are trying to track the two down and solve the complex twists in the narrative.

He jumps hotels and moves from one Italian city to another.

The show at times becomes a tourism piece for Italy where the camera lovingly strolls along the beaches, streets, old historic parts and steps of several Italian cities including Rome, Naples, Palermo, Atrani, San Remo, even Venice.

The show takes its own pace to pick up, but then when you least expect, it grabs you by the throat.

There are some delightfully dark and creepy moments. An entire episode set in Rome is dedicated to Ripley trying to dispose of a body, as he drags it down a staircase (the elevator in the building keeps breaking down) leaving a trail of blood, that looks rather gooey in dark shades of black.

We also find a lot of beauty in Zaillian's show, especially in the performances of two of the principal cast members. Dakota Fanning plays Marge Sherwood, Dickie Greenleaf's love interest who quietly suffers as Ripley gets close to her boyfriend.

Zaillian made a very unique casting choice by casting Eliot Sumner (Sting and Trudie Styler's non-binary child) to play Dickie's wealthy friend Freddie Miles. Eliot has soft, gentle features which makes his Freddie quite menacing.

In Minghella's film, Philip Seymour Hoffman was cast as Freddie and he used his deep voice and physicality to scare Ripley, and make him nervous.

But the real star of the Netflix series is its stark black and white cinematography -- the work of master cameraman Robert Elswit (Oscar winner for There Will Be Blood).

Every shot, every frame is precious.

It is film noir at its best but inspired by classic films such as Citizen Kane (1941) and The Third Man (1949).

I wish I could have spent time taking screen shots of many of the scenes on my laptop but Netflix's copyright laws do not allow that. If a coffee table book is produced of the images from the show, I will be first in the line to buy it.

Ripley streams on Netflix.

Ripley Review Rediff Rating: ****'

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infinitysisters · 1 year

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If you were to attend the 1939 World’s Fair, you would be greeted with two structures named Trylon and Perisphere. The former was a tall, spire-like structure equipped with what was then the world’s longest escalator. The latter was a humongous sphere. These two modernist structures were the Fair’s mascots.

By stepping into the Peripshere, a new world would be unveiled to you. Inside, a diorama of a future utopian city was constructed called “Democracity.” It was designed to be inhabited by a million and a half people, covering 11,000 square miles.

Trylon and Perisphere, along with Democracity inside, were the symbolic heart of the Fair. But the branding behind it all was intentional for more reasons than one would initially assume. The idea was created by the Fair’s publicity director, Edward Bernays. Bernays was Sigmund Freud’s cousin, known as the man chiefly responsible for bringing his psychoanalytic theories to the United States during the 1920s.

While Sigmund himself fell into despondency in Europe after World War I, Bernays became widely successful in the United States. Using ideas of the unconscious, he quickly gained a reputation as someone who could conjure up mass public opinion for products and issues like no one else. While his later critics likened it to “manipulation,” Bernays himself called it “public relations,” a term he coined.

Yet, reading his work, one finds a deeply cynical man. Bernays rationalized his activities by arguing that the management of mass desire was preferable to the alternative—that is, “letting the unconscious run wild” with its repressed urges. If these dark forces were actually unleashed, he believed, they could undo society itself. Consumerism was hence viewed as a bulwark against the primitive mind of the crowd, and managing its desires was rationalized as necessary in saving society against itself. As he stated openly in his work Propaganda (1928), “the conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society.” He was therefore one of the first theorists of what can be called "managed democracy."

Whether he really believed in his own rationalization or not, Bernays did become incredibly wealthy from his services. By the late 1920s, he was “living in a suite of rooms in one of New York’s most expensive hotels, where he gave frequent parties.” According to an employee of Bernays, the events were a “who’s who” of the business elite, the arts, media leaders, and the mayor himself. In due time, his clients also included those within politics and the state. He became a "sort of magician" of public opinion, even though he openly viewed this same public with open contempt. Given his reputation, it was unsurprising that Bernays was tapped for the 1939 New York World’s Fair.

Given that the American public was just coming out of the Great Depression, it was known that the reputation of “big business” in the United States was at historic lows. By framing the World’s Fair through the prism of desire, Bernays sought to rehabilitate this perception by giving Americans an open door—one that they themselves did not even know they wanted. Bernays’s daughter confirms this aspiration of his in an interview with Adam Curtis for his documentary A Century of the Self (2002).

Anna Bernays: To my father, the World’s Fair was an opportunity… Capitalism in a democracy, democracy and capitalism in marriage. It was consumerist, but at the same time you inferred in a funny way that democracy and capitalism went together.

Adam Curtis [continues]: The vision it portrayed was of a new democracy in which businesses responded to people’s innermost desires in a way politicians could never do. But it was a form of democracy that viewed people not as active citizens… but as passive consumers… [which] Bernays believed was the key to control in a mass democracy.

As Curtis makes clear, this thinking reached its symbolic high point at the 1939 World’s Fair. A democratic vision was then constructed by its very own skeptic, someone who viewed democracy as nothing other than a form of social management. Historian of public relations, Stewart Ewen, summarized this view in an interview with Adam Curtis:

“It’s not that the people are in charge, but that the people’s desires are in charge. The people exercise no decision-making power within this environment. So democracy is reduced from something which assumes an active citizenry to the idea of the public as passive consumers driven primarily by instinctual or unconscious desires, and if you can trigger those needs and desires, you can get what you want from them.”

