Hi all,
I am lucky enough to be visiting London for the first time ever with my family of 4 (myself, partner, 7 year old, 6 year old) for about 10 days at the end of June/Beginning of July. We are flying into Manchester to visit my sister (who lives there) for a few days, then coming down to London. (As an aside this leads to my first question: I'd rather take a train, but my sister says the trains have not been reliable of late and recommends that we rent a car and drive in instead. Our hotel is just south of Paddington Station, any opinions on Train vs. rental car from Manchester to the hotel in London are welcome.)
The big reason for posting here is a sanity check for our itinerary during our stay in London. Since we have two kids (7y/o and 6y/o) with us we are trying to make as kid-friendly a trip as possible while still getting to many of the famous sights. For that reason we've also tried not to over-fill our days, but it is hard to tell if we have succeeded. Below is our current plan:

• Day 1 in London: arrive at 3pm at hotel. Rest, then first major activity Kensington Gardens and Diana Memorial Playground.
  
• Day 2: Natural History Museum and Kyoto Gardens.
  
• Day 3: Morning: Changing of guard (horse) at Buckingham Palace, then the London Eye. River boat tour after lunch (round trip from the Eye). Then the London National Army Museum.
  
• Day 4: Morning: Tour of HMS Belfast. Afternoon: Tower of London and Tower Bridge.
  
• Day 5: Morning: UK National Art Gallery and Trafalgar Square. Afternoon: British Library.
  
• Day 6: Morning: Kew Gardens. Afternoon: Show at London Cambridge Theatre.
  
• Day 7: British Museum all day, with Tea in the afternoon.
  
• Day 8: Windsor Legoland Day Trip.
  
• Day 9: Morning: RAF Museum. Afternoon: London Science Museum.
  
• Day 10: Fly home at 9am out of Heathrow (how early should we get there?).
  

I'd love any ideas or thoughts about the above plan. No specific meals are mentioned because we haven't planned those in detail yet, so any recommendations on breakfast/lunch/dinner would be excellent. Suggestions for changing the days we do things, replacing one item with another, etc. Almost nothing (beyond the hotel and flights) are locked in yet. Thanks!!

Regular public interviews given in formal and informal settings are a defining feature of the Zen records across their history.
The formal public interviews weren't limited to Zen Masters "ascending the chair" in the monastic commune and answering questions from regular Preceptors, long-distance travelers, or laypeople; the Zen records also show that we have Zen Masters being invited to the court of various potentates with Zhaozhou, Huangbo, and the various "National Teachers", such as Huizhong being prime examples. In attendance at the court interviews were occaisonally religious leaders of a Buddhist or Daoist persuasian that tried (and failed) to shut down the conversation.
Naturally, these sorts of formal interviews would be known for some time in advance and everybody would have ample time to come up with a real good question to try and nail the Zen Master with. Records of formal interviews, such as Huangbo's Transmission of Mind text involve highly educated people asking questions and follow-up questions that are evidence of the high-stakes nature of it all.
One slip up and it ends up written down.
Just as a therapist might start an engagement by asking "What brings you to therapy?" or a hiring manager might start by asking "What's your educational background?" Zen Masters and their communities frequently start of an engagement by asking a question.
A couple examples of this are the famous "What do they teach where you come from?" from Yangshan as well as the less-famous Budai's "What do you call this?"
(Found below is part of case from Budai:)

At times when the crowds on the boulevard would swell, Budai would open up his bag, dump it all out on the street, and exclaim, ”Look, look!”
He would then pick things up, item by item, whilst asking passersby, ”What do you call this!?”

Over the years at /Zen, we have put together some "standard questions" that test both people's willingness to sincerely engage with the Zen tradition of public Q & A as well as their understanding of this tradition.

Standard Questions

1) Where have you just come from?

Seeking for no dharma within; establishing no dharmas without.

2) What's your text?

I've been reading and taking extensive notes on Mingben's Illusory Man. That's the text I've come back to again and again since we first received an English translation of it from Mr. Dufficy a few years back. Part of the charm of reading Zen texts is that every single engagement involves answering the questions that the text poses as well as bringing forth different aspects of it for consideration.
It's a lot like coming back to Romeo & Juliet by watching a theatre production of a it, listening to a recording of it, or watching a film adaption of it, having read it in print.
Mingben is at the tail-end of Zen in China and the type of instruction he gives in his text seems very clearly tied to the collapse of society, literacy, and conversation around him. To wit, "Why are crows black?" is very much a non-starter for dharma-conversation in Zen.

3) Dharma low tides?

In general, people going around trying to find imaginary "high tides" to escape "low tides" just aren't engaging in Zen study. Conceiving of the Zen dharma as a matter of "tides" is like chasing after an imaginary haze in the distance in the belief that it will satisfy thirst.
Part of the history of this question on /Zen comes from the fact that religious-meditators in the not-Zen Dogenist religion were not satisfied with the results of their asceticism since it didn't resolve the doubts that initially spurred them to engage in prolonged sitting for medically and mentally unhealthy lengths of time.
As evidenced by the the decade of attempted AMA's (some of which are recorded here), the only type of answers that the religiously inclinded provide to the obviously-distressed askers of this sort of question boil down to stuff like "pray-meditate harder", "just believe", or "discuss with your Priest".
That is not Zen.
It's also the sort of stuff that pisses Zen Masters off.
Deshan:

I see that wherever you go you determine to learn Buddhism in the assembly of some old baldy, taking on a load without concern for your body or life. All of you have had your eyes nailed shut and your root of life severed. You’re like two or three hundred whores. You say your regal sway sets up the banner of the teaching to open the eyes of later generations; but can you even save yourselves?

Yunmen:

"These old shavepates everywhere! Sitting on round chairs and long [meditation] benches, they want to acquire fame and profit. Asked about Buddha, they answer 'Buddha,' and asked about patriarch they answer 'patriarch,' and they shit and piss. [What they say] is just like information passed around among boondock grannies. They don't even know good from bad!

"You're all just like them; [you ought to] have trouble to consume even water [with a good conscience]."

Zhenjing:

For no reason [people that claim to know] sit in pits of crap fooling spirits and ghosts. When people are like this, what crime is there is killing them by the thousands and feeding them to the dogs?

