Pride-inspired accessories you can rock all year round - fashion and trends - Hindustan Times "; forYoudata += ""; forYoudata += ""; forYoudata += ""; count++; if (i === 7) { return false; } }); forYouApiResponse=forYoudata; $(forutxt).html('Recommended for you'); $(foruContent).html(forYoudata); } } }); } else if(forYouApiResponse!=''){ $(forutxt).html('Recommended for you'); $(foruContent).html(forYouApiResponse); } } function getUserData(){ $.ajax({ url:"https://www.hindustantimes.com/newsletter/get-active-subscription?usertoken="+user_token, type:"GET", dataType:"json", success: function(res){ if(res.length>0) { $("[id^=loggedin]").each(function(){ $(this).hide(); }); } } }); } function postUserData(payLoad, elm){ var msgelm=$(elm).parents(".subscribe-update").nextAll("#thankumsg"); $.ajax({ url:"https://www.hindustantimes.com/newsletter/subscribe", type:"POST", data:payLoad, contentType: "application/json", dataType: "json", success: function(res){ if(res.success===true){ $(msgelm).show(); $("[id^=loggedin]").each(function(){ $(this).css("display","none"); }); $("[id^=loggedout]").each(function(){ $(this).css("display","none"); }); } else if(res.exceptionResponse.alreadySubscribed===true){ $(msgelm).show(); $("[id^=loggedin]").each(function(){ $(this).css("display","none"); }); $("[id^=loggedout]").each(function(){ $(this).css("display","none"); }); $(msgelm).find(".subscribed-successfully:first span.msg").text(res.exceptionResponse.message); } } }); }function captchverification(captchaResponse) {$('#captchaResponse').value = captchaResponse;$("#captcha-div").removeClass("block");$("body").removeAttr("style");var payLoad=JSON.stringify({ "domain": "HT", "emailId": email, "googleCaptcha": captchaResponse, "subscriptionTypes": [ "daily" ] });postUserData(payLoad,activeElm);} function subscribeNewsletter(inputText) { activeElm=inputText; var mailformat = /^w+([.-]?w+)*@w+([.-]?w+)*(.w{2,3})+$/; if(inputText.val().match(mailformat)) { inputText.focus(); email=inputText.val(); $("#captcha-div").addClass("block"); $("body").css("overflow","hidden"); return true; } else { alert("You have entered an invalid email address!"); inputText.focus(); return false; } } //DFP Ads var $dfpRightAd1 = $('.dfp-rightAd1-' + storyUuid); var $dfpRightAd2 = $('.dfp-rightAd2-' + storyUuid); var $dfpRightAd3 = $('.dfp-rightAd3-' + storyUuid); var $dfpRightAd4 = $('.dfp-rightAd4-' + storyUuid); var $dfpRightAd5 = $('.dfp-rightAd5-' + storyUuid); var $dfpStoryAd1 = $('.dfp-storyAd1-' + storyUuid); var $dfpStoryAd2 = $('.dfp-storyAd2-' + storyUuid); var $dfpStoryAd3 = $('.dfp-storyAd3-' + storyUuid); var $dfpStoryAd4 = $('.dfp-storyAd4-' + storyUuid); var $dfpStoryAd5 = $('.dfp-storyAd5-' + storyUuid); var $centerAd = $('.centerAd-' + storyUuid); getPersonlizeData(''); displayAd($dfpRightAd1,'/1055314/HT_StoryPages_300x250_Top',[[300, 250], [300, 600]]); displayAd($dfpRightAd2,'/3106570/HT_Desk_Story_BS_Multisize',['fluid', [300, 100]]); var rightMiddleScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpRightAd3.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpRightAd3, '/1055314/HT_StoryPages_300x250_Middle', [[300, 250], [300, 600]]); $(window).off("scroll", rightMiddleScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", rightMiddleScrollHandler); var rightTabRepTopScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpRightAd4.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpRightAd4, '/1055314/HT_Desk_Story_TabRep_Top_Multisize', [[300, 250], [300, 600]]); $(window).off("scroll", rightTabRepTopScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", rightTabRepTopScrollHandler); var rightTabRepBottomScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpRightAd5.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpRightAd5, '/1055314/HT_Desk_Story_TabRep_Bottom_Multisize', [300, 250]); $(window).off("scroll", rightTabRepBottomScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", rightTabRepBottomScrollHandler); var storyCenterScrollHandler = function () { if ($centerAd.isInViewport()) { displayAd($centerAd, '/1055314/HT_Desk_Story_ES_Top_728x90', [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyCenterScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyCenterScrollHandler); //Inline story ads var storyAd1ScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpStoryAd1.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpStoryAd1, storyAdList[0].ad, [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyAd1ScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyAd1ScrollHandler); var storyAd2ScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpStoryAd2.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpStoryAd2, storyAdList[1].ad, [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyAd2ScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyAd2ScrollHandler); var storyAd3ScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpStoryAd3.