At the end of the century, the consequences of this vision would be criticized by writer Christopher Lasch. Published after his death in 1994, Lasch wondered whether American democracy was now merely living off the “borrowed capital of moral and religious traditions antedating the rise of liberalism." Lasch was a critic of the kind of managed democracy that began to emerge around Bernays's time. By the 1990s, the consequences had become self-evident: when Lasch was writing, civic participation had sunk to its lowest point since World War II.

Perhaps this long trajectory—triumphantly advertised as a "new horizon" at the 1939 World’s Fair—helps explain why the state’s competency and ability to execute basic functions has deteriorated so badly in our own time. Needless to say, Bernays's model of managed democracy was not exactly resilient and built to last.

Decades later during the 1970s, optimism would dry up amid scandal as institutional trust collapsed, exposing the hollowness of this consumer model of democracy outright for the first time. The fact that the United States has still not recovered from that “crisis of confidence” is not accidental: the ultimate outcome of a Bernaysian model of managed democracy is not renewal amid crisis, but rather an entrenchment of its old managerial ways, because it has so little of an active public to draw upon.

#1939 40 world's fair #worlds fair #1939 worlds fair #1939 #democracy #capitalism #edward bernays #christopher lasch #progress #futurama #public relations #managed democracy #the beginning of the end #america #substack #sigmund freud #propaganda #propagandists

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tomhollandnet · 11 months

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The show that changed Tom Holland’s life: “Now I am able to put myself in a mental pace where I’m really happy.” | El País

The actor stars in his first series, The Crowded Room, a psychological thriller with mental health and trauma at its core

For Tom Holland (London, 27 years old), the series The Crowded Room has changed his life. "Now I am a much happier person, I am in a much better place," he said in an interview with EL PAÍS by video call last week, just the day before his twenty-seventh birthday. The actor, known worldwide for playing Peter Parker, Spider-Man, in the cinema since 2017, is now starring in his first series, the psychological thriller The Crowded Room, which premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday the 9th.

Tom plays Danny Sullivan, a shy and antisocial young man who ends up involved in a shooting in Rockefeller Center in New York in 1979. During the interrogation to which he is subjected by an investigator (played by Amanda Seyfried), Danny reviews his life, his relationships with friends and family, and how it all led him to where he is. The story gradually unfolds like a puzzle in which the pieces make sense and fall into place as the episodes go by. Knowing more than these small details can mean spoiling the viewer's experience and the twists it keeps.

The filming process lasted for 10 months, and the entire process involved a great effort for the actor, as he now explains. “We dealt with sensitive material, a roller-coaster of emotions that ended up taking its toll on me personally,” he recalls. “The whole process of making the series helped me deepen into myself. I have come to better understand what I am capable of, what I can handle, what triggers me and sends me into a spiral. Now I am able to put myself in a mental pace where I’m really happy,” he continues.

Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, Academy award winner in 2002 for the screenplay of A Beautiful Mind, is the creator of this story with which, in his own words, he intends to “generate empathy towards those who suffer trauma related to an illness mental.” Goldsman knows that area well, both personally (both of his parents are child psychologists) and professionally (A Beautiful Mind was based on the life of mathematician John Forbes Nash, who suffered from schizophrenia). “His knowledge and his experience on the subject are endless,” Holland notes of Goldsman. “To me he was a mentor, a confidant, a friend, someone to lean on whenever I needed, and a great source of information on these matters.” The actor assures that the series has changed his views on trauma and mental health. “I hope it will serve as a learning experience for millions of people around the world because we need to understand what life can be like for these poor people.”

The main character of The Crowded Room is based on a real man, Billy Milligan —again, better not to know more details because a simple search on the internet can destroy the viewing experience—, but in the series they decided to opt for the path of fiction instead of recreating his history. “One of the reasons we did it is because we wanted people to empathize with Danny and understand his actions and why he does them,” explains the actor.

For his first series (he participated in the British Wolf Hall in 2015, but this is his first starring role on television), Holland wanted to live the full experience. He accepted the job before any script was written and decided not only to participate as an actor, but also as an executive producer to follow all phases of the process, from beginning to end. “It's been very interesting for me to understand how television works, to navigate a 10-hour story instead of two and a half hours. It's been a huge learning curve and I think the audience will appreciate it because it's a real psychological thriller that makes you think, keeps you alert and hooked,” he describes.

“Possibly, it would have been easier for me to just be the lead, but I love learning new things. I love this industry and working in it, the creative process and the collaboration between departments, and I wanted to be a part of this in a more hands-on way,” he adds. He was even present in the conversations leading up to the writing of the script. “Akiva [Goldsman] only had one outline for each chapter back then. We talked about the episodes, the turning points, and then once we had the 10 episodes outlined in a more solid way, he and his writing team put it on paper. They did a great job. I hate reading scripts, it's the part of my job that I really don't like. But reading these scripts was fantastic”, recalls the actor.

The level of involvement that Tom Holland assumed in this series is surprising. And his response is also surprising when asked about the best part of the whole process: “To be totally honest, I would say the editing process. I worked with Akiva and the editor every week, we would meet at least twice a week and go through the episodes, and they would listen to my thoughts. It was a great experience to see how these experts did what they do best. Some episodes completely changed order. I loved that they allowed me to be part of that process of building the puzzle.”