There it was, on the table in Nicola Coughlan’s apartment — a microscopic undergarment that loomed large in the actor’s mind.
The “Bridgerton” costume department had sent Coughlan home with a piece of intimacy wear that was essentially a strapless thong that would cover the bare essentials of her body during an upcoming love scene.
It would be her first time ever acting in such a scene, in a series known globally for its sexy yet empowering bedroom romps, and it would require her to be almost totally naked in front of people she’d worked with for years. Coughlan was understandably terrified. One night, she poured herself a margarita and summoned the liquid courage to try on the tiny sliver of fabric.
“I went to the bathroom and looked in the full-length mirror. I was like, ‘Absolutely not.’ I hid it down the bottom of the laundry basket,” Coughlan recalled on a cold morning in January at Netflix’s offices in Manhattan. “I was like, ‘How am I going to do this?’”
Coughlan eventually got over her nerves. Much to her surprise, she found the process of filming the scenes with her co-star Luke Newton creatively satisfying — liberating, even. “By the end of the day, we were both lying under a blanket, not clothed, just chillin’. We were like, ‘This is why nudists do it,’” said Coughlan, who speaks in a rapid, melodious accent that only adds to her natural exuberance.
While discussing the arc of her career, she goes on joyful digressions, praising everything from Mrs. Renfro’s salsa to Ryan Gosling’s performance in the forgotten teen series “Breaker High” to “Saturday Night Live,” which she’s just attended for the third time and hopes to host one day (are you listening, Lorne Michaels?).
She is nothing if not enthusiastic, and she brings this level of passion to Season 3 of “Bridgerton,” the first half of which will return to Netflix on Thursday. Until now, her character, Penelope Featherington, has been content to be a wallflower in the ballrooms of Regency London, allowing her to observe and secretly write a society scandal sheet under the pseudonym Lady Whistledown.
But this season will focus on Penelope as she — spoiler alert — consummates her long-simmering crush on Colin Bridgerton (Newton) in a friends-to-lovers storyline with distinct rom-com overtones. Penelope’s move into the center of the narrative also meant that Coughlan faced new pressures as the lead in one of the most watched and dissected shows on Netflix.
“With Penelope this season, it felt like there were so many things that were reflected in real life. The whole theme of her stepping out of the shadows and into the light, and not feeling quite ready — I felt like I had to do that,” said Coughlan.
“It was really challenging. It was terrifying. It was cathartic. It was a million and one things,” she added. “I loved it.”
She juggled “Bridgerton” with an edgy turn in “Big Mood,” a “Fleabag”-esque dark comedy released last month on Tubi. On top of that, she also had a small role in the biggest box office hit of 2023, “Barbie” — she wanted to do more but, alas, her schedule was too packed — and filmed a guest appearance in the “Doctor Who” Christmas special to be released later this year.
It amounts to a long-simmering breakout moment for Coughlan, who is 37 but thanks to a preternaturally dewy complexion often plays characters who are much younger than she is, like a Catholic high school student in the Troubles-themed sitcom “Derry Girls.”
“It was very exciting to play grown women. But I was like, ‘Can I do that?’ Even in drama school, they would always cast me as the random kid, like, there was an Ibsen play called ‘Little Eyolf,’ and I had to play Eyolf. I was like, ‘This is gonna be me forever.’”
Raised in County Galway on the western coast of Ireland, she grew up liking whatever her older siblings were into — whether it was Nirvana or “Wayne’s World.” When her sister starred in the school play, Coughlan showed up in a sequined vest, looking like a little Liza Minnelli — as if she knew she also wanted to be onstage. (She still has a taste for eccentric glamour: Despite the wintry gloom, she’s decked out in a gold spangled dress and a cloud-like ruffled bolero.)
At age 9, she scored her first professional gig, a movie called “My Brother’s War” starring James Brolin. She got the day off from school, but she wanted more. “I used to look at the Olsen twins. I was like, ‘God, look, look at where they are,’” she joked. As a teenager, she did regular voice work in cartoons. Her father, who was in the Irish army (as a teenage cadet, he took part in U.S. President Kennedy’s funeral in 1963), and mother, a stay-at-home parent, were supportive but also baffled by their youngest child’s dramatic streak. “It’s really not in my family at all,” Coughlan said.
After graduating from the National University of Ireland Galway, Coughlan enrolled in a foundational course at the Oxford School of Drama in England, where she quickly bonded with fellow student Camilla Whitehill.
“We were the only people there that really cared about things being funny,” said Whitehill, a playwright who would go on to create “Big Mood” as a vehicle for her old drama school friend. “Everyone else just wanted to do plays where their family had died, or whatever.”
There it was, on the table in Nicola Coughlan’s apartment — a microscopic undergarment that loomed large in the actor’s mind.
The “Bridgerton” costume department had sent Coughlan home with a piece of intimacy wear that was essentially a strapless thong that would cover the bare essentials of her body during an upcoming love scene.
It would be her first time ever acting in such a scene, in a series known globally for its sexy yet empowering bedroom romps, and it would require her to be almost totally naked in front of people she’d worked with for years. Coughlan was understandably terrified. One night, she poured herself a margarita and summoned the liquid courage to try on the tiny sliver of fabric.
“I went to the bathroom and looked in the full-length mirror. I was like, ‘Absolutely not.’ I hid it down the bottom of the laundry basket,” Coughlan recalled on a cold morning in January at Netflix’s offices in Manhattan. “I was like, ‘How am I going to do this?’”
Coughlan eventually got over her nerves. Much to her surprise, she found the process of filming the scenes with her co-star Luke Newton creatively satisfying — liberating, even. “By the end of the day, we were both lying under a blanket, not clothed, just chillin’. We were like, ‘This is why nudists do it,’” said Coughlan, who speaks in a rapid, melodious accent that only adds to her natural exuberance.
While discussing the arc of her career, she goes on joyful digressions, praising everything from Mrs. Renfro’s salsa to Ryan Gosling’s performance in the forgotten teen series “Breaker High” to “Saturday Night Live,” which she’s just attended for the third time and hopes to host one day (are you listening, Lorne Michaels?).
Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan hold champagne glasses on "Bridgerton."
Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) go from friends to lovers in Season 3 of “Bridgerton.” (Liam Daniel / Netflix)
She is nothing if not enthusiastic, and she brings this level of passion to Season 3 of “Bridgerton,” the first half of which will return to Netflix on Thursday. Until now, her character, Penelope Featherington, has been content to be a wallflower in the ballrooms of Regency London, allowing her to observe and secretly write a society scandal sheet under the pseudonym Lady Whistledown.
But this season will focus on Penelope as she — spoiler alert — consummates her long-simmering crush on Colin Bridgerton (Newton) in a friends-to-lovers storyline with distinct rom-com overtones. Penelope’s move into the center of the narrative also meant that Coughlan faced new pressures as the lead in one of the most watched and dissected shows on Netflix.
“With Penelope this season, it felt like there were so many things that were reflected in real life. The whole theme of her stepping out of the shadows and into the light, and not feeling quite ready — I felt like I had to do that,” said Coughlan.
“It was really challenging. It was terrifying. It was cathartic. It was a million and one things,” she added. “I loved it.”
She juggled “Bridgerton” with an edgy turn in “Big Mood,” a “Fleabag”-esque dark comedy released last month on Tubi. On top of that, she also had a small role in the biggest box office hit of 2023, “Barbie” — she wanted to do more but, alas, her schedule was too packed — and filmed a guest appearance in the “Doctor Who” Christmas special to be released later this year.
It amounts to a long-simmering breakout moment for Coughlan, who is 37 but thanks to a preternaturally dewy complexion often plays characters who are much younger than she is, like a Catholic high school student in the Troubles-themed sitcom “Derry Girls.”
“It was very exciting to play grown women. But I was like, ‘Can I do that?’ Even in drama school, they would always cast me as the random kid, like, there was an Ibsen play called ‘Little Eyolf,’ and I had to play Eyolf. I was like, ‘This is gonna be me forever.’”
Raised in County Galway on the western coast of Ireland, she grew up liking whatever her older siblings were into — whether it was Nirvana or “Wayne’s World.” When her sister starred in the school play, Coughlan showed up in a sequined vest, looking like a little Liza Minnelli — as if she knew she also wanted to be onstage. (She still has a taste for eccentric glamour: Despite the wintry gloom, she’s decked out in a gold spangled dress and a cloud-like ruffled bolero.)
At age 9, she scored her first professional gig, a movie called “My Brother’s War” starring James Brolin. She got the day off from school, but she wanted more. “I used to look at the Olsen twins. I was like, ‘God, look, look at where they are,’” she joked. As a teenager, she did regular voice work in cartoons. Her father, who was in the Irish army (as a teenage cadet, he took part in U.S. President Kennedy’s funeral in 1963), and mother, a stay-at-home parent, were supportive but also baffled by their youngest child’s dramatic streak. “It’s really not in my family at all,” Coughlan said.
After graduating from the National University of Ireland Galway, Coughlan enrolled in a foundational course at the Oxford School of Drama in England, where she quickly bonded with fellow student Camilla Whitehill.
“We were the only people there that really cared about things being funny,” said Whitehill, a playwright who would go on to create “Big Mood” as a vehicle for her old drama school friend. “Everyone else just wanted to do plays where their family had died, or whatever.”
Nicola Coughlan holds her fingers against her cheek. Yellow orbs float behind her.
Nicola Coughlan on playing Penelope this season: “The whole theme of her stepping out of the shadows and into the light, and not feeling quite ready — I felt like I had to do that.” (Evelyn Freja / For The Times)
Coughlan, ever the pop culture connoisseur, introduced Whitehill to the sitcom “Arrested Development.”
“She’s one of those people who, if she thinks you will like something, she will make you watch it. And she is — annoyingly — usually right,” added Whitehill. (More recently, Coughlan urged her friend to catch up on “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.” “It’s such an easy one to sell to people. I’m like, ‘One of them is a cult leader who’s married to her granddad; are you in or are you out?’” Coughlan said.)
They both eventually landed in London, where “neither of us was successful at all for our whole 20s,” said Whitehill, who would often cast Coughlan in “my bad unpaid short plays at pubs,” including one where Coughlan played a cat.
“You leave drama school, which is a lovely, cozy bosom where you get to do the thing you love every day. Then you go, ‘Hang on. Thousands of people leave drama school every year, and they want to do the exact job I do.’ It seems so improbable that you’ll make a living doing it,” said Coughlan. “I felt like a loser at so many points.”
One such nadir came when she was working at a frozen yogurt shop at a mall in West London and the cheap jeans she wore as part of her uniform tore “right up the butt crack.” It was sobering, she said. “I was like, ‘This is not the life I wanted.’”
By the time she was in her late 20s, she’d moved back home and was working for an optician in Galway. Then she saw a listing for an open casting call for a festival of plays being put on by the Old Vic Theatre. Even though she was broke, she flew back to London for the audition and landed a part in a play called “Jess and Joe Forever.”
It marked a turning point for Coughlan, who was soon cast as studious teen Clare Devlin in Channel 4’s “Derry Girls,” a project she was drawn to because of its vividly drawn female characters.
“They were all really distinct — young women who were ballsy and foul-mouthed,” she said. She convinced herself that the show would flop because “people hate women trying to be funny.” Instead, the show was a massive hit in the U.K. and earned a devoted following in the U.S. when it was picked up by Netflix.
Then, Shonda Rhimes came calling about “Bridgerton.” After a single audition, Coughlan was cast as Penelope, a thoughtful, sharp-witted young woman with an overbearing mother and tacky, dim-witted sisters. Season 1 was released in late 2020, when much of the world was staying home because of the COVID-19 pandemic-related closures, and it became a sensation.
Whitehill recalls going out with her friend once restrictions had lifted in the U.K. and sensing how much had shifted. “It’s such a weird, un-put-into-words-able experience to watch someone you know for such a long time become globally famous,” she said. The fact that Coughlan didn’t find success straight out of school “has grounded her significantly, which means that she doesn’t let it go to her head.”
Success has not come without complications, however, like the relentless media scrutiny around Coughlan’s physical appearance. “It’s really hard and feels [like] s—,” she said.
In 2018, she wrote an essay for the Guardian responding to a theater critic who described her character in a London production of “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” as “an overweight little girl.” Coughlan is determined to push back against this kind of casual body-shaming because, she said, “I grew up at a time where it was so overt. There was the circle of shame for cellulite [in magazines] — just horrific, horrific messaging.”
It’s also why this season of “Bridgerton,” which celebrates the allure of a character often overlooked as a wallflower, is so meaningful to Coughlan — and why she suspects it will resonate with so many viewers. Rhimes and showrunner Jess Brownell decided Season 3 should deviate from the timeline in Julia Quinn’s novels and focus on Penelope and Colin — a couple known to fans as “Polin.”
“We’ve watched Colin not quite understand that Penelope has a crush on him for two seasons. You can only play that dynamic out for so long before it gets frustrating,” said Brownell.
Stepping into the lead meant Coughlan would need to be on set nearly every day for eight months straight. But if she was overwhelmed at first, she didn’t let on. “She just seemed so game and ready for anything on set,” said Brownell. “If anything, I just noticed how seriously she was taking her preparation.”
Coughlan was insightful and collaborative, said Brownell, sharing an endless stream of ideas about her character in a WhatsApp group chat with Newton and Brownell. She had suggestions for specific music cues and for Penelope’s makeover, which sees her ditching her tight red poodle curls and garish citrus-hued gowns for loose waves and cool blues and greens. Coughlan is also very plugged into the fandom, and she advocated for including a scene, important to novel readers, in which Penelope calls Colin “Mr. Bridgerton.”
As if that weren’t enough, she even found time to bake fresh Irish soda bread and bring it to set.
This season is “a lot lighter and more playful than we’ve been able to be in the past,” Brownell added. The writing leans into Coughlan’s strengths as a comedic performer, particularly her knack for awkward banter, a skill she deploys as Penelope throws herself into the London social season in a bid to find a husband.
Coughlan, who enjoyed being, as she put it, “the weirdo in the background” for the first two seasons of “Bridgerton” and who idolizes women like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Kristen Wiig, said it was a thrill “to play Penelope as goofy and terrible with men.”
Like Coughlan, Newton was nervous about filming the love scenes but found the anxiety quickly dissipated after the first take. “We both had a similar outlook — it’s like doing comedy because you’re having to put yourself out there and feel exposed and risk something,” said Newton (who watched “Hamilton” at Coughlan’s recommendation and loved it, just as she predicted.) Because of how these moments focus on consent and emotional intimacy, “It was essential that we were friends,” he said.
The co-stars were especially heartened to hear from a burly security guard named Dave who has worked on “Bridgerton” since Season 1 and was moved by the romance he watched them act out on set.
“He came to Luke and I and said, ‘I don’t normally watch shows like this. Something about this season is very special, and I’m very proud of you,’” Coughlan recalled.
For several weeks, Coughlan was filming “Bridgerton” and “Big Mood” at the same time. She coped with the stress by watching “Vanderpump Rules” from the beginning.
“It’s a testament to how nosy I am that I heard people talking about Scandoval, had no frame of reference and was like, ‘Well, I need to know,’” said Coughlan, now a superfan who recently threw a “Vanderpump”-themed housewarming party and made a beeline to take a selfie with Ariana Madix when she was at “SNL.” It’s not just escapism: She also finds creative inspiration in reality TV personalities, channeling some of Lala Kent’s mannerisms into her character in “Big Mood.” “You forget how f— weird people are, how bizarre they can be,” she said.
In January, Coughlan had not yet seen the new season of “Bridgerton.” But by phone in early May, she said she’d finally watched the episode in which Colin and Penelope sleep together, nervously, by herself in a hotel room. Once again, the anticipation was worse than the thing itself.
“I laughed and cried and I was like, ‘Oh, my God, it’s amazing,’” she said. “They’re not titillating just to be titillating, even though we hope they are sexy. There’s so much about female pleasure and positive sexual experiences, and we don’t get enough of that onscreen.”
Coughlan has reached a bittersweet crossroads on “Bridgerton,” now that her character’s big season has wrapped and she will soon return to being “the weirdo in the background.” But she has no regrets.
“We left it all on the pitch. There’s nothing I wanted to do this season that I didn’t get to do,” she said. “And that’s a rare thing.”
Source: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-05-12/nicola-coughlan-bridgerton-season-3
It seems some people are having trouble accessing it. There's no paywall for me, and I'm in the USA.

I (25F) am aware that I have terribly low self esteem and consulted 4 different therapists in the past few months to confirm and reconfirm if that’s really true in my case. I am a student and cannot afford to pay for sessions so I am not continuing with any therapist I consulted.
Recently, my friend’s dad passed away. I have always been jealous of her. First, she is pretty. Second, she comes from a well off family. Third, her parents are very supportive and the level of confidence she has now I attribute it all to how she was raised. Fourth, while i always had to work hard she just got lucky with each time. Example: she scored low on one of her exams, gave for revaluation got a straight up 100. Another, she attended 2/3 of auditions to qualify to be a part of a theatre group but still managed to make it.
Coming back to the recent tragedy in her life where her father passed away. Where I was supposed to sympathise with her I somewhat had a fear. The fear that if she handles it too well then again people will start respecting her even more. But why do I care about it as much?
I am in a relationship with a guy for over 2 years now. This friend of mine and my boyfriend have talked quite a few times before even I got into the picture. She was pretty and he was kinda famous and all that stuff .. blah blah blah
CUT TO.
I fear that if everyone in my friend group starts to think of her so highly then he will too. I am very insecure. We get into fights at times because i at times need constant reassurances. I have very low confidence. So much so that I had to quit jobs because I always felt incompetent. I have started to become way too toxic in my head and it reflects in my behaviour. I might be pushing him away with this I don’t know.
It’s jus I feel that i can never be special and everyone around me is. I am trying to keep my friend circle small so he never gets to meet any of my friends. I take concious efforts to not make him meet my friends. Because if i do, i fear he’ll compare me with my friends, think that i am not good enough and leave, eventually!

