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ONTD Original: The Olympics Go to the Movies

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The next Olympic games are the Summer games in Tokyo starting on July 24, 2020 which is 868 days away. If you can’t wait that long for your Olympic fix (& don’t have the Olympic Channel) here are some movies that in some way, shape or form have something to do with an Olympic games.

In 1894 Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which eventually lead, in 1896, to the first modern Games in Athens. The Games of 1900 included women, who were allowed to officially compete for the first time, in only four events. The IOC didn’t start handing out gold, silver & bronze medals until 1904.
Berlin was supposed to have the 1916 Games, but they were cancelled because of World War 1. The 1940 Games were originally awarded to Tokyo, then Helsinki, but were canceled because of WW2. The ‘44 Games were supposed to be in London, but were also canceled because of the war.
The United States, at the insistence of President Carter, with 66 countries total boycotted the 1980 games in Moscow because of the USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviets (along with 14 Eastern Bloc countries & Cuba) returned the favor by boycotting the ‘84 games in Los Angeles.


Chariots of Fire (1981) Tells the fact-based story of Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson), a Christian running for the glory of God & Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross), a English Jew running to overcome prejudice in the 1924 Paris Games.
It has a theme recognizable because of the many, many times it has been used in foot racing situations in many movies & TV series, sometimes for comedic effect.


Unbroken (2014) This Angelina Jolie produced & directed film tells the story of Louis "Louie" Zamperini (Jack O'Connell ) who competed in the ‘36 Berlin Games & during WW2 survived in a liferaft for 47 days after his bomber crashed in the ocean & then went on to a series of POW camps.


Walk, Don’t run (1966) is a comedy set during the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo when the housing shortage forces an English businessman (Cary Grant) & an American Olympic athlete (Jim Hutton) to rent sleeping space from a single woman (Samantha Eggar). This was Cary Grant’s final film role, after which he went into retirement because he felt he was too old to be a believable romantic leading-man.


Apparently distance runner Steve Prefontaine (who raced in the 1972 Games) and the relationship between him and his coach Bill Bowerman, (who later founded Nike) was so interesting, they spawned not one, but two movies. The first Prefontaine (1997) starred Jared Leto in the title role with R. Lee Ermey as his coach.


Without Limits (1998) The second starred Billy Crudup as Prefontaine & Donald Sutherland as Bowerman.

To cash in on the success of the Summer Olympics, a Winter version was conceived with the first being in 1924 in Chamonix, France.
The 1940 Games were to be in Sapporo Japan, but were canceled because of World War 2. The ‘44 Games were scheduled to take place in Italy, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, but were also canceled because of the war.
Until 1992 the Winter and Summer Games were held in the same year, but in in ‘86 the IOC decided to place the Summer and Winter Games on separate four-year cycles alternating even-numbered years, the next Winter Olympics after 1992 was in 1994.

{can’t find a trailer for this}
The Other Side of the Mountain. (1975) Based on the true story of Jill Kinmont (Marilyn Hassett) who, in 1955 was the national champion in slalom & considered to have a good chance at getting a medal at the ‘56 Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. But a near-fatal skiing accident that year just before her 19th birthday left her a quadriplegic. Also starring Beau Bridges.


Downhill Racer (1969) A downhill skier’s (Robert Redford) determination to be a champion at the ‘68 Games in 1968 in Grenoble, France ends up alienate his teammates and coach (Gene Hackman) One of Redford's earliest leading roles.


Miracle (2004) About the USA men’s hockey team, lead by their coach Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell) & their determination to beat the previously unbeatable team from the USSR in the medal round of the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. The USA would go on to get the gold by winning over Finland in the Gold medal round.


Cool Runnings (1993) A comedy very loosely based on a true story and by “very loosely” I mean there WAS a 4-man Bobsled team from Jamaica & they DID compete for the first time in the Calgary, Alberta, Canada Games in 1988, but that’s it. One of John Candy’s final film roles.


The Cutting Edge (1992) A romantic comedy about an “ice queen” figure skater (Moria Kelly) whose rich father recruits a washed up hockey player (D.B. Sweeney) to be her partner to go for the Gold at the 1992 Olympics in Albertville, France. The film would eventually spawn three sequels.


Salute (2008) About Peter Norman, the third man on the podium when Tommie Smith & John Carlos gave their Black Power Salute at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics


Icarus (2017) A filmmaker sets out to learn about doping in sports & stumbles across a much bigger story about Russia’s wide-spread & long term cheating by doping.

In 2009 ESPN started their 30 for 30 series about interesting people & events in sports. They’ve had a few about the Olympics over the years.

{can’t find a trailer for this}
Of Miracles and Men (2015) Thanks to the movie Miracle you know the story of the USA hockey team that beat the USSR in the 1980 Olympics, this film tells the story of the Russians & what happened when they got home.
For a similar documentary that DOES have a trailer see Red Army (2014)


9.79 (2012) About the eight men who ran in the Men's 100 meter final in the ‘88 Games in Seoul. And what happened when the results of that race of upended.


The Price of Gold (2014) The story of the attack, and the people involved, on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan to keep her from competing in the 1994 Games in Lillehammer, Norway.

Sources: Me Youtube- 123456789101112131415 Wikipedia- 1234567891011121314

ONTD Original: Villains who found redemption

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Given the recent news that Daisy Ridley believes that Kylo Ren can be redeemed, it's time to take a trip down memory road of past Villains who got their redemption and some who are on their possible journey's towards redemption.


Name: Xena
Tv Show: Xena: Warrior Princess
Best Villain Moment: Attempting to kill Hercules, son of Zeus.
Road to Redemption: Xena spent numerous years as a Warlord, out to conquer the world but she had always been against killing women and children. Once her men turned against her for being soft, she spent the next 6 years righting her wrongs by helping innocents and ridding the world of the Greek Gods. She would end up sacrificing her life to defeat Yodoshi and save the souls of the people who died as a result of her actions.




Name: Regina Mills aka The Evil Queen
Tv Show: Once Upon A Time
Villain Moment: Demolishing an entire realm just to ensure no one could get their happy ending.
Road to Redemption: While Regina spent lord knows how long as The Evil Queen, ripping out hearts left and right and other imaginable things...once she adopted Henry her black heart started to turn red. Regina eventually joined the very people she tormented and helped save them countless times whether it be by helping to bring back Snow White and Emma Frost from the enchanted forest or sacrificing herself to save Henry and let go of her chance of true love.




Name: Spike aka William The Bloody
Tv Show: Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Best Villain Moment: Spending the entirety of Season 2 trying to kill the Scoobies
Road to Redemption: Lemme just say this...I am not that big of a fan of Spike after S5 but the show still went him for redemption so he's here....now on with the show:
While Spike spent the first few years being a constant thorn in Buffys side, by the time Season 5 came around he became an ally that she trusted to help fight by her side. He protected her family from a Hell God, helped defend Sunnydale after Buffy died and after going out of his way to get a soul after attempting to rape Buffy, the show had him go a step further in his redemption by sacrificing himself in order to help defeat The First.




Name: Faith Lehane
Tv Show: Buffy The Vampire Slayer/Angel
Best Villain Moment: Poisoning Angel, help The Mayor ascend, steal Buffys life.
Road to Redemption: After all the chaos that Faith helped ensue upon the lives of Buffy and Angel, she turned herself into the police where she took full ownership of her past deeds as a villain. She eventually broke out of jail to help re-in soul Angel and help Buffy fight the war against The First.




Name: Karone aka Astronema
Tv Show: Power Rangers: In Space!
Villain Moment: Attempting to take over the Galaxy in the name of Dark Specter and trying to kill the Power Rangers.
Road to Redemption: When Astronema had found out that she had been abducted as a child, she started questioning her role as Astronema: Princess of Evil and sided with the Power Rangers. After she was re-abducted and brainwashed into helping kill Zordon and take over the world again, she was freed and went on to become a Power Ranger herself! Helping the Lost Galaxy crew fend off the forces of Trakena.





Name: Damon Salvatore
Tv Show: The Vampire Diaries
Villain Moment: Killing anyone and everyone close to Elena.
Road to Redemption: Once Elena turned into Sleeping Beauty, he helped the remaining Mystic Falls crew defend the town from whatever evil strolled in.




Name: Anya Jenkins aka Anyanka
Tv Show: Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Villain Moment: Bring about mass vengeance for any scorned women by manipulating their wishes.
Road to Redemption: Once Anya failed at re-obtaining her powers to return to the life of being a Vengeance Demon, she joined the Scoobies in helping defend Sunnydale and the world from impending doom for the next 4 years. She gave her life in the battle against The First and was instrumental in helping defeat The Mayor and Glory.



Name: Hexadecimal
Tv Show: ReBoot
Villain Moment: Helping her brother take over Mainframe.
Road to Redemption: Hex was born a Virus so being evil was in her very genetic code! Despite this, her feelings for Bob helped her defend Mainframe once Bob had returned from The Web. Bob seeing the good in Hex caused him to plead for Phong to give her an icon. Once she helped defend Mainframe once more, she got turned into a full on Sprite! She sacrificed her life as a Sprite and goes viral again to help take out Super Virus Daemon. Hexadecimal then entered the Gateway Command and infected the entire Net with the cure, sacrificing herself, saving the Net and defeating Daemon.



Name: Zuko
Tv Show: Avatar The Last Airbender
Villain Moment: Sending his stans after me in this post
Road to Redemption: Making me add him to this post lol. But no...after many attempts at failing to kill and capture the Avatar, Zuko was shamed from his people and with support from his paternal uncle, General Iroh, and after much internal struggle and turmoil, Zuko rejected Ozai and his model of the Fire Nation. He instead joined the Avatar's group to become Aang's lifelong friend and firebending mentor.






Name: Loki
Movie: Thor
Villain Moment: Trying to enslave Earth and Asgard
Possible Road to Redemption: Loki's journey in the MCU isn't over yet so while he helped Thor fight against their sister, Hela to take back Asgard, his role in the Infinity War will truly tell if Loki will choose a life of good or a continued life of chaos.



Name: Earth 2 Dinah Laurel Lance aka Black Siren
Tv Show: Arrow
Villain Moment: Screaming The Vigilantes brains to mush and attempting to kill Team Arrow.
Possible Road to Redemption: While Laurel Lances doppelganger has lived a life of crime, her Earth-1 version of her father is fighting for Black Sirens soul. She has shown hesitation and regret for her role in murdering The Vigilante and is currently attempting to embrace the life of E1 Laurel Lance but the jury is still out on if she is a truly working for big bad Richard Diaz or playing double agent. The end of the season should show which side she chooses once and for all.



Name: Mirror-verse Phillpa Georgiou
Tv Show: Star Trek: Discovery
Villain Moment: Mass genocide to countless species in the Mirror realm and becoming Emperor of the universe
Possible Road to Redemption: Prime-verse Phillpa was dead but Michael still saw glimpse of her in her Mirror self. Mirror-verse Phillpa helped Starfleet succeed in winning the Klingon war but appeared that she was still up for causing mass genocide to win a war and thus Michael stopped her but allowed her to leave. Her actions in the Prime-verse are to be seen, will she attempt to take over the Universe again or help Starfleet in their ongoing journey?



Source: Me and my addiction to tv/movies
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
Do you love a good redemption story in tv/movies?

ONTD Roundup

ONTD Original: Horror Films Based On TRUE STORIES

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I'm always a sucker for horror movies that claim to be "based on true events." Whether they're about spectres, slashers, or are creature features, here are six horror films to make that very claim. What do you think?

MV5_BYWVl_M2_Y2_NDUt_OTYy_Mi00_ZDY2_LTky_ZDAt_ZGRk_M2_Fh_Nm_Nj_M2_Ey_Xk_Ey_Xk_Fqc_Gde_QXVy_NTIz_OTk5_ODM_V1_UX182_CR0_0_182_268_AL
Deliver Us from Evil

Based on the true story of Ralph Sarchie, a former NYPD sergeant in the South Bronx, who also does exorcisms as a Catholic Christian demonologist. He wrote a book about his work called Beware the Night, which became the basis for the film.

Eric Bana and Olivia Munn, both who appear in the film, claimed to have seen exorcism footage from Sarchie. Bana tried to convince Munn to not watch the footage; Munn said at Wondercon, "I said, ‘If I can’t see them, then I have to see them,’ and I watched them and [Bana] was right. I watched half of one and I cried and then I kept the lights on and then they’re still on.”

In 2014, Sarchie claimed that demonic possessions were on the rise. He's since retired from the force, but still goes after "demonic infestation[s] around the city."





MV5_BMj_E0_NDU1_Nz_Y0_OV5_BMl5_Ban_Bn_Xk_Ft_ZTcw_OTY4_NTcz_Mg_V1_UX182_CR0_0_182_268_ALWolf Creek
The 2005 film doesn't really specify what tru fax it's based on, BUT it could have been inspired by Ivan Milat, a serial killer in Australia who preyed on hitch hikers in the so-called Backpacker Murders. Milat didn't kill anyone at the real Wolfe Creek, though.

There is also the likely possibility that it's based on the horrific experience of Peter Falconio and Joanne Lees, two British tourists attacked by a mechanic named Bradley John Murdoch. Murdoch convinced the pair that they needed to pull over on the highway so he could check their car. He shot and killed Falconio and then kidnapped Lees. Lees managed to escape and received help from two truckers who happened to be coming by.

In 2005, Murdoch was tried and convicted.



MV5_BMj_E0_NDU1_Nz_Y0_OV5_BMl5_Ban_Bn_Xk_Ft_ZTcw_OTY4_NTcz_Mg_V1_UX182_CR0_0_182_268_ALThe Haunting in Connecticut

Supposedly based on Carmen Snedeker and her family; according to Wikipedia,"Ed and Lorraine Warren claimed that the Snedeker house was a former funeral home where morticians committed necromancy and/or necrophilia with the corpses, and that there were 'powerful' supernatural 'forces at work' that were cured by an exorcism."