Now, Holland takes things more calmly. Personally, he has been in a relationship for a long time with another Hollywood star, Zendaya, his co-star in Spider-Man. Months ago he decided to interact in a more casual way with social networks. He has explained that he has been sober for a year and four months and is involved in associations related to youth mental health. Professionally, the writers' strike paralyzed the project to launch what would be his fourth Spider-Man movie. A short break for someone he has been working non-stop since he made his film debut with J. A. Bayona with The Impossible in 2012. Would he like to get back into a working relationship with Spain? “There may be something small in the making, yes. With the writers' strike, everything has stopped, we are not developing anything in solidarity with our friends on strike. But I've been talking to Bayona and maybe there's something we can do together. He changed my life, I owe him a lot and I love him, he is one of my dearest friends. So maybe you will see me in a movie with him in the next few years,” he advances.

Loosely translated by tomhollandnet

#the crowded room #tom holland #interview #tcr press

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waspabi · 5 years

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More Like War Ch. 2

(C.K. Dexter Haven voice) Hello friends and enemies. It’s been a while!

Since this has been a pretty Sema-centric chapter:

Alexander Semin knowing exactly what he is doing to Nicklas Bäckström

Mike Green, service dog in the Alexander Semin cheetah enclosure

Alexander Semin dealing with complex pyschosexual feelings about Alex Ovechkin

Boudreau

Listen. I actually really like Boudreau and think he's a good coach but man has writing this chapter reminded me of my Many Grudges Against Him. Every media quote was an actual quote, with only one having been padded a little.

Boudreau’s wildly Canadian Hockey Man quote about Nicke’s “toughness”:

“There’s something that’s ingrained in him,” Boudreau said. “You don’t think of it with Nick because he’s a blond, blue-eyed, Swedish, good-looking young man. But he’s got a toughness that belies all that, a toughness that coaches just love. He’s not going to fight, but he’s tough. I saw him last year where he could barely walk, but he was playing.”

The Red Wings game with the five penalties where only Sema was lambasted? 100% accurate!

Perhaps the best example came in a 3-2 loss to New Jersey at Verizon Center on Nov. 4, when Semin took three offensive-zone penalties, including one for hooking that led to a Devils goal. Afterward, Coach Bruce Boudreau was blunt in saying, "Alexander Semin has been in the league for five years and it’s just dumb penalties.”

Several days later, this reveal:

It’s believed that Semin has been playing through a litany of injuries, which might have something to do with his recent decline in production. He has not recorded a point in three straight games and has not scored a goal in six.

No points in three straight games! Can you imagine. I mean in 08-09 he did very much score at a 1.27 PPG pace (79 points in 62 games) so fair enough!

That CBJ Game

Earlier this week, Coach Bruce Boudreau said he believed the Blue Jackets planned to target Ovechkin by hitting the all-star every time he touched the puck. Columbus Coach Ken Hitchcock confirmed Tuesday that it was indeed his team’s strategy. “Run, chase, hunt down, hit, whatever word you want to use, that would be correct,” Hitchcock told reporters in Columbus. “He’s a very unique player because he gives it and he takes it. He doesn’t whine or cry about getting hit. He has fun in that role because the more you give it to him, the more he gives it back.”

Brooks Laich

Brooks Laich just absolutely could NOT stop hitting it out of the park with horny quotes about Alexander Semin:

It’s almost like God touched him on the shoulder and said, ‘You are wonderfully gifted’.”

The other part of that quote was taken from Olaf Kolzig.

“When you see a kid who has more talent than the reigning MVP, you want to see more,” Kolzig says of the 13th player taken in the 2002 draft. “He’s teasing you. The frustrating thing is he hasn’t gotten everything out of his talent. He doesn’t have the intangibles Ovie has. With Ovie there’s accountability. He’s had a bad groin and played through it. Ovie realizes what he has to live up to. So far [Semin] just puts up points.”

Misc.

Sema's weight and body composition played a big role in his injuries. He was hilariously infamous for never doing anything but cardio in the weight room. His weight in the press around this time was something like 209 lbs, but bless him he punctured that illusion real quick in this Russian interview from 2009:

Pretty sure he was, in fact, threatened to gain weight but you ever try to get a cat to do anything?

Cameos in this chapter from...

Nicklas Lidström, the quote unquote "Perfect Human"

Nicke has said he's the toughest defenseman he's ever played against.

Slava Kozlov, an all time pain in the ass (affectionate) whose Red Wings nickname was Grump

(bottom left, with Sergei Fedorov (center) and several of my all time faves)

Dainius Zubrus, who does indeed Look Like That:

He's actually Lithuanian but he did speak Russian and translated for Ovi and Sema in the early years.

And finally, Sema's mouth thing he simply loved to do on the bench, uhhh NSFW!!

#young guns

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doomandgloomfromthetomb · 1 year

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Interviews, etc 2022

More year-end housecleaning! Yeah, yeah. I started 2022 feeling fairly low — nothing major, just that sweet midlife malaise. But having various fun writing projects outside of my day job helped immeasurably, and I was lucky enough to talk with some of my own personal heroes in the music world.

First up, the Feelies! Or rather, the Willies. For Maggot Brain, I wrote what I hope was the definitive account of this mysterious, early 1980s Feelies side-trip, speaking with the band members, who were all very nice. And then, last month I finally made it out to the east coast see the Feelies in person ... and the Willies opened the show! Perfect, right? This one is only in print, people. Print lives! Thank you, Jack White.