In memory of Leslie Shay
10 years ago, on May 13, 2014, Leslie Shay (played by Lauren German), the fan-favorite character of the NBC studio's series Chicago Fire, died in the finale of the second season. True, viewers only learned about this when the third season started. The death of the character was followed by an uproar from the audience, the popularity of the series (which had been on the rise until then) and the number of viewers decreased, because many people stopped watching the series due to Shay's death, including the author of this post (I reached the end of the third season). Due to the anniversary, I started researching on the Internet to better understand why Shay's character was destined for this fate, and using quite a few references and also abundant with spoilers, I will share with everyone what I came up with in this post. I will also write my own opinion.
(I apologize for any grammatical errors, I did not write the post in English and I created the English version with the help of Google Translate)
Shay's character probably doesn't need to be introduced to anyone, but if you do, this link nicely summarizes why everyone loved her so much.
https://screenrant.com/chicago-fire-leslie-shay-lauren-german-best-traits-facts-trivia/
When I started researching the topic, I read that despite the fact that Chicago Fire is already in its 13th season, Shay remains one of the most loved and most missed characters to this day. However, later, when I wrote the post, I could not find the source again, if anyone can send a link to this topic, please do so.
It is clear that if the series loses such a popular character, it will have an impact and will shake the viewers. Well, it turns out, more than anything in the show's 13 seasons. I found a lot of sources to prove this:
1)
People's Choice Awards, USA, 2015 / Favorite TV Character We Miss Most
In the above category, Shay made it to the top 5, which no one else did later.
https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000530/2015/1?ref_=nmawd_ev_1
2)
Most shocking TV deaths of all time
https://tvline.com/lists/shocking-tv-deaths/leslie-shay-chicago-fire/
Shay is also included in the top 100 list above, as well as two other characters from the entire One Chicago franchise, Elias Koteas as Alvin Olinsky and Yuri Sardarov as Otis. Thus, Shay was on a list with the likes of Teri Bauer (24), Lance Sweets (Bones), Bobby Ewing (Dallas) or Ned Stark (GoT)
3)
And this is what ChatGPT answered when it was asked which of the characters in Chicago Fire had the most heartbreaking death (short quote from the answer):
"The most heartbreaking character death was definitely Leslie Shay. Oh, it was gut-wrenching! Shay, played by the incredibly talented Lauren German, was such a beloved and integral member of Firehouse 51....."
https://onechicagocenter.com/2023/07/24/heartbreaking-chicago-fire-death-according-ai-not-otisi/
4)
If I use the Google Search service, the answer to this search will also be Shay:
Question: "chicago fire most heartbreaking death"
Answer: "Leslie Shay died in a fire"
Searching the internet, it became clear to me that it wasn't just Shay's death that shocked viewers, but also the fact that the show's creators made the decision to get rid of Shay's character. This decision raised many questions and problems, which I will go through below. There are a lot of posts and articles on the internet about why Lauren German left the series, but in fact they were all based on a single, otherwise amazingly short interview that was made with Matt Olmstead. I found this at this link:
https://tvline.com/interviews/lauren-german-leaving-chicago-fire-shay-killed-off-549958/
If anyone has seen or read other interviews or other information, please share them.
I read a lot of comments under the link above, and I would like to thank everyone for expressing their opinions there. I read a lot of things in the comments that I didn't even think of at first, but it's good that they brought them to my attention, because I completely agreed with them.

1. The creators of the series killed off the third female character in 2 seasons, who was also one of the main characters.
2. Killing a character directly just for the sake of dramatic effect is already quite a boring solution
3. Olmstead praised Lauren German's talent a lot in the interview, but then why didn't the producers try to keep the actress?
4. Olmstead stated that there will be no flashbacks involving Shay. But in the first episode there were 4 (from Severide, Dawson and Boden)
5. The LGBT community also received a slap in the face, as an openly lesbian character was killed off. This is also a solution that has been seen many times and is boring.
6. Shay and Severide's relationship was one of the prominent aspects of the series, which made it worth watching, in fact, according to many, it was such a novel and well-constructed thread that the creators of the series were praised for this. After Shay's death, without the dynamism of their relationship, the series became boring.
7. Opinions also suggested that perhaps the goal was to attract the right target audience with Shay's lesbian character, but they no longer wanted to retain this group of viewers, so it was a harsh decision made from a business point of view by the creators
8. Olmstead defended the decision by saying that they could bring more and more storylines into the series, while without Shay's character, the exact opposite was true.
9. He also claimed that all the characters were assessed on equal footing when the decision was made. In comparison, they immediately replaced Shay with a new character who looked like her, was not a lesbian like Shay, and was 10 years younger. Because Lauren German was born in 1978, Kara Killmer in 1988. The message of this change was extremely bad in the eyes of the viewers
10. There was a commenter who suggested that the change was made so that the new character could be romantically involved with one of the male characters, and this actually happened during the third season when Brett and Cruz got together
11. If the purpose of Shay's death was to show how unpredictable life is, they should have paid much more attention to the details. The first part of the third season is full of mistakes and unrealistic solutions
12. It is strange that the interview only mentions in a few sentences what Lauren said to the fact that the creators of the series essentially fired her. In connection with this, it occurred to me that something else could have been behind the decision, which was never made public, but of course this is just a hunch.
13. As far as I know, Lauren German was the only main character in the history of Chicago Fire who did not leave the series by her own decision

There were many other strange things about Shay's death that could be found by searching the internet. I will also go through these in order.
A)
Let's return briefly to the fact that the popularity of the series decreased during the third season. This can be checked here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_(franchise))
Based on this, it can be definitely stated that whoever made this decision, for whatever reason, caused damage to the series.
The data:
First season, ranking 51, number of viewers 7.78M
Second season, ranking 31, number of viewers 9.70M
Third season, ranking 47, number of viewers 9.65M
The first season brought good numbers, and it can be seen from the data that its popularity increased for the next season. However, the ranking of the series dropped almost to the initial level by the third season, and although the number of viewers did not decrease so significantly, the reason for this is probably that, in addition to the viewers who left, there were still those who only joined at that time. Another interesting fact is that the third season is the only one where Dick Wolf is mentioned as showrunner. It is possible that during the third season he wanted to be more involved in the development of the story, and it was his decision to pull something unexpected in the series, so Shay's death is due to him. Here is a show-like interview with the whole team, in which I found it strange that Dick Wolf was given the central place on the stage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2tCrma7t5o&t=2s
It was as if they suggested that he was the most important person. It can be imagined that he always had the final say in making decisions. As a counter-example, I saw an interview with the actors of The Avengers, where one of the directors was present, and the Russo brother remained nicely in the background, since everyone was interested in the actors, Iron Man, and Thor, etc. However, this was not the case in this interview. Obviously, I'm not a behavioral researcher, so I can't draw important conclusions from a single interview.
Of course, it is also easy to imagine that the writing team made an independent decision, but did not count on how much the omission of Shay's character would turn fans away from the series. Thus, Dick Wolf was the savior when he was forced to intervene personally in shaping the story to mitigate the damage. Of course, it is also possible that these events and what I wrote about the video above have absolutely nothing to do with each other.
B)
It's also strange how many storylines with negative outcomes were connected to Shay's character during the first 2 seasons. She was seriously injured several times (the ambulance accident in the first season, the hospital bombing in the second season), and she went through several crises in her personal life. Her first love, Clarice, left her, and months later she broke Shay's heart a second time. Devon tricked and robbed her. When Severide and Shay wanted a baby, she failed to conceive. A patient of her, Daryl, whom she sympathized with, committed suicide in front of her eyes, and Shay also fell into depression after that, while her paramedic partner and friend, Dawson, did not care about Shay's mental breakdown at all. During the two seasons, she was almost hit by a car, almost shot, stabbed with a syringe, which could have been contagious, and there must have been other cases that I left out of the list. Then came the third season, where basically the firefighters who were inside a huge explosion were not hurt at all, while Shay, who was on the ground floor of the building, died in this explosion. On the part of the writers, this amount of negativism was perhaps already excessive and quite unrealistic (like the case of Doctor Romano in ER, who was hit by the helicopter). It's like the creators didn't really like the character, or didn't want to do anything with her other than build viewers' empathy / sympathy for Shay so they could switch it to a dramatic twist when the time was right. But that's the opposite of good storytelling in my view. My opinion is that the reason for Shay's popularity is not to be found in the "grateful" storylines written for her, because we will find it only and exclusively in the fantastic performance of Lauren German
C)
It's very strange that Leslie Shay was a main character in the first 2 seasons, but if you look at the Instagram page of the series (more specifically, the entire One Chicago franchise), you can see that Shay's character received very little attention.
https://www.instagram.com/nbconechicago/
At the time of writing this post, there were 3588 posts on the site. I took the trouble to check if my hunch was right and scrolled through to the posts about the first 3 seasons.
Number of pictures where Shay is clearly visible among many people in a group picture: 15
Number of photos where Shay is with 1-2 other people: 27
Number of photos featuring only Shay: 6
Yes, I didn't write a bad number, among 3588 pictures a total of 6 individual photos were given to one of the main characters of the first 2 seasons of the series, perhaps the most popular character of the series to date. Although Lauren German is a famously reclusive actress, she even has more selfies on her Instagram than that
D)
It's also very strange that in the third season they introduced a storyline that says Shay's death was caused by arson. Unfortunately, the execution of all this was extremely clumsy and illogical for me. It was already revealed during the first 2 seasons that Shay's parents are divorced, they live in two separate cities, and that she has no sisters. You could tell this from the fact that when Severide and Shay talked about who would take care of their baby if something happened to both of them, Dawson's name immediately came up. It's illogical that Shay wouldn't have said her sister. In fact, the whole thread felt more like a readjusting to placate fans who would channel their frustration and anger over Shay's death onto the arsonist in the story - instead of the show's writers.
E)
It occurred to me that maybe Lauren's relationship with her colleagues was not good, and for the sake of peace, the creators got rid of the character. This suggestion is probably the furthest from reality, I have a lot of hits that prove that Lauren maintained a very good relationship with her co-stars even later. Here are some examples of this
Trees R fun
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-rn0w-CTv-0
Shayveride back together
https://twitter.com/TaylorKinneyARG/status/1128137229577216000
S03 E14
https://hu.pinterest.com/pin/2814818493493352/
https://hu.pinterest.com/pin/630785491553579592/
From Lauren's Insta
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlRQVXqgxqP/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWZMBislmnE/
https://www.instagram.com/p/_50dHgFijd/
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2014/10/15/18477177/chicago-fire-if-anyone-can-saveseveride-it-s-casey
In real life, Kinney is grieving the loss of his costar, too.
"I miss her like crazy," he said about Lauren German. "She was a great scene partner. Great actor. Someone to work with and someone to confide in. It was an honest relationship. We hung out off the stages, too. I didn’t take that too easy.”
F)
It's also interesting that I've been able to find almost nothing online about what Lauren thought about what happened to Leslie Shay's character. What we do know from Matt Olmstead's interview is that she joked that she wasn’t going to miss the Chicago winters (she’s a California girl). Other than that, this is the only reaction from Lauren that can still be found, it's completely professional and polite, and perhaps it's no coincidence that she thanked the fans the most for their support
https://cartermatt.com/133627/chicago-fire-season-3-lauren-german-speaks-shay-premiere-shocke
"Hello beautiful people! I want to say thank you to NBC, Dick Wolf and the entire team for letting me be a part of such an amazing experience. I have to say I've never been around a more gifted, special, heartfelt, funny and loving cast and crew as with the CF gang. The show gave me so many priceless gifts. I'm forever grateful. I mostly want to thank the fans for their support and love on this journey. You all are so beautiful. It was a great honor to portray Shay. I love her: her spirit, her flaws, her honesty. And most of all she brought me the most genuine & meaningful interactions with you all, the fans, & my heart swells with gratitude. Thank you, thank you! So much love to you all.”
F) UPDATE
I just found this article, which for some reason didn't come up amongst the search results for the past few weeks.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/1/22/18408021/chicago-fire-alum-lauren-german-having-devilishly-good-time-on-lucifer
In this article, Lauren told a sweet story that I believe happened during the filming of the pilot episode of Lucifer:
Given her time on “Chicago Fire,” guest starring on “Chicago P.D.” and now on “Lucifer,” has German changed the way she reads about or watches crime stories in the news?
“I think so, but mainly I think my experiences have made me have even more respect for first responders than I did before I went to Chicago. Sure, I always respected them and paid attention when I’d see a fire truck going by or hear about the cops getting the bad guy.
“But after the training we went through with the firemen and paramedics in Chicago — plus now having worked with homicide detectives to prepare for ‘Lucifer’ — I can’t tell you how much I respect these guys and women.”
German found herself the butt of a few jokes during the filming of a huge scene in Los Angeles near the Dolby Theatre — the site of the annual Oscars show.
“There were helicopters flying overhead, there was all this commotion, but we also had real firemen there. It wasn’t too long after I left ‘Chicago Fire,’ so they were yelling at me, ‘You went to the dark side!’ They were really kidding me about going from playing a paramedic to playing detective.
“Of course the cops on the scene were yelling just the opposite — telling me, ‘No! You’ve come to the bright side!’ I loved that, because that’s the fun friendly competition between the firemen and police officers. It’s kind of like Army vs. Navy.
“But of course, at the end of the day, everyone’s on the same team. These people are my heroes.”
In addition, she also talked about her previous work here, based on which it can be stated that the rumors that she wanted to quit are completely unfounded (I considered this suggestion so unfounded that I didn't even include it in my post). She also confirmed what was also discussed in point E).
German did admit she misses “the whole Chicago crew I worked with — and the wonderful fans in Chicago too. Everyone in your town is so great.”
The actress said she considers co-star Monica Raymund “my best girlfriend” and also keeps up with fellow “Chicago Fire” castmates Taylor Kinney and Jesse Spencer “quite a bit.”
“In fact just the other day, Monica asked me that after I wrap [the initial 13 episodes of] ‘Lucifer’ to come over [to Chicago] for a few days and hang out with those guys. So I may do that around the end of February.”
If so, it’s likely German and her “Chicago Fire” pals will make a beeline to the Palm restaurant on East Wacker Drive.
“Taylor and Jesse and I lived in the same building [on the New East Side], and we’d go to the Palm like three times a week. It was so cozy there. We even had our own regular little booth!”
End of update
In regards to the oddities above, I can even imagine that Lauren's agent or agents had a hard time agreeing on a possible contract extension, and because of this, the creators preferred to get rid of the character of Shay. If that was the case, we will never know. However, if the decision-making really took place in the way and according to the criteria as stated in the Matt Olmstead interview, then it can be seen in retrospect that this was an extremely bad decision by the studio and that the writing team made a huge mistake
I am slowly coming to the end of my research, but before that I would like to discuss the mistakes that the writers made in the first part of the third season - perhaps these mistakes could indicate that they were very hasty during the implementation, or that they did not think through at all how to put together such an episode well. When an average viewer saw this episode for the first time, the shock was guaranteed by it (believe me, it HITS HARD), in this way the creators achieved their goal, but it was enough later to think about what happened, and the shock was already replaced by completely legitimate indignation of the viewing public.
Regarding the mistakes, for the sake of fairness, I also have to say that I consider 4 things to be extremely outstanding from the first 2 seasons of the series:
1)
The visual implementation of the series was amazingly fantastic, as if you were watching a 45-minute movie, and it still stands today. I don't know if this changed after the third season, but I assume not, since the series is still active today
2)
Atli Örvarsson's music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ABsDFMJr2E&list=PLXT2pBWM8DxfN4znwe3esSqg4LtBzlQz8
3)
The actors Jesse Spencer, Taylor Kinney, Monica Raymund, Lauren German, Charlie Barnett, David Eigenberg, Eamonn Walker, Joe Minoso, Yuriy Sardarov, Christian Stolte were all fantastic in their roles
4)
The writers did something really brilliant when they built Severide and Shay's relationship. The way these two people moved mountains just out of love as a friend to help the other was simply wonderful. The relationship between the two of them was central to the show, which is why it was so painful and infuriating at the same time that the writers didn't think it was important enough to keep it going after 2 seasons. So I didn't consider the series important enough to continue watching after the third season either, or to start anything else from the One Chicago group.
Mistakes in S03 E01:
Devon's character:

• In the last 2 episodes of the second season, it was revealed that Devon might not be as a bad person as we thought. The writers hinted at the possibility that maybe Shay could finally find her happiness with her. Whether Devon had really changed, whether she was telling the truth, was never revealed after Shay's death.

Shay's death:

• Why didn't the paramedics wear helmets when they entered a potentially dangerous building? In other episodes, the characters paid attention to this, but here they generously forgot about it
• During the first flashback, we saw that they started to treat an injured person. When the explosion occurred and Shay was lying on the ground, the injured person was disappeared.
• The firefighter (played by Preston James Hillier) who ran into the building before the explosion also disappeared
• In the flashback, we saw that Dawson was thrown backwards by the shock wave of the explosion before the ceiling collapsed. Shay, on the other hand, sat still, unaffected by the shock wave
• The firefighting team was in the middle of the explosion, the only injury in comparison was a broken leg. Andy Darden died instantly in the Pilot episode, according to the script, when a house fire started in a similar way.
• Shay's CPR was interrupted to take her to the ambulance. At the same time, the one who could have taken care of her was Dawson, who was next to her, and Shay herself, maybe even Mills, who had a broken leg. So why was it important to take Shay to the ambulance, if not because it gave the scene a dramatic, albeit illogical, ending?
• Several people (e.g. Cruz, Otis) in the episode did not behave like those who recently lost a friend, and this could not be the fault of the actors, but rather of the script. The situation was similarly strange in the Pilot episode after Darden's death
• Shay said that she has a good relationship with her parents, so it's very strange that they didn't apply for Shay's things, but Casey and Severide collected them a month and a half after Shay's death. Not to mention the later invented sister
• When Severide looked at a photo of Shay before playing the video, it can be seen that the creators did not bother to take a real photo, but instead used a screenshot from the first season.
• It's quite unlikely that Dawson would pick up a diary a month and a half later that still had Shay's signature on it, and the signatures were completely different

Again, in the interest of fairness, Severide's flashbacks, Severide and Shay's video were flawless. Just like the gesture of putting Shay's name on the ambulance door in the middle of the season was a great idea from the writers
Final thoughts:
This is how far I've come in my research. Unfortunately, I didn't find any reassuring answers, only strange things. If there was something else in the background why Shay's character had to die, it will probably never be revealed. If the whole truth was told in the Matt Olmstead interview, then in my opinion the creators of Chicago Fire made the biggest mistake of their lives by firing Lauren and letting the Shayveride friendship vanish. Plus, Leslie Shay's character didn't deserve such fate. Anyway, the first 2 seasons were a fantastic experience for me.
Although Lauren couldn't have known it at the time, she was doing very well, because after being unemployed, she auditioned for the role of Chloe Decker in the series Lucifer. Here she joined the team that involved Tom Ellis, Kevin Alejandro, D.B. Woodside, Lesley-Ann Brandt, Rachael Harris, Scarlett Estevez, and later Aimee Garcia, Tricia Helfer, Tom Welling, Inbar Lavi, Rebecca De Mornay, Dennis Haysbert and Brianna Hildebrand. The rest, as they say, is history. Lucifer was the biggest series of 2021 by racking a whopping 18.3 billion minutes of streaming across the year making the series the most-streamed show not just on Netflix, but among the entire crop of streaming originals. Lucifer was voted the best fantasy series of 2021 also, and Lauren German became very, very worldwide-famous.
https://netflixlife.com/2022/01/26/lucifer-best-netflix-show-2021/
After Lucifer ended, Lauren retired from acting, making her last appearance in November 2023 at an event in Chicago, the Heaven and Hell Convention. Here, of course, she was hilarious again, or to put it stylistically, funny as hell, and she simply proved why she was the actress who played Leslie Shay back then
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um_hcX4FkfM
https://www.instagram.com/p/CzHxlcMqM3
Here are a few links at the end
My favorite fan video commemorating the Shayveride friendship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjS1LmJgCIo
Others have written their opinions before me on the Leslie Shay topic, e.g. a great post
https://www.thetvaddict.com/2014/09/29/did-chicago-fire-kill-off-the-wrong-characte
A little fun
https://www.tiktok.com/@chicagofires/video/7255400196711107886
Still a little fun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vZOsrSHql0
Thank you for reading through!
PJ
(this post is free to use and redistribute, but please at least credit the source! Thanks)
Do You remember Leslie Shay?
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Hi! I am a disabled actor and playwright. I have cerebral palsy and use leg braces.
Disabled representation in theatre is incredibly important to me, having faced a ton of ableism in productions and also being a writer. So when i found RTC, i was incredibly happy and excited.
Obviously Ricky was not perfect, there’s something to be said about the removal of his mobility aids throughout the entire show, painting mobility aids as a bad thing. (Mobility aids aren’t restrictive, they are tools!) I understand curing his disability in the context of the show and him being dead, but the curing of disabled people is a tired, redundant and often dangerous trope. If not played with incredibly careful direction, it can quickly lean into eugenics territory. Even without meaning to.
That being said, I still adored Ricky. I love him. I love his character and how authentically himself he is. I was incredibly proud to be so simliar to him, and finally felt represented in media that was really gaining popularity. My experience with Ricky is living proof that representation matters.
This was quickly taken away with the ableism from one production, and his disability being written out of the script. I was heartbroken. This was unsurprising due to the amount of ableism in the arts community, but nothing short of horrific. It was such a deep form of erasure. And i was even more sad at how most fans of the show didn’t even say anything, didn’t stick up for the disabled community, and idolized the show despite this issue. It’s another example in a long string of disabled people being ignored, being treated like we’re subhuman. Disabled activism and representation is so neglected because we’re still viewed as abnormal. Being disabled is a part of human diversity, and Ricky was important to that. I was so excited for young disabled kids in theatre to have a character that I never got. And that was taken away without an additional thought towards the disability community. Once again, we were used as a plot vessel for Ricky’s character and got taken away when it got “difficult” - as soon as you actually have to start caring about disabled lives, start thinking of theatre accessibility, that’s when it gets too difficult.
I love RTC, i really do. I think it’s one of the best original musicals in the past 15 years. Its plot is innovative and creative, its score is gorgeous. The ensemble is just brilliant. I think it’s a great show.
But i will never like it the same again. I will never feel the same passion i did for it when Ricky was disabled. And i think this is something that deserves to be voiced in the community. RTC is brilliant, but this is a deep stain on the show as a whole.

Formed Police Unit follows a Chinese police unit going to a foreign country and war-torn areas to carry out peacekeeping missions.
However, the movie has received criticism since it began filming due to the techniques used during filming. Star Wang Yibo and several other characters appear in blackface for some scenes.
AMC has the film set to release May 31st.

