Hey anime enthusiasts! Embark on a journey into the world of virtual fame with our collaboration featuring "Needy Streamer Overload"! Elevate your ride with vibrant prints inspired by OMGkawaiiAngel's quest for internet stardom. Turn heads on the road and embrace the anime craze with 10kwraps!

I’m not a stranger to the single player campaigns in Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games, even when it’s a genre I’m not really any good at. In the early 2000s, I’ve played all the Age of Empires games, Age of Mythology, Rise of Nations, Stronghold 1 and, more relevant to this review, Warcraft 3 and its expansion. A decade later and inspired by the announcements of the, then upcoming, Warcraft Movie, I played the campaigns of Warcraft 1 & 2 and, right after, the original Starcraft (SC1) and Brood War. This was at some point in 2014. Of these older Blizzard games, I liked SC1 the most, even when I only remember some simple things from it: the zerg were my favorite species to play with, Sarah Kerrigan (the Queen of Blades) was a good tragic character, Zeratul was a cool name and Arcturus Mengsk was a bastard that didn’t have his comeuppance in neither the base game or Brood War.
And here we are, in 2024, and I’m finally playing the complete Starcraft 2 (SC2) trilogy. For the first-timers, SC2 is a space-opera RTS with 3 big species colliding in conflict: the Terrans (space humans), the Zerg (the bad aliens, dominated by an “overmind” telepathically, with this leader being, due to the events of SC1, Sarah Kerrigan) and the Protoss (the honorable good aliens, that are also connected to each other with their minds, but nobody dominates anyone in particular). What better way to begin our journey than to spread our…

Wings of Liberty (WoL) - 2010 -

The starting campaign is all about the Terrans (humans), putting you in the role of Jim Raynor, a survivor from the first game. First thing I noticed was that the graphics showed their age a little bit, with the worst part being the heavily-compressed CGI cutscenes. Over the years, I’ve seen other people play this game and it always looked incredible, even as late as in 2018. Well, it didn’t look incredible anymore but the graphics were just fine. The good thing is that the art style was strong enough to make the less-than-ideal textures and animations still shine. Also, the production values were excellent all around.
Anyway, as soon as I got used to the graphics, I discovered a big positive aspect of SC2. I quickly fell in love with the new ship hub between missions. Instead of a decorated simple menu (like Age of Empires or Stronghold), you were presented with different rooms inside a spaceship, and you could talk to characters, spend money to upgrade your army and see a small in-engine cutscene or two before the next objective. This hub is where the majority of the storytelling happened and I’d love to see more RTS do something like this.
The campaign was an excellent tutorial for newbies (like me!), as every mission was focused on a single new playable unit at a time, and they kept adding more and more of these units in future missions, until you were using most of them seamlessly by the endgame.
I started playing with the “Normal” difficulty but soon settled with “Casual” because the game wouldn’t…

Stop rushing me

I found out that what seemed like a substantial portion of the missions put you on a timer, one way or another. Either you had something that was going to explode or the enemy’s faction was destroying an important installation or you had to hold on until reinforcements arrived. More often than not, the game would pressure you to finish the mission as soon as possible and I didn’t like that. My favorite missions in RTS are always the ones without a time limit, where maybe there are never-ending hordes of enemies coming at you at regular intervals but if you survive, you can get stronger for as long as you want and you are the one to decide when it’s time to attack a particular fortress and move on. Well, in all fairness, SC2 had some missions like that but it usually defaulted to rushing you. And I like to play at a relaxed pace and the great thing here, for a noob like me, is that I was able to complete the totality of SC2 without cheats because the “Casual” difficulty allowed me to win every level with ease, even with the aforementioned time limit.
Most missions usually were just about 20 to 30 minutes long, so moving through the campaign was a very breezy affair once you’ve adjusted the difficulty to your liking.
What about the story in WoL? Well, first, I had to open up wikis every time a character other than Mengks, Kerrigan, Raynor or Zeratul came to the screen because I couldn’t remember any of them from SC1, let alone all the particular factions besides the big species. Second, the overall plot was a touch weird: the story started with Raynor plotting his revenge against Emperor Mengsk, the big bad from SC1, and somewhere towards the middle, the story turned into a quest to de-zerg our favorite Queen of Blades. By the end of this game, Raynor felt no closer to beat Mengsk but now his human-again “darling” Sarah Kerrigan was back. I don’t know about you guys, but the whole story was a bit meandering, with many supporting characters that didn’t amount to much in the long run. It all started as a human campaign against the evil emperor and it soon turned into a Zerg matter, which all lead us to the real…

Heart of the Swarm (HotS) - 2013 -

The Queen of Blades doesn’t spend too much time being human before she returns to her usual Zerg form again. Now, that’s a very flexible body that can withstand anything.
This time around, we controlled the Zerg, from the point of view of Sarah Kerrigan. This campaign was, just like in SC1, my favorite in terms of gameplay. There’s something about the Zerg that appeals to my lame RTS skills. The strategy of overwhelming the enemy with way more units that they can handle always works best with the Zerg, the species you can count on to throw a gazillion disposable minions at your enemies.
Also, Blizzard decided to improve the way you unlock upgrades to your armies. Now you can choose perks or special units and change them anytime you are in your returning hub area, instead of spending limited money that you’d never get back, like in WoL. I found myself experimenting a lot more with the multiple units and trying most options thanks to the new easier way to upgrade. And I thought the graphics improved a little bit, which was something nice to see.
This campaign had more solo missions, when you were just controlling Kerrigan or a bunch of hero units, without any base building. These were always fun to do and you could relax and focus on the voices and grand speeches.
And speaking of voices, starting with this campaign we got a lot more of what I wanted to see from day one with SC2: characters with excellent post-processed voices with cool one-liners and badass postures. Everyone had an interesting sound here, from Abathur, moving through the Queen of Blade’s assistant Izsha with her bedroom eyes and other allies like Zagarah, the reluctant brood mother, or some surprising returning characters from SC1. The terrans in WoL were too human, too “normal”, even when some of them had cool voices. I wanted to hear unrealistic deep and alien sounds, instead, and HotS delivered that in spades. For other examples of games with voice acting like this, I always think about the Darksiders series and this particular trailer for World of Warcraft.
I wouldn’t say HotS was a better story than WoL but it was certainly more entertaining to me. There was a good amount of dubious stuff that you had to ignore to keep enjoying the premise, like when they found the original “primal” Zerg, and these beings called themselves “primal Zerg”. This is like the Aztecs and Mayas calling themselves “indians” or “native americans”. It doesn’t work like that. And something else that doesn’t quite work that I realized while reading wikis… wasn’t Sarah Kerrigan sort of a bad guy at the end of SC1? I think that these new games rewrote the way the protagonists see her and she’s very easily redeemed in the eyes of Jim Raynor and the rest. Hell, Raynor ended SC1 saying he’d be the one to kill her and now she was his “darling” again? And to keep up with this redemption arc, the Queen of Blades is the one to finally put an end to Mengsk’s life, in a bit of poetic justice.
And of course, there was a new big bad called Amon, that is barely present here, but hey, it’s a good excuse to make Kerrigan not only a full Zerg again, but also evolve with the powers of the Primal Zerg. She had to be ready for whatever was going to happen in…

Legacy of the Void (LotV) - 2015 -

Probably the best campaign, even when playing as Protross wasn’t as exciting for me as playing with Zergs (poor terrans were always a distant third). Blizzard kept all the improvements of HotS in terms of visual and gameplay upgrades and we still had these excellent ship hubs to talk to everyone relevant to the campaign. And the voices here were top-notch! There were lots and lots of fantastic post-processed voice acting, including a character voiced by no other than John de Lancie of Q’s fame (Star Trek: The Next Generation).
I think they reached the best balance between missions where you played with heroes, missions that rushed you and missions that allowed you to play for as long as you want. Also, you’d get to play as Terrans and Zergs in the finale, too! A terrific way to close this trilogy and the franchise, as a whole.
Now, the story itself veered too much into the fantasy realm, particularly by the final levels. Suddenly, this Amon being was an unstoppable force of nature by itself, so you didn’t need political intrigue anymore. Every faction had to unite against him or die and then, the only way to really defeat Amon was for Sarah Kerrigan to evolve once more (this time into a Xel’Naga) and fight against him.
I enjoyed the whole journey, but the Queen of Blades turning super Saiyan/a golden angel to save the day felt a lot more like something that’d happen in Warcraft than this particular sci-fi universe. Knowing the full story now, I’d say (from what I remember) SC1 and Brood War were more about politics and the big picture and more sci-fi in detriment of the characters and SC2 was much more character-driven and with a story that leaves its own genre behind, by the end (prophecies, eldritch beings that defied the whole galaxy, Sarah Kerrigan becoming a sort of goddess). I’d say SC1 was more serious and believable but it left me feeling a bit cold, a decade ago, and this game, on one hand, was much sillier and with a heavy dose of fantasy in the depiction of the main events but, on the other hand, it felt more personal and warmer. I see myself replaying SC2 in a few years from now, just for the crazy adventure.
TL;DR: All in all, the SC2 trilogy was very entertaining and if you never played it before don’t hesitate to give it a try. It’s very welcoming for newcomers of the RTS genre, the story is bananas but it’s never boring, the production values are really strong, even when 14, 11 and 8 years had passed since the release date of each episode. I’m really glad I could finally complete this part of gaming history. And now, it’s your turn.

Timestamp: https://imgur.com/oSECCDm
Wii: Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection ($20 shipped) Boom Blox ($7 shipped) Dream Pinball 3D ($10 shipped) Disney-Pixar Brave ($7 shipped) Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands ($10 shipped) Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII ($7 shipped) Zumba Fitness 2 ($7 shipped)
Xbox: Hitman: Contracts ($10 Shipped) Halo: Combat Evolved ($10 Shipped) MechAssault ($10 shipped) Peter Jackson’s King Kong ($10 shipped)
N64: Battle Zone Rise of The Black Dogs ($15 shipped) - Manual only Forsaken 64 ($10 shipped) - Manual only
Open to offers Can send more timestamps upon request

1. Stand By Me
2. All Around the World
3. D’You Know What I Mean?
4. It’s Getting Better (Man!!)
5. Going Nowhere
6. Stay Young
7. Be Here Now
8. Don’t Go Away
9. The Fame
10. My Big Mouth
11. (I Got) the Fever
12. Heroes
13. I Hope, I Think, I Know
14. My Sister Lover
15. Angel Child (Demo)
16. Street Fighting Man
17. Flashbax
18. The Girl in the Dirty Shirt
19. Fade In-Out
20. Magic Pie
21. All Around the World (Reprise)

I live on the East Coast; never been to California; and am super excited. Solo traveling for work, fly in June 2 land around 10am and have the day to myself that day, then work in Valencia area Monday-Wednesday and fly out Thursday June 6 in the afternoon.
What are some must dos in Los Angeles area on Sunday and some other things I can do during the weekdays after work?
Sunday was thinking ---

• 10am land, get rental car
• Randys Donuts
• The Broad
• Grand Central Market
• Hollywood sign Hike? (is it worth it?)
• Walk of Fame
• Santa Monica PieVenice Beach for sunset?

Working in Valencia, any recommendations on areas to stay that have some things nearby to do? Not a lot near my office in Valencia I've heard.
Any other suggestions? Recommendations?
I'm a major foodie, love food trucks, love breweries and hiking.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions/recommendations.