Sometime this spring, Mike from No Quarter let me know that he'd be reissuing Richard Thompson's classic Grizzly Man soundtrack ... and would I like to interview Richard himself?! If you know what my blog is named after, then you know that the answer was yes, yes, a thousand times yes. You can read the results over on Aquarium Drunkard.

Then! I spent a little time grilling Yo La Tengo's James McNew about each and every song on the band's sprawling 1997 masterpiece I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One. I took this opportunity to get as nerdy as I could possibly get, coaxing the important answers out of McNew — did they see Big Bully or White Squall?! All is revealed.

And hey, no interview (yet), but I was incredibly honored to write a little essay for Pavement's 2022 tour program. A million thanks to designer extraordinaire Mark Ohe for bringing me onboard, it was some sort of dream come true. I think all of these things are sold out for the moment!

And then ... Robyn Hitchcock! I last interviewed Robyn in 2002, so it seemed like it was time for a follow-up. I've listened to endless live tapes of this guy, so his voice is more familiar than my own. I could listen to him read the phone book, I think. But our chat was much more interesting than that, hopefully, featuring Mexican gods, Queen Elizabeth II, Sean Ono Lennon, Martin Carthy and many more.

Finally, I spoke with Crazy Horse's Billy Talbot about his pre-Neil daze, the new World Record LP and long guitar jams. Will they ever let me talk to Neil? Here's hoping ...

#the feelies #richard thompson #yo la tengo #robyn hitchcock #neil young and crazy horse

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yuzukahibiscus · 2 years

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Performing in the Musical “The Fantasticks” – Aizuki Hikaru interview

(Source taken from: Enbu)

Surpassing gender and age, pursuing a captivating expression to captivates people

Since the first premiere in Off Broadway in 1960, there have been continuous performances in these 42 years of time till 2002, “The Fantasticks” is the longest-running musical in America.

Known for his musical “Cyrano de Bergerac”, French playwright Edmond Rostand wrote this story interweaving the essence of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” based on the verse play of “Les Romanesques”. This is a timeless masterpiece conveying a message that emerges from love and life that everyone experiences.

This musical would be directed by the next-generational, skillful director Ueda Ikko, who would newly repackage this Toho musical, and would be performing from October 23 to November 14 at Theatre Creation.

Amongst all the performance characters and previously active as the former Takarazuka Revue Star Troupe Otokoyaku Star, Aizuki Hikaru will be performing as the role “El Gallo”, a wanderer who both toys with and leads the Time.

This was the first musical for Aizuki Hikaru after her graduation. Now, how does she feel about this new production? How will she approach this? We will introduce more of our conversation including her memories in her Takarazuka times in the interview of “Enbu October issue”

Because it is played by a female, the charm of the role El Gallo enhances in fantasy

— How did you spend you everyday after graduating from Takarazuka? Have you taken it slow for a bit.

Yes. I did slow down for a bit, I think.

— Among those, could you tell us your decision on performing in this musical “Fantasticks”?

When hearing about the role El Gallo, I was told that this is a role that has always been played by males, this time when it will be performed by a female, the story would expand to increase the components of fantasy. This made sense to me, wouldn’t I be able to make use of what I’ve done in the stage of Takarauka before? That’s what I thought and therefore decided to perform in this.

— Because many have been expecting this musical, since the premiere opened in 1960, there’s a long line of the tremendous record of shows for 42 years since 2002, how was your impression for this production?

Just because of this reason, there must be so many people supporting (the musical), I thought there were various things to learn in approaching this musical. Now, I’m in the stage of thinking about the focus of the role El Gallo (note: This interview was in late July). This is a role with mysterious charms, you could say (El Gallo) confuses and charms the heroine a little, there’s a scene where (El Gallo) seduces her. Acting a role like that, I didn’t think about whether (El Gallo)’s a man, a woman, how old they are. I was thinking about pursuing a performance that charms people, surpassing gender and age, and I will continue to prepare for this little by little.

— While being excited for this approach of yours in enhancing the stage performance, there are really vibrant cast combinations in company, how does it feel being in this new group?

I was very nervous. Even if this is obvious, it’s because I don’t have experience being in the rehearsals for external performances, the first moment when I entered the rehearsal room, I thought I was extremely anxious.

— After your graduation, you performed as a guest in Tamaki Ryou’s concert. Thinking that was your first performance, how did you feel in the rehearsal room at that time?

Because at that time I was a guest, so I only had just one day of rehearsal with Tama-chan (Tamaki), it feels that it ended very briefly (LOL). For me, I didn’t have a clear idea of how the rehearsals in external performances were like. In September, I would be in the concert by the Takarazuka OG seniors. Being in those rehearsals, I thought there would still be new discoveries but I’m now not at that stage (of being in rehearsals of external performances yet).

— So this really feels like a beginning for you then.

It does. What would I be thinking about? I myself am also very excited.

— The production will be performed in the Theatre Creation, which is opposite to the Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre. Takarazuka fans already know this, but what is your impression of Theatre Creation?

Since it’s obviously my first time standing on this stage, but as someone who’s always comes to watch this theatre, it’s a theatre of very comfortable size that there’s an impression you could convey your everything there. This time I’ll be standing on the stage of this theatre, how would it feel when I’m now acting instead? I am again very thrilled about it.