A book, In a Dark Place: The Story of a True Haunting, was written about the haunting but apparently the author, Ray Garton, was encouraged by Ed Warren to make shit up.






219px_Robert_The_Doll_5999680656MV5_BMTg4_Mj_Uy_OTUw_Nl5_BMl5_Ban_Bn_Xk_Ft_ZTgw_Mj_Y1_NDM2_Nj_E_V1_UY268_CR9_0_182_268_ALRobert

Robert the Doll is currently waiting for you to visit him in Key West!

Robert was brought over from Germany in 1904. According to the official Robert the Doll website, "his unusual size indicates he may have been fashioned in the image of his constant companion – a boy named Robert Eugene Otto. The doll took Robert as his name, while the boy simply went by ‘Gene’."

Robert the Enchanted Doll can move and change his facial expressions. Prior to being banished to the museum, in his former home he would be heard walking and giggling. He's also allegedly responsible for "car accidents, broken bones, job loss, divorce and a cornucopia of other misfortunes" and if you disrespect him when you visit him at the East Martello Museum prepare for some "post-visit misfortunes." Robert has gotten about a thousand letters from visitors begging forgiveness.



National_Geo_Gustave_crocMV5_BMTI1_Nz_Uz_Nj_Y3_Ml5_BMl5_Ban_Bn_Xk_Ft_ZTcw_OTY2_ODA0_MQ_V1_UX182_CR0_0_182_268_ALPrimeval

I totally forgot about this movie until I worked on this post. Primeval is based on the true story of Gustave, "the most prolific serial killer in history." Gustave also happens to be a 20 foot long crocodile in Burundi known for eating people; Gustave has chowed down on approximately 300 of them.

He's in his 60s now and presumably still going strong, but hasn't been seen since 2015.


220px_The_Town_That_Dreaded_Sundown_Film_PosterThe Town That Dreaded Sundown

One of the earliest slasher films, The Town That Dreaded Sundown is based on the Phantom attacks in Texarkana, aka The Texarkana Moonlight Murders, which took place in 1946 by a serial killer who was never found. A total of eight people were attacked, five of them killed, by this unknown killer. He targeted young couples who were in private areas on the weekends. The main suspect, Youell Swinney, was never officially charged with the killings.

The film is controversial for a couple of reasons: The brother of a victim sued the producer/director, Charles B. Pierce, for how the film portrayed his sister, and Texarkana officials threatened to sue over the film's tagline, which stated, "In 1946, this man killed five people...today he still lurks the streets of Texarkana, Ark." The victim's brother lost his lawsuit, but the film's tagline was removed.

But it doesn't seem like the badblood(.mp3) between the film and the townspeople persists today: Texarkana has had a tradition since the early 2000s to show the film in a public viewing every Halloween.






SOURCES 12345678910111213

There were a lot more I could have added, but maybe I'll do a part II sometime. That said... CREEPY POST!!!! And of course, favorite horror-movie-based-on-real-life-events post!!!
*Thank you to zyuranger for the image header!!! ❤❤❤

ONTD Original: Five thrillers to keep you up tonight

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Looking to read something with suspense, mystery or thrills? While these five books are not literary masterpieces, they are definitely entertaining and could be what you need if you're looking for fast, fun reads with frustrating characters.


24885831if you want a paranormal-mystery-romance....

THE HOUSE
by Christina Lauren

Gavin tells Delilah he’s hers—completely—but whatever lives inside that house with him disagrees.

After seven years tucked away at an East coast boarding school, Delilah Blue returns to her small Kansas hometown to find that not much has changed. Her parents are still uptight and disinterested, her bedroom is exactly the way she left it, and the outcast Gavin Timothy still looks like he’s crawled out of one of her dark, twisted drawings.

Delilah is instantly smitten.

Gavin has always lived in the strange house: an odd building isolated in a stand of trees where the town gives in to mild wilderness. The house is an irresistible lure for Delilah, but the tall fence surrounding it exists for good reason, and Gavin urges Delilah to be careful. Whatever lives with him there isn’t human, and isn’t afraid of hurting her to keep her away.


book_with_marker

26153925if you want a YA thriller...

WITH MALICE
by Eileen Cook

It was the perfect trip…until it wasn’t.

Eighteen-year-old Jill Charron wakes up in a hospital room, leg in a cast, stitches in her face and a big blank canvas where the last six weeks should be. She discovers she was involved in a fatal car accident while on a school trip in Italy. A trip she doesn’t even remember taking. She was jetted home by her affluent father in order to receive quality care. Care that includes a lawyer. And a press team. Because maybe the accident…wasn’t an accident.

As the accident makes national headlines, Jill finds herself at the center of a murder investigation. It doesn’t help that the media is portraying her as a sociopath who killed her bubbly best friend, Simone, in a jealous rage. With the evidence mounting against her, there’s only one thing Jill knows for sure: She would never hurt Simone. But what really happened? Questioning who she can trust and what she’s capable of, Jill desperately tries to piece together the events of the past six weeks before she loses her thin hold on her once-perfect life.

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18800635if you want trashy body horror...

FLESH
by Richard Laymon

No one in town has ever seen anything like it: a slimy, mobile tube of glistening yellow flesh with dull, staring eyes and an obscene, probing mouth. But the real horror is not what it looks like, or what it does when it invades your flesh—but what it makes you do to others.




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9772504if you want ridiculous voyeuristic suspense...

SLIVER
by Ira Levin


Kay Norris, a successful and lovely book editor, moves into the posh Carnegie Hill district of Manhattan, into an apartment in a slender high-rise. A man watches her. He watches her unpack, watches her make her bed. He owns the building: a shocking secret is concealed within its brick and concrete.

Sliver is a sinuous erotic thriller, a hypnotic story of obsession, suspense, and stunning surprises. It is a novel about the ultimate power, and the temptations the use of that power brings.


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176272if you're an R.L. Stine fan, so you already know his books are silly...

EYE CANDY
by R.L. Stine

She’s drop-dead gorgeous. But one of the guys she’s met online might be a stone-cold killer. A chilling game of lies, secrets, and manipulation awaits in R. L. Stine’s dark, sexy thriller—now an MTV original series starring Victoria Justice. (OP: LOL)

Lindy Sampson is a beautiful twenty-three-year-old New Yorker with an unusual problem: She’s too beautiful, and guys are intimidated by her. Her roommate suggests Internet dating and writes a personal ad for Lindy, calling her “Eye Candy.” The responses pour in. Suddenly, Lindy is dating four guys at once—and having the time of her life. Until she gets a terrifying note that warns: “Don’t say no, Lindy. Keep going out with me. I’ll mess you up if you ever say no.”

Which one of her admirers is a deadly freak? Lindy is now forced to say yes to everything the four men ask of her—dates, invitations to spend the night, anything. From the East Village to the Hamptons, panic and paranoia shadow her every move. Lindy suspects everyone, even the one person she thought she could trust. But Lindy Sampson doesn’t know the half of it—and what she doesn’t know could kill her.


SOURCES 12345

Book post???
edited to add: thank you to zyuranger for the awesome header image!

10 2000's R&B Anthems w/ Dramatic Piano Intros to Ease Your Feelings Into (ONTD Original)

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People argue r&b was at its peak either in the 70's, 90's, or even the 2000's, but the truth is like any genre, it's ever changing. 2000's radio were full of piano r&b hits about break-ups, loyalty, or not being able to move on. Here are some songs that might have gotten you in your feelings for no reason at all.

1. Be Without You - Mary J Blige (2005)


This is one of Mary's highest charting song on the Hot 100. Y'all probably remember her blue tinted face on those Myspace ads for her album The Breakthrough. Snatch us with that run:
HEEEEEEYyyyyyYYYYYYYYAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYeeeehhhhh

2. Circle - Marques Houston (2007)


Sister Sister actor/former group member of Immature/Jehovah's Witness Marques Houston showed us how much he grew up with this one. He gave us dramatic gestures, choreo, and fancy footwork in the vid.

3. Ride For You - Danity Kane (2006)


OG Fifth Harmony aka Danity Kane had some bops in the day (shoutout to Sucka for Love). They released this after their debut Show Stopper, but didn't gain much success with other releases other than Damaged.


4. Unappreciated - Cherish (2006)


Another short-lived girl group is Cherish, known for their crunk bop Do It To It. We don't hear of them anymore but apparently theres only two members left in the group lmao.

5. Addicted - Stevie Hoang (2007)


This is a lesser known song but you probably heard this from someone's Myspace profile. This really made me jump down the rabbit hole of other Myspace 'hits'.

6. One Wish - Ray J (2005)


Ray J of Brandy Norwood and Kim Kardashian fame had a couple of hits, including Sexy Can I. He paved the way for more whiny sounding vocalists today such as The Weeknd.

7. Goin' Crazy - Natalie (2005)


When I think of this song I think of dramatic middle schoolers who probably had this on their Myspace profiles thinking they've been through ~deep relationships. This Natalie girl has as much vocal talent as Cassie or Kim Kardashian, but I still jam to Energy (ft. Baby Bash) and You're the One.

8. Wait For You - Elliott Yamin (2007)


Idk much about this guy other than he was on American Idol and that you would have probably thought he was black based on this song alone. The melody reminds me of Never Had a Dream Come True by S Club 7, a ballad Mariah would consider 'schmaltzy'.

9. Don't Wanna Try - Frankie J (2003)


I believe Frankie J is actually an underrated r&b artist. You probably know him for being featured in Baby Bash's hit Suga Suga, but he had other good songs like Never Gonna Let You Down (featuring Krayzie and Layzie Bone) and How to Deal. Recently he teamed up with Baby Bash to make a joint album Sangria which is lowkey fire.

10. We Belong Together - Mariah Carey (2005)


I mean what can I say about this. A modern classic, iconic, etc. The mv was the sequel to It's Like That but We Belong Together's success, or really her 'comeback' Emancipation album cemented her status as a legendary songwriter, earning this song the title as one of the longest charting #1 on the Hot 100. Mariah mentions how she had to pay a 'pretty penny' to have songs Bobby Womack's If You Think You're Lonely Now and the Deele's Two Occasions to be lyrically referenced in the song.


I'm waiting for these songs to be sampled in the near future to make us feel extra old.

Sources: 12345678910

ONTD Original: 10 Webtoons You Should Read!

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Webtoon_Logo

Hi everyone! I wanted to make a post where I'd recommend some webtoons for you all to read! To keep it brief a webtoon is a comic published online where most have a scrolling format instead of pages you flip thru. A lot of webtoons can be accessed via Webtoon.com, while other are found on other sites or are translated by fans and hosted on manga sites. Here are musicnkisses webtoon recommendations!



1_0Yumi's Cells by Donggeon Lee
Official synopsis: "A story of Yumi and her brain cells."
Yumi's Cells is similar to Pixar's Inside Out where we see the thought process behind Yumi's actions and how her brain cells dictate her actions. It's a funny and heartwarming comic where we see Yumi navigate life as she tries to build relationships and follow her dreams. It's not as corny as I made it sound. [read it here]


d364eb2cdae367c6bb8a2eaa32719ef7_fashion_fashion_heroinesHeroine Chic by David Tischman and Audrey Mok
Official synopsis: "Zoe Porter isn’t a superhero. She doesn’t have super powers. But she is going to be the hero of her own life - and she’s going to do it with style!"
Again with another webtoon with a premise explored by Pixar. Think Edna Mode in The Incredibles. Zoe Porter is a fashion designer who specializes in creating costumes for superheroes. The normalcy of powers and how heroes interact with each other makes this webtoon funny. Not to mention it's written by seasoned comic book writer David Tischman. The webtoon is complete and is an easy read; I highly recommend it! [read it here]

ooooooooo_4Space Boy by Stephen McCraine
Official synopsis: "A girl who belongs in a different time. A boy possessed by an emptiness as deep as space. A story about an alien artifact, a mysterious murder, and a love that crosses light years. "
About a girl who moves to a new city and falls in love with a stoic boy with a dark secret. It starts off slow, but once it gets going, it gets going. Plus, the art is absolutely beautiful. [read it here]



15_ECA3_BDEC9_D8_CEC9790_EAB480_ED9598_EC97_ACAbout Death by Sini and Hyeono
Official syponsis: "The borderline between living and death. Who would be there… and where would it be."
This one made me really sad. It's basically about where ppl go before passing into the afterlife. Idk how else to describe it, but if ya'll are to like only one thing I recommend, it'll be this. It's short so that's a plus. [read it here]

8cdee031_3612_494e_a22c_aa1ebab62694I Love Yoo by quimchee
Official syponsis:"Dogged by pain and misfortune from the very beginning, Shin-Ae decides she wants nothing to do with people nor anything to do with romance. Although content with her unsocial, boring, loveless existence, her lifestyle is challenged after she ruins an unsuspecting strangers' clothes."
Honestly this is my favorite webtoon right now. It's a romance webtoon with a girl who will have to choose between two guys, but it's so much more. It's super funny and the art is great. The girl isn't dumb about what's going on around her but she'll put up with it so she can make some money cuz she broke. [read it here]



1280x1024_1unOrdinary by uru-chan
Official syponsis: "The world is not perfect. Learning to deal with its flaws is just a normal part of life. But there comes a point where these imperfections spawn a crushing realization... that something needs to change..."
Set in a world where most people have superpowers, the ones that don't are treated like lepers. There's a rigid power structure at all the schools, where ppl with the highest power levels are treated like royalty. This is the story of one boy who attends a school full of ppl with powers while he himself has none. There's a lot of fighting in this webtoon and it's low on romance. So if you're looking for an action comic with a hint of drama then you'll like this. [read it here]

profile_image_22Gosu by Giun Ryu and Mun Jeong Hoo
Official syponsis: "Following his mentor's death, his protege, Gang Yong, makes it his life's purpose to avenge those who wronged his mentor. His cover? A chubby dumpling delivery boy."
This is an action webtoon about a warrior who got fat but can still kick your ass. It's funny at times but it's honestly just a good old fighting webtoon. So if you like shonen fight mangas then this is your best bet. [read it here]



thumbnailBoyfriend of the Dead by Ushio
Official syponsis: "A girl struggles to survive in a zombie apocalypse and ends up finding herself a boyfriend! But there is a problem...he is undead!"
The zombie apocalypse breaks out in the UK while American tourist Alex is visiting. A zombie dude smells her and wants to eat her, but after chillin' with her finds out she's a cool chick. So they hang out and take in all the zombies who not trying to eat humans. I'm sure they'll try to figure out where the outbreak started but rn they're jsut trying to survive. [read it here]