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpStoryAd3, storyAdList[2].ad, [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyAd3ScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyAd3ScrollHandler); var storyAd4ScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpStoryAd4.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpStoryAd4, storyAdList[3].ad, [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyAd4ScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyAd4ScrollHandler); var storyAd5ScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpStoryAd5.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpStoryAd5, storyAdList[4].ad, [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyAd5ScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyAd5ScrollHandler); validateUser($("#loggedin"),$("#loggedout")); if(user_token){ $("#loggedin .subscribe-text").html("Subscribe to get our daily newsletter in your inbox"); $("#loginSub").click(function(){ var udata=JSON.stringify({ "domain": "HT", "userToken": user_token, "googleCaptcha": "string", "subscriptionTypes": [ "daily" ] }); postUserData(udata,this); }); }else{ $("#loggedout .subscribe-text").html("Enter your email to get our daily newsletter in your inbox"); $("#subscribeBtn").click(function(){ subscribeNewsletter($(this).prev()); }); } function ScrollMe(uuid) {var id = uuid.replace('story_','').trim(); id = id +"_story";var newid = uuid.trim();$('#ulInfinite').each(function() {var phrase = '';$(this).find('li').each(function(j, lix) {var myid = $(lix).attr('id');if (myid.trim() == newid.trim())$(lix).addClass("active");else$(lix).removeClass("active");});});var element = document.getElementById(id);element.scrollIntoView();element.scrollIntoView({behavior : "auto",block : "start",inline : "nearest"});$('html, body').animate({scrollTop : $("#" + newid).offset().top - 800}, 800, 'swing');}function InfiniteScroll() {var nextURL = listUrl[urlCount];var $container = $('.articles').infiniteScroll({path : function() {return nextURL;},append : '.article',status : '.scroller-status',hideNav : '.pagination',loadOnScroll : false,scrollThreshold : false});$container.infiniteScroll('loadNextPage');$container.on('history.infiniteScroll', function(event, title, path) {var currentID = "article_" + getStoryIdByUrl('https://www.hindustantimes.com/more-lifestyle/pride-inspired-accessories-you-can-rock-all-year-round/story-X9rCQXr0R04XSUyC9nOMQO.html');var articleID = "article_" + getStoryIdByUrl(path);document.title = title;var temp = path.replace('.html', '').split('-');temp = temp.reverse();var forNid = temp[0].trim();$('#ulInfinite li').removeClass("active");$('#story_' + forNid).addClass("active");var n = gatag.includes(articleID, 0);if(n==false){gatag.push(articleID);showSkippablePopup();ga('send', {hitType : 'pageview',location : window.location.hostname.trim(),title : title.trim(),page : window.location.pathname.trim(),dimension15 : title});}window.snowplow("trackPageView", title);window.snowplow('resetPagePing');if (typeof COMSCORE != 'undefined'&& typeof COMSCORE.beacon !== 'undefined') {COMSCORE.beacon({c1 : "2",c2 : "6035286"});}});$container.on('load.infiniteScroll', function(event, response, path) {urlCount++;});var counter = 1;var uuid;$container.on('append.infiniteScroll', function(event, response, path, items) {uuid= $(items).find('.get-uuid').val();var elmLogin=$(items).find('#loggedin');var elmLogout=$(items).find('#loggedout');getPersonlizeData(items); validateUser(elmLogin,elmLogout); if(user_token){ getUserData(); $(elmLogin).find(".subscribe-text").html("Subscribe to get our daily newsletter in your inbox"); $(items).find("#loginSub").click(function(){ var udata=JSON.stringify({ "domain": "HT", "userToken": user_token, "googleCaptcha": "string", "subscriptionTypes": [ "daily" ] }); postUserData(udata, this); }); }else{ $(elmLogout).find(".subscribe-text").html("Enter your email to get our daily newsletter in your inbox"); $(items).find("#subscribeBtn").click(function(){ subscribeNewsletter($(this).prev()); }); }var $dfpRightAd1ES = $(items).find('.dfp-rightAd1-'+uuid); var $dfpRightAd3ES = $(items).find('.dfp-rightAd3-'+uuid); var $dfpRightAd4ES = $(items).find('.dfp-rightAd4-'+uuid); var $dfpRightAd5ES = $(items).find('.dfp-rightAd5-'+uuid); var $centerAdES = $(items).find('.centerAd-' + uuid); var $dfpStoryAd1ES = $('.dfp-storyAd1-' + uuid);var $dfpStoryAd2ES = $('.dfp-storyAd2-' + uuid); var $dfpStoryAd3ES = $('.dfp-storyAd3-' + uuid); var $dfpStoryAd4ES = $('.dfp-storyAd4-' + uuid); var $dfpStoryAd5ES = $('.dfp-storyAd5-' + uuid); var isVideoExists = $(items).find('.video-js'); var isVideo=false; if (isVideoExists.length > 0) { isVideo=true; } var rightESTopScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpRightAd1ES.