There is acing in the root of all expressions

— Even though you just said it, this is your first time participating in the musical. How do you feel about playing a new role?

It’s simply excitement. I’ve performed in an audio drama a few days ago, the story is quite very deep and apart from feeling it was fun, that was again another challenge.

— Now, “the story is quite very deep and you feel fun”, was there a time when you realized this fun in acting, or was there a time where that consciousness changed for you?

When I accepted this role, rather than having a clear direction, because I’ve already had experience in Takarazuka for the many elements of singing, dancing and also acting. It’s really a lot of it, so I thought this wouldn’t be possible if not having the core of acting. No matter how wonderful your voice is in singing, without feeling (the core of acting), it would simply end at “that’s a beautiful voice”, and so is the same for dancing. For the show also, when I try to express what the scene is trying to depict, in the end all of this is connected to acting, “it can only be like this” I thought, and from then, I gradually felt that acting can go deep and can be fun.

— I would also like to ask about Takarazuka Revue when you found this fun in acting, now what’s the first memories you remember when hearing “Takarazuka”?

It has to be the rehearsal rooms. It’s the place where I spent the longest time in, so it’s nostalgic. If I can go to a place I want once again, surprisingly rather than the stage it’s actually the rehearsal room.

— You’ve put in your heart and effort into this musical. Just knowing about El Gallo role this time, you mentioned about wanting to surpass gender and age, the roles played Aizuki-san in Takarazuka did surpass ages, because there’s many dynamic roles you’ve done. From each of these roles, did you think that you were playing a human rather than playing as a role?

I think it’s because there are really many roles that I can't detach from their various characteristics (and I can't just play them as a human). Especially in my latter Takarazuka life (possibly implying Star Troupe times), I have a lot of these roles.

— So thinking about you role of El Gallo this time, apart from this role being fun, are there any more difficulties?

I think it’s fun to create the role myself. When the style is not fixed, that is up to the performer to have fun, and because I’ve had quite some experience in such roles, I hope to relive what I’ve accumulated into this role.

Because the Takarazuka “Otokoyaku” is not realistic, that’s why its presence is so unique

— How does it feel to continue pursuing the charm of “Otokoyaku”?

You could achieve this optimum coolness that real men can never have. What I mean is, there’s no such man in this world right? (LOL)

— Ah, that’s for sure! (LOL).

Even for me, after graduating, there’s not even once that I can meet someone cooler than the Takarazuka Otokoyaku (LOL). That’s why it’s really not realistic. Even though usually there won’t be such men in real life, when females do otokoyaku, everyone’s pursuing for the male image in our ideal. That’s why it’s so unique, and what you act certainly gives you some reward, “Everyone, there’s no such men like that in real life!”, you may have said something like that (LOL). Because there’s no such thing in real life, that’s what makes the Takarazuka Otokoyaku good.

— As you said even though this is definitely a charm in an unrealistic space, what’s your ideal in pursuing the male image?

An intelligent and a man with inclusivity. Because I really like those kind of roles, I also pursue to be an otokoyaku that has inclusivity.

— Amongst that, I’m sorry if this question is going to be difficult, but do you have any roles in mind that you love especially a lot?

Even though I’ve received such question before, it’s really difficult to choose.

— I see! I’m sorry!

Even though I have various roles that I have fond memories of, the one that purely comes to mind is possibly “WEST SIDE STORY”, which I quite love (my role) Bernard.

— Ah, I can feel that charmful otokoyaku image in (that role)!

I love playing (Bernard), because I thought he was a charming man, in that sense I have some memories of it.

Pursuing what’s to be seen in “FANTASTICKS”

— Now, you’ve mentioned you’re not in the next stage rehearsal yet, how are you spending your free time?

I’m very thankful to be involved in interviews like these, if my schedule is free then I will go to training or I’d fill up my schedule to have numerous dates with friends. On the other hand, whenever there’s a free day, I’d always be at home doing house affairs. I’m basically an indoor person, I love to spend the time slowly.

— As you mentioned in those days, when it’s time to start rehearsals for the new produciton, even though there’s no detailed schedule of anything yet, do you have any dreams of wanting to do something?

I really am excited and love participating in magazine work or modeeling work. Because I really love fashion, doing these kind of works would make me feeling various emotions of wanting to try these out. Also, because fans are such a very special and important presence to me, because everyone’s here that I’d work hard. Even after my graduating, fans never stopped supporting me, tihinking back this feeling is so strong, I’ve always thought of creating opportunities to meet with everyone. But from here I’ve been in various kinds of stage performance, I can’t say that I’m in that state of continuing to do more. In this sense, I’ll do my best in the musical stage of “FANTASTICKS”. Standing on this stage, I’d feel various kinds of emotions, what would I be seeing? What do I want to do more? I’m also anticipating for that and wanting to know more.

■PROFILE■

あいづきひかる〇Born in Chiba-prefecture. Entering the Revue in 2007 as a 93rd, assigned to Cosmos Troupe. From handsome and cool roles to the villains, she’s achieved popularity as a unique otokoyaku star. After being in Senka, she transferred to Star Troupe and was active as a core member, later graduating from “Yagyuu Scrolls”/“More Dandyism!”. Starting performing as a guest in 2022 “Tamaki Ryou’s 1st Concert 「CUORE」, she would later perform in Theatre Drama City’s 30th anniversary concrt “Dramatic City Yume (夢；Dream)”. This musical will be her first musical after her graduation.