10_EC8_DB8_EB84_A4_EC9_DBC_ipadCarl by Hussein Traboulsi
Official syponsis: " Carl is a robot psychiatrist that suddenly becomes sentient. He starts longing to be human but his creator and father figure Dr Alda prevents him from showing his feelings out of fear of losing him. More challenges arise when Alda’s arch nemesis sets out to destroy them both."
I think the official syponsis did a good job explaining this webtoon. [read it here]



9a2149f150155b275461a2d912498eeaCheese in the Trapby soonkki

Official syponsis: "Seol Hong is a hard-working student, who has returned to college after a long break. Jung Yu is a senior at the college known as Mr. Perfect. Seol feels like her life took a turn for the worse since she got involved with Jung. Is Jung intentionally turning Seol's life?"
I don't really read this but I was scrambling to find another webtoon to put here that ppl might like, and I feel like ppl have probably heard of this. I did see the kdrama and I mostly liked it. Kim Go-eun is my mom and Seo Kang-joon is my son. Park Hae-jin is OLD and I hope the movie flops. It might cuz Oh Yeon-seo is in it and while the good sis is beautiful she's had flop after flop as of recently. [read it here]

Thanks to zyuranger for the header!
Please read and comment, this my first original and I work HARD on it. 😤😤😤😤
Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ,6, 7, 8, 9, 10

ONTD Original: Top Ten "The OC" Characters

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Eleven years ago today, the series finale for one of the greatest teen dramas of all time, The OC, aired on television, and we as a globe had to bid farewell to the melodramatic Caucasian af sun-kissed glee and heartbreak forever. In honor of this anniversary, here are (imo) the top ten characters of the show.

10.) Anna Stern, played by Samaire Armstrong

Anna was a supporting character who initially was introduced as Ryan's set-up date for the Cotillion in season 1, but quickly became a valuable companion to Seth with their similar interests in comic books, indie rock, and sardonic humor. Anna was a funny and likable character that had great chemistry with the entire core four, and honestly should have been bumped up to series regular. Can you imagine how much better the show would have been if Anna was always around? She told it like it was and always put the whiny Seth Cohen in his place, but their goodbye scene in season 1 is one of the most heartbreaking of the show. She returned briefly in season 3 with awful hair extensions but we don't talk about that.

9.) Kaitlin Cooper, played by Willa Holland

Kaitlin Cooper was initially portrayed by a young Shailene Woodley before her A-List days. But it was her return in season 3 as a much more fleshed out and active character, when she was portrayed by teen drama gold Willa Holland, that Kaitlin truly got to shine. Kaitlin is very much like her older sister Marissa with her gorgeous looks and rebellious nature, but is also quite different in her reaction to the melodrama around her. Kaitlin is mean, manipulative, seductive, but also doesn't give much of a crap about the bullshit that other teens care about. She sees the world for what it really is, and marches to the beat of her own drum. Even when she starts going to the Harbour School, Kaitlin is fully propositioned to become the new queen bee, but she just doesn't give a fuck. Despite her clear attitude problem, Kaitlin cares very much about her family, and after its completely broken by the start of season 4, does everything she can to make her and her mom's relationship strong.

8.) Marissa Cooper, played by Mischa Barton

Love her or hate her, the first few seasons of The OC would not have been the same without Marissa Cooper. She gave us some of the series' most iconic moments, from her bizarre poolside meltdown to the infamous "Mmm Whatcha Say" scene. Portrayed by the unbelievably gorgeous Mischa Barton, Marissa was the most popular girl at school, Social Chair, with a hot jock boyfriend Luke, a rich family, and a seemingly perfect life. But Marissa had a host of mental issues that plagued her, ranging from depression to an eating disorder to alcoholism/drug-abuse to kleptomania and more. She had an inner depth beyond their glitzy and glamorous world, a dreamer cursed by fate. She was a tragic character, constantly dealing with traumatic events that more than often weren't her fault, ultimately to meet her demise at the end of season 3. Marissa may have been melodramatic, and Mischa might not have been the best actress, but she was a dedicated friend and girlfriend, and was loved by her family and those close to her. Even the Cohens cared a great deal about Marissa, and her loss left an emptiness in several of the characters' lives. All Marissa ever wanted was to make something out of herself and to be happy. In another world, I imagine she went off to live with her dad in Greece and found the happiness she deserved.

7.) Kirsten Cohen, played by Kelly Rowan

While not nearly as active and hands-on of a parent as her husband Sandy, Mama Kiki is still a great mom and a warm, comforting figure in The OC universe. Even though she didn't trust Ryan in the beginning, she quickly came around, and remained a great maternal presence throughout the series, with compelling storylines of her own. Kirsten's rocky relationship with her father, as well as the subtle grief over her mother's passing prior to the series and an abortion she had in her late teens, made you understand her journey as a woman, and made you root for her through her troubles. Her descent into alcoholism was definitely soapy, but Kelly Rowan acted the heck out of it, and we just wanted Kiki to get better for her family and more importantly for herself. As Kiki grew throughout the series, she became a wise and trustworthy figure in the lives of her sons, husband, and best friend Julie Cooper. Even though she was a terrible, terrible cook, by the end, she was the mom we all secretly wanted.

6.) Taylor Townsend, played by Autumn Reeser

Oh Taylor. Sweet, helpless Taylor. What started as a one-note villainous role at the beginning of season 3 quickly blossomed into one of the series' most likable characters, thanks in part to Autumn Reeser's charming af performance. Extremely type-A, motivated, neurotic, and slightly unhinged, Taylor began the series as a foil to Summer and Marissa's characters, the perky nerdy girl determined to be the head of the school at all costs. But when we learned that Taylor's obsession with perfection stems from her relationship with her verbally abusive mother, we instantly felt bad for the girl who we wanted to see fail. As the series progressed, Taylor softened and became a bonafide member of the gang, eventually become Ryan Atwood's first truly stable girlfriend, which says a lot because Taylor is super unstable. Even with her quirks, her many, many quirks, Taylor was someone you wanted to be friends with, because you just know she'd sneakily manipulate some situation in your favor and always have your back.

5.) Julie Cooper, played by Melinda Clarke

I absolutely adore this character, who has shown some of the most growth of any of them throughout the series. Initially portrayed as Marissa's overbearing and superficial mother, Julie was known for burning bridges in her life, be them with friends, relationships, or her own family. While her intentions were always in her daughter's best interests, Julie's methods of intervening in Marissa and Kaitlin's lives weren't always the smartest. Julie grows into a caring and devoted mother, especially after losing Marissa, and a deeply loving friend to Kirsten. She makes amends for her mistakes and finally finds herself moving towards a successful and happy place by the end of the series, always striving to be bigger than the trailer park she came from. Julie Cooper is unique in being just about the only likable statutory rapist (remember Luke anyone?) on television, and while we'll forever side-eye that plot, Julie is certainly one of the best and most memorable soap opera villainesses this OP has ever seen.

4.) Seth Cohen, played by Adam Brody

Truly iconic, Seth Cohen is arguably the show's first breakout character, the inventor of geek chic, and an absolute staple of early 2000s pop culture. For some reason we're made to believe a super cute guy like Adam Brody is supposed to be the biggest loser in school, oftentimes bullied for his awkward personality, hipster weirdness and obsession with comic books. Seth is certainly a prominent perpetrator of the "nice guy" trope, but a unique one in that his rampant self-absorbedness and inability to make good decisions is often called out on by the other characters. Adam Brody had impeccable comedic timing that made Seth funny and relatable, a breath of normalcy among the decadence that is the rest of Newport Beach. Even though he can often be an annoying whiny ball of teen angst, he is one of the show's more realistic characters and an icon for lonely high school outcasts everywhere.

3.) Summer Roberts, played by Rachel Bilson

Speaking of breakout characters, Summer Roberts began the series initially intended to be a supporting cast member for just a few episodes. But Rachel Bilson's natural humor and charm made her so darn likable that she quickly became a full-fledged regular, and one of the only cast members to appear in every single episode of the series. She even had her own catchphrase (see above)! Summer arguably experiences the most character development of anyone on the show, beginning as Marissa's sidekick, a ditzy, superficial, typical Orange County popular girl with no bigger aspirations than becoming one of Newport's social elite. Through her relationship with polar opposite Seth Cohen, however, Summer develops into a strong-minded and caring individual. Seth and Summer's chemistry provided for much of the series' laughs and heart-felt moments, and were the couple everyone rooted for. But it was Summer's tenacity, determination, and willingness to forgive that allowed her to put up with hot mess Seth, and the two grew into mature adults together. After Marissa's death, Summer spirals into a strange depression, becoming a completely different person passionate about animals' rights and environmental protection. But when she learns to balance both sides of herself, we see Summer begin to truly shine towards the end of the series as she finds her calling: doing good for the world around her. We just know Marissa is looking down on her best friend with a proud smile.

2.) Ryan Atwood
, played by Ben McKenzie

The protagonist of the series, The OC is undeniably Ryan's story, so it'd be a crime to put him any lower on this list. The OC does a wonderful job of giving Ryan a series arc that comes full-circle by the end. Beginning as a troubled teen from the wrong side of the tracks (aka Chino...ew), Ryan comes from a broken home and has a broken attitude to show for it. Known for throwing punches, mostly to people who deserve them, Ryan is a standoffish outsider that shocks the squeaky clean community of Newport Beach when he first arrives. Deep down he longs to be greater than his past, but oftentimes doubts himself and his ability to be a better person. It's through his heartwarming relationship with the Cohen family, as well as his on/off-again romance with Marissa, that Ryan begins to believe in himself, and realize that he can achieve greatness. Time and time again Ryan's good nature is tested, but underneath those wife-beaters and that rugged exterior is a sweet teddy bear who deserves the world. The final scene of the series shows an adult Ryan, now working as a successful architect, reaching out to a troubled teen just like Sandy did for him years prior, an encounter that changed his life forever. You'd have to be a fucking sociopath to not get a little weepy at that.

1.) Sandy Cohen, played by Peter Gallagher

If you're a fan of The OC and you didn't at one point want Sandy Cohen to be your dad and/or daddy than you are one bold-faced liar. Rarely on teen shows do the adults outshine the kids, but Sandy Cohen was the ultimate TV father, husband, lawyer, surfer, eyebrow king, etc. His cool and laid-back attitude masked a fierce devotion to his family, and no one could hit you with a truth bomb, make you feel like shit because you fucked up, give you the best wisdom ever, and be the shoulder you can always lean on better than Sandy motherfucking Cohen. Sandy's instant love for Ryan and desire to give him a better life is what kicks off the series. He is a kind, generous man and an excellent public defender, committed to sticking up for the little guy and taking down corruption. A Bronx native and proud Jewish man, Sandy is a bit of an outsider himself in the WASP-infested Orange County, but he never lets his spirit falter despite many instances that test him otherwise. Peter Gallagher loved playing Sandy so much that to this day he hosts an annual award ceremony named "The Sandy Cohen Awards" or The Sandys, which gives a scholarship to a law school student at UC Berkeley who wants to become a public defender. It just goes to show the powerful influence that a strong and good-hearted person like Sandy Cohen can have on the world, even as a fictional character. For this impact, I truly believe Sandy Cohen is the best character from The OC.

Gif Sources:
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Do you agree with my list, ONTD? If you've never seen The OC or are interested in doing a rewatch,
the entire series is on Hulu! While the lack of diversity makes it very much a product of its time,
the humor and the heart still hold up surprisingly well, and I think everyone should give it a shot.

ONTD Original™ "Avengers: Infinity War" Stranger Danger

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"Avengers: Infinity War" is the biggest event in the MCU and is arguably the biggest event in movie going herstory. 10 years and 18 films later, the new trailer shows our favorite Marvel characters finally teaming up on the big screen - united and ready to avenge!

Screen Shot 2018-03-16 at 3.25.07 PM 4.png

But, wait a second, who are these new guys (and gorl) on the scene? Why do these new baddies look like they've been trapped inside of a Hot Topic since 2003? Was that Dr. Strange at an acupuncture appointment with Voldemort? I'm here to give you all of the dirty deets, tea, and dramz on Thanos' Black Order. Let's dive in spoiler free!

Brief History
- Created only five years ago by Jonathan Hickman, Jerome Opeña, and Jim Cheung, The Black Order made their first full appearance during Marvel's "Infinity" event back in 2013.

- The Black Order is a group of evil aliens that work for Thanos to help him raise/destroy worlds as tribute to their mad Titan. When Thanos sets his sights on Earth to search for the Infinity Stones, the Black Order is happy to oblige. Think of them as sort of like Thanos'"Avengers", but dressed like the love children of Blade & Evanescence mixed with a little bit of Star Trek.

Corvus Glaive
Corvus Glaive - MCMCU.jpg

Who?
- The leader of Thanos' Black Order, Corvus was chosen for his combat mastery, tactical abilities, superhuman strength, speed, durability and endurance. He is also the husband of Proxima Midnight and brother of Cull Obsidian.

- Mr. Glaive carries a glaive (how meta) that makes him immortal. He can only be killed if his Thanos-made weapon is destroyed first. His glaive is also capable of splitting atoms which means that it can cut through virtually anything, including Hulk's skin.

Cull Obsidian
Cull Obsidian - MCMCU.jpg

Who?
- With superhuman strength, density, and unbreakable skin, Cull Obsidian is the muscle of Thanos' Black Order. He is on the same strength level as the Hulk and towers over Thanos himself. Cull is the brother of Corvus Glaive and brother-in-law to Proxima Midnight.