Not the musical. The play, written by Frank Wedekind. It was actually called SPRING AWAKENING: A CHILDREN’S TRAGEDY and came out in 1891.
Wedekind was an extremely famous, well-respected celebrity playwright. He couldn’t see the Nazis coming in 1933, but he clearly saw where these parenting methods were going, and was screaming in warning.
I mean, the plan is way more tragic than the musical. Wedekind is like “look! You’ve got a 13-year-old raping his crush because neither of them understands what sex is! She literally doesn’t know how she got pregnant! You’ve got a daughter whose mother lets her dad rape her because she can’t speak about it! You got a. 15-year-old complete sociopath whose walls are covered in forbidden art talking about the dark cruel fall of society coming and is basically a proto-Nazi! Child suicide and the dad doesn’t care! Do you think we might have a problem?????”.
The play was, of course, banned and censored. But like a lot of really good and clever artists across time, Wedekind saw what society was leading to - and created really beautiful art to try and warn people and maybe, just maybe, change things.
Anyway, the series is a little past 1891 now, but if Robert hasn’t written the script for episode three, I really need him to bring the play up, because it’s such a perfect example of what he’s talking about and how, even at the time, people saw where it could lead and feared it.

Hey all, so for several years I have had internal conflict and questions regarding the morality of fighting sports, especially wrestling (I don't really watch UFC or boxing.) I do enjoy watching wrestling (though I hate the filth like bad words, people saying omg etc.) But I wanted to know if the wrestling itself as sports combat was sinful intrinsically. I recently, by God's providence, found several Catholic sources which touch on this topic (they often call it prize-fighting.) I figured I'd share this info here for any other men (I don't really think women should watch combat sports or God forbid even fight in them themselves) whose consciences this information can help like it has been helping mine.
I may make a video about this on my YouTube channel in the future for anyone interested in that: https://youtube.com/@theundergroundcatholicpodcast
Catholic Sources Speaking About the Morality of Prize-Fighting (combat sports like boxing, UFC & wrestling)
1) Moral Briefs: A Concise Exposition of Catholic Morals (Fr. J. H. Stapleton) (1904 A.D.)
“ALL injury done to another in order to repair an insult is criminal, and if said injury result in death, it is murder. …
Duelling is a form of murder and suicide combined, for which there can possibly be no justification. The code of honor that requires the reparation of an insult at the point of the sword or the muzzle of a pistol has no existence outside the befogged intelligence of godless men. The duel repairs nothing and aggravates the evil it seeks to remedy. The justice it appeals to is a creature dependent on skill and luck ; such justice is not only blind, but crazy as well.
That is why the Church anathematizes duelling. The duel she condemns is a hand-to-hand combat prearranged as to weapons, time and place, and it is immaterial whether it be to the death or only to the letting of first blood. She fulminates her major excommunication against duellists, even in the event of their failing to keep their agreement. Her sentence affects seconds and all those who advise or favor or abet, and even those whose simple presence is an incentive and encouragement. She refuses Christian burial to the one who falls, unless before dying he shows certain dispositions of repentance.
Prize fighting, however brutal and degrading, must not be put in the category of duelling. Its object is not to wipe out an insult, but to furnish sport and to reap the incidental profits. In normal conditions there is no danger to life or limb. Sharkey might stop with the point of his chin a blow that would send many another into kingdom come ; but so long as Sharkey does the stopping the danger remains non-existent. If, however, hate instead of lucre bring the men together, that motive would be sufficient to make the game one of blood if not of death.
2) A Manual of Moral Theology (Fr. Thomas Slater) (1925 A.D.)
“Canon 140 forbids clerics to be present at spectacles, dances, and pageants which do not become them, or when their presence would cause scandal, especially in public theatres.
" The word spectacula" says Fr. Ayrinhac, " comprises all theatrical representations and likewise such exhibitions as horse-races, bull-fights, prize-fights, etc., at least if it be taken in its most general sense." Dom Augustine gives a similar definition of the term.”
3) A Handbook of Moral Theology (Anton Koch) (1926 A.D.)
“Systematic bodily exercise not only benefits health, but also occupies the mind in a useful manner, and hence the various forms of wholesome sport, e. g., walking, riding, swimming, hunting, fencing, boxing, sleighing, skating, etc., are in themselves morally licit and often exert a whole some influence upon the mind. They become reprehensible only when they exceed the right measure or are made the object of sinful desire or the occasion of sensual excitement, effeminacy, or dissoluteness, or are indulged in to the detriment of vocational duties or of health. A sports man who is not satisfied with amusing himself and benefitting his health, but wishes to triumph and be admired at any price, may easily fall into sin. …
The early Christians condemned and avoided the dissolute diversions of their pagan contemporaries and followed the advice of the Apostle, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice." This did not, however, prevent them from indulging in suitable recreations. Clement of Alexandria admonishes his hearers to hunt or fish, to play ball, and to try their hand at boxing, and adds : "To exert one's strength in the right way and for the benefit of one's health, is commendable and manly."
“Bull-fights are a favorite diversion of Spaniards and Latin Americans. The Church authorities formerly condemned these exhibitions,92 but the prohibition is no longer in force. The modern bull-fight, as described by Father Ramon Ruiz Amado, S.J., in the "Catholic Encyclopedia," 93 as a rule does not involve the shedding of human blood, and is no more, in fact is less brutal than our prize-fights.94 In consequence most present-day moralists, following the famous "Doctor Navarrus," Martin de Azpilcueta, who stood alone in his day,95 now hold that bull-fights, as held in Spain, are not forbidden by the natural law.96 But clergymen and religious may not attend them.97 …"
4) Moral Theology: A Complete Course Based on St. Thomas Aquinas and the Best Modern Authorities (J. A. McHugh, C. J. Callan) (1958 A.D.)
“1428. Fighting.--Fighting is an angry conflict between two or more persons carried on by means of physical violence.
(a) Thus, it is an angry conflict, and so differs from contests of strength or skill made for the sake of sport, amusement, recreation, health, exercise and training. Hence, wrestling and boxing matches, football games, fencing and similar athletic contests, in which fair play and a sportsmanlike spirit prevail, are not fighting as here understood. Similarly, the tournaments of the medieval knights were sports or spectacles, rather than fights.”
“1870. Other Bodily Punishments.--Other bodily harms (wounds, blows, restraint) may not be inflicted except under the following conditions: …
It is not wrong, however, to inflict moderate bodily hurts, if the other person is not unwilling and there is a reasonable purpose, such as exercise, training in the art of boxing or wrestling, recreation, or mortification;...”

At popular request you can now get this as a newsletter. Sign up and help support these posts! Have a great weekend, Mother's Day is on Sunday so you still have some time to get a gift together.

THURSDAY - MAY 9

NBA Playoffs: Celtics vs Cavaliers @ TD Garden @ 7PM
After Dark @ MIT Museum @ 6PM Enjoy an adult-only lively evening of entertainment, science, and tinkering.
‘Cat & Nat Unfiltered’ Podcast Live @ The Wilbur @ 7:30PM Best friends, moms, best-selling authors, and creators of the award-nominated podcast Cat & Nat present a hilarious and interactive live comedy show.
Celeste Barber Comedy Show @ Shubert Theatre @ 8PM
Ahren Belisle Stand Up @ Laugh Boston @ 8PM
Candlelight: Tribute to Coldplay in Concert @ Simons Theatre @ 7PM / 9PM Coldplay’s biggest hits ‘Fix You,’ ‘Viva La Vida,’ ‘Clocks,’ and many others are performed by a string quartet!
Hatsune Miku EXPO @ Wang Theatre @ 8PM The concert features brand new Hatsune Miku songs as well as the big hits for fans who had been eagerly waiting for an opportunity to see her on stage.
The Whiskyx @ Roadrunner @ 7PM With St. Paul & The Broken Bones
Holly Humberstone @ Paradise Rock Club @ 7PM
Cheekface @ Brighton Music Hall @ 8PM With Yungatita
Jerry’s Middle Finger @ The Sinclair @ 8PM
JER x Insignificant Other @ Crystal Ballroom @ 7:30PM

FRIDAY - MAY 10

Red Sox vs Nationals @ Fenway Park @ 7:10PM
NHL Playoffs: Bruins vs Panthers @ TD Garden
Late Nites @ MFA @ 8PM This after-hours party celebrates current exhibitions and features dancing and DJs, pop-up performances, exploring the galleries, art-making activities, and more.
Nate Jackson Stand Up @ Shubert Theatre @ 7PM
Justin Silva Stand Up @ The Wilbur @ 7:30PM / 10PM
Candlelight: The Best of Hans Zimmer in Concert @ Simons Theatre @ 7PM / 9PM Hear Hans Zimmer’s best soundtracks from ‘Inception,’ ‘The Lion King,’ ‘Interstellar,’ ‘The Dark Knight,’ and more.
Freddie Gibbs + Madlib @ MGM Music Hall @ 8PM
Chicano Batman @ Paradise Rock Club @ 7PM With Lido Pimienta
Olive Klug @ Brighton Music Hall @ 7PM With Chrysalis
Svdden Death @ Big Night Live @ 9:30PM
Hot Water Music @ Royale @ 7PM
Alice Merton @ The Sinclair @ 8PM With Juliana Madrid
Big D and the Kid’s Table @ Crystal Ballroom @ 7PM

SATURDAY - MAY 11

Red Sox vs Nationals @ Fenway Park @ 4:10PM Promotion: El Alfa Day
Ongoing - Artisan Market @ Rose Kennedy Greenway @ 11AM
Somerville’s PorchFest @ 12PM Musicians and bands in styles including funk, blues, gospel, bluegrass and so many more serenade passersby from porches throughout Somerville.
Watch City Steampunk Festival @ Waltham Common @ 10AM The festival will feature costumed performers, musicians, kids' activities, and a large collection of unique vendors peddling all things Steampunk!
Aries Spears Stand Up @ The Wilbur @ 7PM
‘Encanto’ in Concert @ Symphony Hall @ 2PM Disney’s Academy Award-winning film comes to life in a concert event, featuring the entire feature-length film with a full orchestra performing the score.
Zucchero @ Emerson Colonial Theatre @ 8PM
Madison Beer @ MGM Music Hall @ 8PM With Charlotte Lawrence
Sanguisugabogg + Jesus Piece @ Paradise Rock Club @ 6PM
Emo Night Brooklyn @ Brighton Music Hall @ 9PM
Ride @ Big Night Live @ 7PM
Silk R&B Party @ Big Night Live @ 9:30PM
Indo Warehouse @ Royale @ 10PM
Sawyer Hill @ The Sinclair @ 8:30PM With Raue
Tim O, l.ucas, Jiida, Rilla Force, & Faybee @ Crystal Ballroom @ 8PM

SUNDAY - MAY 12

Red Sox vs Nationals @ Fenway Park @ 1:35PM Promotion: Sherpa Belt Bag, Moms and Kids Run the Bases
NHL Playoffs: Bruins vs Panthers @ TD Garden
Duckling Day @ Boston Common @ 10AM A beloved Mother’s Day tradition, this event features activity booths, lawn games, magic, live music, and a duckling parade.
Say Anything @ MGM Music Hall @ 7:30PM
Alpha Wolf @ Paradise Rock Club @ 7PM With Emmure
Combo Chimbita x Panchyman @ Brighton Music Hall @ 8PM
Sunny Day Real Estate @ Big Night Live @ 7PM
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets @ Royale @ 7PM
Lewis Ofman @ The Sinclair @ 8PM With Fonteyn
Frankie Cosmos @ Crystal Ballroom @ 8PM