[<< First] [< Previous] [Next >] [Patreon] [Discord]
Synopsis:
Juliette Contzen is a lazy, good-for-nothing princess. Overshadowed by her siblings, she's left with little to do but nap, read … and occasionally cut the falling raindrops with her sword. Spotted one day by an astonished adventurer, he insists on grading Juliette's swordsmanship, then promptly has a mental breakdown at the result.
Soon after, Juliette is given the news that her kingdom is on the brink of bankruptcy. At threat of being married off, the lazy princess vows to do whatever it takes to maintain her current lifestyle, and taking matters into her own hands, escapes in the middle of the night in order to restore her kingdom's finances.
Tags: Comedy, Adventure, Action, Fantasy, Copious Ohohohohos.
Chapter 239: Standing Start
A wine bottle rolled against the side of my boot.
Amidst a gallery of stunned faces and open mouths, it was easily the second most lively thing here.
The first was a clockwork doll clutching at her stomach in pain.
“Ahahahha~ ahahaha~ ahah … uck … ack … ughh … ahahaha~”
I pursed my lips.
Still, I said nothing.
For one thing, this was precisely what happened when one ate the mouldy cinnamon rolls combined with any grass growing by the side of the road. If Apple refused to eat something, then so should she.
But for another–
“What … What is this … ?”
It was because the first response was reserved for the baroness.
Her words came out in a quivering tone, matching the disbelief upon her face.
Frankly, she had to do better than that.
Only the wine from the bottle I nudged away dribbled into the soil. And also the line of drool from a comatose farmer. But I didn’t want to think about that.
Still, it was an excellent benchmark. Until her tears could properly overpower the sour aroma from the Château de Riaré Hensoise, I would deem her bawling to be incomplete.
She had a long way to go.
“How … How are you still …” she began, slowly rising from her seat. “This … This is impossible–”
I offered a tidy smile alongside a flick of my hair, relishing in the moonlight adorning my figure.
“I agree. It shouldn’t be possible. But I assure you, my skin is 100% natural.”
“E-Excuse me … ?”
“No magical enchantments. No unicorn elixirs. No witchly glamors. Just a healthy sleep schedule of however many hours I desire and a diet of fresh strawberry shortcakes.”
The baroness mouthed silently at my secrets being revealed.
A strange way of offering her gratitude. Other princesses hounded my door for this knowledge. Given her pale, blotchy skin and lips as dry as a pond in a desert, she should be pleading for more.
Instead, she pointed at the fallen drunk beside us.
“This … This shouldn’t be possible … no, wait … the clockwork doll … did she–”
She suddenly snapped towards Coppelia, her eyes widening.
“Uuh … ahaha … ugh, it hurts ... ahaha … it hurts so much … ahaha … my tummy … aha … oh no … I’m … I’m seeing daisies … aha … I … ugh … I think I need help …”
Coppelia hugged her stomach, writhing like a freshly hatched caterpillar. Her eyes darkened as hiccups of laughter assailed her defeated form.
The baroness pursed her lips.
Then, she turned to Renise instead.
“Did you–”
“A-Amazing! … I … I have no idea what you did … but it wasn’t just wonderful … it was beautiful! The colours! The warmth! It was like a rainbow come to life!”
With a smile worthy of any attendant, the maid brought her hands together in polite applause. Naturally, to be praised for my brushwork was nothing new to me. Nor was the sight of stars shining in her eyes with greater brightness than any in the night sky.
Why, that even came whenever I left my bedroom.
“You … how did … how did you defeat him … ?”
The strands of the baroness’s golden hair began to frizzle as she turned towards me. All I saw were her tonsils. Bright red and healthy. She should be pleased.
“This was … this was no common man … do you know who he is … ?”
Without offering a chance to ignore her, she stamped a foot, pointing at the fallen drunk with maddened jabs. The man offered no defence, now as spent and drained as the bottle beside him.
I raised a brow.
“Indeed, I do. He’s a farmer who made poor life choices. And between leaving his farm and offering his pitchfork to an overly ambitious baroness, the greater was you. My congratulations on being the superior mistake. I acknowledge your triumph.”
Bwam.
The baroness promptly slapped her palms down on the table.
“This man … is Willem of Hagel,” she said, her teeth gritted together. “A man desperate and cursed.”
“Yes, well, to be a peasant is a dire thing. But it could be worse. At least he isn’t nobility.”
A mouth further widened before me.
Indeed, this was a terrible time to realise her affliction. But I was no famed angel of healing for nothing. There was a cure for ambition. And it involved copious amounts of tears.
I was still waiting.
“There is no world in which you should have been able to defeat him … not if half the tales about him prove true … he is a famed opponent … all the while you are … you are …”
Suddenly, her eyes left my face for the very first time.
No longer feeling that my cheeks were in danger of being poked, she swept her eyes upon my person, as though hoping to find some blemish to signify I was as false as a field of corn.
She stopped at the sword by my side.
And also–
“A copper ring,” she said softly.
Suddenly, my 29th house of cards I was subtly constructing collapsed.
… T-The ring!
The blot on my finger! The insidious badge of shame! The symbol of the Adventurer’s Guild!
Why, I’d taken it for granted that my masterful disguise was impervious! But this was no ordinary noblewoman I was seated across!
This … This was one I’d previously sat across before!
I’d made a terrible mistake!
I was mesmerising! A beautiful princess as charming as I was modest!
There was utterly no scenario in which I’d be forgotten!
I … I should have removed the copper ring!
“O-Oho … ohoho … w-what copper ring?” I said, my hands vanishing below the table at a speed con artists could only nod at. “Ah, do you refer to the ruby inlaid ring I often carry on my hand? The one which changes colour depending on the longitude and latitude? In that case, you may very well have briefly spied something which resembled a copper hue. But it is in fact a thing of unparalleled beauty and craftsmanship. Not a disgraceful copper ring.”
The baroness slowly looked up at me, her eyes blinking.
“No. I wasn’t mistaken. I … I recognise that ring. It is a copper ring, the same size and shape as those worn by … adventurers.”
My mouth widened in horror.
At once, I immediately sought a plant pot or a heavy book. Something to immediately erase the past few seconds of her memory.
Why … if she knew my secret, then the shame would haunt me all the way until I’d found something weighing at least equivalent to a standard hardback!
“I see,” she mumbled, as much to herself as me. “I understand now …”
The baroness removed her palms from the table.
She stood up straight, a hard expression upon her face. One which calculated with each passing moment the optimal way to exploit this devastating information.
Then, she took in a deep breath–just as I began assembling the playing cards into a thick pile.
“… it must be a legendary artifact.”
As I began eyeing her temple … I blinked in non-understanding.
“Excuse me?”
She nodded, her frown harsh enough to permanently crease her skin.
“To wear such a plain, ugly and shameful ring … one which utterly demeans your history, your worth and your pride, destroying any semblance of dignity you possess–”
My hand went to my stomach, struck by as much pain as Coppelia had experienced in a single moment.
“–indeed, to wear a ring so easily mistaken as one belonging to adventurers, the vermin of the world … it must be a truly terrifying artifact.”
I blinked.
And then–
“Ohhho … ohoohho! You … You see the truth of it!”
The baroness squeezed her fists by her side.
“I knew it.”
I nodded, my bangs bouncing against my forehead.
“I-Indeed … ! This ring I carry on me … it is a masterful item of supreme quality, passed down along generations of my family! Why, its appearance matching those of rings worn by adventurers is no coincidence! Theirs are based on this very design! Although they have since tarnished it, it was forged back in the first days of the kingdom when copper was greater than gold! Poured within it is knowledge now lost to time! A power beyond compare, called upon from the depths of the Royal Vault!”
The baroness sucked in a hateful breath.
“Then that explains it,” she said with bitterness ringing throughout her voice. “You were able to defeat such a powerful adversary through the use of your family’s ancient heirlooms.”
“Indeed, this powerful ring with a rare ability I cannot disclose defeated a terrifying farmer! Therefore, there’s no need for you to relay any suggestion that I’m anything but a princess, as far removed from the Adventurer’s Guild as hygiene is to their members!”
The baroness gave no response.
A respite which lasted far too short.
“... I see, then it means the plan continues. Different, yes. But I’ll not be deterred.”
She smiled, the familiar sight of aristocratic opportunism mixed with an utter denial of facts shining within her grey eyes.
I could only react with horror.
“Plan?” I replied, convinced she was well and truly several sandwiches short of a picnic. “Do you mean the plan currently lying in a fallen heap beside us? Did you not just say I defeated your farmer? Your only plan now is to decide which part of the ground you wish to offer your forehead to.”
The baroness shook her head with renewed confidence.
“I think not. To defeat Willem of Hagel, you must have expended every effort you had available. Not a crumb of power could be spared, for to underestimate him would have resulted in your certain loss. Meaning …”
Without hesitation, she gave a multipurpose wave of her hand.
“... You’ve nothing left but a sword you cannot wield, and two retainers against all of mine. One of whom is incapacitated. The other a maid.”
She continued to keep her hand raised. Her simple call to arms.
It took several moments before she cared to even look around her.
A sad thing.
If she had, she would have realised the curiosity of her hoodlums was less than their prudence.
She would have noticed the eyes without loyalty, seeing only the fallen figure of a drunk they’d been led to believe was more than a farmer now watering the ground with his drool.
And she would have noticed the state of her dress, as dishevelled as her ambitions as those she relied upon slinked away in search of newer gutters to inhabit, following instincts she could learn as the last of their feet shuffled into the darkness.
The baroness paled.
It was far too early for that. She had no idea Apple was currently resting in her tavern, and wouldn’t be helping her haul all of the goods which needed delivering to a place less damp than here.
But I could sooth her forthcoming backache with a smile, at least for the assistance already provided.
“You have my gratitude,” I said, brushing a speck of … countryside from my lap. “For so long as the nobility continues to concoct slapdash schemes with no hope of success, the kingdom can continue to assign blame on you when all else goes wrong. When the mobs come calling and heads start rolling, it ensures a steady queue of necks can be offered before ours are reached. That is why the nobility continues to exist, you see, despite the ceaseless treason. So allow me to offer a word of advice when next you wish to survive in a position of responsibility. When fleeing, the best defence isn’t to run faster–it’s to trip the person beside you. And this means better hiring practices.”
I glanced pointedly around me.
All this empty space and not even a single eyepatched second-in-command to use as a distraction? An amateur mistake. One the baroness now realised as her mouth opened wordlessly, the realisation of her solitude only now dawning upon her.
Yet all it invited was a newly wrought defiance.
“I do not mean to flee,” she said, her fists tightly clenched. “I am Arisa Sandholt. And even should I be captured here, you would not be afforded a night’s rest. I am not alone. Whether tonight or tomorrow, this kingdom will fall. I am not alone in planning its demise.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Oh, please. Planning my kingdom’s demise is what everyone does.”
“What?”
“If it’s not being actively planned, it’s because someone’s in the middle of planning how to formulate a plan. And then once they’ve finished planning, they wonder why their plan didn’t work as planned. This is not a cause for concern. It’s a sign the world is still spinning the correct direction.”
The baroness feigned a dignified silence.
It was far too late, of course. By default, nobility had no dignity.
Still, I accepted the effort, and filled the silence with a tidy clap of my hands.
“Now, since you’ve no intention of fleeing, you can be useful instead. I’ll require a full inventory of your stock. I intend to requisition every single item you have in your possession. Every grain. Every crown. And every odd piece of tableware, carpet, candleholder and painting you might have.”
I pointed at the barn. A tragic thing to requisition. But if I was fortunate, it’d grow lacquered tiles and bay windows in the short steps between here and there.
Suddenly, the baroness’s eyes widened. The needless defiance dropped alarmingly from her face.
“Wait … what do you mean by that?”
I paused for a moment, puzzled by her reaction.
This was hardly the complicated part.
“I mean exactly what I mean. This should come as no surprise. I will be emptying every corner of the property you’ve misappropriated, including whatever manner of tunnels you’ve carved for your use. Rest assured, I’ll be employing the talents of my retainers extensively. With or without your cooperation, every single inch of your abode will be inspected by myself for the Royal Treasury’s benefit.”
She blinked between Renise and Coppelia. Although one was dressed as a maid and the other now appeared to be napping on the ground, their skills when it came to matters of unearthing valuables in my kingdom’s underbelly was not one I doubted.
Nor, from the way the baroness gulped, did she.
“I can do it,” she said suddenly.
I looked at her in confusion, uncertain what ploy this was.
“... Excuse me? Do what?”
“The items of value. I can bring them out. There’s no need to personally see to such a thing yourself.”
“While I’m in full agreement, I can hardly trust your reliability in this manner. And besides, I’ll hardly be playing the mule. I shall be supervising while closely assessing every item.”
Once more, the tonsils came out.
An appalling disregard of decorum. There was only one time that nobility was permitted to look so horrified in my presence. And that’s if they were copying my own after I discovered a list of marriage suitors posing as a napkin beneath the dessert spoon again.
“E-Even so … as the one who wronged you, I insist on not troubling a princess any further. If you give me a few moments, I can acquire the most important valuables for you in a fraction of the time you’d spend on finding them.”
“A few moments to hide them, you mean. No, I’m afraid that anything you wish to stuff beneath a floorboard will need to be appropriately examined first.”
I leaned away in mild alarm as a bead of sweat ran down the baroness’s face.
A moment later–
She finally did what only someone in her position could.
Adhering to the instincts of all nobility, she swept up her dress and suddenly dashed away.
Except it wasn’t towards the dark forest, to be lost amidst the shadows and the jaws of whatever awaited her there. It was back towards the barn.
I watched as she stumbled several times before even reaching the steps.
“... A desperate sight, no?” I said, with a sad shake of my head. “To throw away all semblance of the image she’d hoped to craft. Now she flees like a frightened towngirl. She should know that escape is now impossible.”
Beside me, Renise let out a hum.
Far from chasing after the baroness, she collected the pack of cards I’d assembled for memory wiping purposes. She began to build a house of cards.
I looked at her in puzzlement. She gave a strangely pained smile in reply.
“I believe we can offer her a few moments.”
[<< First] [< Previous] [Next >] [Patreon] [Discord]