#aizuki hikaru #takarazuka #cosmos troupe #star troupe #愛月ひかる #fantasticks #hibiscustranslation

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ausetkmt · 1 year

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A Florida Judge Finds a New Job: Defending an Inmate - The New York Times

At first, Judge Scott Cupp was a resolute, hard-core, you-gotta-be-joking skeptic. During his years as a defense lawyer, he had heard from dozens of inmates who swore they had been wrongly convicted, and he never believed a single one. So in 2002, when he learned about a guy named Leo Schofield, who by then had already served 13 years of a life sentence for murdering his wife, he didn’t need to hear the details.

“I thought if this guy’s innocent, I’m the Queen of Sheba,” he said in a recent interview.

For the record, Judge Cupp looks nothing like any depictions of the Queen of Sheba. At 66, he has gray hair and a fluffy gray beard that gives him the appearance of a trimmed-down Santa Claus, and when agitated he lets fly curse words not found in the Bible. (“I can get a little saucy, so you can edit some of this, right?”)

But today it is not enough to say Judge Cupp merely believes Leo Schofield is innocent; he considers Mr. Schofield’s imprisonment a grotesque mistake. Anyone wondering how Judge Cupp made the journey from total doubter to ardent crusader should seek out “Bone Valley,” a nine-part podcast released last year, which recounts Mr. Schofield’s story in harrowing, infuriating detail. The show is part of the true-crime podcast bonanza, fueled by the very human urge for stories in which sanity and justice ultimately prevail.

Here comes a spoiler: “Bone Valley” is not that kind of story. Mr. Schofield is still in prison. Which so irritates Judge Cupp that freeing him will soon become his full-time and unpaid job. In a move that is certain to confound more than a few colleagues, Judge Cupp will resign his seat on the 20th Judicial Circuit Court in Charlotte County, Fla. — he has been a judge since 2014 — and dedicate all of his working days to springing Mr. Schofield from behind bars.

“I’m leaving money on the table,” he said in a 90-minute video interview, noting that he could have remained in his current role for nine more years. But he doesn’t have any debt, his children are grown and he lives comfortably on 26 acres with plenty of woods and a pond.

“In a way, what I’m about to do is selfish,” he went on, “because it’s for my own psyche. I need to do this. I have to do this.”

Did you know you can share 10 gift articles a month, even with nonsubscribers?

Share this article.

“Bone Valley” has been a triumph for Lava for Good, a production company that focuses on social justice issues. It has been downloaded 4.5 million times, reaching No. 7 on Apple’s podcast chart and turning up on best-of-the-year lists.

Lava for Good has not released financial figures, so it’s hard to know if “Bone Valley” went beyond winning hearts and minds and turned a profit, a feat that has only gotten harder as the podcast market has grown more crowded. The company’s co-founders, Jason Flom and Jeff Kempler, who initially created Lava Records, signing artists like Lorde and Kid Rock, say they are primarily interested in different kinds of results.

“For us the most important measure of success is in outcomes,” Mr. Kempler wrote in an email, “in specific cases we cover, in laws and policies, in the election of fair and progressive prosecutors.”

“Bone Valley” is reported and narrated by Gilbert King, the author of the book “Devil in the Grove,” the nonfiction account of four Black men falsely accused of raping a white woman in central Florida in 1949, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 2013. Mr. King, who lives in Brooklyn, thought he was done with the Sunshine State until he visited Naples in 2018 to give a speech to the Florida Conference of Circuit Judges.

Judge Cupp attended by mistake, thinking Gilbert Gottfried, the now-deceased stand-up comic, was doing a set to add levity to the program. He quickly abandoned his plan to exit early and had a very different thought: This is the guy.

For more than a decade, he had been searching for a writer to dig into the case that preoccupied him. When Mr. King was done speaking, Judge Cupp approached and handed over his business card. On the back he had jotted down Mr. Schofield’s name and Florida Department of Corrections number.

“Not just wrongfully convicted,” he had added in a scrawl. “He’s an innocent man.”

A few days later, Mr. King called. Judge Cupp explained that during his defense lawyer days, he had overcome his initial doubts about Mr. Schofield and represented him in 2005, based on new evidence. He still failed to persuade prosecutors that they had imprisoned the wrong man. Soon after, he became a prosecutor himself and later joined the bench. But he never forgot this case.

“God help us if we can’t get this right,” he told Mr. King on the phone. Just read the trial transcripts, the judge suggested.

“I saw problems with the state’s case right away,” Mr. King recalled. Under the government’s theory, the murder occurred in the Schofield home, a single-wide trailer. “But multiple crime units did not find a single drop of blood in the place. How is that possible?”

The case dated to 1987, when the body of 18-year-old Michelle Schofield was discovered in a drainage canal in Lakeland, Fla., with 26 stab wounds. Suspicion quickly fell on her husband of just six months, a house painter who also played lead guitar in a bar band.

At the trial, prosecutors tarred Mr. Schofield as a violent hothead — he had struck Ms. Schofield on several occasions, the acts of an overly possessive husband, he said — and a neighbor said she had seen him on the night of the murder, moving a large object from his home that could have been a body. Mr. Schofield was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

“Honestly, I think I was numb,” Mr. Schofield says in a face-to-face interview for the podcast conducted in the prison, describing his reaction to the verdict. “I was so numb and beat down and disgusted I don’t think sadness was the reaction for me. For me, I was incredulous that this could even be taking place.”

