Month: November 2016

Straight Talk to Trump Voters from Occupy Democrats

~ Metacrone
https://www.facebook.com/pg/OccupyDemocrats/videos/

This Occupy Democrats video says so much of what we wish we could say to Trump’s supporters. It can’t be said enough times. I will never be ready to make nice. You take away my rights as a woman, my children’s health insurance, and their right to choose their romantic partners, for your own selfish gain, and we will never be okay with each other. The worst of it is, as the video points out, most Trump voters voted against themselves. They think he’ll bring back the jobs their fathers and grandfathers had, but those jobs are long gone to automation, corporate personhood, and globalization. Trump is only going to help wealthy whites, like every Republican since Reagan, who lowered tax rates for the wealthiest Americans by more than half.

Continue reading “Straight Talk to Trump Voters from Occupy Democrats” →

Fewer Than 10% of the World’s Countries Are Led by Women, and the Washington Post Thinks This Is Good News

~ Metacrone

imrs

Better Than Nothing Should Not Be Enough

This map is from an article on the Washington Post website titled Here are the dozens of democracies that have elected a female leader. The article is ostensibly an attempt to make women feel better about the fact that Hillary Clinton just barely missed shattering the glass ceiling separating her, and all women, from the White House by looking to other countries’ successful elections. I’m not quite sure how that article, or that map, are supposed to make me feel like the rest of the world is any more than marginally more advanced than we are.

The authors say:

But why hasn’t the United States had a female president? There may be as many theories as there are reasons, one of which may be that it is harder to achieve something without precedent. This map just asks that American girls and women look beyond their country’s borders, for the time being.

But this is meaningless. The first woman elected to lead her country in every instance has done something without precedence. It is not an explanation as to why it is harder in a country that likes to think of itself as one of the most advanced in the world.

Continue reading “Fewer Than 10% of the World’s Countries Are Led by Women, and the Washington Post Thinks This Is Good News” →

Why I Stopped Watching the Walking Dead

~ Metacrone ~ 2 Comments

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It’s not as simple as leaving because one of my favorite characters died. I hate it when people reduce other people’s decisions to quit watching a show to sounding like they are whiny children who didn’t get their way, so here is the long, drawn out explanation that won’t fit in the comments section on other blogs.

I’ve watched The Walking Dead since the very, very beginning, long before it became The Biggest Show on Television. It was my favorite show for years. My (teenage, now adult) kids and I watched it together, then watched Talking Dead. My husband would get drawn into watching Talking Dead, even though the mother show was too intense and violent for him. It took a lot for me to walk away from a show that we enjoyed together as a family so much. (What can I say? We’re an odd family with a dark sense of humor. Think The Adams Family, with chickens, more sunshine, and less black.)

I was hooked as soon Rick Grimes shot the original Symbolic Sacrificial Angelic Blonde Girl in the head in the pilot. I was just about done when the most recent Symbolic Sacrificial Angelic Blonde Girl*, Denise, died as a random in S6 Ep 14. I should have known she wouldn’t last, since, not only was she a blonde female and a Medical Practitioner**, both types sure to die early on TWD, but she also was a Lesbian, and female queer people in general were doomed on television last spring (even more so than usual).

Continue reading “Why I Stopped Watching the Walking Dead” →

Trump Supporter Proves What We All Already Knew at Hamilton Chicago

~ Metacrone
theater-pic-chi

 

Friday night (11/18/16) in NYC, Mike Pence attended the Broadway Hamilton performance. He was booed on his way in, then after the show a cast member read a prewritten statement asking Pence and the Trump government to respect the rights of all Americans, even the ones Trump and Pence haven’t shown any respect for so far. A twitter war ensued between the theater crowd and the Trump crowd.

According to BroadwayWorld.com, last night (Saturday, 11/19/16) a Trump supporter attending the Hamilton performance in Chicago decided to get his revenge. When the cast sang the line “Immigrants, we get the job done,” from the song Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down), he became enraged. During the song Dear Theodosia he allegedly shouted “We won! You Lost! Get over it! Fuck you!” from the balcony. He continued to shout profanities at the security guards that the other theater patrons got to deal with him. Cast members were reportedly crying by the end of the show, though they didn’t let their emotions affect their performances during the show, because they are professionals.