After reading through most of the Dragonlance campaign for 5e called "Shadow of the Dragon Queen", here is my take in how to improve it substantially, so that DMs can run a much more interesting and deeper campaign in this awesome setting.
The campaign itself narrates very interesting and exciting events during the famed War of the Lance. This, in itself, makes this module worthy of your attention, because the adventure itself promises to be extremely memorable for you and for your players. If you include the wargame Warriors of Krynn to simulate the character's actions during battlefields, this module has the potential to be among the most enjoyable in the life of any DnD player or DM.
But as written, the module suffers from a very naïve worldview, especially regarding NPCs and the society they inhabit. At times it feels more like a California countryside plot, rather than a Medieval wartime setting. There's no feudalism, there's practically zero religion and cult, there's poor representation of an agrarian economy, a superficial take on warfare, preventing this module from actually fulfilling all its potential. If you add some real-life medievalism, this campaign will rock any table. And I believe your players deserve it.
Also, as an RPG campaign, it also suffers from severe railroading. It assumes that players will always do what key NPCs tell them to do. This will make for a hard time to any DM who's running a table of active and creative players wanting to explore. This is also easily fixed by adding medievalism to the setting, generating conflicts that would do for interesting quests, where players get to decide what side to support. As written, this campaign assumes that the world is simply waiting for the villains and the heroes to show up to write history. There's nothing happening in the towns before you visit, making the whole setting look shallow, and nothing would be farther from the truth. Dragonlance is amazing, and it needs to be treated with creative respect.
I want to write a series of posts offering the community my personal take on the campaign and the setting. I hope this helps you develop your own ideas in a constructive way. Let us begin.
The SETTING.
The book itself offers an introduction to the setting in 33 pages which include a lot of space dedicated to (really good) art. It's well written and gives you a general idea of the world of Krynn, its gods, its most remarkable factions and some of its history. Although it's a good introduction, it won't be enough if your really want to delve deeper into the setting. Dragonlance.fandom.com is a good place to start to improve your adventure's lore, and if you're not into reading too much, that website summarizes a lot of content that you want to include as you run your campaign.
Another suggestion I have is to search for the publications for 3.5e of Dungeons and Dragons, easily accessible at Internet Archive. I mean particularly the 2003 "Dragonlance Campaign Setting" by Weis & Perrin, and the 2004 "Dragonlance: War of the Lance" sourcebook by Hickman, Weis & Chambers. I have a theory that Wizards of the Coast is not planning to publish any more books on the Dragonlance setting itself because these are already great sourcebooks for Krynn. Yes, they are for 3.5e, however, they're mostly lore, so they apply just the same to 5e without fear of contradiction. Even more, there are rules there that you want to include in your campaign, like the influence the three moons of Krynn have on arcane magic users. Nothing of the sort is presented in the Shadow of the Dragon Queen book, and it would be a shame that such a special feature of Dragonlance, as the influence of the three moons on magic users, would go unnoticed in your campaign. Details such as these will be the ones making your campaign stand out from the volumes published on Forgotten Realms.
Finally, if you want to go all-in, hardcore, and nuclear, you can always search for the novels, especially the ones dedicated to the War of the Lance. Yet this is for those who enjoy reading fantasy novels. There are above a hundred Dragonlance novels, so this decision may actually change your life for the better. Reading novels ain't an easy habit in our Social Media times.
The PRELUDES
I want to close this post by making a comment on an interesting idea presented in Shadow of the Dragon Queen. It offers three quests presented as preludes to the adventure, yet not an integral part of the adventure's main narrative. The way I see it, this was a lost opportunity, because as quests, they are very weak, to the point of insignificance. However, what the try to convey is very important, and shouldn't be left behind.
The idea (I think) the publishers had was to offer some quick events for a session zero in which the DM wants to introduce some special elements relevant for the setting. I first ran scenario zero of Warrior of Krynn as part of session zero, and I included into the narrative the NPC Ispin Greenshield as the characters' mentor. Given that the first chapter of this adventure deals with Ispin's funeral, who is supposed to be an important NPC in the characters' lives, I rather introduced him alive during a session to generate the rapport to make his eventual funeral more meaningful.
Then, rather than running the preludes like mini quests, I presented my players with full grown quests that took more than session zero, and expanded to include sessions one AND two. Let me summarize them to you:
a) Prelude #1: Broken Silence: maybe you don't know, but a BIG THING in the Dragonlance setting is a historical period where the gods departed from the world after a worldwide cataclysm. As a consequence, there is NO divine magic. Zero. This messes with the rules system indeed, and at first I myself resisted the idea. But there's a catch. During the War of the Lance the gods of Krynn return, and divine magic slowly comes back to clerics, druids, paladins, etc. This prelude addresses that, by putting any divine magic user right in the action where they recover their powers. But by doing it in hurried way, the Dragonlance feeling of despair because the gods left Krynn is totally ignored, and the return of the gods become an unremarkable event. You want to make it remarkable. I had a conversation with the player playing a cleric, telling him of the various theories about what happened to the gods: some believe the gods never existed, that the history books are forgeries, and they are plain atheists; others that the gods presented in the history books are false gods, and new ones had to be found (this is the sect called The Seekers); whereas the established churches were separated in two theological camps: the first one, led by the establishment, taught that the time of the gods is past, and what's left are their teachings, which the different churches must protect. This is a moralistic understanding of religion. The second camp, led by mystics within religious organizations state that the gods did not depart, but remain hidden until they arrive once again according to some revelations. This is a more eschatological understanding of religion, a popularizing opinion given rumors of miracles happening in pilgrimage sites, as well as angel sightings. I introduced my cleric in a train of pilgrims walking up a slope to a place where rumors say miracles had happened. They're attacked by bandits, and many civilian NPCs are slayed in combat, to the evident frustration of the cleric character who can't summon healing magic. However, as he arrived to the top of the hill, he sees an angel coming down from haven, in the most Old Testament fashion possible, speaking to him about the return of the gods, and his choosing to spread the word of Mishakal, the goddess of healing. Then he heals the wounded. This scene was powerful. I could tell from the player's reaction to it. And it was made possible because I made him go through combat situation in which he could not cast spells (and a previous one during session zero, after playing scenario zero of Warriors of Krynn).
b) Prelude #2: Eye in the Sky: another crucial element in Dragonlance is that arcane magic is strictly regulated by an organization of wizards called the Mages of High Sorcery, divided in three main orders related to each of Krynn's three moons. The way I see it, this transnational organization is a kind of medieval Catholic church. You don't want them to pass without a trace in your campaign. They are big and influential. This prelude aims at giving the arcane users at your table some flavor of what this important organization means to them. The quest's setting is mystical and mysterious, so make sure you add your personal touch to make it memorable, especially if you do some great wizard NPC interpretation. But the challenge itself is just throwing some dice, without much thinking by the player. I came up with a quick game in which the colors of the three moons danced around a circular space, and the player had to bet on a particular configuration of colors, before his character could jump over them, tracing a path to a key in the center. I had planned a three part combat in which the player had to select what threat to confront: a lion, a cobra or a (magical) fox, but time ran out and I could not implement it, unfortunately. Bottom line here is try to come up with a more interesting challenge for your table's wizard or sorcerer in which Krynn's lore is learned by your players.
c) Prelude #3: Scales of War. This short scene in which the characters find a survivor from a caravan attacked on the road is too short and too small to present the campaign main monsters, the draconids. You want to create a much more challenging and narratively interesting scenario. Here I delved into a little bit of warfare reality. As written, the red dragon army (it should actually be the blue dragon army according to previous lore) is making a swing maneuver over the northern shore of the Vingaard river, before attacking the village of Vogler, and block the city of Kalaman (their final objective) from commerce up the river. The book doesn't present it in this military terms, but I do because it would be what makes military sense just by looking at the map of the region that comes with the campaign. Now, unless we want to believe that there is only one village in hundreds of miles around, the marching of this army SHOULD create some havoc in quite a lot of peasant communities. This creates refugees, as people flee from their homes to escape the invaders (I created a county in the region map to help build a credible plot, in the shire surrounding river Lastlarch, just for the purpose of burning it down and create the refugee crisis). I ran this prelude in a crossroad inn where the players found each other on their way to Vogler, invited by their friend Ispin to celebrate his birthday (I drafted this letter and printed it as a player handout). While in the inn, celebrating the cleric's revelation and divine magic, a dozen refugees rush into the inn seeking shelter. As the characters aid the refugees, the hooded draconids show up and surround the inn. In the ensuing combat, the monsters are unhooded, and the true sinister nature of the invaders is revealed, as the inn is set on fire and they have evacuate everyone while fighting off the enemy. This was my approach. Create a memorable scene. Don't just stay with the book as written.
CONCLUSION
In further posts I will elaborate on the further changes I implemented to this module so that it moves from good to awesome. I will be elaborating the reason why I changed it the way I did. Feel free to disagree with me and propose your own vision for this campaign.
Bear in mind, no module should ever be run as written. As the DM, you are expected to pepper it with your own voice. Otherwise, you would only be an operator rather than a narrator, and experienced players can tell.
Have a great game!

This one is vague and I am trusting the internet.
Could be on Tumblr, Ao3, EFP, gosh even Wattpad.
Chris evans x ofc or y/n can’t really remember. Maybe she had her own name.
Anyways, Dom!Chris Evans and she’s either bisexual or fruity in some way.
It’s long. Like multi chapter long.
Don’t really remember how it starts but she is some sort of biologist? Maybe zoologist? She had a research collector thingy in the middle of nowhere that she used to track either animals or the soil at a certain point.
The fic talks a lot about Chris’ social anxiety. I kinda remember that in the fic, Chris decides to accept the role of captain America and the two of them deal with the fame that comes with it. Her family was not nice or kinda homophobic if I remember correctly.
He is a super confident in his masculinity so I remember them playing with his back door but he’s kinda insecure about their private relationship (I think) cause i think they had a thing about threesomes for a while but he got super jealous when they involved maybe Tom hiddleston in one of them? And the girly had a bit of a crush on him?
I am actually kinda certain about the Tom Hiddleston thing cause I think that they used their Loki and Captain America costumes to have their way with her for her birthday or something (I love how random the stuff i remember about it is).
I remember Chris being jealous of Tom actually so that was a thing they had to deal with.
She may have had a somewhat colourful wedding dress? Or colourful hair?
There may have been a photos leak of them in intimate positions/bdsm attire. That created D R A M A.
Another aspect I definitely remember is that they had a thing about jelly beans. They got pregnant a few times and lost the babies and Chris started tattooing jelly beans on his pectoral (like where his heart should be) for the angel babies. This Whump was sad and tragic but a great story line.
I think this is it. Would love to find it. Thank you :)

I'm a long-time player who joined before the NG+ update. I had every perk by then and I played till my fifth NG+, cleared out the Orc Horde on Impossible then stopped for about a year before coming back with the new wave of updates - I've obtained every encounter-related achievement now and my achievement completion is at 97%, while my NG+ bonus is +1311% caps and +131,1% all resources.
These are my thoughts on what prestiges (or "legacy perks") are the best.
S Tier:

• Architecture of Titans - This building singlehandedly takes care of your wood and stone needs - including caps! - and also provides a dramatic output of tools, copper and iron. It's completely worth the 60 fame and a satisfying reward for beating one of the lategame bosses.
  
• Ministry of Interior - Like the Titan Work Area, but for gold and research. And it comes with extra population and supplies, as well as crystals indirectly through the extra professors. Only caveat is that it costs materials and supplies to build.
  
• Guild of Craftsmen - A must for the earlygame when the production of tier 2 resources is directly competing with your tier 1. It will fall off for the individual tier 2 buildings later on but it's still the first building you want to go for whenever you unlock the feudal age.
  
• Craftsmen - Tier 2 resources will be one of your main bottlenecks throughout the game, and these perks provide bigger and bigger boosts to them. After Craftsmen III it stops boosting tier 2 to instead boost natronite and saltpeter, which is less crucial to have.
  
• Shopkeepers and Breeders - This boosts tools, cows and horses. While the latter two are nice to have for extra money at the market in a pinch, it's tool production that puts this perk above other resource multipliers like Enhanced Axes and Irrigation Techniques. Tools will be a recurring bottleneck from the early game all the way to the lategame, and it's always a good idea to get more.
  
• Deep Pockets - We're here to remind you about possibly life's greatest joy of all: MONEY!
  

A Tier:

• Machines of Gods - Like a lite version of Titan Workshop focusing exclusively on tools, copper and iron. It's unlocked later and is less cost efficient, but certainly helps.
  
• Powered Weapons - This buffs your units starting from primitive spearmen all the way to artillery and line infantry. The early perks are the most important to get as they make your cheap, easy to spam units all the more effective.
  
• Enhanced Axes, Irrigation Techniques, Renowned Stonemasons - These are the best way to boost your base resources until you can afford deep runs and beat the Sleeping Titan. Worth noting that Enhanced Axes and Renowned Stonemasons lead to Woodworking and Stonemasons, whereas Grain Storage is already unlocked at the start.
  
• Regional Market - MONEY! You can think of these as a second bank. Probably the best use for your first coin.
  
• Resource Caps - These are vital for early afk play. This line starts weak but gets stronger and stronger. It synergizes greatly with the NG+ plus bonus, though said bonus also means you can just take the boosted caps from base buildings and make do without this perk. Though it should remain very relevant in your first few NG+ runs.
  
• Ministry of War, Ministry of Worship - Both of these greatly simplify core aspects of the game, army and magic respectively, with extra army cap, food cap, faith and mana. Ministry of War turns arquebusiers into one of the best units in the game, and Ministry of Worship grants extra lucky stones, and both of them come with extra jobs and population. The reason they aren't S tier is that in the lategame you can get enough army cap to clear every encounter (at least on normal) and enough mana to have all spells turned on even without these ministries, whereas the extra research and gold always stays paramount.
  
• Clever Villagers - The thing with research output is that it's not your main limiter until it is. When you have the other resources' production down, make sure to not neglect this perk.
  
• Library of Theresmore - This provides a nice boost to most ancient era resources. With 5 of these libraries you have a +10% bonus, which would've cost way more in fame if you were getting all the various Enhanced Axes, Deep Pockets, Strengthening Faith, etc. and you can comfortably afford up to 10 libraries.
  
• Monastic Orders - I agree with u/AGDude's description that "all of the boosts it provides make life just a little bit easier". It also has a lenient price scaling.
  
• Strengthening Faith - This lets you produce more mana and faith which lets you unlock spells faster. Affording an extra spell can be as good as affording an extra perk, or better. It's also a must if you like using Battle Angels or rely on Zenix Familiars.
  