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpRightAd1ES, rightAdList[0].ad, rightAdList[0].adsizes); $(window).off("scroll", rightESTopScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", rightESTopScrollHandler); var rightESMiddleScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpRightAd3ES.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpRightAd3ES, rightAdList[1].ad, rightAdList[1].adsizes); $(window).off("scroll", rightESMiddleScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", rightESMiddleScrollHandler); var rightESTabRepTopScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpRightAd4ES.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpRightAd4ES, rightAdList[2].ad, rightAdList[2].adsizes); $(window).off("scroll", rightESTabRepTopScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", rightESTabRepTopScrollHandler); var rightESTabRepBottomScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpRightAd5ES.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpRightAd5ES, rightAdList[3].ad, rightAdList[3].adsizes); $(window).off("scroll", rightESTabRepBottomScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", rightESTabRepBottomScrollHandler); var storyCenterScrollHandler = function () { if ($centerAdES.isInViewport()) { displayAd($centerAdES, '/1055314/HT_Desk_Story_ES_Top_728x90', [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyCenterScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyCenterScrollHandler); //Story Inline ads var storyESAd1ScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpStoryAd1ES.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpStoryAd1ES, storyAdList[0].ad2, [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyESAd1ScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyESAd1ScrollHandler); var storyESAd2ScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpStoryAd2ES.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpStoryAd2ES, storyAdList[1].ad2, [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyESAd2ScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyESAd2ScrollHandler); var storyESAd3ScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpStoryAd3ES.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpStoryAd3ES, storyAdList[2].ad2, [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyESAd3ScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyESAd3ScrollHandler); var storyESAd4ScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpStoryAd4ES.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpStoryAd4ES, storyAdList[3].ad, [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyESAd4ScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyESAd4ScrollHandler); var storyESAd5ScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpStoryAd5ES.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpStoryAd5ES, storyAdList[4].ad, [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyESAd5ScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyESAd5ScrollHandler); counter++;if (urlCount = n && o = n ? t.play() : t.pause()) : console.log("iOS") }) }); }}else if(isVideo){$(items).find("video[id^='myPlayerID_']").each(function(t, e) {var n = "myPlayerID_" + $(e).attr("data-video-id");bc(n), videojs(n).ready(function() {this.scrollIntoView()}) });}$(items).find("div[id^='right-swiper-']").each(function(i, e) {var swipID = $(e).attr("id");var storySwiper = new Swiper('#' + swipID, {pagination : {el : '.swiper-pagination',clickable : true},preloadImages : false,lazyLoading : true,simulateTouch : false,autoplay : {delay : 3000,}});});var ind = 0;$(items).find('.read-more').each(function(ind, obj) {ind = ind + 1;var html = $(items).find("#inlineStory" + ind).html();$(this).html(html);});$(items).find('img.lazy').each(function(i, e) {$(e).lazyload({effect : "fadeIn",effectTime : 20,threshold : 200,failurelimit : 0});});//getSeoContent(items);});}var reqOpen = true;$(document).bind("scroll",function() {var viewport = {top : $(document).scrollTop(),left : $(document).scrollLeft()};viewport.bottom = viewport.top + $(document).height();lastScrollTop = viewport.top;var bot = viewport.bottom - $(document).height();if (viewport.top > 200 && (showInfinite)) {if(isCorona && !loaded){var s= document.createElement('script');s.setAttribute('async','');s.src="https://chat.amplify.ai/plugin/5e77327dd8722a5cf17170be/chat_plugin.js?pluginId=5e77327dd8722a5cf17170be";document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(s);loaded=true;}$('.footer-scroll-main').show();if (reqOpen == true) {$('#ulInfinite li:first').addClass("active");$('#ulInfinite li .stroy-link').each(function(i, t) {if(i>0){listUrl.push($(t).html());}});InfiniteScroll();reqOpen = false;} } else if (bot