This guy was intoxicated and had an altercation with security guards that lasted through 2 songs as they were trying to escort him out. Who is it that’s rude? And do these guys seriously think they aren’t descended from immigrants themselves, probably more recently than the time of the founding fathers? Who is it that keeps crying whenever they are slighted in the least? Donald Trump’s little boy pout and temper tantrums have gotten old very fast.

No Tomorrow: Watch It While You Can

~ Metacrone ~ 1 Comment

Let’s continue my tradition of writing about shows nobody watches on the blog nobody reads with an introduction to No Tomorrow, shall we? Maybe eventually readers and viewers will flock to us both. Like Xavier with an X, it’s my truth, and I believe. Don’t judge. 😘

No Tomorrow is was on Tuesday nights on the CW, following The Flash. Flash theoretically should have been a great lead in, being the CWs highest rated show, but in reality, the audiences for these 2 shows are very different. The Flash attracts comic book fans, families, and a few shippers/fans of its stars. No Tomorrow has been advertised as if it was a light romantic romantic comedy with a quirky premise and a lovably deluded male lead. That’s going to attract a different audience, and, in fact, Flash’s audience hasn’t stuck around, leaving No Tomorrow with too small an audience for even the CW to order a full season beyond the first 13 episodes. But even it it stays a limited run, 1 season show, it’s still worth checking out. Firefly only had about the same number of episodes, after all, and it lives on in legend and on Netflix. Update- as does No Tomorrow: as of 12/2021, you can stream all 13 episodes on Netflix or buy them digitally in any of the usual places.

No Tomorrow is, in fact, a dark comedy. It’s much smarter, more modern, broader themed, and more nuanced than its advertisements would lead you to believe. It has that in common with its sister CW shows,  Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (though Jane is not as dark as the other 2). Evie (Tori Anderson, Blindspot), the female lead, is the only truly sunny character in the show. Xavier (Galavant’s Joshua Sasse) believes the apocalypse is coming in a few months, courtesy of a world-ending meteor. Since he’s unable to convince the world’s scientists and governments that their calculations about the meteor’s trajectory are wrong, he decides to live life to its fullest for the time he has left. After they meet, Evie comes along for the ride. The show leaves the possibility open that Xavier could be right, using his beliefs as a tool to explore relationship issues, prejudice, religion, mental illness, adulting and acceptance. It leads to some thought provoking, complex, and hilarious situations.

Continue reading “No Tomorrow: Watch It While You Can” →

Hamilton Actors Exercise Their Right to Free Speech

~ Metacrone ~ 1 Comment

 

Trump Calls for a Safe Space for Mike Pence Amongst Immigrants, POC, & LGBTQ+ at the Theater

Who knew Trump had a sense of irony?

Oh wait, he was serious.

Mike Pence had the gall to attend a Broadway performance of Hamilton last night. The audience booed when he arrived, then cheered and gave standing ovations during the performance timed to send Pence a message. At the end of the show Brandon Victor Dixon, the current Aaron Burr, read a message to Pence from the cast asking him to uphold American rights and values for all Americans.

“Vice President-elect Pence, we welcome you, and we truly thank you for joining us here at ‘Hamilton: An American Musical.’ We really do. We, sir, we are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights, sir. But we truly hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and work on behalf of all of us. All of us. Again, we truly thank you truly for seeing this show, this wonderful American story told by a diverse group of men and women of different colors, creeds and orientations.”

Trump responded by tweeting that the cast was rude and should apologize to Pence. If only his standard for when an apology is necessary was so low when he’s the one doing the harassment. He’d spend the next 4 years doing nothing but apologizing for past offenses

@realDonaldTrump

Our wonderful future V.P. Mike Pence was harassed last night at the theater by the cast of Hamilton, cameras blazing.This should not happen!   6:48 AM – 19 Nov 2016

@realDonaldTrump

The Theater must always be a safe and special place.The cast of Hamilton was very rude last night to a very good man, Mike Pence. Apologize!   6:56 AM – 19 Nov 2016

Meanwhile, the cast did nothing more than take the opportunity to speak to one of their elected representatives and politely request that he consider their needs when he makes decisions. Of course that’s a difficult concept for Trump and Pence to see, since they obviously don’t think they represent anyone like the cast members of Hamilton.