- Cull's name has been changed from "Black Dwarf" in the comics. Nobody is sure why, but it's probably because Black Dwarf is a stupid name that is way too literal. "Cull Obsidian" definitely sounds more unique and menacing.

Ebony Maw
Ebony Maw - MCMCU.jpg

Who?
- Ebony Maw is the Miss. Independent of the Black Order. Brought on board for his powers of persuasion, Maw works with Thanos, not for him, to achieve the same goals. What do you expect from a super genius who pays his own bills?

- Not a fighter, Ebony's talents include deception, manipulation, and coaxing peoples' thought processes with only his words. As you can see from the new trailer, even the most powerful minds, like Dr. Strange, are no match for Maw's psychological coercion.

Proxima Midnight
Proxima Midnight - MCMCU.jpg

Who?
- Good (evil) sis Proxima Midnight is the most versatile fighter in the Black Order. She is a nearly invulnerable master combatant with superhuman strength, speed, and endurance. Wife of Corvus Glaive, Proxima carries her own fancy weapon - a Thanos-made spear.

- "A spear?", you say. "What's so fancy about that?" Let's educate the children! First of all, this thing was literally made from a collapsing sun trapped in distorted space-time; acting and operating as a star, supernova, and black hole all at once. This means that her weapon can mimic the effects of said star, supernova, and black hole.

- Proxima can throw this damn thing and have it act like a supernova with exploding energy. Her spears' energy also acts as a paralyzing and lethal poison and can shoot a lance of three heat-seaking beams that disintegrate prey on contact. Her weapon can also gain the weight of an actual fucking star that can be used to pin down the likes of the Hulk. Whew! We surrender, Prox!

I hope you enjoyed your journey through the wretchedness that is The Black Order! If you wish to read more, check them out in the pages of Marvel's "Infinity" comic event.

Are you impressed, ONTD? What do you think of these new villains? Do you think they will translate well from page to screen?

Source | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |

ONTD Original: 10 Upcoming Books by Diverse Women Authors

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In case your bookshelves were looking empty, here are 10 upcoming releases written by women. I selected one book per month, with exceptions: No books from the middle or end of a series (or any prequels), and I didn't choose any books from December due to the lack of information, covers, or choices. So, I ended up picking two books for November. All books were chosen from the monthly lists of the 200 Most Popular Books on Goodreads.

34275212Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao
Published March 6th 2018 (yes I know this date already passed, but I wanted to include a March book)

A searing, electrifying debut novel set in India and America, about a once-in-a-lifetime friendship between two girls who are driven apart but never stop trying to find one another again.

When Poornima first meets Savitha, she feels something she thought she lost for good when her mother died: hope. Poornima's father hires Savitha to work one of their sari looms, and the two girls are quickly drawn to one another. Savitha is even more impoverished than Poornima, but she is full of passion and energy. She shows Poornima how to find beauty in a bolt of indigo cloth, a bowl of yogurt rice and bananas, the warmth of friendship. Suddenly their Indian village doesn't feel quite so claustrophobic, and Poornima begins to imagine a life beyond the arranged marriage her father is desperate to lock down for her. But when a devastating act of cruelty drives Savitha away, Poornima leaves behind everything she has ever known to find her friend again. Her journey takes her into the darkest corners of India's underworld, on a harrowing cross-continental journey, and eventually to an apartment complex in Seattle. Alternating between the girls’ perspectives as they face relentless obstacles, Girls Burn Brighter introduces two heroines who never lose the hope that burns within them.



30223025Dread Nation (Dread Nation #1) by Justina Ireland
Expected publication: April 3rd 2018

Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society’s expectations.

But that’s not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn’t pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose. But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems.

36373417The Map of Salt and Stars by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar
Expected publication: May 1st 2018

This rich, moving, and lyrical debut novel is to Syria what The Kite Runner was to Afghanistan; the story of two girls living eight hundred years apart—a modern-day Syrian refugee seeking safety and a medieval adventurer apprenticed to a legendary mapmaker—places today’s headlines in the sweep of history, where the pain of exile and the triumph of courage echo again and again.

It is the summer of 2011, and Nour has just lost her father to cancer. Her mother, a cartographer who creates unusual, hand-painted maps, decides to move Nour and her sisters from New York City back to Syria to be closer to their family. But the country Nour’s mother once knew is changing, and it isn’t long before protests and shelling threaten their quiet Homs neighborhood. When a shell destroys Nour’s house and almost takes her life, she and her family are forced to choose: stay and risk more violence or flee as refugees across seven countries of the Middle East and North Africa in search of safety. As their journey becomes more and more challenging, Nour’s idea of home becomes a dream she struggles to remember and a hope she cannot live without.

More than eight hundred years earlier, Rawiya, sixteen and a widow’s daughter, knows she must do something to help her impoverished mother. Restless and longing to see the world, she leaves home to seek her fortune. Disguising herself as a boy named Rami, she becomes an apprentice to al-Idrisi, who has been commissioned by King Roger II of Sicily to create a map of the world. In his employ, Rawiya embarks on an epic journey across the Middle East and the north of Africa where she encounters ferocious mythical beasts, epic battles, and real historical figures.

A deep immersion into the richly varied cultures of the Middle East and North Africa, The Map of Salt and Stars follows the journeys of Nour and Rawiya as they travel along identical paths across the region eight hundred years apart, braving the unknown beside their companions as they are pulled by the promise of reaching home at last.

36204070The Book of M by Peng Shepherd
Expected publication: June 5th 2018

One afternoon at an outdoor market in India, a man’s shadow disappears—an occurrence science cannot explain. He is only the first. The phenomenon spreads like a plague, and while those afflicted gain a strange new power, it comes at a horrible price: the loss of all their memories.

Ory and his wife Max have escaped the Forgetting so far by hiding in an abandoned hotel deep in the woods. Their new life feels almost normal, until one day Max’s shadow disappears too.

Knowing that the more she forgets, the more dangerous she will become to Ory, Max runs away. But Ory refuses to give up the time they have left together. Desperate to find Max before her memory disappears completely, he follows her trail across a perilous, unrecognizable world, braving the threat of roaming bandits, the call to a new war being waged on the ruins of the capital, and the rise of a sinister cult that worships the shadowless.

As they journey, each searches for answers: for Ory, about love, about survival, about hope; and for Max, about a new force growing in the south that may hold the cure.

35395301How to Love a Jamaican by Alexia Arthurs
Expected publication: July 24th 2018

“There is a way to be cruel that seems Jamaican to me.”

Tenderness and cruelty, loyalty and betrayal, ambition and regret—Alexia Arthurs navigates these tensions to extraordinary effect in her debut collection about Jamaican immigrants and their families back home. Sweeping from close-knit island communities to the streets of New York City and midwestern university towns, these eleven stories form a portrait of a nation, a people, and a way of life.

In “Light Skinned Girls and Kelly Rowlands,” an NYU student befriends a fellow Jamaican whose privileged West Coast upbringing has blinded her to the hard realities of race. In “Mash Up Love,” a twin’s chance sighting of his estranged brother—the prodigal son of the family—stirs up unresolved feelings of resentment. In “Bad Behavior,” a mother and father leave their wild teenage daughter with her grandmother in Jamaica, hoping the old ways will straighten her out. In “Mermaid River,” a Jamaican teenage boy is reunited with his mother in New York after eight years apart. In “The Ghost of Jia Yi,” a recently murdered international student haunts a despairing Jamaican athlete recruited to an Iowa college. And in “Shirley from a Small Place,” a world-famous pop star retreats to her mother’s big new house in Jamaica, which still holds the power to restore something vital.

Mirage (Mirage #1) by Somaiya Daud
Expected publication: August 28th 2018

In a star system dominated by the brutal Vathek empire, eighteen-year-old Amani is a dreamer. She dreams of what life was like before the occupation; she dreams of writing poetry like the old-world poems she adores; she dreams of receiving a sign from Dihya that one day, she, too, will have adventure, and travel beyond her isolated moon.

But when adventure comes for Amani, it is not what she expects: she is kidnapped by the regime and taken in secret to the royal palace, where she discovers that she is nearly identical to the cruel half-Vathek Princess Maram. The princess is so hated by her conquered people that she requires a body double, someone to appear in public as Maram, ready to die in her place.

As Amani is forced into her new role, she can’t help but enjoy the palace’s beauty—and her time with the princess’ fiancé, Idris. But the glitter of the royal court belies a world of violence and fear. If Amani ever wishes to see her family again, she must play the princess to perfection...because one wrong move could lead to her death.

35716237Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Expected publication: September 11th 2018

Rumi Seto spends a lot of time worrying she doesn’t have the answers to everything. What to eat, where to go, whom to love. But there is one thing she is absolutely sure of—she wants to spend the rest of her life writing music with her younger sister, Lea.

Then Lea dies in a car accident, and her mother sends her away to live with her aunt in Hawaii while she deals with her own grief. Now thousands of miles from home, Rumi struggles to navigate the loss of her sister, being abandoned by her mother, and the absence of music in her life. With the help of the “boys next door”—a teenage surfer named Kai, who smiles too much and doesn’t take anything seriously, and an eighty-year-old named George Watanabe, who succumbed to his own grief years ago—Rumi attempts to find her way back to her music, to write the song she and Lea never had the chance to finish.



34433755Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan
Expected publication: October 23rd 2018

In this lush fantasy, Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most oppressed class in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, where the decade-old trauma of watching her mother snatched by royal guards still haunts her. Now, the guards are back, and this time it's Lei they're after--the girl whose golden eyes have piqued the king's interest.

Over weeks of training in the opulent but stifling palace, Lei and eight other girls learn the skills and charm that befit being a king's consort. But Lei isn't content to watch her fate consume her. Instead, she does the unthinkable--she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens the very foundation of Ikhara, and Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide just how far she's willing to go for justice and revenge.



36413097Hide With Me by Sorboni Banerjee
Expected publication: November 6th 2018

In the dying cornfields of his family's farm, seventeen-year-old Cade finds a mysterious girl broken and bleeding. She has one request: hide me.

With help from Cade's best friend, the son of the local veterinarian, the mysterious Jane Doe starts to heal, and details of her past surface. A foster kid looking for a way out, Jane got caught up in the wrong crowd and barely escaped with her life.

Cade has been trapped in the border town of Tanner, Texas all his life and has a difficult past of his own. Reeling from his parents' separation, he's focused on one thing: a football scholarship--his one-way ticket out of town.

As the two plan their escapes, Jane and Cade spend their nights in the abandoned barn on the edge of the farm and their days with Cade's friends: sweet, artistic, Mateo and his vivacious sister Jojo who vows to be president one day.

But just across the border in a city in Mexico lies the life Jane desperately wants to leave behind--a past filled with drugs and secrets, information she never wanted, and a cartel boss who is watching her every move.

31332356The Resolutions by Mia Garcia
Expected publication: November 13th 2018

New Years are for fresh starts, but Jess just wants everything to go back to the way it was.

From hiking trips, to four-person birthday parties, to never-ending group texts, Jess, Lee, Ryan, and Nora have always been inseparable—and unstoppable. But now, with senior year on the horizon, they’ve been splintering off and growing apart. And so, as always, Jess makes a plan.

Reinstating their usual tradition of making resolutions together on New Year’s Eve, Jess adds a new twist: instead of making their own resolutions, the four friends assign them for each other—dares like kiss someone you know is wrong for you, show your paintings, learn Spanish, say yes to everything.

But not even the best laid plans can take into account the uncertainties of life. As the year unfolds, Jess, Ryan, Nora, and Lee each test the bonds that hold them together. And amid first loves, heart breaks, and life-changing decisions, beginning again is never as simple as it seems.

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ONTD Original: 17 Films Directed by Women To Watch in 2018

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Here are 8 films with known release dates, five with unknown dates, and four movies you should be able to find now - all directed by women and from this year. All release dates are US unless otherwise noted, and are from IMDB.com. So if my information is wrong, it's not my fault :)

APRIL
MV5_BMDkw_OTE0_Zj_Mt_Zm_Ri_YS00_M2_M3_LWE3_Mz_Ut_Nz_Nm_Nm_Ex_NTNm_Njg5_Xk_Ey_Xk_Fqc_Gde_QXVy_ODE1_Mj_My_Nz_I_V1_UX182_CR0_0_182_268_ALMV5_BMj_E0_ODIz_Njkz_Ml5_BMl5_Ban_Bn_Xk_Ft_ZTgw_ODQ3_Mz_U4_NDM_V1_UX182_CR0_0_182_268_ALMV5_BMj_Q3_ODM5_Mj_Y2_N15_BMl5_Ban_Bn_Xk_Ft_ZTgw_OTU5_Mj_M4_NDM_V1_UX182_CR0_0_182_268_AL

“Blockers”, directed by Kay Cannon
Three parents try to stop their daughters from having sex on Prom night.
Starring: Kathryn Newton, John Cena, Leslie Mann
Release Date: 6 April 2018

“You Were Never Really Here," Directed by Lynne Ramsay
A traumatized veteran, unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living. When a job spins out of control, Joe's nightmares overtake him as a conspiracy is uncovered leading to what may be his death trip or his awakening.
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Dante Pereira-Olson, Larry Canady
Release Date: 6 April 2018

“The Rider,” directed by Chloe Zhao
After suffering a near fatal head injury, a young cowboy undertakes a search for new identity and what it means to be a man in the heartland of America.
Starring: Brady Jandreau, Tim Jandreau, Lilly Jandreau
Release Date: 13 April 2018



JUNE

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"Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist," Directed by Lorna Tucker
The first film to encompass the remarkable story of one of the true icons of our time, as she fights to maintain her brand's integrity, her principles - and her legacy.
Release Date: 15 June 2018

"Valley Girl,”  Directed by Rachel Goldenberg
Set to a new wave '80s soundtrack, a pair of young lovers from different backgrounds defy their parents and friends to stay together. A musical adaptation of the 1983 film.
Starring: Mae Whitman, Peyton List, Chloe Bennet
Release Date: 29 June 2018