Follow this link:

Pride-inspired accessories you can rock all year round - Hindustan Times

Kenny Loggins performs in Las Vegas, Nev., in 2002. (Ethan Miller/Reuters)Saluting the mellow sound that signals all is right with the world.

They say jazz is Americas musical signature: As Ken Burns wrote, the genius of America is improvisation, our unique experiment a profound intersection of freedom and creativity. . . . Nowhere is this more apparent than in jazz the only art form created by Americans, an enduring and indelible expression of our genius and promise.

Stirring words. Jazz is inventive, vibrant, and complex. Everything about it is great, except the way it sounds. Listening to jazz is like trying to chase down a housefly. Theres a reason why only French tourists pretend to like it. To quote a more honest writer, John OFarrell: Music is a journey. Jazz is getting lost.

Americas truly sublime musical innovation is Yacht Rock. Savor the wit of that oxymoron: How hard can you rock if youre on a yacht? The boat itself rocks like a baby, not like Led Zeppelin. So Yacht Rock is gentle, but it cant be sad. There is no moping on a yacht. If you want to be glum and wear black, get off the boat and go find a jazz club. Not that anyone would ever invite you on their yacht in the first place.

The essence of a Yacht Rock song (my Spotify playlist is here) is that you can picture it being blasted on the deck of a yar and saucy watercraft circa 1981. Girls in cut-off shorts and bikini tops toss their arms in the air and say, Whoo! while the owner and host a guy named Brad or Chad or Gary, who struck it rich with, say, a string of Camaro dealerships and is himself a sort of Camaro in human form high-fives the guests, bites his lower lip, and moves a little off the beat, occasionally interjecting, Awesome, man! Brad or Chad or Gary drinks only the classy beers such as Lowenbrau or Michelob and has a cooler stocked with colorful wine coolers for the girls. Only his one very special lady will be present later when he opens up a perfectly chilled bottle of Aste Spumante. His captains chair is made of rich Corinthian leather.

Yacht Rock isnt what youd call real rock, angry rock, rock with a point or an attitude or a message or even a smirk, because Brad or Chad or Gary is just here to have a good time (and here is on earth). There is no edge to Yacht Rock any more than there is an edge to the round, rolling sea. However, Yacht Rock is not Loser Rock or Wimp Rock. It may be smooth, but it isnt limp. When the Yacht Rock is blasting out of the JVC boom box, the sun is shining, the girls are swaying, the waves are rolling, and all is well. Any song about lost love or thwarted longing or the girl that got away is inadmissible unless it reminds Brad or Chad or Gary about that time he almost met Cheryl Tiegs in Puerto Vallarta, and hell tell you about this incident at length.

The line between Yacht Rock and Wimp Rock is, alas, being eroded daily by the programmers of Sirius XM, whose Yacht Rock station is Channel 105 at the moment, and also available on the app if you happen not to be driving much these days. Siriuss Yacht Rock station is a sort of National Archives of Yacht Rock, one of Americas greatest innovations since the development of the backyard bug zapper. But thanks to some programmers inability to grasp that no one wants to listen to ow-my-broken-heart songs on a yacht, Channel 105 Rock is programmatically almost indistinguishable from Channel 17, the Wimp Rock station dubbed the Bridge. Bridge over whiny waters, that is. The Bridge is nothing but moany-groany lovey-dovey songs by the likes of Air Supply and Bread and America, and I love it inordinately. But Im not playing anything as embarrassingly low-T as Baby Im-a Want You on a yacht, unless I want to invite mutiny.

Yacht Rock has to have a pulse; its got to make you feel like youre scything through the waves while youre enjoying a classy snack like cottage cheese on melba toast. Its got soul, but not real soul, just the blue-eyed kind. You cant play Marvin Gaye on a yacht because Marvin Gaye was a genius. The Eagles are not Yacht Rock: Theyre too great. Same for The Police and The Rolling Stones. (Most Europeans are automatically disqualified anyway; a European on a yacht conjures up an image of a 200-foot monster docking in Nice and skippered by a man named Baron von Ruprecht of Wienerwald. Who can party down in a white dinner jacket while holding a snifter of brandy?)

Yacht Rock is the unchallenging, mood-brightening background music of the ordinary Chad who struck it rich enough to get a starter yacht, albeit not rich enough to compete with Baron von Ruprecht, who had a 200-year head start. America is the land where anyone might get rich enough to own a yacht, and so Yacht Rock is a celebration of America. It makes you lift your foam beer-can insulator to the cerulean skies and bawl out, Meet you all the way or Yah mo B there.

Yacht rock has its own Lennon and McCartney, except they are named Loggins and McDonald. I know what youre going to say, but Ive done the research and it turns out that Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald are not the same guy. McDonald offered a foretaste of the smooth-it-down Eighties on the Doobie Brothers Takin It to the Streets (1976). This was the first hit single ever sung by McDonald, and was there ever a more adorable track about urban unrest? If you blasted that over loudspeakers in the midst of an actual riot, the looting and smashing would stop immediately, and everyone would beg you to stop ruining the mood. As McDonalds profile was rising, Loggins came by like the guy in the Mr. Microphone commercial: Hey good lookin, Ill be back to pick you up later! Soon the pair were collaborating on What a Fool Believes, (1979), which despite being about a loser is just bouncy enough to qualify as Yacht Rock rather than loser rock. Loggins and McDonald combined again for This Is It (1979), a spectacularly non-specific paean to get-er-done Americanism on the cover of which Loggins is depicted holding what appears to be a magical glowing orb obviously the mystical power cell of Yacht Rock. With Im Alright, the following year, Loggins crafted a tune that was not only the perfect Yacht-Rock track, complete with misspelled title, but inspired the perfect Yacht-Rock conversation: Did anyone see Caddyshack?

The summer of Caddyshack 1980 was Yacht Rocks annus mirabilis. Along came a third natural master of styrofoam wave-coasting: Christopher Cross. Released at the tail end of 1979, his eponymous rookie album became the lodestar of Yacht Rock, containing both of the quintessential examples of the form. Not only did Cross come up with Ride Like the Wind, which actually sounds like the internal soundtrack playing in Brad/Chad/Garys mind as he rips across the water (and features McDonalds epic backup vocal), but at the same time gave us Sailing, a song without which no one ever would have thought up the term Yacht Rock. Sadly, Cross would later become a casualty of Wimp Rock with Arthurs Theme (The Best That You Can Do) and Think of Laura.