B tier:

• Zenix Familiar - These are cheap, immortal scouts who cannot discover new nations and run on mana rather than gold or supplies. And they give you research. The fact they cannot discover civilizations may seem like a drawback at first, but it also means no splash screen will pop up and block your autoclicker if you've left that on the explore button (there's some exceptions, like the Forest of Markanat and the Demoness Castle).
  
• Hall of Wisdom - More or less like an extra school. Handy although Machines of Gods is a better use for your first Tome of Wisdom.
  
• Stock Resources - These are the equivalent of a few houses, farms and lumberjacks for free at start, which is an appreciated boost.
  
• Gift of Nature, Gift of the Creators - Also a small initial boost, this time in direct production. Lets you get a few buildings up faster.
  
• Rampart - Another good use for a coin. It's like a second wall that costs more but gives you extra fame every run.
  
• Enhanced Pickaxes - I find copper to never be a bottleneck and for iron to very rarely be, but it's handy to invest some points into these, especially if your army strategy is to spam warriors and heavy warriors.
  
• Fortune Teller, Soothsayer, etc. (Lucky Stone perks) - Nice to have, particularly if your strategy relies on getting that extra upgrade from luck buildings.
  
• Ancient Vault - A multi-purpose storage which unlike the rest of the category also raises your gold, research, faith and mana cap. Building 14 of them is fairly affordable and equals getting Ancient Treasury I and II + Service to Gods I and II.
  
• Ancient Treasury - Extra gold cap can be hard to come by in the early game. That said you will mainly rely on vaults and natronite buildings to get the cap high enough for the coin.
  
• Grain Storage, Stonemason, Woodworking - Grain Storage is good in the very early game where every bit of extra food counts - whether it's to send out more attacks, or to free up one worker from food production to something else. I find Stonemason and Woodworking to not be worth bothering with, as at my current NG+ level I can reach Architecture of Titans in fewer runs than it takes to unlock them, but they aren't bad per se.
  
• Elysian Field - This helps militarily even if you don't rely on Battle Angels. It's one of the few ways to significantly raise the food cap, and more stockpiled food means you can send the army out to attack more times per sitting. Besides that they have a niche use in getting the achievement for 15 Altars of Sacrifices, but that's very late game.
  
• Titanic Walls - These walls give you extra fame and - surprisingly - tier 2 resources. But due to how costly they are it's less of a "I must get this immediately" and more of a "When I'm already swimming in tier 2 resouces and fame, I can build these to get even more"
  
• Militia Recruitment - Like a second, more cost-efficient barracks with some added settlement defense.
  
• Free Hands - An average pick, not as good as others. You're better off boosting population through the various buildings you unlock progressing the game.
  
• Army of Men - Also average. The late perks are very powerful and they can help squeeze in just enough soldiers for a tough lategame boss on higher difficulties, but most encounters do not come down to ten extra soldiers and even when they do it's usually a problem of recruitment cost and upkeep rather than army caps.
  
• Battle Angel, Seraphim - Some people swear by them but I don't use these much as early game I have other uses for faith and mana and lategame they fall behind other units. It's pretty fun to summon a battle angel just to clear a cellar full of rats, though.
  

C tier:

• Monument, Heirlooms - A basically-free building at start with some minor assorted bonuses. The bonuses aren't very impactful, despite being costlier than Stock Resources and Gift of Nature, but I like to get one every reset because they need to be unlocked one at a time, so I can have the full collection when it's time for the next NG+.
  
• Service to Gods - Extra faith and mana cap doesn't do much besides affording you an extra level of the Fortune Grove (but you can just get the Fortune Teller line). It's pretty satisfying to clear the Mausoleum of Gods in one, two clicks on faith and mana though.
  
• Charism - I haven't done the actual math and whether at some point a boost to fame might be more efficient than getting the other perks to achieve faster runs, but I only grab this perk when I have fame to spare or have already bought the higher tiers.
  
• Hall of the Dead - Extra population would be handy but this building scales terribly, especially in the tool cost. It's worth to build a few, but you get far more value out of ministries, where population isn't even the main selling point.
  
• Undead Herds - Unless you like cavalry or are trying to get the 15 Altars of Sacrifices achievement, this is not that useful besides for freeing up some workers from the breeder job.
  
• Strong Workers - I hardly ever bother with resource clicking beyond my very first run. There may be some strats that involve building up a stockpile of stone, wood and food during the ancient era before researching feudalism (which removes the buttons), but in my experience in Theresmore the best use for an autoclicker is clicking 15 times on the wall button until it's built.
  
• Spikes and Pits - Uuuuh... neat to have? The best way to deal with enemy nations is by taking them out before they can even attack, and building an army strong enough to pass the age bosses is best done through the other perks. The later upgrades cost relics and buff the Juggernaut.
  
• Shieldbearer, Priest, Juggernaut, Ancient Balor - I never use tanks as the unit's purpose seems sorta defeated. They are meant to be low-attack, high defense frontliners but they are weak to shock which is the most damaging unit type and is very common amongst encounters. Shoutout to Ancient Balor for producing steel and helping me clear out the Orc Horde Assault on Deity, and Religious Colony-boosted Priests are hilarious.
  
• Coin Mercenary, White Company- Mercenaries cost only gold and die before the rest of the shock units. Canava Guard are slightly tankier (but still shock) mercenaries, White Company are offense-focused ranged units. They can accrue a respectable amount of boosts if you get all the Mercenary Agreements perks, but there are better uses for your gold, coins and fame. With that said, if you have Coin Mercenary and White Company you unlock the perk to recruit Cpt Gallard (who gives you gold) and after that you get another perk which unlocks a questline with a new building and new encounters.
  

D Tier:

• Mercenary Agreements - I just don't bother with these unless I'm trying to 100% the perk list. Mercenaries are simply too costly for me to consider.

F tier:

• Weapons of the Titan - Compared to the other titans upgrades it's a complete waste of 60 fame points. The units it boosts aren't my cup of tea for the endgame, either, as crossbowmen and heavy infantry outclass arquebusiers and men at arms once you defeat Nikharul and rebuild the fortress.

Article on Other Fixers in Hollywood - Twigger Warnings: threats, fixers, SA
Patricia Douglas was not a name like Loretta Young, and that’s the way she wanted it. The young dancer ended up in Hollywood only because her mother harbored dreams of designing movie costumes.
As David Stenn wrote in Vanity Fair, “she did not drink, date, or dream of film fame.” But she had appeared in musicals for Warner Brothers and Columbia Pictures, which is how she came across an MGM casting call in 1937. While she believed it was for another dancing role in a movie, it was actually for a party.
The party was part of a five-day sales convention to celebrate MGM’s big year. This particular bash, according to the convention schedule obtained by Vanity Fair, was ...
After Douglas arrived at the studio-owned “ranch” with 120 other dancers in short cowgirl outfits, she slowly realized she’d been bused over as a plaything for drunk, lecherous businessmen. One of them was especially interested in her. Douglas found David Ross creepy from the start, and tried to dodge him by escaping to the ladies’ room. But when she reentered the party, he and another man, by her recollection, held her down and poured liquor down her throat. She broke free to throw up in the bathroom and stumble outside for fresh air. It was there that Ross found her, dragged her to his car, and raped her.
Douglas was taken to the hospital and examined by a doctor practically owned by MGM. None of the cops at the party bothered to file a criminal report. Undeterred, she filed a complaint against Ross with the Los Angeles district attorney’s office and took her story to the press.
Mannix, who had been at the party, leapt to defend MGM.
He systematically strong-armed potential witnesses into slandering Douglas.
She was painted as a lying lush, despite the fact that she never drank.
Some who had previously given statements supporting her claims would not repeat them in court. Her criminal case failed, and MGM also succeeded in stalling her civil suit (which named Mannix).
She tried one more time, only for her own lawyer to betray her. There was no other recourse, and her story was effectively erased for decades.
When later asked about Douglas, Mannix supposedly joked, “We had her killed.”
Strickling and Mannix’s fixer days ended in the 1960s.
Another Fixer, Otash:
Due to Otash’s reputation, his sensational stories were often questioned—sometimes by the man himself. Although Otash told associates he rushed to Lana Turner’s home the night her boyfriend Johnny Stompanato was stabbed by her daughter Cheryl Crane, and even removed the knife from the body, Otash dismissed the story in a 1991 interview. “Beverly Hills police chief Clinton Anderson once accused me of..."
**They claimed Mannix read every telegraph and all communications into/out of MGM Studios.**
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/old-hollywood-fixers

Darrell Grant Quartet: MJ New - Thursday, June 13, 2024 at The Sound Room, Oakland
Darrell Grant's MJ New takes audiences on a journey from the heart of the HarlemRenaissance to Vienna, Brazil, and back again. Skillfully marrying classical counterpoint and the blues with refined swing inspired by their namesake, the legendary Modern Jazz Quartet, the group illuminates the diverse traditions of Black American Music.
Formed by Darrell Grant in 2013, MJ New brings together four storied West Coast scene-makers. Portland-based pianist/bandleader Darrell Grant is a veteran of the bands of Betty Carter, Tony Williams, and Roy Haynes. Since the release of his debut album Black Art, one of the New York Times'top ten jazz CDs, Grant has built an international reputation as a pianist, composer, and educator who channels the power of music to make change. He is the recipient of a Northwest Regional Emmy,Oregon Arts Commission Fellowship, MAP Fund grant, and the Governor’s Arts Award, his state’s highest arts honor. He is a Professor of Music at Portland State University, where he directs the Artist as Citizen Initiative.
Bassist, composer, arranger, educator, and bandleader Marcus Shelby is a figure synonymous with Bay Area jazz and the spirit of collaboration. A recipient of the Charles Mingus Scholarship, Shelby attended Cal Arts and studied with Charlie Haden and James Newton while working simultaneously with the all-star jazz ensemble Black/Note, who released a series of highly regarded albums in the1990s. Since moving to the Bay Area, he has led a highly regarded jazz orchestra and many smallgroups, with large-scale commissions focused on the history,present, and future of the African-American experience.
Vibraphonist Mike Horsfall has performed with Chuck Redd and Leroy Vinegar. He has recorded with Pink Martini, Nu Shooz Orchestra, and Tall Jazz, a trio he co-founded in 1989 which was voted into the Jazz Society of Oregon’s 2010 Hall ofFame. He serves on the music faculty at Willamette University.
Drummer Cecil Brooks III has recorded and toured with Stanley Turrentine, John Hicks, Geri Allen, and Pharoah Sanders. In addition to several albums as a leader and session work in both hard bop and bebop settings, Brooks is an award-winning producer of over 50 albums on the Savoy, Muse, & 32 Jazz labels and is the founder and proprietor of the celebrated New Jersey jazz club Cecil’s. He relocated to LosAngeles in 2010 a frequent performer at West Coast venues and festivals
Tickets - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/896351871577?aff=oddtdtcreator

Bobby is the best. Jay is the man. Bert is cool.
My girlfriend and I were able to attend the live Bonfire broadcast at the SiriusXM Garage studio in Los Angeles. We had front row seats. You can hear Bobby and Jay goof on me a little at the 27 minute mark, Jay calls me "Chief Ron Jeremy", after the premise was setup by Bobby that my girlfriend looked native american. I'm odd-looking, and my girlfriend is pretty, it attracts attention, I get it. It was great, we loved it. Bobby shook my hand as he walked into the studio at the beginning, Jay references Bobby "ingratiating himself" to the audience at the beginning of the broadcast after Bobby shook my hand.
The entire event was such a surreal experience. When we were in the lobby of the studio, we chatted with some fellow attendees, all of them fans. Jacob and Black Lou walked through the lobby, I'm not used to seeing famous people, I saw Jacob and I blurted out "Hey, you're Jacob..!" He was gracious, said hello, I was so star struck I didn't have a follow up to my yelling out, lol. I was just trying to let all the fans know THE Jacob Battat was standing right there, in the flesh. I think he thought I was going to goof on him or something, as soon as I had no next comment for him, he started making his way through the lobby (baba booey of howard stern fame often detailed how meeting fans in person would lead to said fans making fun of Gary like they thought they were Howard; I think Jacob is fantastic, I would never do this.) I managed to blurt out one more thing "huge fans Jacob!", he turned once again and said thank you as he and Black Lou finished walking through the lobby.
For the main event we were ushered into a studio with small stadium-like seating, we waited for about 20 minutes before the rockstars finally made their way in. Another crazy surreal moment. I love Bobby and Jay so much, seeing them in person was nuts. And then Bobby turning to me as he was walking up to the host seating area at the beginning of the show and shaking my hand, that was really sweet. I got the impression that Bobby might have had the hots for my gf, at some point during the broadcast Bobby starts to detail some sultry dream he recently had with an Indian (native american) woman, and he kinda pointed at my gf as he was telling it. Again, this was all great, I loved it. I have to admit when Bert showed up I was the slightest bit disappointed, only because I know of Bert's reputation for taking over an event, and I was so excited to see Jay and Bobby. Bert was a pro, he was great, funny, high energy, kept it going for the fans. Bert is cool.
Christine was also there, she came into the studio briefly during the event. Christine is beautiful, she is lovely, and a very sexy woman.
One of the best experiences of my life.
I love you Bobby Kelly
I love you Big Jay
The Bonfire rules!!