AUGUST
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"The Darkest Minds,” directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson
After a disease kills 98% of America's children, the surviving 2% develop superpowers and are placed in internment camps. A 16-year-old girl escapes her camp and joins a group of other teens on the run from the government.
Starring: Mandy Moore, Amandla Stenberg
Release Date: 3 August 2018


OCTOBER
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“Can You Ever Forgive Me?” — Directed by Marielle Heller
When bestselling celebrity biographer, Lee Israel, is no longer able to get published because she has fallen out of step with current tastes, she turns her art form to deception, abetted by her loyal friend, Jack.
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Anna Deavere Smith, Alice Kremelberg
Release Date: 19 October 2018


NOVEMBER
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“Mary, Queen of Scots,” directed by Josie Rourke
Mary Stuart's attempt to overthrow her cousin Elizabeth I, Queen of England, finds her condemned to years of imprisonment before facing execution.
Starring: Margot Robbie, Saoirse Ronan, David Tennant
Release Date: 2 November 2018


RELEASE DATES UNKNOWN
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“Fast Color,”  directed by Julia Hart
A woman is forced to go on the run when her superhuman abilities are discovered. Years after having abandoned her family, the only place she has left to hide is home.
Starring: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Strathairn, Lorraine Toussaint
Release date: was shown at SXSW film festival on March 10

"I Am Not a Witch," directed by Rungano Nyoni
Following a banal incident in her local village, 8-year old girl Shula is accused of witchcraft. After a short trial she is found guilty, taken into state custody and exiled to a witch camp in the middle of a desert.
Starring: Benfors 'Wee Do, Boyd Banda, Kalundu Banda

“The Nightingale,” directed by Jennifer Kent
1820s Tasmania. A young Irish convict woman seeking revenge for the murder of her family, takes an Aboriginal male tracker with her through the interior and gets much more than she bargained for.
Starring: Sam Claflin, Aisling Franciosi, Damon Herriman

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“Out of Blue,”  directed by Carol Morley
When Detective Mike Hoolihan is called to investigate the shooting of leading astrophysicist and black hole expert, Jennifer Rockwell, she is affected in ways she struggles to comprehend.
Starring: Toby Jones, James Caan, Patricia Clarkson
Release Date: 2018 (UK)

“Vita & Virginia,”  directed by Chanya Button
It's the fascinating true story about the love affair between socialite and popular author Vita Sackville-West and literary icon Virginia Woolf.
Starring: Elizabeth Debicki, Gemma Arterton, Isabella Rossellini
Release Date: 2018 (UK)


MOVIES YOU CAN FIND NOW (at least you should be able to)
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"Goldbuster," directed by Sandra Ng
A quirky internet star, a pair of retired gangsters, and the black sheep of a prolific family of herbalists are a few of the oddball tenants that call the dilapidated apartments of Humble Grove home. Fearful of being locked out by a ruthless property developer with his eye on the building, they've stayed inside for years. So, when supernatural incidents befall them all on one night, instead of running, they turn to flamboyant ghost hunter Golden Ling to perform a most unusual exorcism.
Starring: Sandra Kwan Yue Ng, Francis Ng, Yi Zhang
Release Date: 5 January 2018

"The Strange Ones," co-directed by Lauren Wolkstein
Mysterious events surround two travelers as they make their way across a remote American landscape. On the surface all seems normal, but what appears to be a simple vacation soon gives way to a dark and complex web of secrets.
Starring: Alex Pettyfer, James Freedson-Jackson, Emily Althaus
Release Date: 5 January 2018

"This Is Home," directed by Alexandra Shiva
Four Syrian families struggling to find their way in America.
Release Date: 20 January 2018

"Oh Lucy!," directed by Atsuko Hirayanagi
A lonely woman living in Tokyo decides to take an English class where she discovers her alter ego, Lucy.
Starring: Shinobu Terajima, Josh Hartnett, Kaho Minami
Release Date: 2 March 2018 (limited)


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What woman-directed films you're looking forward to this year, ONTD? What have you seen so far?

ONTD Original: [7 More] Horror Films Based on True Stories

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HORROR_MOVIES_BASED_ON_true_stories
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Let's get creepy again, ONTD! Killers, cult maniacs, cryptids, spectres, and my personal favorite - ALIENS.

MV5_BZj_A5_NDU4_Nz_Yt_OWZi_ZC00_Mm_Q2_LTgx_NTct_Zj_Zl_OWJl_MGI3_MDVl_Xk_Ey_Xk_Fqc_Gde_QXVy_MTQx_Nz_Mz_NDI_V1_UX182_CR0_0_182_268_ALThe Hills Have Eyes

On the way to California, a family has the misfortune to have their car break down in an area closed to the public, and inhabited by violent savages ready to attack.

Director Wes Craven gave an interview discussing the true story behind the 1977 film, which involved the Sawney Bean family in Scotland:

"[T]here was an area that had road running through it from Scotland, and people thought it was haunted because people kept disappearing from that road. The story came out when a couple was attacked by these wild looking people, and one got away. He knew someone in the court, and they sent out an expedition which resulted in finding a cave along the English Channel. A dog actually found it. A whole gaggle of these people. Naked, wild and feral. And the [authorities] did the most excruciating things to them. I responded to the irony of it, of people who should be nice and civilized doing horrible things. And horrible people having a nice side to them, too."

Don't believe it's true? You're probably right; check out
this article from BBC, detailing the Bean legend (supposedly, the cave-dwelling Bean family killed and ate 1,000 people).




MV5_BMj_Ay_Nj_Y0_NDI3_N15_BMl5_Ban_Bn_Xk_Ft_ZTcw_OTg4_OTQ0_MQ_V1_UX182_CR0_0_182_268_ALBorderland

On a trip to a Mexican border town, three college friends stumble upon a human-sacrifice cult.

Loosely based on Adolfo de Jesús Constanzo, a serial killer cult leader drug lord. His cult was called Los Narcosatánicos. Costanzo claimed he had magical powers, and used them to help drug dealers, corrupt police, and organized crime bosses. By the time he was making a name for himself, he was using human bones in his spell casting.

But raiding graveyards wasn't enough for him, and he moved onto ritual murder. Sadly more than 20 people lost their lives as human sacrifices, including Mark Kilroy, an American pre-med student, who was kidnapped outside a bar during his spring break.


MV5_BNjg3_Nz_E2_Mjk1_MV5_BMl5_Ban_Bn_Xk_Ft_ZTcw_Mj_M0_NDIz_MQ_V1_UY268_CR4_0_182_268_ALThe Beast of Bray Road

Based on actual accounts of werewolf sightings in Walworth County, Wisconsin, the film follows a local sheriff who is finally forced to accept that a string of horrifying deaths is linked to a predator which possesses DNA of both man and wolf.

Many people witnessed "the beast of bray road" in the 1980s and early 1990s, describing the creature as "bear-like," "hairy biped resembling Bigfoot," and an extremely tall wolf walking on its hind legs. Despite the fact that no one saw the creature transform from a human into a wolf, people still like to refer to this cryptid as a "werewolf."

Interestingly, a journalist named Linda Godfrey was sent out to the area to investigate the sightings. While initially skeptical, by the end of her investigation she believed the creature to be true. Her articles were published as a book called The Beast of Bray Road: Trailing Wisconsin's Werewolf.

MV5_BMTUw_MDcy_Nj_E1_MF5_BMl5_Ban_Bn_Xk_Ft_ZTcw_OTA1_Njg0_MQ_V1_UY268_CR13_0_182_268_ALThe Girl Next Door

Based on the Jack Ketchum novel of the same name, The Girl Next Door follows the unspeakable torture and abuses committed on a teenage girl in the care of her aunt...and the boys who witness and fail to report the crime.


The true story behind the graphic, disturbing film is the torture and murder of Sylvia Likens, who was only 16 years old. Sylvia's parents were carnival workers; they left her and four siblings in the care of Gertrude Baniszewski. For three months, Baniszewski, Baniszewski's children (one as young as 13), and their neighbors tortured and abused Sylvia.

Baniszewski was eventually convicted of first-degree murder. She was sentenced to life imprisonment - but was granted parole and released from prison on December 4, 1985.


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Based on the true story of two scuba divers accidentally stranded in shark infested waters after their tour boat has left.

Tom and Eileen Lonergan were on a scuba diving trip in the Great Barrier Reef when their diving group failed to take a proper headcount - and left the couple behind. The Lonergans were not discovered missing for two days. Their scuba gear turned up somewhere miles away from where they went lost, but their bodies were never found.

Disturbingly, during search and rescue, their diving slate was discovered, reading: "Monday Jan 26; 1998 08am. To anyone who can help us: We have been abandoned on A[gin]court Reef by MV Outer Edge 25 Jan 98 3pm. Please help to rescue us before we die. Help!!!"

The skipper of the boat was charged with unlawful killing, but was found not guilty.


MV5_BM2_Fh_OTNi_MDkt_Mj_Ji_Zi00_M2_Uy_LTky_Nz_Mt_ZTdl_MDhj_ZGEw_Nm_M3_Xk_Ey_Xk_Fqc_Gde_QXVy_Mj_Yw_NDA2_MDE_V1_UY268_CR4_0_182_268_ALThe Enfield Haunting

In August 1977, a series of bizarre and terrifying events begin to take place in a seemingly ordinary house in Enfield, North London.

The Enfield Poltergeist lived at 284, Green Street, in Brimsdown, Enfield, England from 1977 to 1979. The standard ghost activity was recorded: furniture moving, strange noises and voices, and even children levitating. Some paranormal investigators believed the haunting to be genuine, while many others called it a hoax. Two of the children at the home, Margaret and Janet, did admit to performing some pranks, but claimed only "2%" of it was faked.

The Conjuring 2 is also (loosely) based on the case.


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An Arizona logger mysteriously disappears for five days in an alleged encounter with a flying saucer in 1975.

Fire in the Sky is the true and terrifying story of Travis Walton who was abducted by aliens in 1975. Walton was a logger in the Arizona forest. One night, while riding in a truck with six of his coworkers, they encountered a UFO about 100 feet away. Walton got out of the truck and approached the craft. A beam of light struck him, knocking him out. Astonishingly, his coworkers drove away!


Walton was missing for five days. During this time, Walton remembers being in a hospital-like room, and was subjected to testing by what he described as "short, bald creatures." He doesn't remember anything else until he found himself back outside. He saw the UFO flying away from him.

All of his coworkers took a polygraph, attesting to what they witnessed - and all of them passed, except one which was inconclusive. IMO, it makes no sense why anyone would lie about this.


CREEPY POST!!!! And of course, favorite horror-movie-based-on-real-life-events post!!!
*Thank you to zyuranger for the original image header (which I modified for this post)!!! ❤❤❤


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Three years later...a #throwback look at The Desired Effect era

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Brandon Flowers took an 80's risk three years ago today, dropping his lead single “Can't Deny My Love. The single and album was produced by musical genius Ariel Rechtshaid (Sky Ferreira, HAIM, Vampire Weekend) and was released on March 23rd, 2015 officially kickstarting The Desired Effect” era. After The Killers decided to take yet another hiatus after “Battle Born,” Flowers was determined to get his new solo music heard on the radio by teaming up with Ariel Rechtshaid after listening to Vampire Weekend's newest album at the time. This time around Brandon recorded an album that was more in vein of the pop sound he adored growing up from his idols such as The Pet Shop Boys and The Police. The outcome? 2015's The Desired Effect and the follow up to his debut solo album and 2010's Flamingo. On the three-year anniversary of this album's era, let us have a #ONTDThrowbackThursdaylook at the singles, the visuals and overall impact from this underrated album! Perhaps I'll have to revisit Carly Rae Jepsen's E•MO•TION since both these albums were released around the same time and are simply 80's perfection! Talk about a King and Queen!






“Can't Deny My Love” — Released: March 23, 2015



“Still Want You” — Released: April 13, 2015



“Lonely Town” — Released: April 27, 2015


“I Can Change” — Released: May 4, 2015







Video description: The music video was inspired by the 1835 Puritan short story Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Flowers plays the protagonist who leaves his wife played by actress Evan Rachel Wood for some unknown errand in the desert despite her plead that he stay. On his journey he meets a man with a black staff played by Richard Butler (of the Psychedelic Furs). Soon he discovers a group of townspeople assembled in robes carrying out witchcraft like ceremonies and discovers his wife among them. The townspeople notice him but as they approach the scene instantly vanishes and he awakes uncertain whether the previous night's events were real or a dream. He passes by several of the townspeople and returns to his wife.

Fun Fact: Originally, M Night Shyamalan was expected to direct the video in the Northeast but at the last second Robert Schober (My Chemical Romance, The Killers) was asked to film the video in Calico, San Bernardino County, California.



Video description: The black and white music video was directed by Warren Fu (Daft Punk, The Killers, Haim). The video portrays Flowers and two backup singers in black and white dancing and singing.



Video description: The music video follows around a young woman (Penelope Mitchell) while doing random things around her house with headphones on while dancing to the song. Someone is watching her from outside her window. The video is retro-styled and perhaps a nod to 80's slasher flicks and the classic Halloween by John Carpenter.

Fun Fact: This song is a spiritual continuation/sequel to The Police'sEvery Breath You Take.



Video description: The video features clips from Brandon's tour and live performance of the song at Brixton Academy situated in Brixton, south London, England.

Fun Fact:I Can Change” features a vocal recording of Neil Tennant (of the Pet Shop Boys) taken via a cell phone answering machine. Flowers has said of the recording: “We just talked about it, and we just had this gap in a verse and we needed to stick something in there. We were talking about it being a speaking part, and the greatest musical 'speaker' is Neil Tennant! His voice is like no other. I texted him if he would — he didn't even hear the song or the tempo or anything, I just texted him this line. I asked, will you send us a voicemail of yourself saying, 'When you're looking for a change'? And that was it. He sent us a voice memo, and we stuck it onto the track, from the phone. It was done within 20 seconds.”