More at The Washington Post and NBC News

Frozen Live Action Musical Dream Cast Part 1: #1 Draft Choice= Santino Fontana

~ Metacrone ~ 3 Comments

 

We are going to get to the dream cast, but first, let’s have a moment of silence for the loss of Santino Fontana, and his character Greg, from the best show on TV that nobody watches, Crazy Ex Girlfriend (Friday nights on the CW, check it out, maybe if enough people do, we’ll get a 3rd season). Santino says he left because he has the opportunity to write, do theater, and films. He already has 2 films in post-production (Galileo and Impossible Monsters), both expected to be released in 2017. He’s the lead in both films.

(Quick aside: Galileo takes place and was filmed here in New Mexico, where we metawitches live. As usual, we completely fail as celebrity stalkers irl, and totally missed this while it was happening.)

We’re going with the Frozen Broadway musical as our hope for one of the theater opportunities. The story is going to be expanded and deepened, with a dozen songs added. That means we can find out more about Hans. He can have a “Who Am I?” solo villain song added in the 1st act, and a comedic villain duet with the Duke added in the 2nd act. Plus several ensemble songs at the end of each act and other crucial moments. They’ll want a big name or 2 in the cast, and it wouldn’t hurt to keep someone from the movie. Most of the movie cast won’t be willing to reprise their roles for various reasons. Santino seems like the best choice, since he’s already a Broadway regular and a prince, if they can make the role of Hans attractive enough.

The Frozen musical just finished a month long developmental lab in NYC with a full cast (the cast list wasn’t announced). The world premiere will be at the pre-Broadway tryout in Denver, August 2017. Then Frozen is expected to open on Broadway at the St. James Theatre in Spring 2018 (where Something Rotten is currently playing). Wish us luck getting tickets for the Denver version.🍀

After the cut, more Greg and Hans videos to tempt you. Plus, Santino singing with his wife, because I will never get over him marrying one of the Broadway Cinderellas.

Continue reading “Frozen Live Action Musical Dream Cast Part 1: #1 Draft Choice= Santino Fontana” →

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 2 Episode 5: Why Is Josh’s Ex-Girlfriend Eating Carbs? Recap

~ Metacrone ~ 2 Comments

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It’s a New Era.

Oops, that’s another $5 for Heather’s Josh swear jar.

Sob, it’s the beginning of a new Gregless era. But Valencia’s back, and she was perfect even in the caveman days. This is my first stab at a recap/review type post. I’m just going to post some stream of consciousness comments about the episode, then a few more ideas I’ve thought out more at the end. We’ll see how it goes.

-Rebecca’s book is called Blood and Lice, a follow up and probable inspiration for the blood coven a few weeks ago.

-Josh is now a toxic male! And Bex owes Heather $300+ for the toxic Josh swear jar. That’s some major progress right there, practically Josh-aholics Anonymous.

-Heather doesn’t need a real job; de-Josh-toxing Rebecca is enough of a job.

-Brittany Snow in the credits!!!!!!

-Paula gets mommed a little when Rebecca drops her off for the first day of school, but then Bex blows it by taking the extra juice box.

-Sunil actually wins the episode with the “mom farm upstate, where moms run around all day.” Bonus points if he sticks to it until his kids are adults.

–Roxanne Gay. We get it, Rachel, you want us to read her. On it already.

-Valencia looks great to me. She no longer looks like she’s using her appearance as armor to keep people at a distance.

-Hector and his mom started a dating advice podcast. Miss Douche has a real Twitter account. Could we please, please get a few of those podcasts?

-Josh likes organizing and sorting. An actual strength of his that he could use for a career that they’ve never shown us before.

-Josh thinks in thought bubbles and is worried he won’t measure up to expectations. Where is Father Brah when we need him?

-Bex is still focused on everything outside herself, rather than what’s inside (Waitress reference!): mmm, babaganouj, Josh has narcissistic personality disorder (really Bex, looked in a mirror?)