Notably missing from the government’s case was any physical evidence linking Mr. Schofield to the crime. But fingerprints had been found in his wife’s car. Figuring out whom they belonged to became a fixation for Crissie Carter, a social worker who had met Mr. Schofield in prison when he assisted her in life skill classes she taught to inmates. In 1995, the two married, a turn of events that Ms. Carter, who now goes by Carter-Schofield, could scarcely believe herself.

“I didn’t know how to talk about it for years,” she said in a phone interview. “And the very few people I did share this with didn’t want to talk to me, because they thought there was something wrong with me.”

One of those former friends was a police officer, Synda Maynard, who was then married to Scott Cupp. In 2004, Ms. Carter-Schofield spent months begging, pleading and whining to persuade a very skeptical Officer Maynard to seek a match for the fingerprints recovered in Ms. Schofield’s car.

A few weeks later, Officer Maynard called with startling news. The prints belonged to Jeremy Scott, a deeply troubled, mentally diminished and violent man who, it turned out, had regularly taken a former girlfriend to the very secluded place where Ms. Schofield’s body was found. He was serving a life sentence for robbing and beating a man to death with a grape juice bottle.

When Mr. Cupp learned about the prints, he agreed to become Mr. Schofield’s lawyer, expecting that the prosecution would soon produce a face-saving plea deal and bring the life sentence to a swift end.

“I thought the case had unraveled for the state and Leo’s going to get out,” he said. “Wrong, wrong, wrong.”

Mr. Schofield stayed put, even after Mr. Scott took the stand at an evidentiary hearing in 2017 and confessed under oath.

Mr. Schofield has since earned a bachelor’s degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and leads a prison ministry attended by 150 inmates every Sunday. He has never had a private moment with his wife of nearly 30 years, let alone a conjugal visit. The daughter the couple adopted in 2000 now has two children of her own. His disciplinary record is as close to spotless as it gets for someone who has spent decades in penitentiaries.

But on three occasions, lawyers for the state attorney’s office have shown up at parole board hearings to argue that Mr. Schofield is a remorseless killer who should die in prison. And someone from that office will apparently attend hearing No. 4, scheduled for sometime in March or April.

“If we thought that Leo Schofield, or any other inmate, was innocent, we would take immediate action to right that injustice,” said Jacob S. Orr, chief assistant state attorney for Florida’s 10th Judicial Circuit. “However, the state cannot ignore the overwhelming amount of evidence that has proven Leo Schofield guilty.”

Mr. Orr attached a two-page document of detailed talking points. “It seems this is an attempt to promote a podcast,” reads one sentence.

That’s a line that Judge Cupp has heard before.

“I hope to God somebody says that in my presence,” he said during the interview, talking about the upcoming parole hearing. “Yeah, we’re just rolling in dough here.”

He and Mr. Schofield have become friends, bonded by the latter’s struggle and their shared Christian faith. In a bonus episode released last week, Judge Cupp visits Mr. Schofield at Hardee Correctional Institution to ask permission to represent him again. In a subsequent interview with Mr. King, Mr. Schofield says he’s happy to have his superhero back.

It might take superheroics to free Mr. Schofield. Or maybe the state will be daunted by the media spectacle the next parole hearing is sure to be and skip the proceeding. Prosecutors are under no obligation to attend.

Either way, Judge Cupp is ready. Asked why he had left behind a comfortable career and a steady paycheck, and why he would succeed where previous lawyers had failed, he paused for a moment, as though contemplating a barbell he was eager to bench press.

“I am done sitting idly by and letting the state assault this man,” he said. “And that’s what they’ve done. They’ve lied about him. They’ve assaulted his character. And I’m not taking it any more, on his behalf.”

#florida #racism in law #A Florida Judge Finds a New Job: Defending an Inmate

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rosalyn51 · 2 years

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Awards Special Issue

This article is published in The Hollywood Reporter's Emmys Special Issue: TV Movie, Limited Series, Anthology this week (June 9, 2022)

Bringing a Hollywood Icon Back to Life

MATTHEW GOODE DONNED PLENTY OF POLYESTER AND COUNTLESS PAIRS OF LARGE-FRAMED SUNGLASSES TO PORTRAY ROBERT EVANS IN THE PARAMOUNT+ LIMITED SERIES THE OFFER

by Jason Diamond

Transforming yourself into a Hollywood icon is one thing, but for Matthew Goode to really pull off playing Robert Evans — a titan of 1970s cinema who helped make some of the biggest movies in history happen — he had to go all-in. It wasn’t just the suits and the late Paramount producer’s penchant for cool eyewear; the British Goode had to perfect Evans’ smoothed down New York accent and deep tone in order to sound just like the guy who helped reshape cinema forever in Paramount+’s The Offer. The limited series tells the tall Hollywood tale of how Evans — along with Albert Ruddy, Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola and a number of other film luminaries — helped take The Godfather from a successful novel to one of the most important films ever made. Goode spoke with THR about how his wardrobe (and many pairs of glasses) helped him embody the infamous film executive.

Did you ever get to meet Robert Evans when he was alive?