“Can't Deny My Love” — Live on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon



“Still Want You” — Live at Lollapalooza Chile 2016



“Lonely Town” — Live on The Late Late Show with James Corden



“I Can Change” — Live on The Graham Norton Show



















ONTD, what's your favorite song from this era?


Sources:Me - 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

ONTD Original: 5 Things That Went Wrong With the S2 of Jessica Jones

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The much anticipated second season of our favourite Marvel heroine, Jessica Jones, premiered on 8th March to mixed reviews. Previously heralded as one of the best shows on Netflix, the second installment was met with decidedly less enthusiastic reactions. Poor character development and the lack of a good villain (especially when compared to David Tennant's Kilgrave) were two glaringly negative aspects. Let's take a closer look at what went wrong this season, and what the showrunners can do to improve on them.

WARNING: SPOILERS! Do not read if you haven't watched Season 2.

5. Weak Villain

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While I thought Janet McTeer gave a fine performance (definitely on par with Tennant) the Big Reveal halfway through the season was more than a bit soapy and over the top. I mean, she literally pulled off a wig. The emotional resonance was there, but I've never been a fan of family members or loved ones mysteriously rising from the dead and neither do a majority of audiences nowadays. Aside from that, I found the IGH storyline to be cliched, unoriginal and way too drawn out.

4. Poor Character Development

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Characters like Jessica who are written to be surly, inward looking and rather mopey tend to suffer and regress with storylines that are too insular. Jessica's trademark sarcasm and dark sense of humour are intrinsic personality traits that are staples of her characterization; however, I felt that this season her dialogue and devil-may-care attitude grated and went from charmingly brusque to childish, immature and annoying - particularly with regards to the way she treated Malcolm. Dealing with trauma is one thing, but it's tiring to watch characters who not only do not grow but consistently refuse to.

3. Continuity? What Continuity?



Eight episodes of the Defenders came and went... with nothing to show for it in S2 of Jessica Jones. A big part of what makes Marvel's streak of success on the small screen as well as the big is its shared universe. What's the point of all the characters overlapping and teaming up together if they don't at least drop a mention of each other in their own series? Even a scene of Jessica reading Matt Murdock's obituary in the papers or at least a passing reference to Luke Cage (who appeared on TV for the first time in the previous season) would have been nice. We did get Jeri insisting on keeping Danny Rand as a client when she went solo - but that's it.

2. The Trish Problem



I mean... where do we even start with Trish? One of my favourite characters last season, she quickly rushed to the top of my Please-Kill-Them-Off list in the second. We all loved flawed characters, but Trish was just bratty, stupid, jealous, selfish, dishonest... there was barely anything left to like about her by the time the season ended. The fact that she was rewarded by the narrative by briefly suggesting she may have been left with powers was just insulting. Writers: please kill her off or make her the S3 villain (which would actually be interesting) as I can't ever see her relationship with Jessica come back from the bullshit she pulled. Not to mention what she did to Malcolm.

1. A Glaring Lack of Diversity



The treatment of POC on the show sadly has not improved - particularly for women. The main three female characters (Jessica, Trish and Jeri) are all white, and the black female cop who appeared as Detective Costa's partner was underdeveloped and given a brutal and undeserved death. This show doesn't celebrate women's strength - it celebrates white women's strength. Pryce Chang was portrayed as sleazy, amoral and untrustworthy - and the character of colour with the biggest role on the show was treated terribly by Jessica and Trish and by the narrative itself. Can we get #justiceformalcolm trending?


Wording by me. Image sources:

5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

Title pic source

ONTD Original: 6 pop culture girl schools

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With Picnic at Hanging Rock coming soon to our screens as a television series starring Natalie Dormer, let's take a look back at a few classics set in or around girls' schools.

Appleyard College
featured in Picnic At Hanging Rock (Peter Weir, 1975)


This sinister, eerie film about the disappearance of several schoolgirls is an Australian classic and basically invented Sophia Coppola's entire career. It was based on a novel by Joan Lindsay.

Christchurch Girls' High School
featured in Heavenly Creatures (Peter Jackson, 1994)


This film is a gothic, inventive true crime thriller about two 50s schoolgirls whose obsession with pop culture, fiction and each other led to murder. The renewed interest in the case ended up outing the real Pauline and Juliet, the former living a solitary, anonymous life and the latter - prolific murder mystery novelist Anne Perry.

Unnamed Montigny school
featured in Claudine at school by Colette


Okay this was set at a co-ed school iirc but this 1900 novel gets to be in the post anyway for its brazen lesbianism, causing scandal back in its day. Colette's heavily autobiographical Claudine series kicks off with an entertaining school story of teacher lust and teenage manipulation and drama. The English version was translated by the great Antonia White (author of another wonderful girls school novel; Frost In May). The above illustrations are from a recently released graphic novel version by Lucie Durbiano.

Marcia Blaine School for girls
featured in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
A witty, entertaining mystery starring an unconventional, bolshy school teacher and her faithful coven of pupils, "The Brodie set". It was also turned into a quite good film starring a young Maggie Smith in the title role. If you've never read the great Spark, this is the perfect book to start with. And if you've seen the awful Eva Green-starring Cracks, this is where it got its (very few) good bits from.

St Trinian's School
featured in St.Trinian's School by Ronald Searle


The brilliant, beloved cartoonist Ronald Searle's most famous creation was St Trinian's School, a darkly hilarious comic strip set at a girl's school. If all you know are the tarted up films, these strips are about a million times better and have far more in common with Roald Dahl and Charles Addams than Clueless. That said this remains a bop:



Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches
featured in The Worst Witch series by Jill Murphy

Before Harry Potter there was the clumsy Mildred Hubble, and before Hogwarts there was Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches. Author Jill Murphy began writing this story at age 15, heavily basing it on her experiences at Ursuline Convent school, turning her friends and teachers into witches. Properly charming, wholesome stuff.

What fictional school would you have liked to go to ONTD?

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

15 April Book Releases to Look Forward To!

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Here are 15 upcoming April book releases to check out. Because if you're like me, lately I spend more time thinking about what books to read, than actually reading... There are selections from various genres; hopefully a title or two piques your interest!

CONTEMPORARY / ADULT
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The Birthday Listby Devney Perry Expected publication: April 3rd
Happily married to her college sweetheart, Poppy lived a blessed life with the husband of her dreams. Then everything changed. She is no longer a wife. She is no longer the envy of her single friends. Now, people look at her with pity as they whisper a single word behind her back. Widow. Years after her husband’s tragic death, years of pain and sorrow and wishing for the life she’ll never get back, Poppy decides to finish Jamie’s birthday list. She’ll do the things he wanted to most. Because maybe, just maybe, if she can complete his list, she can start to live again.

Poppy expects going through the birthday list will be hard. She expects it to hurt. But what she doesn’t expect is Cole. Could the man who delivered the news of her husband’s death and shattered her heart be the one to help her put it back together again?

The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer Expected publication: April 3rd
Greer Kadetsky is a shy college freshman when she meets the woman she hopes will change her life. Faith Frank, dazzlingly persuasive and elegant at sixty-three, has been a central pillar of the women's movement for decades, a figure who inspires others to influence the world. Upon hearing Faith speak for the first time, Greer--madly in love with her boyfriend, Cory, but still full of longing for an ambition that she can't quite place--feels her inner world light up. Then, astonishingly, Faith invites Greer to make something out of that sense of purpose, leading Greer down the most exciting path of her life as it winds toward and away from her meant-to-be love story with Cory and the future she'd always imagined.

Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thompson-Spires Expected publication: April 10th
A stunning new talent in literary fiction, Nafissa Thompson-Spires grapples with black identity and the contemporary middle class in these compelling, boundary-pushing vignettes.

Each captivating story plunges headfirst into the lives of new, utterly original characters. Some are darkly humorous—from two mothers exchanging snide remarks through notes in their kids’ backpacks, to the young girl contemplating how best to notify her Facebook friends of her impending suicide—while others are devastatingly poignant—a new mother and funeral singer who is driven to madness with grief for the young black boys who have fallen victim to gun violence, or the teen who struggles between her upper middle class upbringing and her desire to fully connect with black culture.


YOUNG ADULT

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The Window by Amelia Brunskill Expected publication: April 3rd
Anna is everything her identical twin is not. Outgoing and athletic, she is the opposite of quiet introvert Jess. The same on the outside, yet so completely different inside--it's hard to believe the girls are sisters, let alone twins. But they are. And they tell each other everything. Or so Jess thought.

After Anna falls to her death while sneaking out her bedroom window, Jess's life begins to unravel. Everyone says it was an accident, but to Jess, that doesn't add up. Where was Anna going? Who was she meeting? And how long had Anna been lying to her? Jess is compelled to learn everything she can about the sister she thought she knew. At first it's a way to stay busy and find closure . . . but Jess soon discovers that her twin kept a lot of secrets. And as she digs deeper, she learns that the answers she's looking for may be truths that no one wants her to uncover.

Because Anna wasn't the only one with secrets.

Devils Unto Dust by Emma Berquist Expected publication: April 10th
Ten years ago, a horrifying disease began spreading across the West Texas desert. Infected people—shakes—attacked the living and created havoc and destruction. No one has ever survived the infection. Daisy Wilcox, known as Willie, has been protecting her siblings within the relatively safe walls of Glory, Texas. When Willie’s good-for-nothing father steals a fortune from one of the most dangerous shake-hunters in town, she finds herself on the hook for his debt. With two hunters, including the gruff and handsome Ben, to accompany her, she sets out across the desert in search of her father. But the desert is not kind to travelers, and not everyone will pass through alive.

Isle of Blood and Stone (Isle of Blood and Stone #1) by Makiia Lucier Expected publication: April 10th
Nineteen-year-old Elias is a royal explorer, a skilled mapmaker, and the new king of del Mar's oldest friend. Soon he will embark on the adventure of a lifetime, an expedition past the Strait of Cain and into uncharted waters. Nothing stands in his way...until a long-ago tragedy creeps back into the light, threatening all he holds dear.

The people of St. John del Mar have never recovered from the loss of their boy princes, kidnapped eighteen years ago, both presumed dead. But when two maps surface, each bearing the same hidden riddle, troubling questions arise. What really happened to the young heirs? And why do the maps appear to be drawn by Lord Antoni, Elias's father, who vanished on that same fateful day? With the king's beautiful cousin by his side-whether he wants her there or not-Elias will race to solve the riddle of the princes. He will have to use his wits and guard his back. Because some truths are better left buried...and an unknown enemy stalks his every turn.

Leah on the Offbeatby Becky Albertalli Expected publication: April 24th
Leah Burke—girl-band drummer, master of deadpan, and Simon Spier’s best friend from the award-winning Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda—takes center stage in this novel of first love and senior-year angst.

When it comes to drumming, Leah Burke is usually on beat—but real life isn’t always so rhythmic. An anomaly in her friend group, she’s the only child of a young, single mom, and her life is decidedly less privileged. She loves to draw but is too self-conscious to show it. And even though her mom knows she’s bisexual, she hasn’t mustered the courage to tell her friends—not even her openly gay BFF, Simon.

So Leah really doesn’t know what to do when her rock-solid friend group starts to fracture in unexpected ways. With prom and college on the horizon, tensions are running high. It’s hard for Leah to strike the right note while the people she loves are fighting—especially when she realizes she might love one of them more than she ever intended.

NONFICTION
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Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men by Harold Schechter Expected publication: April 1st

In the pantheon of serial killers, Belle Gunness stands alone. She was the rarest of female psychopaths, a woman who engaged in wholesale slaughter, partly out of greed but mostly for the sheer joy of it. Between 1902 and 1908, she lured a succession of unsuspecting victims to her Indiana “murder farm.” Some were hired hands. Others were well-to-do bachelors. All of them vanished without a trace. When their bodies were dug up, they hadn’t merely been poisoned, like victims of other female killers. They’d been butchered.

Hell’s Princess is a riveting account of one of the most sensational killing sprees in the annals of American crime: the shocking series of murders committed by the woman who came to be known as Lady Bluebeard. The only definitive book on this notorious case and the first to reveal previously unknown information about its subject, Harold Schechter’s gripping, suspenseful narrative has all the elements of a classic mystery—and all the gruesome twists of a nightmare.

The Truth About Animals: Stoned Sloths, Lovelorn Hippos, and Other Tales from the Wild Side of Wildlife by Lucy Cooke Expected publication: April 17th
Humans have gone to the Moon and discovered the Higgs boson, but when it comes to understanding animals, we've still got a long way to go. Whether we're seeing a viral video of romping baby pandas or a picture of penguins "holding hands," it's hard for us not to project our own values--innocence, fidelity, temperance, hard work--onto animals. So you've probably never considered if moose get drunk, penguins cheat on their mates, or worker ants lay about. They do--and that's just for starters. In The Truth About Animals, Lucy Cooke takes us on a worldwide journey to meet everyone from a Colombian hippo castrator to a Chinese panda porn peddler, all to lay bare the secret--and often hilarious--habits of the animal kingdom. Charming and at times downright weird, this modern bestiary is perfect for anyone who has ever suspected that virtue might be unnatural.

The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After by Clemantine Wamariya Expected publication: April 24th
Clemantine Wamariya was six years old when her mother and father began to speak in whispers, when neighbors began to disappear, and when she heard the loud, ugly sounds her brother said were "thunder." In 1994, she and her fifteen-year-old sister, Claire, fled the Rwandan massacre and spent the next six years wandering through seven African countries, searching for safety--perpetually hungry, imprisoned and abused, enduring and escaping refugee camps, finding unexpected kindness, witnessing inhuman cruelty. They did not know whether their parents were dead or alive.

When Clemantine was twelve, she and her sister were granted asylum in the United States, where she embarked on another journey--to excavate her past and, after years of being made to feel less than human, claim her individuality.