Link to original nosleep post:
https://www.reddit.com/nosleep/comments/1b5iszd/my_wife_and_i_got_cast_in_a_reality_show_pilot/
I had just wrapped work on a Friday night, when my wife, Cara, first told me about the ad.
"I don't know how long I can work for this guy anymore." I said to her, closing my laptop for the weekend.
"Alan?" She replied.
"Yeah. He's such a prick. Everything's urgent, and everything's a fire drill. Until he doesn't care about it anymore."
"You know what you should do?"
"What?"
"Kick his ass."
"I wish. But you know full well that I don't have a threatening bone in my body. I'm a lover not a fighter." I said with a wink.
"Oh, that reminds me! Speaking of lovers." My wife said with a smile, pulling out her phone. "Look at this."
Taking the phone from her hand, I saw that she had saved a job posting.
"New Reality Series Seeks Married Couples For Chance To Win Once In A Lifetime Prize."
At first, I scoffed at it. Having been happily married for a few years now, and both of us gainfully employed, I was pretty confident that neither my wife nor I sought money or fame. We already had everything a couple could ever want.
"Why would we ever go on a reality show?" I asked.
"Keep reading," Cara replied, pointing to the bottom of the posting.
I did as she suggested.
"The winning couple will receive a once in a lifetime chance to work with one of the best fertility doctors in the world, to aid them in having a child."
Okay, maybe we didn't quite have everything a couple could want.
I looked at my wife. "Enticing, yes. But I mean, what are the chances we'd actually get cast?"
"Hey, you can't win if you don't play, right?" Cara replied, "And what other choice do we have?"
She had a point. We'd been trying to conceive for a few years, but no matter the approach, whether natural, IUI, or IVF, you name it, the outcome was always the same.
It was the one thing we didn't have. The one thing, save for surrogacy or adoption, that money couldn't buy...
...Having a child of our own.
And so...
...The next day, we reached out to the production company's nondescript email address...
...A couple days later, we heard back...
...And a week later, we found ourselves on a video call with a casting director, attempting to sell her on why they should choose us as one of the five couples competing in their pilot, and why we deserved the prize.
But my wife and I both left the meeting thinking we botched it, each of us walking away with the same feeling that one gets after a flubbed job interview.
And so, we both resolved to go back to our lives. Back to being realistic about the situation. And even started looking into some adoption agencies.
That is, until a week later, when Cara and I received an email from the production company...
...Informing us that we were selected to participate in the reality show pilot!
A few signed contracts, NDAs, and talent release forms later, and my wife and I were off on an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles.
I remember pulling into the parking lot of the production studio that first day, and finding it a bit strange that a TV show would be filmed in such a rundown, dilapidated warehouse. But I knew nothing about production, and chalked it up to budgetary constraints. And, after all, we had already traveled too far, and there was too much on the line, to turn back now.
Upon entering the building's lobby, we were immediately welcomed in by the show's producer, Phil, whose warm greeting through his medical mask, quickly turned sour, "You're late! Literally the last couple to arrive! Hurry, hurry! Follow me! We're about to start!"
I thought it a bit rude, and noticed a concerned look wash over Cara's face. But then I remembered it was our fault, after all, that we underestimated LA traffic, so I bit my tongue.
Phil then confiscated both of our cell phones, before escorting us out of the lobby, down a long hallway, around a corner, and into a massive lounge, lit by professional lights, with five couches scattered about. Four of which were occupied by other couples, who were sitting there, patiently waiting, when we finally entered the room.
"So sorry!" I called out to them, while simultaneously waving "Hello," as I sat down in one of the loveseats.
"Thanks for your patience!" Cara added, as she took a seat beside me.
But our peers and competitors didn't even have a chance to react, as Phil suddenly ran into the room with a similarly masked production crew of about ten individuals, and got right down to business.
I thought it strange that they were all masked, assuming that covid regulations had long ended, but before I could dwell on the details too much, Phil yelled out, "Alright, places people! Sound!"
"Speed!" A few masked sound guys yelled back, as they hit record on their audio devices and aimed their boom microphones at the front of the room.
"Camera!" Phil continued.
"Speeding!" Several masked camera men replied, in unison, each carrying a broadcast camera on their shoulder.
"Slate!" Phil added, as a masked production assistant ran up to the front of the room, where there was a set of two doors on the far wall, and a door to the side that must have led offstage. He then opened his clapboard, for all of the cameras and microphones to see and hear.
I wondered why they hadn't filled out the section on the clapboard where the first take would go, but my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of it clapping.
CLAP!
Then Phil gestured to what must have been the director, who was hanging back in the shadows, his features hidden in the dark, outside of the set's bright lights.
"Action!" The director yelled out for all to hear.
And then...
...There was silence.
All of us couples looked at each other with a smile, literally on the edge of our seats, when suddenly, we heard the voice of a middle aged man ring out over the speakers that had been mounted to the ceiling of the lounge. "Ladies and gentlemen! Who's excited to make history?"
The cameras turned to the ten participants, including Cara and myself, and we all immediately started clapping and whistling, before they turned back to the man.
"I'm your anonymous host, four time husband, and five time divorcee!"
The group erupted in laughter, cheering him on, as they looked up at the speakers.
"And you know what? I'm not proud of that. Cause, much like you, deep down inside, I want to love and be loved. To have the fortitude, the patience, and the will to fight on through good times and bad, all in the name of love. Which is why I've brought you all here. Yes, you! Give yourselves a round of applause!" He said, before pausing to allow us all to react.
And so we did, all the couples clapping and smiling.
"Yes, I'm here, hosting and watching remotely, to learn from the five happily married couples before us, what the secret is to persevering through the challenges that life throws our way. To see what ends you'll all go to in support of your marriage, and if you'll do... anything for love. Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome... to Anything For Love."
Everyone let out a nervous laugh, but kept applauding anyway.
"And now... it's time for the rules. In this reality competition, the first of its kind, you'll be split up into two groups, five men and five women, and separated from each other for the duration of the game. Over the course of the show, both teams will compete in four challenges, with each challenge resulting in one loser, who will be promptly eliminated. At the end of the game, the winning player from each team will be revealed. If those two players are not members of the same couple, then no one wins. But if those two players happen to be members of the same couple, they win the game, and a once in a lifetime prize... The chance to work with one of the best fertility doctors in the world, to aid them in having a child. So before we begin, let me ask you this... Are you prepared to do anything for love?"
His voice blasted out from the speakers with so much enthusiasm, and so much energy, that in that moment, every single one of us hopped up out of our seats, and began cheering and clapping.
Eventually, the applause faded, and our host continued, "Now, will the men please line up on the left side of the room, and the women on the right?"
The couples did exactly as he asked, and when we had finally split up into two groups, men and women, our host simply said. "Now goodluck! And I can't wait to see who makes it to the end!"
Suddenly, the two doors at the front of the room opened, and each group was escorted by a masked production assistant through one of the doors, separating the husbands from the wives, until that fateful moment at the end of the show, when only the two winners will be reunited.
For the first couple games, I didn't know where they took the wives, or what kind of challenges my own wife was facing. All I knew were the games they presented to us husbands.
Games that were, let's just say...
...Utterly fucked.
As all five men entered the room for the first game, we all saw before us, a massive open factory space, that had been adorned with only one simple piece of art direction at its center... a small wooden table.
"Will the contestants please make their way to the table." The host called out over this room's ceiling-mounted speakers.
We did as he said, as the masked camera crew followed us to the center of the room.
"The rules of game one are simple. In marriage, you must sometimes sacrifice a piece of yourself, for the greater good. Today, that sacrifice... is your wedding ring. But not just your wedding ring... your entire ring finger!"
The five guys and myself all turned to one another and chuckled, assuming he was kidding.
But suddenly, a door opened into the factory, and a masked crew member proceeded to walk over to the table holding a steak knife.
He didn't say anything, and simply stared at us through his mask, as the host continued.
"The last person to cut their finger off, or the first to give up, is the loser. And will be promptly escorted from the premises."
What the fuck. I thought to myself, realizing the host wasn't kidding.
"Wait a minute," a few of the men mumbled.
But one of them, the most obnoxious in the group, could not have been less afraid, puffing out his chest and yelling into a camera, "Fine! I'll go first. I aint afraid."
He then slammed his hand down on the table, clenching his fist in a way that only exposed his ring finger.
There was a brief moment of silence until...
...Suddenly the masked crew member grabbed the husband's hand and brought down his blade so hard, that it cut the man's finger clean off, blood spraying all over the table.
It took the arrogant man a moment to process what had just happened, before he started screaming in pain, a scream that turned into a maniacal laugh, as medical staff ran over to tend to his wound.
Meanwhile, the rest of us guys looked on in horror, as we saw blood pouring from his hand, and realized we were next.
The wounded husband then looked directly into one of the cameras and defiantly said, "That was nothing." Before turning back to us and asking, "Come on. Who's next fellas?"
Two more of the men begrudgingly followed suit, each of their ring fingers being severed from their hands, leaving just myself and one husband left.
We were both shaking in fear, but the other guy was terrified, that he started begging the producer for a way out. "Wait you can't be serious? We really need to do that? Please. Please don't make me.
"The show is called Anything For Love." Phil replied. "And you signed paperwork that warned you things like this would come up."
"I didn't read that!" The nervous man yelled back.
But before he even had a chance to consider participating, I must have accidentally leaned on the table with my hand.
"Wait!" The nervous man yelled out...
...But it was too late. Before either he or I noticed, the masked man had already amputated my ring finger, blood spraying everywhere, as I let out a great scream that echoed throughout the factory.
And as the medical staff ran over to me, just as they had done for the others who had gone before me, I heard the host's voice on the speakers again. "Congratulations, gentlemen! Four of you have shown that you'll do anything for love. While the fifth, did not have what it takes, and must now return home."
And like that, a couple masked production assistants grabbed the nervous man by the shoulders, and escorted him out of the room.
It was in the aftermath of that first game, that I realized the title of the show, "Anything For Love," was not just a play on words, but the literal description of what we would need to do to win.
And then, the host continued.
"Will the remaining four husbands please walk through the open door, and into the next room."
We did as he asked.
On the way there, I looked down at my missing finger, its stump wrapped in gauze, and couldn't help but wonder if Cara had also been forced to make the same choice, and if she had gone through with it.
When we entered the second room, we all saw another giant warehouse space. Except this time, instead of being sparse, it was completely overgrown with shrubs of thorny vines, separating where we stood, from the other side.
"Love is both a rose, but also has thorns." The host called out over the room's speakers. "It can make you feel euphoric pleasure, but at the same time extreme pain. In game two, you'll need to prove that you can overcome that pain to get to the other side, and make it to game three. The last person to crawl through the thorns, or the first person to give up, will be promptly eliminated from the show and removed from the premises. Will you do anything for love? The game starts... now."
The four husbands all looked at each other, then back at the thorns, then back at each other, before the arrogant man, who was standing beside me, made me a proposition. "Let's team up. If we follow the same path, we can take turns, one of us pushing forward for a while, then the other, and it'll save us half the pain.”
But I didn't like the idea of cheating, or supporting such an asshole, so I politely declined. "Sorry man."
"Fine, have it your way, idiot. I don't need your help, I was just trying to help him out." The arrogant man said to one of the cameras, before he turned around and charged into the thorns.
The rest of us husbands, including myself, still in shock from what had happened in the first game and clenching our wounded hands, looked at each other, and then back at the production crew. But a group of them were standing behind us, ready to push us into the thorns, should we decide not to comply.
So we all proceeded to follow the arrogant husband into the thorns, and began a race, through what felt like a football field's length of sharp vines, each of us doing our best to avoid what we could, but inevitably getting scratched over and over and over again, to the point where our bodies were covered in blood.
And when I finally crossed the finish line, and stepped out of the thorny shrubs bloody and exhausted, I was relieved to find that only two husbands had beat me there. The arrogant man, of course, and another.
We all looked back, to find the fourth pour soul still halfway through the shrubs, his clothes caught in the thorns.
"Wait for me!" He called out. But it was too late.
"Congratulations, winners!" The host's voice called out over the speakers. "You've proven you would truly do anything for love, and can proceed on to the next game. And as for the loser, please remove him from the game."
Then, a couple crew members wearing rubber suits and carrying shears, cut their way through the thorns, freed the fourth husband from the thorns, and escorted him out of the factory.
As the three remaining husbands left the second room and entered the third, my thoughts once again returned to my wife, and wondered whether she too was faced with the same challenge, and had made it through the thorns.
Game three is where things... escalated.
When we entered the next factory, I saw three beds in the center of the room, each with a TV next to it.
"Remaining contestants, welcome to the semi final challenge." The host bellowed out over the room's speakers. "Will you each please choose a bed."
The three of us did as he asked, and walked to the center of the room, each of us standing in front of one the beds.
Then, a door opened and three masked women emerged, making their way to the center of the room, and each lying down on one of the beds.
"The rules of game three are as follows." He continued. "You simply have to sex with the stranger before you..."
The arrogant husband looked at me and smiled.
"...While watching your partner do the same."
Suddenly, the three TVs turned on, each displaying our wives in the very same situation. And lying on each of their beds, was a masked man.
"First off, we assure you that the women and men before you complied consensually, and have been tested for STDs. So the test of this game is not about morality, or safety, but fidelity. Would you cheat on your significant other, for the greater good of the relationship? The last couple to have sex, or the first to refuse, will lose. While the others, will proceed on to the final challenge."
I looked at my wife on the TV screen, relieved that she had made it this far, but started in shaking fear of what we both have to do to win.
Meanwhile, the arrogant husband started unclipping his belt button and turned to one of the cameras. "You call this a semi final? My wife and I are in an open relationship. Bring it on!"
While the third man, simply stared at his TV screen, sweating and pacing, clearly terrified to go through with it, and watch his wife do the same.
"The game begins... now!” The host called out.
As the arrogant man began to have sex with the woman on his bed, his naked body still littered with fresh scratches from the thorns, I thought about trying to escape, but then I saw the timid husband, and realized his hesitation was an opportunity for me to make it to the next round.
And so, I too removed my clothes and exposed my wounded body, crawling into bed with the masked woman, as my wife did the same with the masked man.
Before long, it was over, the arrogant man laying there naked and smiling into one of the cameras, while I, also naked, hung my head in shame for what I had just done.
I looked at the TV screen, and saw my wife put her clothes back on too. We had both made it.
The same could not be said for the nervous man and his wife, who both stayed true to their values, neither engaging in the act, before masked crew members promptly escorted them out of the factory.
And then there were two. Well, two couples that is. Myself against the arrogant man, my wife against his.
Masked production assistants then brought myself and my competitor into the room where the final challenge would be held.
It, much like the first room, was completely bare save for a dinner table at its center, where two plates and sets of utensils were set out.
"Finalists. Welcome to the fourth and last challenge. Will both contestants please take a seat at the dinner table."
We followed his instructions, as we had done previously, and sat down at the table, before a couple production assistants ran over and helped us tuck bibs into our shirts.
"The rules of game four are perhaps the most simple of all. You'll be presented with an item that you must eat. The first to finish eating it, is the winner." The host said over the room's speakers.
That's when a door opened and two masked PAs came out holding trays, and began rushing them over to us.
As they approached us, I began to panic, knowing that whatever it was that they were about to present to us, would likely even be more terrifying than anything we had encountered in the previous games.
"Sometimes you have to break a heart, to win another." The host called out, "In this challenge, the item you'll need to eat is..."
At that exact moment, the two PAs each removed a pair of tongs from their pocket, uncovered their tray, and placed the item on our plates.
"...A human heart."
I gasped, and nearly threw up in my mouth, as I saw the disgusting bloody organ lying there on my plate.
"May the best husband win! Goodluck, the game starts... now!"
For a minute, I hesitated, disgusted by the challenge set before me, but then I thought about what was on the line, and saw the arrogant husband immediately biting into his heart, blood pouring down his face.
I hurried to catch up, briefly fumbling my own heart, before chomping into it, and attempting to eat it as fast as I could, as blood sprayed all over my own face.
But the arrogant husband had gotten a head start, and was moving too quickly. No matter how fast I ate it, it was becoming clear that if nothing was done, he would surely beat me..
So, not knowing what else to do…
…I slammed what was left of my heart onto the plate, removed my bib, stood up, and proceeded to tackle the arrogant man out of his seat, sending his heart sliding across the concrete floor.
"What the fuck are you doing, man?" He asked, likely surprised that I was capable of such an act.
"I'm doing what needs to be done for love." I replied, before pummeling him over and over in the face with my fist, as I channeled my innermost frustrations, ranging from the traumatic experience we had just gone through, the arrogant husband’s obnoxious behavior throughout the game, years of belittlement from asshole boss, and my wife and my countless failed attempts at getting pregnant over the years.
I kept pummeling him, until he had completely shut the fuck up, and was simply mumbling incoherent words, his face a bloody pulp, blood bubbling out of his mouth.
I then stood up, walked back to the table, sat down, put the bib back on, and took the last bite of my heart.
"Congratulations, you’ve proved that you'll truly do anything for love, and have won the show! Please remove the loser."
Rather than celebrate, my mind once again returned to my wife, worried about her well being and wondering if she too, had mustered up the courage to eat the heart, and had become the winning wife.
A couple masked production assitants then ran over and dragged the arrogant husband away, as he simply stared at me in shock.
I looked down at my hands, which were still covered in blood, then up at one of the cameras, which was now right up in my face.
“How do you feel?” Phil asked, prompting me to speak to the camera.
But I couldn’t bring myself to speak any words.
I tried to think of something to say, but before I could, a door opened, and the masked PAs grabbed me by the arms and escorted me out of the last room and into an adjacent hallway, which led to a huge set of double doors.
"Winners,” the host said over the hallway’s speakers. “You stand here before us, victorious, each of you on one side of the doors. Now it is time, to find out if the person on the other side… is your partner… and if you both had what it takes, to do anything for love."
I took a deep breath, expecting the worst. Expecting to see the arrogant man’s wife on the other side. After all that.
But when the doors opened, I simply saw…
...My wife, standing there on the other side.
We ran to each other and embraced, both of us missing our ring fingers, littered in scratches, emotionally exhausted, and with faces and hands that were covered in blood.
"Congratulations!" The host continued, "You're the winners of Anything for Love!"
Both crying, we smiled at each other, but our smiles quickly turned into looks of sadness.
We'd won. But at what cost? I wondered, before the thought was overshadowed by that of the once in a lifetime prize that awaited us.
The producer, Phil, then brought us into yet another room, where we met a doctor, his face covered by a surgical mask, and both shook his hand.
"When you two showed up late,” Phil began, “I never thought you'd be the ones to win. But you did. So we stand by our promise. After you return home, you’ll be contacted by the doctor, who will provide you with the guidance and resources to hopefully have a baby of your own. That part, is obviously not guaranteed."
"Thank you." My wife replied, clearly torn by saying those words. “Understood.”
"Thank you." I added, also torn, before realizing that the camera crew didn't follow us into the room with the doctor. "But can I ask, why aren't you filming this part?"
"Oh, our audience only cares about watching the games." Phil replied with a chuckle.
"Audience? But we just filmed it."
"Oh, yeah we were livestreaming the whole time."
"I thought it was just a pilot. Who was watching?"
"The subscribers."
"Who are they?"
"A very small, very privileged group of people, who can't be bothered by pedestrian entertainment. They desire something more... elevated."
"Will this ever be a real show?"
"This? Of course not." Phil laughed, "No one else will ever watch this again. And no one but the small group of contestants and this crew, will ever know of what went on here."
"What happened to the other couples?"
"Oh they're fine. Aside from missing fingers, and being a little physically and emotionally scratched up. We'll do with them exactly what we'll do with you. Drop them off somewhere just far enough away that after we give them their phones back, if they choose to call the police or tell anyone about this place, by the time they come here to investigate, they'll find this factory abandoned, without a trace of what went on here today. The same goes for you. By the way, we better get you ready to go, your car will be arriving any minute now.”
Neither my wife nor myself had the energy to conjure up a reply.
"Thank you again for playing!" Phil said through his mask, "And on behalf of the subscribers, please enjoy your prize!"
He then led us out down a long hallway, through a back door, and into an alley, where a car was waiting to take us away.
"The chauffeur will provide you with your phones upon your arrival."
An hour or so later, the driver pulled over on the side of a highway, and let us off, handing us our phones just as Phil had promised.
But rather than call the police, we just stood there for a while, still horrified by the terrifying experience we had just been put through.
And ultimately… we decided that since we had won, it'd be best to leave it alone.
We hitched a ride back home, and sure enough, about a week later...
...We received a call from the doctor...
...And less than a year after that, my wife gave birth to our baby boy.
Sometimes, I think back to that day, and the terrible games they set before us, and wonder if my wife and I went too far to win…
...But then I look at my newborn son, and all the doubt, all the shame, all the horror, washes away.
And as for the subscribers. Every once in a while, when a car drives suspiciously slow past our house, or I get the feeling that my baby monitor might have just moved on its own, I wonder if they're still watching us, and if this is just the next episode of their reality show.