ALL WEEKEND

FRIDAY & SATURDAY - Gianmarco Soresi Stand Up @ Laugh Boston
FRIDAY & SATURDAY - Doug Key Stand Up @ Nick’s Comedy Stop @ 8PM
FRIDAY & SATURDAY - Harry Connick Jr. in Concert @ Symphony Hall @ 7:30PM World renowned artist Harry Connick Jr. returns to the stage at Symphony Hall to perform with the Pops for the first time in 23 years in a superlative Opening Night at the Pops!
All weekend - ‘Spring Experience’ Ballet @ Citizens Bank Opera House Explore Boston Ballet’s dynamic and captivating Spring program composed of three masterful ballets featuring classical and modern dance elements.
All weekend - ‘A Strange Loop’ Musical @ Wimberly Theatre Winner of Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award, Michael R. Jackson’s blisteringly funny masterwork exposes the heart and soul of a young Black artist grappling with desires, identity, and instincts he both loves and loathes.
All weekend - ‘Jersey Boys’ Musical @ North Shore Music Theatre Featuring legendary hits, this award-winning musical tells the behind-the-scenes drama of the international sensation boy band The Four Seasons.
All weekend - ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Play @ Calderwood Pavilion Brought to life by Actors’ Shakespeare Project, Shakespeare’s most famous duo return in a flurry of forbidden love, exhilarating fight scenes, and tragic fate.
All weekend - ‘Orpheus in the Overworld’ Play @ Black Box Theatre LAST CHANCE - In this play, The gods have forced Orpheus and Eurydice to repeat their tragedy for centuries, but this time everyone is a bit more queer than usual.
All weekend - ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ Play @ Lyric Stage LAST CHANCE - This bubbly love letter to musical theater sparkles with one show-stopper after another, story mix-ups, mayhem, and a wedding (or two).
All weekend - ‘Mermaid Hour’ Play @ Arrow Street Arts Fast-paced, funny, and heartfelt, ‘Mermaid Hour’ follows two parents and their trans teen kid as they all seek to understand who they are and who they wish to be.

ONGOING

Ongoing - Immersive Disney Animation @ Boch Center Step into the art and legacy of Walt Disney Animation Studios and celebrate the music, artistry and animation from the creators of Frozen, The Little Mermaid, Big Hero 6 and many more.
Ongoing - Musical Shows @ MoS Planetarium Museum of Science puts on special experiences adapting the music of Pink Floyd, Rihanna, Beyoncé, and The Divas to immersive visuals in the Charles Hayden Planetarium.
Ongoing - ‘Firelei Báez’ Exhibition @ ICA One of the most exciting painters of her generation, Báez explores the multilayered legacy of colonial histories and the African diaspora in the Caribbean and beyond.
Ongoing - ‘Wordplay’ Exhibition @ ICA Highlighting the rich interplay between imagery and text, the exhibition showcases how contemporary artists have played with words to animate and expand their art practices.
Ongoing - ‘Hallyu! The Korean Wave’ Exhibition @ MFA Enjoy an immersive and multisensory journey through Korea’s fascinating history, and celebrate its contemporary vibrant creative force.
Ongoing - ‘Dress Up’ Exhibition @ MFA Through more than 100 works from the MFA’s collection including 20th- and 21st-century clothing, jewelry, accessories, illustrations, and photographs, this exhibition explores adornment and its role in the creation of a look.
Ongoing - ‘Comrade Sisters: Women of the Black Panther Party’ Exhibition @ MFA This exhibition brings together 27 powerful photographs by Stephen Shames that feature the women of the Black Panther party and showcase their crucial work for the movement.
Ongoing - ‘Thinking Small: Dutch Art to Scale’ Exhibition @ MFA Featuring 15 intriguing objects from 17th-century Netherlands such as paintings, prints, silver medals, and books, this exhibition compels viewers to reconsider their relationship to the world around them.
Ongoing - ‘Raqib Shaw: Ballads of East and West’ Exhibition @ ISG Museum Shaw’s images of magic and mystery combine Western artistic tradition with ornamental elements derived from the Japanese, Persian, and Indian cultures that he vividly remembers from his youth.
Ongoing - ‘Picasso: War, Combat, and Revolution’ Exhibition @ Harvard Art Museums The exhibition explores the dictator Francisco Franco’s Spain, imagery of death, struggles of good and evil, political and artistic revolution, and issues of desire and capture.
Ongoing - ‘Our Time on Earth’ Exhibition @ Peabody Essex Museum This traveling exhibition from the Barbican Centre in London celebrates the power of global creativity to transform the conversation around the climate emergency.
Ongoing - ‘AI: Mind the Gap’ Exhibition @ MIT Museum MIT Museum presents its latest riveting, interactive exhibit exploring the tremendous promise, unforeseen impacts, and everyday misconceptions of AI.

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It's Mother's day this weekend. Don't forget about your mom!

THURSDAY - MAY 9th

Nicki Minaj @ Toyota Center @ 8PM With MONICA
Ongoing - Happy Hour @ MFAH @ 5PM Meet your friends at the MFAH for the best night of the week. Explore the campus, visit the galleries, and get a drink at the bar. General admission is free.
‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Screening @ Market Square Park @ 8PM
Kenny Chesney @ Woodlands Pavilion @ 7:30PM With Megan Moroney
Blackberry Smoke @ 713 Music Hall @ 8PM
Theo Lawrence @ Discovery Green @ 7PM
Brother Cane @ Warehouse Live @ 6PM
Rowdy + Wellborn Road @ Scout Bar @ 8:20PM

FRIDAY - MAY 10th

Experience Europe Day @ POST @ 7PM Embark on a European adventure with vibrant culture, delectable cuisine, captivating music, and more from across the Atlantic.
Kurt Elling Quartet + Danilo Pérez @ Wortham Theater @ 8PM DACAMERA presents world-renowned Grammy winning artist Kurt Elling and pianist Danilo Pérez in a stand-out jazz concert.
Echo & The Bunnymen @ White Oak Music Hall @ 7PM
Waxahatchee @ The Heights Theater @ 8PM With Good Morning
Cosmic Gate @ Stereo Live @ 10PM
Bobby Nsenga @ Warehouse Live @ 7PM

SATURDAY - MAY 11th

Houston Art Bike Parade and Festival @ MacGregor Park @ 9AM Celebrate culture and community at this fun, family-friendly event featuring a bike parade, live music, art activities, food & drinks, and more!
Bring Your Own Beamer @ Menil @ 8:30PM This special event allows visitors to bring their own video, film, overhead projector, or slide imagery to be experienced on the museum’s vast facade.
Ongoing - Saturday Stargazing @ George Observatory in Needville
Ongoing - Farmers Market @ Market Square Park @ 9AM This spring, enjoy Houston’s best vendors in the very heart of downtown!
‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ Screening @ MFAH @ 9PM
Funny Marco & Bobbi Althoff Comedy Show @ Bayou Music Center @ 7:30PM
Empire State Jazz Festival @ Discovery Green @ 12PM Enjoy live smooth jazz performances by nationally recognized artists at this family-friendly festival perfect for Mother’s Day celebrations!
Beethoven & Bruckner in Concert @ The Hobby Center @ 7PM Texas Medical Center Orchestra invites listeners for a concert of timeless classical melodies from Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4.
Jacob Collier @ 713 Music Hall @ 7:30PM
Xavi @ House of Blues @ 7PM
Taylor Acorn @ House of Blues @ 7PM
Gavin DeGraw @ White Oak Music Hall @ 7PM With Kevin Garrett
Slowdive @ White Oak Music Hall @ 7PM With Drab Majesty
Shwayze @ Last Concert Cafe @ 8PM
Ian Moore Band @ The Heights Theater @ 8PM With Restos
Acraze @ Stereo Live @ 10PM
K-Pop Club Bight ft. Yuka K @ Warehouse Live @ 9PM

SUNDAY - MAY 12th

‘In The Fiddler’s House’ Concert @ Jones Hall @ 7:30PM In this special performance, Houston Symphony Artistic Partner Itzhak Perlman presents his collection of traditional klezmer music.
Dale Elliott Stand Up @ House of Blues @ 4PM / 7:30PM
Jazzy Sundays @ Discovery Green @ 5PM Featuring Doreen Ketchens
Tank @ Smart Financial Centre @ 8PM R&B Money Tour Featuring Keri Hilson and Carl Thomas
The Motet @ Last Concert Cafe @ 8PM
Alejandro Aranda @ White Oak Music Hall @ 8PM
Minutes to Midnight: Linkin Park Experience @ Warehouse Live @ 2PM

All Weekend

FRIDAY & SATURDAY - A Night of Celebration with Houston Ballet @ Miller Outdoor Theatre @ 8PM The internationally renowned Houston Ballet dancers will be showcasing incredible athleticism and artistry from some of the most famous and beloved ballets over the last 20 years.
FRIDAY & SATURDAY - ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ in Concert @ Jones Hall This concert features the film in high-definition, on a giant screen, while a live orchestra performs John Williams’ unforgettable score.
SATURDAY & SUNDAY - Mother’s Day Weekend @ MFAH Bayou Bend Celebrate Mother’s Day with free admission for mothers, complimentary drinks and snacks, live harpist, and art pieces that tell the stories of motherhood.
SATURDAY & SUNDAY - Sugar Land Jazz Festival @ Crown Festival Park Featuring Boney James, Robert Glasper, Tower of Power, & more!
SATURDAY & SUNDAY - Aventura @ Toyota Center @ 8PM
All weekend - Ralph Barbosa Stand Up @ Houston Improv
All weekend - ‘Someone Like You: The Music of Adele’ Concert @ Art Factory This powerful concert experience, delivered in an intimate candlelit setting, promises an unforgettable evening of Adele’s chart-topping hits.
All weekend - ‘The Sound of Music’ Opera @ Wortham Theater LAST CHANCE - Acclaimed director Francesca Zambello incorporates songs from both the theatrical version and its famous cinematic adaptation into her new opera production.
All weekend - ‘Othello: The Remix’ Musical @ Stages Repertory Theatre This production takes ‘The Tragedy of Othello’ to a whole new level in this lit Hip Hop remix as an onstage DJ spins Shakespeare’s legendary masterpiece of jealousy, revenge and passion.
All weekend - ‘The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical’ @ Crighton Theatre Adapted from the best-selling book by Rick Riordan and featuring a thrilling original rock score this new musical production is an action-packed mythical adventure for the whole family!
All weekend - ‘The Emporium’ Play @ Alley Theatre Thornton Wilder’s unfinished masterpiece comes to life for the first time, and the audience gets to be an active participant in the very fabric of the play!
All weekend - ‘On Midnight, Friday the Thirteenth’ Play @ Ensemble Theatre Help investigate a murder mystery in this intriguing and exciting dark comedy.
All weekend - ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ Play @ The George Theatre LAST CHANCE - This story about a unique and unlikely friendship between a Jewsih woman and a Black man in 1940s in Georgia reminds us of the common humanity and the value of life.
All weekend - ‘The Father’ Play @ 4th Wall Theatre LAST CHANCE - The play questions the nature of identity, memory, and the human experience, as it explores the profound impact that dementia can have on individuals and their loved ones.