MYSTERY & THRILLER
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House of Spines by Michael J. Malone Expected publication: April 1st
Ran McGhie’s world has been turned upside down. A young, lonely, and frustrated writer, and suffering from mental-health problems, he discovers that his long-dead mother was related to one of Glasgow’s oldest merchant families. Not only that, but Ran has inherited Newton Hall, a vast mansion that belonged to his great-uncle, who it seems has been watching from afar as his estranged great-nephew has grown up. Entering his new-found home, it seems Great-Uncle Fitzpatrick has turned it into a temple to the written word—the perfect place for poet Ran. But everything is not as it seems. As he explores the Hall’s endless corridors, Ran’s grasp on reality appears to be loosening. And then he comes across an ancient lift; and in that lift a mirror. And in the mirror . . . the reflection of a woman. A terrifying psychological thriller with more than a hint of the Gothic, House of Spines is a love letter to the power of books, and an exploration of how lust and betrayal can be deadly.

The New Neighbors by Simon Lelic Expected publication: April 10th
Londoners Jack and Syd moved into the house a year ago. It seemed like their dream home: tons of space, the perfect location, and a friendly owner who wanted a young couple to have it.

So when they made a grisly discovery in the attic, Jack and Syd chose to ignore it. That was a mistake.

Because someone has just been murdered. Right outside their back door.

And now the police are watching them...

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell Expected publication: April 17th
Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. She was fifteen, the youngest of three. She was beloved by her parents, friends, and teachers. She and her boyfriend made a teenaged golden couple. She was days away from an idyllic post-exams summer vacation, with her whole life ahead of her. And then she was gone.

Now, her mother Laurel Mack is trying to put her life back together. It’s been ten years since her daughter disappeared, seven years since her marriage ended, and only months since the last clue in Ellie’s case was unearthed. So when she meets an unexpectedly charming man in a café, no one is more surprised than Laurel at how quickly their flirtation develops into something deeper. Before she knows it, she’s meeting Floyd’s daughters—and his youngest, Poppy, takes Laurel’s breath away.

Because looking at Poppy is like looking at Ellie. And now, the unanswered questions she’s tried so hard to put to rest begin to haunt Laurel anew. Where did Ellie go? Did she really run away from home, as the police have long suspected, or was there a more sinister reason for her disappearance? Who is Floyd, really? And why does his daughter remind Laurel so viscerally of her own missing girl?


SCI-FI & HORROR
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The Oracle Year by Charles Soule Expected publication: April 3rd
Knowledge is power. So when an unassuming Manhattan bassist named Will Dando awakens from a dream one morning with 108 predictions about the future in his head, he rapidly finds himself the most powerful man in the world. Protecting his anonymity by calling himself the Oracle, he sets up a heavily guarded Web site with the help of his friend Hamza to selectively announce his revelations. In no time, global corporations are offering him millions for exclusive access, eager to profit from his prophecies.

He's also making a lot of high-powered enemies, from the President of the United States and a nationally prominent televangelist to a warlord with a nuclear missile and an assassin grandmother. Legions of cyber spies are unleashed to hack the Site—as it's come to be called—and the best manhunters money can buy are deployed not only to unmask the Oracle but to take him out of the game entirely. With only a handful of people he can trust—including a beautiful journalist—it's all Will can do just to survive, elude exposure, and protect those he loves long enough to use his knowledge to save the world.

Unbury Carol by Josh Malerman Expected publication: April 10th
Carol Evers is a woman with a dark secret. She has died many times . . . but her many deaths are not final: They are comas, a waking slumber indistinguishable from death, each lasting days.

Only two people know of Carol’s eerie condition. One is her husband, Dwight, who married Carol for her fortune, and—when she lapses into another coma—plots to seize it by proclaiming her dead and quickly burying her . . . alive. The other is her lost love, the infamous outlaw James Moxie. When word of Carol’s dreadful fate reaches him, Moxie rides the Trail again to save his beloved from an early, unnatural grave.

And all the while, awake and aware, Carol fights to free herself from the crippling darkness that binds her—summoning her own fierce will to survive. As the players in this drama of life and death fight to decide her fate, Carol must in the end battle to save herself.


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ONTD Original: Eleven Underrated R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Non-Singles from the 00's

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Are you ready to take it back to the 00's ONTD? Shoot, already? Again? It hasn't been that long has it? What year is it? Damn. Damn indeed, hope y'all got your life alert on for this one. For this ONTD Original, I've decided to compile a list of underrated 00's R&B/Hip-Hop jams (singles and non-singles) and highlight them for some of us that may have forgotten them or simply didn't even know they existed (I don't think i went that far deep into the archives for that, but you never know). I may have accidentally stumbled upon my old mp3 player and that may or may not have inspired this post. Without further ado, let's dive into the nostalgia of grade shool, middle school and for some high school/college.

TLC — “Hands Up (2002)”

Description:"Hands Up" was released by American recording group TLC as the second single for the band's fourth studio album, 3D on November 5, 2002. The song was written and produced by 90's R&B King Babyface and co-written with Daryl Simmons. The album was released seven months after the death of TLC member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. The single was considered a minor success but unfortunately failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. The video was shot on January 10, 2003 and reunited TLC with Matthew Rolston, director of their videos for "Creep" and "Red Light Special." "Tryin' shake that ass. Playa, don't even dance! Supwitchu" remains in my every day vocabulary tbh.




Mýa — “Things Come and Go (feat. Sean Paul) (2003)”

Description: Not released as an official single off the singer's third studio album Moodring, it was clearly a high contender for the third single. The song features Jamaican dancehall singer Sean Paul and would have been a guaranteed smash with the right support from her label, but after the album's second single "Fallen" disappointed and only charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at no. 51 A&M/Interscope Records and the singer abandoned the project. I'm still pissed.


Smilez and Southstar — “Tell Me (2002)”

Description:"Tell Me" is a hip hop song written and performed by the Orlando, Florida based hip-hop duo Smilez and Southstar for their debut studio album, Crash the Party (2002). "Tell Me" was produced by DJ Nasty & LVM and released in early 2003 as the album's second single and was considered a modest hit peaking at no. 34 on the Billboard Hit 100. To date, "Tell Me" is Smilez and Southstar's only successful single, earning them the "one-hit wonder" title and the only Hip-Hop single to make this list tbh.


Toya — “I Do!! (2001)”

Description:"I Do!!" is the debut single by American R&B singer Toya, full name LaToya Lacole Rodriguez. It served as the lead single from her self-titled debut album Toya. "I Do!!" was a hit for Toya, reaching no. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. I may be pushing underrated with this one but let's be real, most of us have forgetten this song and ha. Despite the success of the single, the album failed to match the song's success, only reaching no. 109 on the Billboard 200. Toya released a second and final single, 2002's "No Matta What (Party All Night)" before her label, the now defunct Arista Records, dropped ha. We'll always have this to bop to at the clubs tho. Hold my michelada.


Athena Cage — “Hey Hey (2000)”

Description: Now the good sis Athena Cage is no stranger to success, she wrote and was featured in the 1996 baby making hit single "Nobody" with Keith Sweat. That single peaked at no. 3 on the Billlboard Hot 100 and remains a classic today! In 2000-2001 however, Athena tried to ride the R&B/Hip-Hop wave by releasing her debut single "Hey Hey" off what would have been her debut album The Art Of A Woman. The single failed to chart and she released 2 more singles (one featured on the Save The Last Dance soundtrack) before officially throwing in the towel.


Brandy — “I Tried (2004)”

Description: Another non-single on this list, "I Tried" was never officially released however was often considered by the singer and her label as a potential single before and during the album's release. Brandy would drop frequent collaborator Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins for this album and worked with Timbaland who produced the bulk of the album. "Black Pepper" was to be Afrodisiac's lead single until Kanye West got involved on the album and instead "Talk About Our Love" (produced and featuring West) was chosen.


Kiley Dean — “Make Me a Song (2003)”

Description: Back in 2002 the good sis Kiley Dean was signed to Timbaland's short-lived Beat Club Records, releasing two singles before her Timbaland-produced debut album, Simple Girl, was shelved. In 2005 she worked on her second album under the name 'Blue Eyes' and released "Lookin' For Love." That new alias, single and album failed to take off as well. Poor girl, but we'll always have this bop. "Make Me a Song" references and samples Tweet's "Call Me," Missy Elliot's "Get Ur Freak On," and Aaliyah's "Rock the Boat." Not all is bad for Ms. Dean, she sang back-up for Britney Spears' "…Baby One More Time Tour" and "Oops!... I Did It Again World Tour" and most recently Madonna's "MDNA Tour" and "Rebel Heart Tour." Sleigh (in the background) sis!


LeToya — “She Ain't Got... (2009)”

Description: Now swing batta, batta, batta! This song goes awf. "She Ain't Got..." is a song recorded by American R&B singer LeToya Luckett (formerly of the original Destiny's Child line-up) and released as the second single from her second and last Capitol Records release "Lady Love." The song was produced by Cory Bold and unfortunately co-written by Chris Brown. Oh. The song failed to chart or become a hit, but that didn't stop the good Houston sis from dropping two more singles off this album before bowing out and leaving Capitol. Back when "Torn" dropped (peaking at no. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100) she was on the rise with a no. 1 self-titled album and looking to compete on the charts. But the rumor goes that Papa Mathew Knowles sabotaged her early on and got her banned from performing on the main stage at the BET Awards the same year Beyoncé was performing. What could have been. WhatIsTheTruth?.gif


Amerie — “Talkin' To Me (2002)”

Description: Before Queen B stole Rich Harrison and Amerie's sound with "Crazy In Love," there was Amerie with just one I. Hm, this Original is turning into the R&B girls that god paid dust by Beyoncé (and her father) now. Oi. Not my intention. Honestly I had the songs chosen before writing all this! Anyways, "Talkin' to Me" is a song by American R&B singer Amerie from her debut album, All I Have (2002). Written and produced by Rich Harrison, it was released in late 2002 as the album's second and final single. The song deserved to be as big as a hit as "1 Thing" (a MAJAH hit and Amerie song that would serve as a Blueprint to someone's solo career, but you didn't read that from me).


Babyface — “The Loneliness (2003)”

Description: Ah yes, my 90's R&B KING Babyface, born Kenneth Brian Edmond. If you've heard any 90's and early 00's R&B songs, chances are he wrote and produced it! The Max Martin of R&B if you will (but a lot more talented tbh). In 2004, "The Loneliness" was released as the lead single to his original sixth studio album to be titled A Love Story before being shelved and then reworked into Grown & Sexy (2005). The song definitely deserved to slay the charts. See also: "Drama, Love & 'Lationships."


Carly Rae Jepsen — “All That (2005 2015)”


Description: Look, Carly Rae Jepsen transcends time, genre, and space. Queen of Time Travel if you will. "All That" was a song off her 2005 throwback release E*MO*TION and performed on SNL. The song was was written by Jepsen, Ariel Rechtshaid and Dev Hynes, while production was handled by Ariel Rechtshaid. The song garnered a lot of praise and was often compared to a Prince song. Wow, a time travel critically acclaimed indie Queen! When will your faves?







Sources:Me -1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 and OP's old skewl iRiver iHP-120 mp3 player

ONTD Reading Challenge (April): "Sure, Jan"

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The April theme in the 2018 ONTD Reading Challenge is "Sure, Jan" - read a book with an unreliable narrator! An unreliable narrator is a protagonist who lacks credibility or accuracy in telling the story. There are tons of books that fit this criteria, and for this post milfordacademy and I have come up with 10 suggested titles. Please feel free to choose an entirely different book! We've also included a list of outside sources with even more book suggestions.

1074815The Collector

Withdrawn, uneducated and unloved, Frederick collects butterflies and takes photographs. A chance pools win enables his to capture the art student Miranda and keep her in the cellar of the Sussex house he has bought with the windfall. The situation is seen first from the collector's point of view: he thinks the chloroform pad no more vicious than his butterfly net, and patiently waits for the barriers of class and taste that inhibit their love to break down in the limbo of their isolation. She, the creator, desperate for her freedom, tries to be understanding but cannot banish her contempt for everything anti-life that the collector stands for.


3438The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Fifteen-year-old Christopher has a photographic memory. He understands maths. He understands science. What he can't understand are other human beings. When he finds his neighbour's dog lying dead on the lawn, he decides to track down the killer and write a murder mystery about it. But what other mysteries will he end up uncovering?






15797938The Dinner

An internationally bestselling phenomenon: the darkly suspenseful, highly controversial tale of two families struggling to make the hardest decision of their lives - all over the course of one meal.

It's a summer's evening in Amsterdam, and two couples meet at a fashionable restaurant for dinner. Between mouthfuls of food and over the polite scrapings of cutlery, the conversation remains a gentle hum of polite discourse - the banality of work, the triviality of the holidays. But behind the empty words, terrible things need to be said, and with every forced smile and every new course, the knives are being sharpened.

Each couple has a fifteen-year-old son. The two boys are united by their accountability for a single horrific act; an act that has triggered a police investigation and shattered the comfortable, insulated worlds of their families. As the dinner reaches its culinary climax, the conversation finally touches on their children. As civility and friendship disintegrate, each couple show just how far they are prepared to go to protect those they love.


512704Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

If any American fictional character of the twentieth century seems likely to be immortal, it is Lorelei Lee of Little Rock, Arkansas, the not-so-dumb blonde who knew that diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Outrageous, charming, and unforgettable, she’s been portrayed on stage and screen by Carol Channing and Marilyn Monroe and has become the archetype of the footloose, good-hearted gold digger, with an insatiable appetite for orchids, champagne, and precious stones. Here are her “diaries,” created by Anita Loos in the Roaring Twenties, as Lorelei and her friend Dorothy barrel across Europe meeting everyone from the Prince of Wales to “Doctor Froyd” – and then back home again to marry a Main Line millionaire and become a movie star. In this delightfully droll and witty book, Lorelei Lee’s wild antics, unique outlook, and imaginative way with language shine.