Timestamp: https://imgur.com/oSECCDm
Wii: Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection ($20 shipped) Boom Blox ($7 shipped) Dream Pinball 3D ($10 shipped) Disney-Pixar Brave ($7 shipped) Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands ($10 shipped) Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII ($7 shipped) Zumba Fitness 2 ($7 shipped)
Xbox: Hitman: Contracts ($10 Shipped) Halo: Combat Evolved ($10 Shipped) MechAssault ($10 shipped) Peter Jackson’s King Kong ($10 shipped)
N64: Turok 2: Seeds of Evil ($10 shipped) - Original cartridge and manual included SOLD Battle Zone Rise of The Black Dogs ($15 shipped) - Manual only Forsaken 64 ($10 shipped) - Manual only Open to offers Can send more timestamps upon request

Casting Director Dianne Young is a guest host.

• Pete Ferriero is sad that the Mets season is over.
• Jeffrey White produced the first 6 episodes.
• Paul Waigner then came in after that.
• Dianne Young was Rosin’s 2nd hire.
• She came from Growing Pains.
• Joanna Ray casted the initial cast.
• Joanna Ray left to go do Twin Peaks.
• Rosin says the first 6 episodes of Twin Peaks was great. They didn’t know how to end it after that.
• By the end of season 1 of Beverly Hills, 90210, the ratings were better than that of Twin Peaks.
• They love the Pacific Northwest shots in Twin Peaks.
• Young had known most of the cast of this show before, except for Ian Ziering and Gabrielle Carteris.
• Young: Tori Spelling worked hard at being an actress.
• Young thinks Bob (Robert) Harbin recommended her to Rosin.
• They needed to replace the father on this show.
• When Rosin started talking to Young about the character of Dylan, she knew exactly who they should cast: Luke Perry.
• Rosin had heard 12 others audition for Dylan. Luke Perry was the first one he thought could not only be cast, but could elevate the show.
• Young had been working on a pilot for Paramount. Another casting director had recommended Perry. When another casting director recommends someone, then one takes notice. Perry came in to read for the part. He said himself to Young that he wasn’t right for the part. She agreed, and told him she would remember him for something else.
• Kurt Geiger also read for Dylan.
• Perry was overwhelmingly Rosin and Young’s choice for Dylan.
• Others that read for Dylan: Matt LeBlanc, Trevor Edmond, Sean Patrick Flannery, David Gray, Carl Evans, Keith Pugan.
• Trevor Edmond would go on to play Evan Potter.
• Carl Evans would play Jonathan Casten in season 6.
• If they liked someone during their audition, they would write OTW by their name – Onto Wardrobe.
• Perry was nervous for his FOX audition.
• The network was lukewarm on him. Aaron Spelling liked him, and had their own production company pay for him.

​

• Phases during the audition process: 1) Casting director sends out breakdown for a role.

2) Agents and managers submit actors.
3) Casting director goes through the actors. Well known actors go straight to producers.
4) Casting sessions are set up.
5) Producers are then present for callbacks. They look to make sure they’re right for the role, and can have consistent performances.
6) Another callback, this time with the production company.
7) Another callback, this time for the network. Bob Harbin and Wendy Matthews were in charge for FOX.

• Young would constantly talk with Tony Shepherd throughout this process.
• Early in the series, they would have appointments for actors to come in, and they wouldn’t show up. 40% of them would not show up.
• Young would have to tell the producers, “they’re not here, let me find out what’s going on”, while sweating bullets.
• Aaron Spelling built a really beautiful casting room.
• Darren Starr would be there.
• David Stenn (writeproducers) would also be involved.
• Because they were a bottom feeder, they worked with what they had.
• Young had gotten a quote from Luke Perry’s agent and manager, about his salary. However, quotes are not always accurate, so she has to verify the quote.
• The quote was actually lower than what she had first heard.
• The production company, not FOX, paid for Perry’s contract. Usually FOX pays for the contracts.

​
​

• Luke Perry gave Young a Christmas present. It was a magnifying glass, and a horseshoe. The magnifying glass, was to help Young look for people like him.
• He also signed a poster of “8 seconds” for her.

​
​
James Eckhouse interview:
​

• Lyman Ward was initially cast as Jim Walsh.
• Carol Potter read with James Eckhouse in front of Aaron Spelling.
• Eckhouse didn’t think he was going to get the part. No way, he thought.
• After Eckhouse left, Aaron Spelling said “there’s something about that Eckhosue.”
• Potter said “Yeah, he’s Jewish.”
• Barry Diller was the head of FOX. He almost always recast someone. For example, the original lead of 21 Jump Street was not Johnny Depp. Depp was recast into that role.
• So, the same thing happened with Beverly Hills, 90210. Ward was recast with Eckhouse.
• Eckhouse looked like someone who would have been against the Vietnam War. They would not have done such a plot, in season 3, if Lyman Ward were Jim Walsh. He didn’t have that same look.
• Rosin had seen Eckhouse on TV, on 30 Something.
• Eckhouse had another audition on the same day as Beverly Hills, 90210. He had a snooty attitude about Beverly Hills, 90210. He didn’t think he was going to do that show. He didn’t even know why he was there.
• His wife, said to get his ass to the Beverly Hills, 90210 audition.
• His other audition was afterwards.
• He doesn’t remember what the other audition was for.
• Eckhouse went straight to the Producers’ audition. He didn’t have to do a round before.
• Young had really liked Eckhouse as a person, as well as his credits. She also liked how “easy” he was. She was comfortable with him. That’s an important quality for her.
• Eckhouse teaches acting now.
• Eckhouse tells a story of how he went to New York to audition for a movie. He would prepare for his scenes. When he’d get there, he’s ask if they wanted him to read for him. They’d say no, they just wanted to get a feel for how he was as a person. So he would get cast, just based off of his personality, at a certain point. They would already know his credits and know he could act.