Yacht Rocks subtle distinctions sometimes elude even dedicated students of the form. For instance, Fleetwood Macs You Make Lovin Fun (Fun! Lovin!) is Yacht Rock. Fleetwood Macs Go Your Own Way (cutting, bitter) is not. Rockn Me (Steve Miller Band) is Yacht Rock. Rock the Casbah (The Clash) is not; its too good.

References to actually being on a boat definitely add Yacht-Rock cachet, because no one will ever accuse you of being too obvious on a boat; if anything, use of irony on the water will earn you nasty looks and maybe an order to clean out the bottom of the cooler. But Rock the Boat (Hues Corporation) is not Yacht Rock, its disco. Its a dance song. On a yacht, you dont dance, you dance around. Big difference. Dancing requires skill, or at least rhythm. Dancing around you can manage even if youre a Camaro in human form. Cool Change, with its serene lyrics about sailing on the cool and bright clear water, is Yacht-Rock splendor despite being an import, from Australias Little River Band. Australia, though, is the most American of all overseas countries big, confident, friendly, and party-minded. Australia is Americas honorary little brother. Love Will Find A Way is pure yachty bliss, not only because of the gentle, undemanding optimism of the song, not only because of the not-too-fast-buddy tempo, but because the band that performed it was Pablo Cruise. Pablo Cruise! They might as well have called themselves Boaty McBoatface.

Yacht Rock lyrics are not allowed to be profound, equivocal, or thoughtful. Paul Simon and Carole King are not Yacht Rock. Acceptable Yacht-Rock sentiments include:

While you see a chance, take it.

Ride into the danger zone.

Were still havin fun, and youre still the one.

Believe it or not, Im walkin on air!

You make-a-my dreams come true.

And if your yacht hasnt come in yet? Not to worry; all of these songs make the ideal soundtrack for backyard barbecuing, which is basically yacht-rocking on land. The ideal accessories are a badminton set, a Weber grill, a Coleman cooler. Get out the Bluetooth speaker, bring it into the yard, and revel in Americas glorious Yacht-Rock inheritance.

Excerpt from:

The All-American Glory of Yacht Rock - National Review

Several TV episodes and scenes featuring characters in blackface have been pulled from streaming and syndication in recent weeks as Hollywood confronts its racist past and present.

Last week, Tina Fey made headlines by asking NBC to remove episodes of 30 Rock featuring blackface, and issuing a controversial apology for pain they have caused. Other scripted shows, including Community, The Office, Scrubs and The Golden Girls, have since followed suit in an effort to erase racist tropes and images from their histories.

Late-night TV also has been forced to address blackface scandals after sketches with the hosts of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel Live performing in blackface resurfaced.

Fallon apologized for making the unquestionably offensive decision to wear blackface while impersonating fellow comedian Chris Rock for a 2000 Saturday Night Live sketch, while Kimmel apologized for appearing in blackface multiple times on The Man Show, which ran from 1999 to 2004, apologized weeks later.

Notably, multiple animated series, including Central Park, Big Mouth and Family Guy, have vowed to recast Black characters originally voiced by white actors.

With viewers increasingly dependent on streaming platforms rather than physical media, the editing and removal of these scenes and episodes leaves little trace of their existence. As such, The Times has compiled a list of streaming TV shows that have recently edited or removed episodes featuring blackface, along with synopses of the racist imagery and stereotypes contained therein.

David Cross, left, and Bob Odenkirk at a screening of their show W/ Bob & David at the Vista Theatre in Los Angeles in 2015.

(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

On June 15, comedian and actor David Cross announced that Netflix had decided to pull a sketch from his and Bob Odenkirks W/ Bob and David that featured Cross in blackface.

The sketch, titled Know Your Rights (Season 1, Episode 3), saw Cross character, Gilvin Daughtry, give an absurd how-to lesson on maintaining your rights in the face of police harassment. Appearing at first sans blackface, Gilvin interacts with a police officer (Keegan-Michael Key), who stops his car briefly and then lets him pass.

When Cross character rolls up to the checkpoint again in blackface, the same police officer exasperated by Gilvins repeated attempts to provoke him defers to his colleague, who attacks Gilvin with pepper spray and a taser.

Rue McClanahan, left, Estelle Getty, Bea Arthur and Betty White of The Golden Girls.

(ABC Photo Archives / Getty Images)

Hulu removed a 1988 episode of The Golden Girls featuring Blanche (Rue McClanahan) and Rose (Betty White) wearing mud facial masks.

Mixed Blessings (Season 3, Episode 23) saw Dorothys (Bea Arthur) son, Michael (Scott Jacoby), introduce himself to the mother of his fianc, Lorraines (Rosalind Cash), who is concerned about Lorraine marrying a white man.

Unaware of the family meeting, Blanche and Rose stumble into the room in matching brown mud masks. This is mud on our faces, Rose says, explaining their appearance to their guests. Were not really Black.