-Love the spaceship notes app. Why am I not surprised Paula has caper clothes in multiple colors and patterns? That’s right, skulk for YOU, and no one else!

-(Rebecca probably has caper clothes in colors and patterns that match Paula’s. 😥  All will be right again when they wear their outfits together on a caper that doesn’t involve Josh.)

-Valencia’s ballet is romantic and traditional. She’s idealized Josh and their relationship. Rebecca’s is childlike, raw, and visceral (like raw meat). Bex is projecting all of her anger onto Josh, even though she blames herself, since she casts herself as the dinosaur and Josh as a handsome prince. First she made Daddy leave, then she made Greg leave, and now she made Josh leave.

-Feminist bikini area 😏

-Of course Val loses the weight in one weekend, without trying, as soon as she feels good about herself again. Her weight was just a little situational depression weight gain, not about her genetics, build, or slow metabolism. Bex and I will totally outlast her during the next famine.

-Brittany Snow! Is Josh’s break from girls already over? She’s a good reason to give up celibacy, but he also needs the personal growth. Tough call for a viewer!

Continue reading “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 2 Episode 5: Why Is Josh’s Ex-Girlfriend Eating Carbs? Recap” →

Why I Love Nessarose

~ Metacrone ~ 3 Comments

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 The character of Nessarose comes from the musical Wicked, a retelling of the Wizard of Oz (in case you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t heard of it). She’s a minor character, the younger sister of the main character Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West). She ends up as the ruby slipper-wearing Wicked Witch of the East that Dorothy crushes with her house when she lands in Munchkinland. I love Nessarose because she is such a strong, powerful, tenacious character who is mistreated by everyone close to her, despite coming from a background of wealth and privilege. Unlike Elphaba, she’s not the loud, rebellious sister that viewers are encouraged to see as the badass hero. She’s the quieter sister who tries to follow the rules and do the right thing until she can’t anymore, and receives no positive recognition for her effort. Nessa keeps going and does her duty despite losing the rest of her family and being taught she’s weak. She  tries to find and hold onto love even though she’s been told she’s not worthy of it for her entire life. She may not go about it in the best of ways, but she’s using the methods she was taught by those around her.

As a child, she was taught by her father that her physical body was deformed, ugly and useless, that her only worth was her ability to work and serve her people as her father’s successor. Sure, her face is tragically beautiful, but that’s just enough make people pity her. They never require much from her or ask her what she wants for herself or her life. She’s taught that she’s helpless from birth. It never occurs to her that she isn’t. Her father over-loved her, smothering her, crippling her literally and figuratively before she was even born. Nessa is so taken care of and underestimated that she doesn’t think to even try to use her power, magical or otherwise, rebel, or veer from the path others choose for her.

But in reality, Nessarose is just as powerful and talented as Elphaba, and just as strong willed. Nessa casts her spell on Boq on the first try, translating the spell book on her own, just like Elphaba had with the spell to create flying monkeys’ wings. Elphaba’s magic was triggered early and often as a child by her temper and the frequent slights she suffered, despite the family’s obvious disapproval of her use of her magic. Nessa, on the other hand, was coddled and taught to suppress her power, to be the good sister. She may not have been told outright to avoid exploring her own magical potential, but watching her father’s treatment of Elphaba would have gotten the message across loud and clear. But once Nessa finds something she wants to fight for, she fights.

Continue reading “Why I Love Nessarose” →

On the All Important Peaceful Transition of Power

~ Metacrone

The transfer of power between independent Austria and Nazi Germany was largely peaceful as well. The rest of the world stood by and watched while Germany invaded and subjugated Austria because their own peace and stability was too important to them to interfere with Germany’s ambitions. Austria allowed themselves to be subjugated because they thought it wasn’t worth giving up their own physical comforts in order to fight Hitler. Appeasement turned out to be a dismal failure. Had people stopped Hitler earlier in his career, we didn’t have to have a world war. We didn’t have to have concentration camps. We need to keep working and speaking out now, to stop what might happen in the immediate future, when Trump takes office and can write Executive Orders that will affect us now. Not be told to go quietly keep working for some fairytale future that we’ve already been working for all along. That future just got a hell of a lot further away. Fascism needs to be nipped in the bud now.