​
​

• Young auditioned Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Affleck came in a few times. Eventually, he stopped.
• Damon would keep coming back, every single time. Young told Damon she’s sorry to keep dragging him in, only to tell him they went with somebody else. Damon told her never worry about him not coming in. He’s always going to come in.
• Eckhouse says there’s one show where he went in 17 times to audition. He’s not going to name the show. He eventually got a part on his 17th audition.
• Eckhouse did not think he did a good audition for Beverly Hills, 90210. It wasn’t his finest hour. He didn’t think he’d get called back.
• He did better during the callback.
• When Eckhouse went to the network audition, he was intimidated by another actor who looked Christian and Scottish.
• Then there was someone else who had tall, dark hair.
• Ken Campbell was also in the audition.
• Eckhouse and Luke Perry were in the bathroom together. Perry almost threw up, from the nerves.
• That’s where Perry and Eckhouse met for the first time, in the bathroom. They loved each other right away.
• Eckhouse really thought Campbell was going to get the part.
• When Eckhouse came back for the network audition, Eckhouse was broke and poor, with two kids. He called his agent. Eckhouse told the agent he didn’t do that well. The agent went to find out what happened. The agent then called Eckhouse back and said, “you were right, you did suck. But you got the part.”
• Rosin said Eckhouse’ previous credits were a huge positive factor.
• Eckhouse was the 2nd highest paid actor during most of the Rosin era.
• During that same network audition, Rosin was confused about something himself. He didn’t know if he worked for Aaron Spelling or someone else. Rosin got confirmation that it was Aaron Spelling.
• Aaron Spelling was always nice to Young.
• When Young’s grandmother passed away, Spelling said how sorry he was, and gave her a big hug.
• When Eckhouse was a director and cast people on another show, it was terrifying. If he said “so and so was pretty good”, someone else in the room would say that person was terrible.
• If Eckhouse saw someone didn’t give their best audition, he’d ask them to do another take, because he could tell they were nervous.
• People from the network would tell Eckhouse, “how dare you waste my time like that. You knew we weren’t going to cast them.”
• Eckhouse would think “give me a break, I just wanted to give them a chance.”
• Eckhouse liked working with the directors on this show, Beverly Hills, 90210. He liked observing them.
• When it was Eckhouse’s first time directing, certain cast members were late. Eckhouse kept looking at his watch. DP Rick Gunter came over and said “let me see your watch”. Eckhouse gave him his watch. Gunter said you’ll get it back at the end of the episode. “That’s not your job.” Let the AD take care of that. You do your job.

​
​
​

• Leslie Bega (Marianne) reminded Rosin of girls from his high school. Anti materialistic.
• He was surprised the company didn’t try to bring her back.
• Young says she was terrific in the pilot.
• Young would always meet anyone agents and managers recommended her to.
• Young: You can also find good young actors in local theater. The tiniest theater in San Fernando Valley will still have someone that Young would want to bring in.
• Rosin agrees with Young about local theater.
• For the character of Nat, Young brought in Frank Gorshin. Joe E. Tata was a friend of Tony Shepherd’s. So that’s how Tata was brought in. Young says their auditions were similar but different.
• In a previous podcast, Rosin had said that Gorshin had an arrogant vibe. He had played The Riddler on Batman.
• Rosin says Joe E. Tata brought in warmth. Whereas Gorshin played it as someone who didn’t want to be there, but would offer sage advice.
• Rosin says Joe E. Tata was introduced to him as a friend of E. Duke Vincent’s.
• The Spelling company paid for overages with Luke Perry’s contract.
• E. Duke Vincent told Rosin that anytime the network asked someone to change something, ask them who is paying for it.
• Rosin says Beverly Hills, 90210 had the lowest license fee in all of network television.
• They haven’t been able to find Lisa Dean Ryan, who played Bonnie on “The Gentle Art Of Listening”.
• Young says maybe she’s moved on to other interests.
• Rosin says Lisa Dean Ryan, and Noelle Parker, had a range of talent.
• Young had hired Ann Gillespie elsewhere before Beverly Hills, 90210.
• Young liked Tico Wells right away. Her advice to him for the next callback was “don’t do too much”.
• Young met Luisa Leschin (Anna Rodriguez) earlier.
• Rosin used to teach an extension class at UCLA. He used to use the pilot for Hill Street Blues as an example. He would even bring in Bob Butler to come in and watch the episode with the class. The pilot had changed his life. But now, he says the pilot does not hold up. It’s too racist and sexist.
• Beverly Hills was run by the nannies and housekeepers. So Rosin wanted to have a maid character, to represent that. And show the diversity of Los Angeles.
• Aaron Spelling did not like the elitism that was shown in the culture of Beverly Hills. So he asked for her character to be removed.
• Young did hear the criticism about people of color not being on the show. Young said it was disappointing to hear, because she did try to bring in different people.
• There was an author that thought Mark Damon Espinoza didn’t have a big enough role. That author went on FOX News to talk about it. Young had that author meet with producer Paul Waigner. Things did not get resolved, and that author remained angry.
• Rosin repeats what he said earlier, about the show having the lowest license fee in television. They didn’t have the budget for new cast members. That’s why they kept having focused episodes about race like “One On One” or “East Side Story”.
• They were eventually able to cast Denise Dowse and Henry Pickens in recurring roles.
• They made sure the extras reflected the racial diversity of Los Angeles.
• Rosin repeats what he said on previous episodes, that he won an Imagen Award for East Side Story. That’s an award that celebrates Latino actors and their positive portrayal.
• Young: Denise Dowse was a delight to sit and talk to. She’s likable.
• There’s a story about Denise Dowse on Seinfeld, but Young says she’s not going to share that story.
• Ok, she ended up telling the story. Young gave Dowse a message to give to Jerry Seinfeld, during the time Seinfeld was working on Seinfeld. Dowse gave Jerry Seinfeld the message, and he doubled over in laughter.
• Kristin Dattilo was on “One Man And A Baby”. She also read for Brenda Walsh.
• Here’s the actors that read for either of Kelly, Brenda, or Andrea: Kirstin Dattilo (Melissa in this series), Robin Lively, Tamara Glen, Kelly Williams, Sarah Buxton, Patricia Arquette, Brooke Mills, Julie Condra, Jaycee Brownlee, Heather McAdam (Surf Betty / Sarah on this series), Cheryl Pollock, Sydney Penny, Heather Grimes, Portia Dawson, Kendra Booth, Patricia Jennings, Megan Ward, Lisa Wilcox, Nicole Egbert, Tiffani Amber-Thiessen, Lisa Ann Capps, Deborah Levin, Jennifer Guthrie, Juliet Lewis, Tiffany (the mononymous singer), Karla Montana, Tracey Needham, Tracy Wells, Rebecca Cross, Kristy Swanson.
• Pete Ferriero can’t find Michelle Abrahms (Amanda Peyser).
• Julie McCulloh (Trina on “Slumber Party”) used to be on Growing Pains. She was removed from Growing Pains because she was in Playboy, and Kirk Cameron didn’t like that.
• Young was on Growing Pains at that time.
• “Slumber Party” is Rosin’s favorite episode among ones he didn’t work on.
• Rosin bought Playboy because of the interviews with Huey Newton and Tom Hayden. Those guys were not going to be on the LA Times.
• Ferriero says his first Playboy was the one with Julie McCulloh, because of her.
• Rosin likes Joshua Karton (Driver’s Ed instructor). He was one of Rosin’s friends.
• Aaron Spelling did not like that character.
• Jessica Klein’s first episode was “April Is The Cruelest Month”, the episode with Matthew Perry. Rosin says maybe Shira Wasserman (Klein’s daughter) will help do a podcast for that episode.
• Young knew Matthew Perry from before. It was a great reading.
• Michael Cudlitz (Tony Miller, later in the series) also read for that same part as Matthew Perry. Cudlitz did a great job too.
• Rosin liked how Matthew Perry was a youth champion Canadian tennis player. Rosin liked casting people that could play the sport. So he also liked Tico Wells from One On One.
• Ian Ziering and Jason Priestley could also really play basketball.
• Years later, Rosin saw Matthew Perry playing tennis at Beverly Hills High School. Rosin was too shy to go up to him and say “remember when you did my episode”. Rosin regrets that shyness now.
• Young had also worked with Matt LeBlanc elsewhere, on Just The 10 Of Us.
• Young had hired Jennifer Anniston on a pilot before.
• Young also cast Marcy Kaplan (Lydia Leeds).
• Melissa Rivers is in “Fame Is Where You Find It”.
• Young had tried to get Tori Spelling cast before. It was for another 1 hour show. The producer said she was terrific but she doesn’t need the job. Young said Tori Spelling shouldn’t be penalized for who her father is. She’s trying to build a resume.
• Young has said she’s always tried to give people who are 2nd generation people in the entertainment industry, a fair chance.
• Melissa Rivers is another example of this.
• Carrie Hamilton from the “Stand And Deliver” episode is another example.

Lead #1: The song might be from a musical.
According to Wikipedia, here are musicals from 1977 - 1982, the possible time range of the song. I will check their soundtracks in tunefind.com and other sites or else I will do it manually (watch the movie and find songs). Any help is very much appreciated.
1977

• Cinderella (aka The Other Cinderella) *erotica
• Dot and the Kangaroo (animated)
• Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas
• A Little Night Music
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (animated)
• New York, New York
• Pete's Dragon
• Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure (animated)
• The Rescuers (animated)
• Saturday Night Fever

1978

• d'Artagnan and Three Musketeers (miniseries)
• The Devil and Daniel Mouse (animated)
• Grease *beautiful movie
• 31 June
• Junior High School
• The Magic of Lassie
• The New Adventures of Heidi (television film)
• An Ordinary Miracle (USSR)
• Puff the Magic Dragon (animated TV special)
• Renaldo and Clara
• The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (television film) *haha
• Sextette
• Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
• Thank God It's Friday *found this though
• The Wiz

1979

• All That Jazz
• Hair
• Metamorphoses (animated)
• The Muppet Movie
• The Music Machine
• Puff the Magic Dragon in the Land of the Living Lies (animated TV special)
• Rock 'n' Roll High School
• The Rose

1980

• The Apple
• Blank Generation
• The Blues Brothers
• Can't Stop the Music
• Fame
• The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle
• The Jazz Singer
• Popeye
• Times Square
• Xanadu

1981

• American Pop (animated)
• Around the World with Dot (animated)
• Back to the Egg
• Blood Wedding
• The Fox and the Hound (animated)
• The Great Muppet Caper
• Honky Tonk Freeway
• Pennies from Heaven
• Shock Treatment
• This Is Elvis

1982

• Annie
• The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
• Charodei
• The Dub Room Special
• Forbidden Zone
• Grease 2
• Heidi's Song (animated)
• One from the Heart
• Pink Floyd The Wall
• The Pirate Movie
• Puff and the Incredible Mr. Nobody (animated TV special)
• Starstruck
• Une chambre en ville
• Victor Victoria

Timestamp: https://imgur.com/oSECCDm
Wii: Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection ($20 shipped) Boom Blox ($7 shipped) Dream Pinball 3D ($10 shipped) Disney-Pixar Brave ($7 shipped) Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands ($10 shipped) Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII ($7 shipped) Zumba Fitness 2 ($7 shipped)
Xbox: Hitman: Contracts ($10 Shipped) Halo: Combat Evolved ($10 Shipped) MechAssault ($10 shipped) Peter Jackson’s King Kong ($10 shipped)
N64: Turok 2: Seeds of Evil ($10 shipped) - Original cartridge and manual included Battle Zone Rise of The Black Dogs ($15 shipped) - Manual only Forsaken 64 ($10 shipped) - Manual only
Open to offers Can send more timestamps upon request