Yvette Nicole Brown, left, Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs and Jonathan Banks face Ken Jeong in NBCs Community.

(Justin Lubin / NBC)

Also scrapped was an installment of Community titled Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (Season 2, Episode 14).

Netflix pulled the episode, which saw Ken Jeongs Ben wear a white wig, blackface and body paint while participating in a roleplay game with his classmates. At one point in the game, Pierce (Chevy Chase) refers to Ben as Blackface and Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) asks whether the study group is just going to ignore that hate crime?

Steve Carell, left, John Krasinski and Rainn Wilson in The Office.

(Justin Lubin / NBC)

On June 26, The Office creator Greg Daniels confirmed to Variety that a scene from Dwight Christmas (Season 9, Episode 9), featuring a character in blackface, had been edited out.

The scene took place during an office holiday party thrown by Dwight (Rainn Wilson), who dresses up as the Dutch gift-giver Belsnickel and taps his assistant, Nate (Mark Proksch), to accompany him as Zwarte Piet, or Black Peter, a racist character from Dutch folklore.

Prior to edits, Nate was briefly seen walking through the Dunder Mifflin parking lot wearing blackface with red lipstick before immediately turning back at Dwights last-minute request. Dwight calls him off after being scolded by Stanley (Leslie David Baker) when his colleagues learn of Belsnickels racist origins.

Zach Braff in Scrubs.

(Dean Hendler / NBC)

On June 23, Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence confirmed on Twitter that plans to pull blackface episodes were already in the works. Hulu subsequently removed three episodes.

In My Friend the Doctor (Season 3, Episode 8), J.D. (Zach Braff) appeared in blackface during a fantasy sequence in which he imagines himself as his best friend, Turk (Donald Faison), in a romantic situation with Elliot (Sarah Chalke).

In My Jiggly Ball (Season 5, Episode 4), Chalke wore blackface during another fantasy sequence in which J.D. imagines her character as half Turk and half Elliot while playing video games on the couch.

And in My Chopped Liver (Season 5, Episode 17), Turk and J.D. arrived at a fraternity house in white face makeup and blackface, respectively. Are you sure this isnt offensive? J.D. asks, to which Turk replies, Buddy, relax. These are my guys, all right? As long as youre with me, theyre going to find this funny. But when J.D. is met at the door by several Black fraternity members, they arent amused, yanking him inside to beat him up and throw him out.

30 Rock stars Alec Baldwin, left, Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan.

(Mitchell Haaseth / Associated Press )

At executive producers Fey and Robert Carlocks request, four episodes of 30 Rock have been removed from Hulu, Amazon Prime, iTunes, Google Play and syndication.

In Believe in the Stars (Season 3, Episode 2), Jenna (Jane Krakowski) wore blackface while swapping identities with Tracy (Tracy Morgan) in a social experiment to prove who has it hardest in America: women or Black men.

Live Show (Season 5, Episode 2), the East Coast edition of 30 Rocks first live episode, featured a sketch in which guest star Jon Hamm gets a hand transplant from a Black man who was executed. The show also referenced the unfounded racist conspiracy theory that former President Barack Obama was not born in the United States with a fake Fox News ticker that read, Exclusive Interview With Kenyan Liar.

Christmas Attack Zone (Season 5, Episode 10) saw Jenna wear blackface again when attending a costume party dressed as former Pittsburgh Steelers star Lynn Swann. And Live From Studio 6H (Season 6, Episode 19) saw Hamm wear a wig and blackface again alongside Morgan in a parody of the racist radio and TV program Amos n Andy.

Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia stars Rob McElhenney, left, Kaitlin Olson, Charlie Day, Danny DeVito and Glenn Howerton.

(FX)

Hulu and Netflix U.K. have each taken down five episodes of Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

In Americas Next Top Paddys Billboard Model Contest (Season 4, Episode 3), aspiring actress Dee (Kaitlin Olson) presented two racist characters, Taiwan Tammy and Martina Martinez, for her fledgling web series. Their offensive portrayals including wigs, prosthetics and fake accents prompt Charlie (Charlie Day) to remark, This is so racist.

Dee Reynolds: Shaping Americas Youth (Season 6, Episode 9) saw Mac (Rob McElhenney) wear blackface while impersonating actor Danny Glover as Murtaugh in Paddys staging of Lethal Weapon 5. Paul Walter Hauser also appeared in blackface while playing a high school character in their version of the movie, while Frank (Danny DeVito) wore a braided wig while portraying a Native American crime boss.

The Gang Recycles Their Trash (Season 8, Episode 2) saw Dee reprise her racist Martina Martinez character in brownface makeup while trying to incite an uprising among Black and Latinx sanitation workers.

The Gang Makes Lethal Weapon 6' (Season 9, Episode 9) saw the pub crew stage a sequel to Lethal Weapon 5, with everyone returning to the same racist costumes plus Dee in full blackface as Murtaughs daughter.

And finally, in Dee Day (Season 14, Episode 3), Frank and Mac dressed as Martina Martinez and Taiwan Tammy, respectively, at Dees request.