Ongoing Special Events and Museum Exhibitions

Ongoing - ‘Jurassic World’ Exhibition @ Katy Mills The limited-time globally sold-out exhibition immerses audiences of all ages in scenes inspired by the beloved film. Discover the science of jurassic world and walk in the land of jurassic giants, closer than ever before!
Ongoing - Dinosaurs @ Houston Zoo Trek through a lush forest trail to see life-sized animatronic creatures, including the fan favorite T-rex, Brachiosaurus, Edmontonia, and more!
Ongoing - Sloomoo Exhibition @ Marq E Entertainment Center Immerse yourself in the joy of sensory play with Sloomoo Institute’s colorful world of never-ending, hand-crafted slime, yummy scents, and soothing ASMR delights.
Ongoing - ‘Vertigo of Color: Matisse, Derain, and the Origins of Fauvism’ Exhibition @ MFAH The exhibition presents, for the first time in the United States, the origins and legacy of fauvism through paintings, drawings, and watercolors by Henri Matisse and André Derain.
Ongoing - ‘Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence’ Exhibition @ MFAH Wiley’s monumental, large-scale paintings of Black and Brown individuals confront and challenge the silence surrounding systemic violence and injustice.
Ongoing - ‘Ruth Asawa Through Line’ Exhibition @ Menil The exhibition presents drawings, collages, watercolors, and sketchbooks showing the breadth of Ruth Asawa’s innovative and profound practice.
Ongoing - ‘Janet Sobel: All-Over’ Exhibition @ Menil See the pioneering work of Janet Sobel and her ‘All-Over’ abstract expressionist painting technique which inspired generations of artists, including Jackson Pollock.
Ongoing - ‘Hayv Kahraman: The Foreign Us’ Exhibition @ Moody Center for the Arts LAST CHANCE - Kahraman’s first solo exhibition features works informed by the artist’s Iraqi-Kurdish heritage and experience as a refugee while highlighting her research-driven practice.

Hi guys I have hca experience in a cardiothoracic hospital surgical ward where people are just coming out of heart surgery or just about to go in, I particularly chose a hospital 3 years ago such that this experience would help me get into medical school. I remove catheters, remove chest drains, tie up sutures, clean up heart surgery wounds and monitor vitals, feed patients and assist with activities of daily living etc. Dont know how much more “medical” it could get than that without becoming an actual surgeon? I did also obtain the care certificate during this time. I did also shadow at the surgical theatres an open heart surgery with one of the Cambridge’s famous surgeons (was on life on the edge tv show but I got to see it in real life full procedure for a full twelve hour shift).
But still I’m doing something wrong at interview, the questions maybe I’m spending too long answering and that caused me to fail the interview?
Would it be ok to share the interview feedback scores from my medical school interview or is this not allowed? Thanks in advance

Read by the author
Great autobiography of Patrick Stewart's life and career. I really enjoyed listening about his time going through the repertory theatres, the odd jobs, strokes of good fortune. The scrimping and saving and the hard times. The brutality of his father and how it influenced him, the run ins with famous actors or would-be famous actors - phenomenal.
For me though, it was slightly marred by him overly justifying his relationship with a far far younger woman. I think he has received some criticism that I, like most others, have not overly dwelled upon. But since he has, he feels the need to address it several times and in so doing forces the listener to consider it. And of course when forced to consider it I just thought "Please stop. You're an older guy who wants to get with younger chicks. This is a tale as old as time not some true romance. Just stop and enjoy your life"
I am a Star Trek fan and grew up on TNG. It kind of reminded me of the saying "don't meet your heroes". Still glad I listened to it but wish an editor had the good sense to say "people don't overly care about your relationships that much" or "if you're going to confess your sins, just be repentant and leave it at that".

Tonight is one of the strongest semi-finals of all time, with sixteen sensational acts taking to the stage to compete for the final slots in the final. But which ten will rave again on Saturday night, and which six will be gone before the party is over? Back by popular demand, here's my tongue-in-cheek look at everybody's chances tonight. As ever, please don't take anything here too seriously, and remember I'm writing this as a regular Eurovision fan lost in the excitement, confusion, hopium and copium of Eurovision euphoria, not as a mod.
Malta

• Why they will make it:
  • Colourful, energetic, an ideal opener
  • Sarah is brilliant - she can dance, she can sing, having the time of her life!
  • Impressive wow moments in the choreography which stand out even after every song has performed
  • It's basically a better version of what Cyprus was going for on Tuesday. Cyprus qualified, why not Malta?
• Why they might not:
  • Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but it doesn't often work very well at Eurovision (i.e. Iceland 2016 after Sweden 2015). The comparisons with Slomo do not help her
  • Malta is one of the countries most disadvantaged by televote only semifinals, with no reliable diaspora partners and most frequent supporters UK & Ireland not voting in this semi
  • Facing stiff 'girlbop' competition from Austria, Georgia and arguably Greece

Albania

• Why they will make it:
  • One of Albania's more contemporary songs in years
  • Basically a perfect draw for optimum diaspora support, with Italy, Greece, ROW and Switzerland all guaranteed to award high points, and likely smaller points from many others
  • Besa will only be able to give us more wholesome insights into the ESC 2024 artists groupchat if she's still around - she must be protected at all costs!
  • Even if she fall, she gon' get up, standing tall proud with her head up
• Why they might not:
  • Having great diaspora support didn't help Poland on Tuesday
  • Far too many ideas going on both musically and on stage makes this quite a mess
  • The dreaded curse of the #2 strikes again

Greece

• Why they will make it:
  • Has captured the hearts and hopes of a nation, blending urban and folk sounds perfectly
  • Standout colourful stage graphics and clever choreography, including a one-camera-shot gimmick
  • TA TA TA TA TA TA
  • Appeals to the small yet noteworthy 'butler' diaspora with impressive display of handkerchief choreography
• Why they might not:
  • Queen Marina is currently ill with a fever according to Greek media, and may struggle to have the energy and vocals to carry this song
  • Filming the majority of the performance from one camera-angle leads to moments where the performance feels flat and lacking in dynamism
  • Domestic popularity does not always translate to international support

Switzerland

• Why they will make it:
  • One of the most engaging and endearing performers of the year, with perfect vocals and immense live energy
  • Staging taken from the Gjon's Tears playbook of 'stick our performer on random geometry', which somehow still works brilliantly
  • Performance full of clever lighting and wow moments
  • The prop brings back warm nostalgic memories of watching Beyblades as a kid for many viewers
• Why they might not:
  • Staging taken from the Gjon's Tears playbook of 'stick our performer on random geometry', which fails to fully convey the story of the song and lacks the creativity of the music video
  • A musical-theatre style genre-blend of opera, rap and drum & bass is far from the most digestible song, especially on first listen
  • Big Bird's gay cousin is writing a petition to ban Nemo as we speak for unsolicited use of his feathers
  • Agent Smith emerges from the Matrix to capture Nemo for breaking the code

Czechia

• Why they will make it:
  • Vocals were the main reason most people were writing this off, and Aiko has been significantly better in dress rehearsals so far
  • Many stories of fans' casual friends and workplaces loving this song a lot more than fan polls have indicated
  • The nipple bra is now gone, replaced with a more tasteful red one!
  • Aikonation could be this year's Aijanation
• Why they might not:
  • Whilst pretty, the staging concept of the dancers representing the five stages of grief is not at all explicit and doesn't aesthetically match the musical genre
  • The revamped bridge is bizarre and doesn't really work
  • Stiff competition with San Marino and Norway for rock-lover's votes

Austria

• Why they will make it:
  • Clever lighting and funky lasers match the techno sound and give the staging its own unique atmosphere
  • Very catchy chorus and polished choreography
  • One of the most physically attractive artists of the year, which will surely result in at least a few votes
  • Kaleen = Kalush + Loreen. Illuminati confirmed
• Why they might not:
  • Shaky vocals throughout - Tuesday's qualifiers show that Europe is not feeling particularly forgiving towards weak vocals this year
  • Whilst beloved in the fandom, could well be the 'fan-hype' of the year, with its dated sound not necessarily impressing casuals
  • I'm still ram-di-dam-don't think they fully understand what a rave is (i.e. not a fun steamy time with a bunch of shirtless men in a garage)

Denmark

• Why they will make it:
  • One of the most meme-able titles and choruses of the year - SAND! SAAAND!
  • Easily Denmark's most competitive song in years, and conventional pop will appeal to a broad audience
  • Probably significant number of Danes in attendance will lift this live
• Why they might not:
  • A disappointing lack of sand on stage and on visuals, on top of a generally static performance
  • Being accessible, conventional pop can be a double-edged sword, making this easy to overlook in a strong line-up
  • They've missed the opportunity to do a Dune tribute and have a giant sandworm eat Saba at the end of the performance, leaving 'bits and pieces lying everywhere'

Armenia

• Why they will make it:
  • One of the most charismatic performers of the year in Jaklin, who owns the camera and the stage
  • Colourful, fun staging
  • Sounds nothing like anything else this year, standing out well in the line-up
• Why they might not:
  • The song is very repetitive and feels surprisingly flat in the arena as a result
  • The band aren't able to play their instruments live which makes it a bit less impressive
  • WHERE IS THE CHICKEN??

Latvia

• Why they will make it:
  • Dons always gives an eggcellent performance vocally
  • Tuesday's qualifiers shows that Europe is down for voting for ballads this year, and there is very little ballad competition in this semi
  • Latvia is one of the ultimate underdogs at the moment, and everybody loves an underdog
• Why they might not:
  • The giant donut prop does nothing to add to visual storytelling, and Dons' emoting also isn't all that convincing
  • The song is sadly too forgettable in such a strong semi
  • Dons may take vengeance for months of egg jokes by bringing a pack of eggs on stage to throw at the audience

San Marino

• Why they will make it:
  • Some of the most creative, engaging and entertaining stage graphics of the entire year
  • The full kitchen sink thrown at the staging, with costume changes, clever camerawork, pyro, and presumably the entire bank account of a rich Sammarinese businessman behind them
  • Although San Marino lack voting allies, this year they have both Spain and Italy voting in the semi when Italy has historically given them some televotes in the semi and the band is Spanish
  • We didn't suffer through the painful mess of Una Voce per San Marino for nothing
• Why they might not:
  • Facing stiff competition from Norway and Czechia for rock-lovers
  • It's San Marino, who always struggle in the televote unless they have a certain Turkish man to draw in diaspora and drunk support.
  • Spanish rock representing San Marino may be a bit confusing for first-time viewers

Georgia

• Why they will make it:
  • Nutsa is probably the best vocalist of the entire semi, belting out the tune flawlessly whilst dancing
  • Never underestimate the wide appeal of a woman singing an ethnic-tinged bop with a load of pyro on stage
  • Everybody loves an underdog, and Georgia is one of the biggest Eurovision underdogs at the moment. Surely they break their streak this time?
• Why they might not:
  • Facing stiff 'girlbop' competition from Austria, Malta and arguably Greece
  • A great performance and a decent song hasn't always lead to a Georgian qualification (cries in Iru)
  • The 'fire' that Nutsa is 'putting out' seems to be the sun (see the stage graphics), which is inadvisable and would exhaust all life on Earth

Belgium

• Why they will make it:
  • One of the most instant songs of the year, and one of the only ballad-like songs in the semi
  • Has consistently ranked well in a variety of fan polls, demonstrating widespread appeal
  • Some atmospheric and effective moments in the staging, especially early on and with the platform of mics
• Why they might not:
  • Consistently wonky vocals, especially in the the falsetto choruses which are for many people the best part of the song
  • Incredibly disappointing and underwhelming staging, especially given the music video seemed tailor-made to translate onto the stage
  • The ending is repetitive and lacks power in a live setting

Estonia

• Why they will make it:
  • Quirky and pure fun in a way which should appeal to televoters
  • Great late draw
  • One of the most recognisable and imitable dance moves of the year, beloved by the audience who will lift this song
  • Our community hasn't produced countless memes and fan-art pieces for nothing, right? Right?! UUUUUUUUUUUU YYYYYYYYYYYEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH intensifies
• Why they might not:
  • Incredibly messy and unimaginative staging are drawbacks you can't afford in a semi this competitive
  • Could well be the subreddit fan-hype of the year as Estonian folk/hip-hop mix is potentially a niche genre for a casual audience
  • The police investigation concludes that in the end they (really) do know quite a lot about (those) drugs

Israel

• Why they will make it:
  • Flawless vocals, one of the only ballads in the semi
  • Great late draw
  • Some effective staging moments, especially with atmospheric use of dry ice
  • The boos and criticism will only encourage some voters to vote even more for them
• Why they might not:
  • Maybe far more of Europe feels uncomfortable about Israel's participation at the moment than we all suspect
  • Eden risks getting oxymated slightly in the dry ice
  • Lack of audience support may influence voters at home

Norway

• Why they will make it:
  • Purely a magical experience from start to finish (#unbiasedjournalism)
  • Musically full of wow moments, especially the intense final chorus and Gunhild's impeccable vocals
  • Effective use of dry ice and lasers to add to the moody atmosphere
  • Everybody loves a good fairytale!
• Why they might not:
  • Folk-rock could be too niche of a genre for a widespread casual audience, and the song is facing competition from other rock songs in the semi for votes
  • The staging is a bit of a downgrade from MGP, lacking some of the intimacy and effective pre-recorded inserts
  • Gunhild may accidentally pull a muscle doing her famous leaning back trick
  • The lyrics may summon a werewolf who eats the stage, disqualifying the band

Netherlands

• Why they will make it:
  • Creative and witty stage graphics and impeccable live energy from Joost
  • Perfect draw position
  • Incredibly effective ending which gives added poignancy to the performance
• Why they might not:
  • When you promise innovative, never-before seen staging and bring a bloke in a blue bird costume, you are going to rub people up the wrong way
  • Focussing entirely on the sad ending in all recaps may feel like using tragedy for cynical gain, instead of presenting the balance the song gives
  • Brexit means Brexit - Eurosceptics may unite to overturn this EU propaganda!!