TLDR: The Atlanta Braves baseball team is the only publicly traded baseball team. DFV just posted a picture that was already tweeted by Gamestop, difference being he drew some Red Socks on the image. The Braves played the Red Sox last Tuesday and Wednesday, which led me down an incredible rabbit hole.
I am not a smart man. Just a man, who thinks too much. Even now, I should be getting my last minute Mother’s day gifts together but this won’t leave my brain. Neil Gaiman’s “American God’s” sits unfinished on my dresser but weighs heavily on my mind. This movement feels like the New God’s fighting the Old Gods. Operating software being forcefully updated to keep up with growing technology. It’s still big business and time is money.
Wednesday, Odin’s day of magic, The Braves played the Boston Red Sox and won 5-0 but there was an ill feeling in the air as the message above was broadcast on all the tv’s in the stadium including the big screen over centerfield and for those of us watching from home. Feels like a message was being sent but something caught my eye in the very first sentence. “Bankruptcy”, Cohencidence #1. I started asking myself questions and the most important was, “Who, own’s Bally network?”. The Sinclair Group and Allen Media Group.
The Sinclair Group wasn’t really eye catching for me until I saw Dr. Ben Carson is on the board of directors. Cohencidence #2 as he’s close to Trump, who’s potentially part of this new entity being created. I could taste the tin foil slowly twisting my brain like a hamster named Algernon running non-stop on a hamster wheel, while high thinking “why am I running?”. I click on the about page and see this:
Our Values
Love What You Do
Be inspirational
Be communicative
Be part of something important
Make a difference
Live What You Do
Be a person of integrity
Be customer focused
Be transparent
Drive results
Embrace What You Do
Be forward thinking
Be adaptive
Be a strategic thinker
Challenge the status quo
This really opened my eyes as it reminded me of GameStop’s motto:
Power to the Players (Love What You Do)
Power to the Creators (Live What You Do)
Power to the Collectors (Embrace What You Do)
I click on Interactivity and see that they have a NFT Marketplace. This message pops up:
“Through Sinclair’s OWNMINE store, NFTs and physical goods can be purchased on Shopify, with no digital currency required.”
Shopify? They work very closely with Flexport, who’s potentially handling the new companies shipping. Shopify also has a commercial that has a neon rocket blasting off on the wall and ice cream. Cohencidences #3.
Allen Media Group is owned by Byron Allen. Yes, the owner of The Weather Channel. Byron, successfully sued AT&T, Comcast and Charter Communications seperately in a Racial Discrimination Lawsuit that went all the way to the Supreme Court for the Comcast case.
I overheard a Braves Fan say “the owner’s of Bally Sports Network don’t like CNN”. Why? Who own’s CNN?
Warner Bros. Discovery and they own all the good entertainment shows. HBO, Cartoon Network, TNT, TBS, etc.
Here’s an article from January 25, 2024 talking about Comcast potentially merging with Warner Brother’s Discovery. The CEO of Comcast denies of course but the owners of Warner have made it known that everything is up for sale. America’s for sale. The way this country has been run economically has got everybody’s money “fucked up” and people are pissed. Which is hard to fathom, when it comes to people who have way more money than the combined generational wealth accumulated by your family.
One such man is Ted Turner. Like Ryan Cohen, he learned lessons from his father, who built a successful billboard company. He started off with CNN before turning into a media mogul and then he bought, The Atlanta Braves. He managed the team for one day May 11, 1977. He owned all of Atlanta’s sports teams at one time. Time Warner would eventually sell off the teams. He’s been through economic downturn before as he watched the company he built be sold off after making decisions to merge with Time Warner in the 90’s and AOL-Time Warner in 2001. It’s estimated the deals cost him 7 Billion dollars. I wonder who advised him.
Ted is a philanthropist. At one time Ted was the largest private landowner in the United States until John C. Malone surpassed him in 2011. Ted brought Buffalo back from dwindling numbers. What once was 30k now boasts numbers well over 400k. He knows how to take things, create something new and make them grow. He’s a 2013 recipient of the Lone Sailor Award, given to Sea Service veterans, who have excelled with distinction in their respective careers during or after their service. Another recipient of this award, President Theodore Roosevelt at the turn of the millennia in 2000. Cohencidence # 4
My acting teacher often said “There are two types of people. Creators and takers.” There has to be balance otherwise there’s not enough to go around.
Still, the question remains, who would buy Warner Bros?
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/nbcuniversal-plus-warner-bros-discovery-comcast-ceo-1235806791/amp/
I wonder who would be interested? Jeff Bezos, nope he has a “small” position in Diamond Media Group, a subsidiary of the previously mentioned Sinclair Group, who runs Bally Sports. Is he hedging a Bet on a company going through bankruptcy?
What does Comcast have to do with this? Comcast/NBC Universal has headquarters at The Battery, where the Braves Play. A friend, of my friend, is my friend. Right?
Lets zoom out:
Well, that’s weird. These two neighbors can’t get along. In fact Comcast responded to Bally Sport’s message with their own:
"Bally Sports chose not to exercise a right to extend their contract and they declined multiple offers so now we no longer have the rights to their programming," Comcast said in a statement to the News earlier this week”- Per the Detroit press.
That statement sounds an awful lot like someone chose to turn the buy button off. Like they’re making a point. But why point to Comcast? What do they own?
Comcast owns NewsCorp and so much more.
It doesn’t get interesting until you scroll down to “Former Assets-Divested” under Warner Brothers Discovery.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assets_owned_by_Warner_Bros._Discovery
Five bullet points down you’ll see the Atlanta Braves:
WTF?!
With renewed vigor, I keep going.
Who the hell is Liberty Media? Why were the Braves transferred and not sold?
John C. Malone started Liberty media and he’s been dubbed “Darth Vader” in business dealings, allegedly by Al Gore. Makes that Dumb Storm Troopers line hit differently from RC. Malone and Ted Turner are really good friends with similar ideals. Malone has said “I would never step on his toes” for the sake of business. Both have a contentious relationship with media mogul Rupert Murdoch, founder of News Corp. Ted and Rupert have beef from a boating incident and of course John has his good friends back. So, much so, that he starts buying up shares of News Corp. I keep searching until I find these two paragraphs on Liberty’s Wiki page:
[“In June 2002, Liberty Media acquired Wink Communications, a maker of set-top boxes founded by Brian P. Dougherty (of GEOS) fame), for $100 million.[33] Liberty Media subsequently spent $5 billion on nine German regional cable networks. Apart from television distribution it held major interests in other groups. For example, it was the largest shareholder in News Corporation (though the founding Murdoch family owns more voting shares), and had a 4% stake in Time Warner. In June 2005, Liberty Media International combined with UnitedGlobalCom, creating Liberty Global. In May 2006, Time Warner acquired Liberty Media's 50% stake in Court TV, for $735 million.[34] On May 16, 2006, IDT sold its IDT Entertainment division to Liberty Media "for all of Liberty Media's interests in IDT, $186 million in cash and the assumption of existing indebtedness". IDT Entertainment's assets and Starz Entertainment Group's line of premium television channels combined to produce content for all distribution platforms, and IDT Entertainment was later renamed as Starz Media.[35][36]
Liberty negotiated an asset swap with News Corp. and Time Warner that would give it control of DirecTV and the Atlanta Braves baseball team.[37] On February 12, 2007, the deal was completed with Time Warner wherein Liberty would receive the Atlanta Braves and a group of craft magazines, along with $1 billion in cash in exchange for 60 million shares of Time Warner stock (valued at $1.27 billion as of market close on February 12, 2007).[38] The deal was approved by Major League Baseballand then completed on May 16, 2007.[39] On February 20, 2008, the Federal Communications Commission approved the exchange of 16.3% of News Corp. for 38.4% of DirecTV, an $11 billion deal that also gave Liberty sports networks in Denver, Pittsburgh and Seattle plus $550 million in cash.[40]”]
Did you catch that Honey Nut Cheerio??
February 12, 2007 The deal was done for the Braves but wasn’t completed until May 16, 2007, once approved by the MLB.
This article published April 3, 2007 talks about the asset swap but makes no mention of the Braves as an asset but it does talk about Murdoch:
https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/03/technology/03iht-liberty.4.5133859.html
Why did it take MLB so long to approve the sale?
https://www.savannahnow.com/story/sports/2007/05/17/mlb-approves-sale-braves/13801856007/
You know who else has a problem with Comcast other than Allen Media Group?
https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2020/03/01/trump-attacks-comcast-vows-to-destroy-their-image.cnn
Thanks to Edwin Barnes it all begins to make sense. He was the first to mention the connection to Trump and $DJT, which allowed me to question everything. He often says MGGA=MAGA, which does nothing to reinforce what I’m trying to drive home until I realize, The Atlanta Braves were once, The Boston Braves.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Braves
“The Boston Braves were a Major League Baseball club that originated in Boston, Massachusetts, and played from 1871 to 1952. Afterwards they moved to Milwaukee (and became the Milwaukee Braves). Then in 1966 they were relocated to Atlanta, where they were renamed the Atlanta Braves.^\5])
During its 82-year stay in Massachusetts, the franchise was known by various nicknames, including the Red Stockings, Red Caps, Rustlers, Bees, and "Braves”.”
Red Stockings, Red Caps. What about Red Coats? Thus sparking a whole new dig.
“The Boston Tea Party was an American political and mercantile protest on December 16, 1773, by the Sons of Liberty in Boston in colonial Massachusetts. The target was the Tea Act of May 10, 1773, which allowed the British East India Company to sell tea from China in American colonies without paying taxes apart from those imposed by the Townshend Acts. The Sons of Liberty strongly opposed the taxes in the Townshend Act as a violation of their rights. In response, the Sons of Liberty, some disguised as Native Americans, destroyed an entire shipment of tea sent by the East India Company.
“Foley, sees the Tea Party as a movement of principles over politics. She identifies three “core principles” of American constitutional law that bind the decentralized, wide-ranging movement: limited government, unapologetic U. S. Sovereignty, and constitutional originalism.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Tea_Party
Liberty Media Group makes more sense now. But why? What are they up to?
This:
https://www.libertymedia.com/news/detail/502/liberty-media-corporation-completes-split-off-of-atlanta
ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Liberty Media Corporation (“Liberty Media”) (Nasdaq: LSXMA, LSXMB, LSXMK, FWONA, FWONK) announced that it completed the split-off (the “Split-Off”) of Atlanta Braves Holdings, Inc. (“Atlanta Braves Holdings”) (Nasdaq: BATRA, BATRK) at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, today. As a result, Liberty Media and Atlanta Braves Holdings are now separate publicly traded companies. Atlanta Braves Holdings Series A common stock and Series C common stock will begin trading on Wednesday, July 19, 2023 on the Nasdaq Stock Market, under the symbols “BATRA” and “BATRK”, respectively. Atlanta Braves Holdings Series B common stock will be quoted on the OTC Markets under the symbol “BATRB.”
Liberty Media’s Liberty SiriusXM common stock and Liberty Formula One common stock will continue trading following the Split-Off until the completion of its previously announced reclassification of its existing common stock and the creation of the new Liberty Live common stock on August 3, 2023 after market close (the “Reclassification”). For additional details regarding the Reclassification, please see the press release issued by Liberty Media earlier today, July 18, 2023.
IS RC REALLY TRYING TO BUY ALL THE STOCKS, I MEAN GOT DAMN THE YOUNGEST HOTTEST TEAM IN BASEBALL….YEAH I’LL TAKE A COUPLE THOUSAND SCOOPS PLEASE!!!!
Once you start down this path you can’t unsee it. I feel like Charlie from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia pointing to the map meme. Once again, Why Atlanta? It’s the same thing I thought when the PP seeds show came to town. The same thing I thought when I saw Trump on TV at my local gym while walking thoughtlessly on the treadmill for a nice warmup. The tv next to him is showing an image from the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s, whose theme this year is “Alice In Wonderland”. Follow the white rabbit indeed. The exhibit is from May 11- September 15.
Yes, Atlanta is the busiest airport in the world. Yes, Atlanta Is becoming the Hollywood of the South. But Why Atlanta? The answer comes to me as I turn around:
Remember 84 years ago when GameStop was shipping Diet Coke along with packages. I’m reminded of Quincy, Florida, a small town that at one time had the most millionaires per capita because of Coca-Cola. Whose home is Atlanta, Georgia. Also, founded in Atlanta on May 8, Odin’s Day 1886.
But why did they choose The Braves? I mean I’m sure the Yankees are worth more. I look on Fidelity and I can’t find them. What about the Los Angeles Dodgers? Can’t find them either. I google how many baseball teams are publicly traded? The Braves. Just the Braves. It’s the WuTang Album dividend all over again. We did it!!!!
I truly know what it means to be a “GMErican”. I look forward to doing my part in making this country great again.
Last question: Why the bread crumbs? Because the people are needed. Yes, you and me. Progressive thinkers who can make shit happen and aren’t afraid to take a chance on something new. Whether, your ancestors were born here, immigrated here or forcefully brought here, were all here and have the opportunity to take advantage of this once in a generational opportunity.
The Braves won 5-0. The number 5 represents the center point which unifies these four extremes.
1 - Unity
2 - Dualism and multiplicity
3 - The unity between two extremes
4 - Multiplicity in two directions, like the cardinal directions.
Someone asked “What song would you play when you knew it was done?” Here’s another cohencidence for you, on May 8, Odin’s day, 1970 the Beatles released the album “Let it Be”. From Wiki:
“Concerned about recent friction within the band, Paul McCartney had conceived the project as an attempt to reinvigorate the group by returning to simpler rock ’n’ roll configurations.” Sounds a lot like trying to make something great again.
I think I’ll do the same while vibing to the albums single “Let It Be”.
Happy Mother’s Day!!!!
Updates as I edit: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2024/05/09/sinclair-explores-selling-30percent-of-broadcast-stations.html
This was published the morning after the Braves game and you know what they say, once it hits the news it’s already too late.
Allen Media Group has made several bids to purchase Paramount, which means they’re for sale: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2024/05/09/sinclair-explores-selling-30percent-of-broadcast-stations.html
Another cohencidence, I stopped counting LOL. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a bunch of companies going through bankruptcy that will soon emerge better for us all.
P.S. - If I made you smile and you want to make a donation to this struggling artist please DM me because rent is past due and if you think I need to pull myself up by the boot straps ill be slanging drinks all day Monday and Tuesday for Burn By Rocky Patel, at the Battery, where the Atlanta Braves play.
P.P.S. I think we go this week. No way I find this without them being ready.
Thank You For Reading.
Thank You to my loved ones, who put up with me wile I worked through this.
Links:
Sinclair Group: https://sbgi.net/who-we-are/
Sinclair Group Sale: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2024/05/09/sinclair-explores-selling-30percent-of-broadcast-stations.html
Ownmine NFT Marketplace: https://shopownmine.com/collections/john-cole-baseball-nostalgia-collection/Nostalgia
Allen Media Group Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Media_Group
Own Mine https://shopownmine.com/collections/nfts
Liberty Wiki: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Media
Liberty: https://www.libertymedia.com/about/company-history
Liberty asset swap: https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/03/technology/03iht-liberty.4.5133859.html
Boston Tea Party: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Tea_Party
Boston Braves: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Braves
Warner Bros: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assets_owned_by_Warner_Bros._Discovery
Hollywood Reporter: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/nbcuniversal-plus-warner-bros-discovery-comcast-ceo-1235806791/amp/