25694617His Bloody Project: Documents Relating to the Case of Roderick Macrae

In 1869, a brutal triple murder in the remote Wester Ross village of Culduie leads to the arrest of a seventeen-year-old crofter, Roderick Macrae. There is no question of Macrae’s guilt, but it falls to the country’s most eminent legal and psychiatric minds to uncover what drove him to his bloody deeds. Ultimately, the young man’s fate hinges on one key question: is he insane?

The story ingeniously unfolds through a series of found documents, including police statements; the accused’s prison memoir; the account of renowned psychiatrist, J. Bruce Thomson; and a report of the trial, compiled from contemporary newspapers.



7604Lolita

Humbert Humbert - scholar, aesthete and romantic - has fallen completely and utterly in love with Lolita Haze, his landlady's gum-snapping, silky skinned twelve-year-old daughter. Reluctantly agreeing to marry Mrs Haze just to be close to Lolita, Humbert suffers greatly in the pursuit of romance; but when Lo herself starts looking for attention elsewhere, he will carry her off on a desperate cross-country misadventure, all in the name of Love. Hilarious, flamboyant, heart-breaking and full of ingenious word play, Lolita is an immaculate, unforgettable masterpiece of obsession, delusion and lust.





17332361The Night Guest

Ruth is widowed, her sons are grown, and she lives in an isolated beach house outside of town. Her routines are few and small. One day a stranger arrives at her door, looking as if she has been blown in from the sea. This woman—Frida—claims to be a care worker sent by the government. Ruth lets her in.

Now that Frida is in her house, is Ruth right to fear the tiger she hears on the prowl at night, far from its jungle habitat? Why do memories of childhood in Fiji press upon her with increasing urgency? How far can she trust this mysterious woman, Frida, who seems to carry with her, her own troubled past? And how far can Ruth trust herself?


12873Rebecca

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again...

Working as a lady's companion, the heroine of Rebecca learns her place. Her future looks bleak until, on a trip to the South of France, she meets Max de Winter, a handsome widower whose sudden proposal of marriage takes her by surprise. She accepts, but whisked from glamorous Monte Carlo to the ominous and brooding Manderley, the new Mrs de Winter finds Max a changed man. And the memory of his dead wife Rebecca is forever kept alive by the forbidding housekeeper, Mrs Danvers...

Not since Jane Eyre has a heroine faced such difficulty with the Other Woman. An international bestseller that has never gone out of print, Rebecca is the haunting story of a young girl consumed by love and the struggle to find her identity.


274186The Remains of the Day

The Remains of the Day is a profoundly compelling portrait of the perfect English butler and of his fading, insular world postwar England.

At the end of his three decades of service at Darlington Hall, Stevens embarks on a country drive, during which he looks back over his career to reassure himself that he has served humanity by serving “a great gentleman.” But lurking in his memory are doubts about the true nature of Lord Darlington’s “greatness” and graver doubts about his own faith in the man he served.




18044277The Walls Around Us

On the outside, there's Violet, an eighteen-year-old dancer days away from the life of her dreams when something threatens to expose the shocking truth of her achievement.

On the inside, within the walls of the Aurora Hills juvenile detention center, there's Amber, locked up for so long she can't imagine freedom.

Tying their two worlds together is Orianna, who holds the key to unlocking all the girls' darkest mysteries…

What really happened on the night Orianna stepped between Violet and her tormentors? What really happened on two strange nights at Aurora Hills? Will Amber and Violet and Orianna ever get the justice they deserve—in this life or in another one?

In prose that sings from line to line, Nova Ren Suma tells a supernatural tale of guilt and of innocence, and of what happens when one is mistaken for the other.




New to the reading challenge?
Here is a refresher:


  • Each month, read a book that corresponds to the category.

  • No page limit.

  • It can be a book that you’ve already read.

  • Novellas, graphic novels, and anthologies can count toward a category.

  • Ebooks and audiobooks count as books!

  • If you missed a month, you can go back and read a previous month’s task.

  • Keep us updated on how your reading challenge is going in our book posts!

  • If you have a Goodreads account, join our ONTD Reading Challenge Group!



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What will you be reading for April, ONTD? Favorite unreliable narrators?

Haus of Gaga: A Decade of Props and Creations from Gaga's Creative Team

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From 2008 to 2010, the words 'pop performance art' were a majority of Gagas vocabulary. She wanted to bring something new to the table, and she had an elusive team to help her with creations. The Haus is comprised of Gaga's personal creative friends and contracted fashion designers, engineers, and artists all around the world. Before the 10th anniversary of her debut single Just Dance next week, let's look at some of the pieces that helped her become known for being a live spectacle at one point or another.

1. Disco Stick

The general public might think 'discostick' is just a made up word for d*** in LoveGame, and it is, but it was an actual prop she used to perform with the intended idea to light up the performance in the many small, dark clubs she hustled around in the beginning of The Fame era. This was used in LoveGame the music video and has evolved its shape, materials, and size throughout each tour. It made its appearance again in her Superbowl Halftime Show performance and in the recently cancelled Joanne Tour.



2. iPod LCD Glasses

The iPod glasses were worn in most of her early Just Dance performances which played clips of the music video, and other abstract images. You can also find this in the middle of the Poker Face video.
She had an official collab with Polaroid with the GL20 Camera Glasses which were inspired by these and could be worn to record and print pictures with a mobile printer. These are nowhere to be found so I guess they ultimately flopped.



3. The Orbit

She debuted this outfit on SNL in 2009 for a performance of LoveGame and Poker Face (which you can't easily find or some reason). This celestial sphere prop made an appearance in the Bad Romance video and in the tour poster for the Monster Ball. It now rests in the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame.



4. Pyro Bra

The pyro bra made the epic finale of her performance of LoveGame/Poker Face at the 2009 MMVA's. Gaga recalls she was high once and wanted fire to come out of her tits, thus gave birth to the bra which shoots sparks via remote control. This was also used in her Bad Romance video and the Monster Ball.



5. The Egg Vessel

Gaga made her most grand entrance at the 2011 Grammy's inside the translucent vessel for her performance of 'Born This Way'. The point was that she was incubating, and then decided to birth a new race... or whatever. The press around this brought a lot of memes and became an iconic moment in her career.



6. Mechanical Horse

At the 2013 AMA's, Gaga arrived on a white horse which was operated by two people carried underneath similarly to the horses used in the opening number of Highway Unicorn in her Born This Way Ball tour. This was inspired by Bianca Jagger's gifted white horse at Studio 54 by the club's co-founder Steve Rubell, which people mistakenly remember as an arrival to the club on the horse.



7. Emma

Emma is comprised of a bass guitar, 2 octave keyboard, and a sampler, and other bits and bobs. It's known for being featured in her 2010 Brit Awards performance and in her Monster Ball tour during 'Money Honey'.



8. Fiber Optic Wig

The fiber optic wig was made by her hair stylist intended for the ARTPOP era. However it was not used that often other than in a couple of performances, including a performance of Gimmie Shelter with the Rolling Stones.



9. Anemone

Anemone was created by the TechHaus division of the Haus of Gaga during the ARTPOP era. This is basically an elevated version of another Hussein Chalayan bubble dress Gaga is also known for. She's only worn it once in the back of an alley after her iTunes Festival concert.



10. Volantis

The 'world's first flying dress', also from the TechHaus division, debuted during the launch party of ARTPOP. Umm, quite the ambitious project isn't it? When this dress was brought up in an interview, Gaga chuckled and replied "I have to laugh."



11. The Living Dress

Made of stainless steel, nylon, and plastic, the living dress was a dress used for the 'So Happy I Could Die' segment of the Monster Ball. It includes parts of the dresses that open and close by motors and a pair of wings that spring up once pulled up. This was also used in a performance of 'Brown Eyes' on Jonathan Ross.


12. The Bleeding Dress

Used in the 2009 VMA performance of Paparazzi, the bleeding dress has often been expressed by Gaga as her most personal favorite piece of clothing she has ever worn. It was supposed to signify death by fame and Paparazzi, with subtle Princess Diana references. Many people refer this performance as a turning point in her career and one that really made people pay attention to her as an artist.




Sources:
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / Me

Flashback Friday: Disneychannel Songs That Were Highkey Bops (ONTD Original)

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Some of us got to grow up during the golden age of Disneychannel (2000-2007ish) and honestly looking back, they served bops on bops for our childhood. I was listening to Cheetah Girls via the previous Cardi B postnot that I listen to them on the regular and I was going through some more of the catalog of Disney and they go hardTt. Of course they're cheesy even for their time but they are still remain anthems... lil girls and lil gays of the '00s were lipsyncing for our lives in the living rooms to the (not in any order and not limited to [cause I know some of y'all stay pressed thinking it would be an end all be all list]) following songs -

1. Don't Even Try It by The Moist Towelettes (from Pixel Perfect)


No lie this song was the reason I started making this list. I was watching bits of Pixel Perfect and this band only came on for like 15 seconds after the main band of the movie did not get a gig bc they did not have 'the image'. The screening guy was persuaded by Moist Towelttes with their Y2K pop girl band routine with synchronized choreo. This song gives me t.A.T.u teas in the chorus.

DON'T EVEN TRY IT
WHAT PART OF NO DON'T YA UNDERSTAND DON'T EVEN TRY IT
SAY GOODNIGHT, SAY GOODBYE
DON'T EVEN TRY IT



2. What Dreams Are Made Of by Paolo and Isabella (from The Lizzie McGuire Movie)

Iconic... the piano rendition, a eurodance uptempo mix, an outfit change (which probably originated by Legend X's), the lights changing when she sings 'technicolor'. Now all of us wished we could go on a getaway to another country and fill in for a native pop sensation. And no you probably did hear right - some of the sung parts do not sound like her in the bridge and last chorus. But who cares cause we and lil Lizzie were gettin our LIVES. yes I know the movie was a theatrical release and is not a DCOM but I need to plug

(lipsyncs to some other woman's voice) DREEAAAMS


3. Supernova Girl by Microbe (from Zenon Girl of the 21st Century)

Ziggy Stardust hew? Protozoa gave us 80s new wave electro beats and a dance moves while playing guitar. This is the TRUE POC English prince of pop and glam rock we needed.

(2018 cupcakKe remix) ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM
Make dat pvssy go BOOM BOOM
My superHOva gurl




4. The Good Life by Jesse McCartney (from Stuck in the Suburbs)

Open foot fetishist and former Disney prince of pop Jesse McCartney gave us #JoanneVibes with Good Life and told us that life is too short, U ain't gettin younger. RIP blonde twink era Jesse, his new single Better With You is out now on iTunes.

It's a good life
Why Y'ALL TRIPPIN
The good life's slippin away



5. Bop to the Top by Ryan and Sharpay Evans (from High School Musical)

Another brief song used in the movie, but still memorable. The song took a meta journey when it was performed in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody where Ashley Tisdale reprises her role to sing the song (but as Ryan).

(another cupcakKe verse) BOP to the TOP
Slip n slide n ride this pvssy
Cherry POP, make your c*m DROP
and start again



6. It's My Turn Now by Keke Palmer (from Jump In)

Titanic conspiracist Keke was ready to fight someone or battle you in double dutch tournament. It's ha turn now, so KeepItMovin.mp3. Ooooh she mad

IT'S MY TURN NOW AND YOU KNOW I AM READY
IT'S MY TURN NOW
YEAH I'M STRONG AND I'M STEADY



7. Push It to the Limit by Corbin Bleu (from Jump In)

One of the catchier hooks from the list, Push It to the Limit sounds like it could have been in the HSM soundtrack. And I never knew Corbin Bleu with his hair pulled back would have made me feel some type of way. His hair had its own life, bless that bouncy 'fro.

PUSH IT PUSH IT
2 THE LIMIT LIMIT
CUZ WE'RE IN IT TO WIN IT IN IT TO IN IT
OH YEAAH



8. Nobody's Perfect by Hannah Montana (from Hannah Montana)

The Hannah staple hit (catch ha on ha comeback tour 2025) and a timeless message that would resonate very well with someone like Destiny.

If things don't turn out the way you plan,
FIGURE SOMETHING ELSE OUT!
Don't stay down! Try again! YEAH!



9. Supernatural by Raven (from That's So Raven)

I remember this video so vividly with her purple eyeshadow, her purple ensemble, and the colorful disco ball. A lowkey gay club bop.

WELCOME to anotha world
MAGIC #Sistah SuperGIRL
--
SOME PEOPLE CALL IT CRAZY
Somethings theres no explainin
JUST believe what you see
It's superna-tur-AL



10. Shine by Raven Baxter (from That's So Raven)

Shine was in the musical episode of TSR and ended the episode on the right note. She gave diva vocals and diva attitude, which is also why she is the lead member of the Cheetah Girls. The production went OFF... not to mention the rewind ending that sped up the track. An empowering gay anthem next to I Will Survive.

I
WILL HOLD MY HEAD UP HIGH
I'M GONNA MAKE IT THRU THRU
IT'S MY TIME TO SHINE SHINE
SHINE SHINE



11. Dance With Me by Drew Steely and Belinda (from The Cheetah Girls 2)

Stunt-singer for Zac Efron Drew Steely has the male pop chops, an underrated act. But he has flopped since co-starring in Another Cinderella Story with Selena There-Are-More-Important-Things-to-Talk-About-(re: #BLM) Gomez. This beat has Justified era Mayonnaise in the Gutter shook. And y'all do I hear Usher's Burn synths at certain points of the song?

Don't be afraid, take my HAND
Forget the world
Will you DANCE? dance with me
Puedomos bailar eternamentE (SAY!)



12. Strut by The Cheetah Girls (from The Cheetah Girls 2)

THE ultimate feels. There's something ethereal about this sequence in general like binch, whew else wants to skip around Barcelona to enjoy the scenery and bump through with a high kick? Honestly I can add a couple of more Cheetah Girls tracks here but this is hands down a true #moment.

STRUT like you mean it
FREE ya mind
It's not ENOUGH just to dream it
COME ON, COME ON, GET UP



#KeeptheConversation going, what songs did you like from Disneychannel?

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