British comics Julian Barratt, left, and Noel Fielding star in The Mighty Boosh.

(BBC)

Netflix has cut a scene from the second season of the British series Peep Show, in which Jez (Robert Webb) wore blackface and remarked to his girlfriend, It just feels almost wrong. Are you sure this isnt racist? to which she replied, Were breaking a taboo, of course it feels wrong. Weve got boundaries to smash, Jeremy.

Two other British shows, The Mighty Boosh and The League of Gentlemen, have been removed from Netflix entirely because they both featured Black characters played by white actors.

More:

'The Office,' '30 Rock': All the TV shows to pull blackface scenes - Los Angeles Times

NEW YORK, July 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Color Star Technology Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq CM: HHT) (the "Company," "Color Star," "we" or "HHT") is pleased to announce that Color China Entertainment Limited ("Color China"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Color Star, has just signed a cooperation agreement with a renowned American musician, Larry Carlton. Larry Carlton will take on the role of a Star Teacher on the "Color World" online education platform, created by Color Star.

Larry Carlton, a guitar master in the music industry, was born in Southern California in March 1948. He is a master of American jazz, blues, pop and rock genres on the guitar and has participated in more than 500 music albums, winning the Grammy Award 4 times. Additionally, he is widely acclaimed as one of the most outstanding guitarists in the jazz scene in the second half of the 20th century. In 1981, Larry Carlton won his first Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for his work on "Theme From Hill Street Blues." He then began working with numerous world-class entertainers, including the legendary blues master B.B King, Jazz Rock Super Group Steely Dan, Hollywood's Sammy Davis Jr. and even Michael Jackson. Overall, Larry Carlton's voracious appetite for music has earned him 19 Grammy nominations and 4 Grammy Awards, a Star of the Rock Hall of Fame in Hollywood, the Titan of Tone award and many others, as well as widespread recognition amongst fellow world class entertainers. His influence can be found in a plethora of genres in today's music scene, with jazz, blues, pop and rock all bearing the mark of Larry Carlton.

Color Star CEO, Sean Liu, said that "in the future, we will cooperate with more top artists and producers in Asia, including music, film, television, animation, dance and other industries. We believe that Color World has the potential to bring richer content to our students."

Color Star plans to continue growing its list of Star Teachers, who will bring their various expertise in music, film, sports, animation, television, presentations, dance, art and other entertainment industries to the Color World platform. Color Star believes that these top celebrities and professionals can pass their precious experiences on to pupils on our platform, helping to instill the desire for knowledge in their hearts.

About Color Star Technology Co., Ltd.

Color Star Technology, is a holding company whose primary business is offering both online and offline innovative education services. Its business operations are conducted through its wholly-owned subsidiaries Color China Entertainment Ltd. and CACM Group NY, Inc. The Company also anticipates providing an after-school tutoring program in New York via its joint venture entity Baytao LLC, and providing online music education via a platform branded "Color World."

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made herein are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "estimate", "plan", "outlook", and "project" and other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. Such forward-looking statements include the business plans, objectives, expectations and intentions of the parties following the completion of the acquisition, and HHT's estimated and future results of operations, business strategies, competitive position, industry environment and potential growth opportunities. These forward-looking statements reflect the current analysis of existing information and are subject to various risks and uncertainties. As a result, caution must be exercised in relying on forward-looking statements. Due to known and unknown risks, our actual results may differ materially from our expectations or projections. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, the Company does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements: there is uncertainty about the spread of the COVID-19 virus and the impact it will have on HHT's operations, the demand for the HHT's products and services, global supply chains and economic activity in general. These and other risks and uncertainties are detailed in the other public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") by HHT. Additional information concerning these and other factors that may impact our expectations and projections will be found in our periodic filings with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019. HHT's SEC filings are available publicly on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. HHT disclaims any obligation to update the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Color Star Technology Co., Ltd. Contact: Investor Relations FinancialBuzzIR info@FinancialBuzzIR.com Tele: +1-877-601-1879

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/color-star-technology-announces-the-addition-of-renowned-musician-larry-carlton-to-its-color-world-online-education-platform-301088785.html

SOURCE Color Star Technology Co., Ltd.

The rest is here:

Color Star Technology Announces the Addition of Renowned Musician Larry Carlton to its Color World Online Education Platform - Yahoo Finance

Additional venues gradually begin hosting bands and solo artists in outdoor, socially distanced spaces

This newspaper and website for years maintained a "Local Live Music" calendar, a roundup of the upcoming musical performances scheduled at the area's clubs, breweries, coffeehouses, restaurants and concert halls. It was always arduous and time-consuming to put together, but rewarding in offering a glimpse at how rich the Finger Lakes/Greater Rochester area is in musical talent, in breadth, depth and diversity.

The shutdowns necessitated by the advent of the novel coronavirus all but ended live music for a time, and the isolation that remains necessary amid the state's gradual reopening has made live music's return a slow, similarly gradual process. Small venues without much in the line of outdoor space are holding off, for instance.