No, I never did. I spoke to a few people who did and some who knew him really well. I found out recently that I was in the same place as him once — we were in the same cinema screening, [2009’s] A Single Man, but I would never have thought, “There’s Bob Evans. I’ll go meet him.” Even if I had known it, I don’t think I would’ve gone up to him. I think I’d have scurried away.

He had this unmistakable voice, a very specific way of speaking that was fast, but easy to understand, peppered with cool phrases and Yiddishims. How did you get it so right?

It was rather terrifying, I can assure you, when Dexter [Fletcher, executive producer] said, “Do you want to do it?” I was like, “Oh Lord.” I knew who he was, obviously, I saw The Kid Stays in the Picture [the 2002 documentary based on Evans’ 1994 memoir] when it came out, and I just thought what a brilliant program that was, but I didn’t want to listen to that voice because that’s his future. That’s him in his 70s, and rhythms change. I got on YouTube and found some amazing interviews from the 1970s, which I subsequently went on to watch hundreds of times. I think I had about a month and a half from when I was asked to do it to my first day [of filming]. That’s a really lovely amount of time to get your teeth into. I did that slightly embarrassing thing of putting myself on tape and looking at his physicality and certain gestures that he used. I’m was also bearing in mind that when someone’s giving an interview, they’re presenting a different side of themselves. This project focuses on a time when his life is slightly more haywire, so I got to — to quote Spinal Tap — turn it up to 11.

Evans’ Beverly Hills mansion was sold in 2020. Did you have an opportunity to see it when you were in L.A.?

I did! Well, not in the way that I’d hoped. I went to Armani to be fitted for a suit for a premiere, and as I finished, I was like, “Bob lived not far from here. I’ve got nothing else to do today. I’m going to walk from here up to his house. It’s a lovely walk.” I don’t know what I was thinking. I [thought] maybe there’d be a housekeeper or something. I obviously knew he was dead, but maybe somebody would take pity on me and let me in. I just wanted to see the pool. It would be nice to have a view of where the great man lived. There was a nice foreman there who came down to the gate. I was like, “Any chance I could, uh, come in and have a look at the pool?” I think if I’d been Brad Pitt or someone with a huge stature, they might have been OK, but they were like, “Who’s this weird English bloke?” They didn’t let me in. But I offered up a couple of words to [Evans], and then I thought, “Why am I talking to a dead man?” And then I promptly left and walked home.

Something I appreciate about The Offer is the attention to detail, especially all the famous L.A. locations like Musso & Frank or Chateau Marmont. Did you get to spend time in any of those spots?

We couldn’t actually film at Chateau Marmont because of ongoing disputes between the staff and [hotel management], which is a shame, although I thought [the production designers] mocked it up rather well. I went to the Polo Lounge. That was, you know, a bit of research. I know it’s changed over time; it’s too modern in there, so we couldn’t film there. We filmed at Musso & Frank, which is wonderful. I think I went out four times in several months [of filming], and that was one of the places. I was like, I’ve got to come back here cause I keep hearing about how when they make a martini, you get a little jug of it on the side. Who doesn’t want extra martini?

Those martinis can put a big man on the floor.

Yes, they will. They’ll sneak up on you.

The wardrobe department did an incredible job dressing you as Evans. Did you have any input, or did you just let them do their jobs?

I think I only have input when you feel that something isn’t going the way you would expect or what you had envisioned. It was a lot of polyester — the ’70s was not necessarily the most comfortable era. But it was brilliant. They found some Yves Saint Laurent shirts, I don’t know where they got hold of them, but they were exactly the same ones that Bob would’ve worn. They had a double button at the top and four buttons down the [wrist]. It was so highly starched, after about three days my fingers were bleeding. And then, obviously, they brought out 20 pairs of glasses as well. They asked, “Which ones do you want to use? And I was like, “I think we should just use all of them.”

You do have a nice variety of eyewear on the show.

Yeah. We get through quite a lot. There are a couple of scenes where I was like, “This has a bit more gravitas, so [the glasses should be] a bit more serious.” I did stick to the classic black pairs, but I had a lot of fun every day with Dusty, who was in charge of the props. I would often go, “What do you reckon today, Dusty?”

You’ve played Charles Ryder in Brideshead Revisited and a lawyer on The Good Wife. You’ve been on The Crown and Downton Abbey, and now you’ve played Robert Evans. Who is your best-dressed character?

I had a lot of people ask where I got that jumper when I was playing Uncle Charlie in Stoker — I had this mustard jumper and suddenly that was all anybody was talking about. And Charles was pretty well-dressed, but I’m getting to the age now where I forget what the hell I’ve been in. I’d have to IMDb myself, which would be a terrifying thing to do.

You mentioned you said a few words to the spirit of Evans when you went to his house …

It sounds a bit silly when you say it like that, but yes.

No, it’s lovely. If you had a chance to talk with him right now, what would you ask Robert Evans after getting to play him?

For his forgiveness.

Do you think you’d get along?

I think we’d bond. He’d tell me that I should have sat out in the sun a bit more to really get a better tan.

Interview edited for length and clarity.

#Emmys #FYC

The Hollywood Reporter Emmys Special Issue: TV Movie, Limited Series, Anthology this week (June 9, 2022) Front Cover

#matthew goode #a discovery of witches #henry talbot #downton abbey #the crown netflix #the good wife #finn polmar #matthewgoode #the offer #the offer tv series #downton abbey movie #emmys 2022 #fyc #hollywood icon #robert evans

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