Whatever happens tonight, remember to have fun - at the end of the day it's just a song contest. Enjoy the performances, and may all your favourites qualify!

Writing part of this as I just finished chapter 3. Spoilers for a 6 year old game. Overall I think Primrose story up to this point was pretty good. Very dark but set up some interesting things.
For those of you who don’t know octopath is a JRPG by square enix that has 8 different playable characters each with a different stories with each story being split up into 4 chapters. It’s set in basic medieval setting. Typically you do each characters chapter 1 then all chapters 2 and so on because of the level curve. Primrose is the protagonist of one of these stories and her plot revolves around getting revenge for the death of her father who was killed at the hands of 3 men each with the mark of a crow, one on the the left arm, one on the right arm and one on the neck who is the leader. When the crows kill her father Primrose sees these marks while hidden and while the people are cloaked.
That’s the only lead she has. She becomes a danceprostitute kills her trafficker gets a map then kills the guy with the crow on his left arm. That’s chapter 1 and 2. She returns home to follow a lead by the left arm guy and runs into… Simeon
Let’s start with the good. His VA does a phenomenal job and his flair for the dramatic is a cool personality trait especially with the title of puppet-master. He also calls out the own cliche trope he’s a part of and does a maniacal villain laugh but that’s neither here nor there. That’s about it
Now for the bad. Simeon is portrayed as Primrose’s childhood love + continuing true love. She runs into him in her home town which he says he was drawn there by fate, somewhat suspicious but whatever. The narration says the first time Primrose ever felt peace since her father died is talking to Simeon. After his literally single line of dialogue (ok not literally, he has 30 lines of dialogue and yes I counted, fuck you) we skip ahead and beat the boss (the right arm) and Simeon appears and stabs Primrose. What?! He’s the bad guy?! Shocker I know.
So apparently Simeon is and always has been the head of this evil underground empire called the Obsidians and orchestrated the death of Primrose’s dad.
Why am I writing a rant about this then?
The first problem is this comes out of nowhere. There is no mention of Simeon at all prior to his introduction. He appears, is the most important living person in the protagonists life and one cutscene later he’s revealed to be the big bad evil guy.
I can’t possibly care about his betrayal I don’t know how this guy is and I don’t know why Primrose cares other than the story says so. It’s also just so predictable. I wouldn’t say any of this games story is especially exceptional but like child hood or past friend betrayal is in half of these stories. Olberic has Erhardt, Ophelia has Lianna, Therion has Darius and if you want to include general betrayal Alfyn has Miguel and Cyrus has Lucia (that’s 6 out of 8 characters for those keeping count at home). The moment he was introduced it’s just so obvious what will happen regarding this guy.
Also his back story… where do I begin. As I said before I’m writing this in chapter 3 so it’s not too fleshed out and I’ll add a section after chapter 4 but like, Simeon is a pedophile right? Like when primrose’s father is killed she is portrayed as like 13 and at this point Simeon is head of a smuggling ring that’s probably been operating for years. So he’s either this criminal mastermind that leads a gang as a child or is an actual adult who fell in love with a child. The game never calls this out though and we don’t know his age. Simeon is the families gardeners apprentice and seems to be portrayed as fairly young but not as young as primrose
This brings us back to the crow. The whole lead that kickstarted our journey. The thing literally tattooed onto these people’s bodies, remember that? Cause primrose sure didn’t. There’s is no reality where Primrose doesn’t see a crow tattooed on this dudes neck before or after he killed her father
“But…but… what if he got it tattooed right before he killed her father” well random straw man im glad you asked because the game makes sure to let you know that Simeon comforted primrose after her fathers death just to ensure either primroses incompetence or the games poor writing decisions.
You know when she does see the crow on Simeon again though? After he stabs her. Like does her vision only work if someone is actively dying?
Your childhood love had a crow tattooed on his neck: I sleep.
Shadow man literally wearing a cloak while your hiding behind a table walks by: real shit
This guy you haven’t seen in over a decade shows up to the same town as you “guided by fate” and you engage in long conversation about the past, you know the past where someone with crow tattoo killed your dad, hey wait a minute why does this guy have a…: I sleep
Guy literally stabs you and is wearing the exact same clothes as earlier and your on the floor bleeding out: real shit
You know, I don’t recall ever seeing anyone with glasses in this game. Yeah that’s probably it, Primrose is just literally blind. Anyway this is the end of my rant on part 3
In case anyone still has no clue what I’m talking about heres a video of the game his intro is from 4:30-11 and the post boss fight is at 29:05 —————————————————————————
Anddddd we’re back. Or well I am I guess you guys never left. You get the point.
First things first her seeing the crow only after getting stabbed is actually explain… kinda. The narration said she grabbed his scarf after she collapsed so my bad chief. Anyway…
GOD THE VA OF SIMEON IS SOOO GOOOOD. Shout out to Chris Hackney (he also voiced Dimitri, makes sense “kill every last one of them”). The VA of primrose (Laura Post) also goes so hard in this chapter
The final chapter is in this town called everhold famous for its theatre which Simeon actually owns which perfectly fits his character and makes for a great final stage (literally). The fact that he stabbed her in a place she could have lived or died for drama is also great (gotta love seeing villains fail based on their personality, if you can call it failing).
In this chapter Simeon makes a play based on Primrose’s life that brings back memories so we get to see more of her past. Simeon explains that he enjoys watching others suffer and Primrose’s life is like the ultimate tragedy and killing her father was partly to watch her suffer, mostly cause he was poking around in their business though but I digress
Skipping ahead we beat the boss and he calls primrose out on what this was all for, why she did all this etc which I’ll get too. This was actually all a dream sequence though. After a scene with her father she gets her composure back and we face him irl
And so we beat him. His life ends with a dagger to the heart and his play ends with loves embrace (the characters based on Simeon and primrose marry). She visits her father’s grave and she feels… nothing
Her story is about discovering a sense of purpose. This is a common theme throughout the stories and particularly with 3 people. Tressa, Primrose, and Olberic. Tressa is a naive young girl who wants to explore and find her place in the world. Primrose is filled with revenge and puts that before all else. Olberic is… old. Like primrose his backstory is filled with betrayal and death but he’s far past revenge he’s just seeking a sense of purpose and has nothing to live for (kinda like Gilbert from Fire Emblem 3 Houses, except YOU HAVE A DAUGHTER GILBERT YOU FUCKING…). Anyway of the 3 I think Primrose is the most interesting
Her quest for revenge is treated as unhealthy and obsessive. She willingly sold herself into human trafficking for years to get a lead and refuses to visit her father’s grave until after it was done. It’s the only thing keeping her alive, it’s her purpose, but as mentioned in the dream sequence of chapter 4 she doesn’t actually want revenge.
The scene where she finds comfort in her father in her head after Simeon, a manifestation of her own subconscious, uses her father’s words against her is beautiful. Her father’s silence over the course of the entire scene speaks volumes. He’s gone, and she can beg for forgiveness but she doesn’t need it, the only one she hurt is herself after all.
This whole thing was a quest to fill some hole in her heart but it doesn’t/didn’t work. But this also isn’t some friendship anime. This isn’t a story where the protagonist learns to move on and forget revenge. These people deserve to die and Primrose knows it. It isn’t treated as some unjust thing that will taint your soul. The path she set on is above all else a purpose. It certainly wasn’t healthy but taking revenge let her move on. Her story ends the same way Olberic starts, looking for a new purpose in life, one not from the demons of her past.
Primrose is a tragic character with probably the darkest story in the game and doesn’t get a happy ending. While it certainly had certain… writing choices… primrose was a compelling enough character to keep me engaged. The entire plot line of childhood love is kind of just dropped in the last chapter though, she just seems to stop caring about Simeon (she just like me Fr Fr). While Simeon is certainly entertaining the character driven story happens in spite of him not because of him.
Also according to Simeon’s wiki as I was looking up his voice actor he’s 126+ so the whole “girl I fell in love with” is a big yikes
Obligatory video, dream sequence starts at around the 12 minute mark
K thx bye

NeoDestiny, let's imagine that while Nathan was at a birthday party one of his friend's parents gave Nathan their number. They repeatedly text and facetime one another. Nathan goes to them for professional and relationship advice. That parent says things like, "I miss you so much", and Nathan wants to meet up with that parent when they're in town next, doesnt even mention the child friend. What is your immediate assumption of that sort of relationship?
Now let's say that this parent also so happens to follow other teenagers on social media, and talks to some of them too. There's rumors of that parent dating someone who turned 18 not that long ago.
Would none of this raise alarm bells for you? Would you let Nathan see that parent without you present?
Now before someone says that this is a change in framing from the actual Drake and Millie situation because they're both celebrities is it now no longer strange because Drake is a rapper and Millie was a child actor?
Sorry, but Drake shouldn't be sharing his contact information with a child regardless if he's a fan of the show or not. If it was Natalie Dyer or Winona Ryder I don't give a shit. They're adults. But as far as I'm aware Drake wasn't speaking to them, he was speaking to the female child star. If Millie was asking for professional advice (whether it be because he's a rapper, child actor, famous celebrity) there are other ways to do that then giving her your personal phone number. Get her in contact with an agent or a producer through professional emails.
You can say this is a self-report or whatever, I don't care. I coach wrestling to children, I work closely with a children's theatre, and I volunteer in other youth activities. You're never going to catch me texting those children I mentor; their parents can message me their questions. You're never going to see me following a child's social media page. That shit is weird.

I'm a theatre graduate who is new to Toronto - I do want to be a professional actodirector eventually. I figured community theatre might be good practice, but several people have said I shouldn't bother.
I've spoken with professional creatives and they all say a version of the same thing. A professional actor explained to me that for young theatre grads community theatres can exploitative in the same way that unpaid internships are. She suggested I just do fringe shows that profit-share instead and join training programs at professional theatres. I also met a lady last week while seeing a show in the city who told me that her community theatre just feels like "a cult of miserable old ladies," which kind of sounds horrible but also hilarious?
I also know that some famous people got their start in community theatre, but that's in NY or London, I doubt professionals are scouting people in Toronto community theatres.
I guess my questions are:

• Has anyone had a positive experience working with a community theatre in Toronto? If so, which ones? And what benefits did you get out of it?
• Are there any theatres that share a portion of the box-office with actors/crew?
• Have you gone on to do professional work after? If yes, did the community experience help make it happen?
  
• Are there any community theatres that do have a lot of younger participants (20s, 30s) or is community theatre more of a retiree hobby?