But venues that have outdoor space sufficient for social distancing outdoor venues like Lincoln Hill Farms in Gorham or Roseland Waterpark in Canandaigua; bars/restaurants with patios like The Lovin' Cup in Henrietta or Jos & Willy's in Canandaigua have struck the opening chords in the gradual return of the area's live-music scene.

"The response has been heart-warming," Danny Deutsch, owner of Abilene Bar & Lounge in Rochester, said via email. Abilene started up with a low-key, socially distanced event on its outdoor patio featuring local band Anonymous Willpower on June 19. It followed it up the following week with shows by the Adrianne Noon Trio and Brody George Schenk, and the Noone trio is returning thisFriday night. A number of other shows are planned for the near future, all depending on weather.

"Old customers ... and some new, stopping in to hear music, check on us and how were holding up and all playing by the rules," Deutsch wrote. "Mask wearing in full effect while in the bar ordering drinks and then headoutside to enjoy the patio ambience. I've been pleased. Abilene's customers have been conscientious and caring of other customers and of my staff, and it's made for a very cool scene."

He allowed that "it's been different, that's for sure" but they're "thrilled to be back enjoying live, original music" for "smallish but super enthusiastic crowds."

We're looking forward to the day when we can start up that arduous, time-consuming Local Live Music calendar again. But in the meantime, here's a taste of what the region offers over the next week or two for music lovers:

July 2:Paint Crew (drum and bass duo) Thursday, July 2, at7 p.m. on the outside patio at Abilene Bar & Lounge, 153 Liberty Pole Way, Rochester. Cover: Tip jar.

July 3: Adrianne Noone Trio (featuring Noone, Chuck Salvaggio and Chris Clinton), Friday, July 3, at 7 p.m. on the outside patio at Abilene Bar & Lounge, 153 Liberty Pole Way, Rochester. Cover: $5.

July 3: Dirty Blanket (bluegrass) Friday, July 3, at 7 p.m. at Lincoln Hill Farms, 3792 Route 247, Gorham. Doors open at 3 p.m., with tickets limited on a first-come, first-serve basis at the door; $15 adults, $5 children.

July 3: Jackson Cavalier (one-man band, folk-rock) Friday, July 3, 5-8:30 p.m. on the patio at The Lovin' Cup, 300 Park Point, Henrietta. (Free show)

July 3: Xarika (solo acoustic) Friday, July 3, 6-8 p.m. on the porch at ReInvention Brewing, 9 N. Main St., Manchester.

July 4: Classic Rock All-Stars (featuring Phil Naro from Talas, Michael Hund from Ted Nugent's Derek St. Holmes Band, Ron Rocco from Black Sheep, and A.D. Zimmer from Lou Gramm's band) Saturday, July 4, at 6 p.m.,in the parking lot at Fanatics Pub & Pizza, 7281 W. Main St., Lima. Tickets: $75 per vehicle, 585-624-2080 or 315-473-2411.

July 4: "July 4 at the Farm" featuring multiple performers noon to 11 p.m. at Lincoln Hill Farms, 3792 Route 247, Gorham. The fundraiser for Camp RocStar features Zach Eberts, 1 p.m.; Brianna Collichio, 1:30 p.m.; Max Doud, 2 p.m.; Own the Night, 2:30 p.m.; Calvin Isham, 3:30 p.m.; Cooper Scotti, 4 p.m.; Primrose, 4:30 p.m.; Judah, 5:30 p.m.; BB Dang, 7 p.m.; and Shackwater, 9 p.m. There will also be fireworks at 9:45 p.m. Tickets (at the door only): $15 adults, $5 children.

July 4: Red, Hot & Blue Saturday, July 4, 6-9 p.m. at Brews & Brats at Arbor Hill, 6461 Route 64, Naples.

July 5: Craig Synder Sunday, July 5, 2-5 p.m. at Twisted Rail, 169 Lakeshore Drive, Canandaigua.

July 5: The Uptown Groove Sunday, July5, 2-5 p.m. at an Open Barn concert at Muranda Cheese Company, 3075 State Route 96, Waterloo. (Featured food truck is Pizza Posto)

July 7: GA029 (blues/R&B/rock) Tuesday, July 7, at 7 p.m. on the outside patio at Abilene Bar & Lounge, 153 Liberty Pole Way, Rochester. Tickets: $15 ($13 in advance at Abilene or https://abilene.showare.com.

July 10: Brian Lindsay Band (rock) Friday, July 10, at5:30 p.m.on the outside patio at Abilene Bar & Lounge, 153 Liberty Pole Way, Rochester. (Happy-hour show)

July 10: Evan Meulemans (reggae, Americana, blues) Friday, July 10, 7-8:30 p.m. on the patio at The Lovin' Cup, 300 Park Point, Henrietta. (Free show)

July 11: Alex Goettel (singer-songwriter, member of The Byways) Saturday, July 11, 6-8:30 p.m. on the patrio at The Lovin' Cup, 300 Park Point, Henrietta. (Free show)

July 11: Amanda Ashley (pop/rock/soul singer-songwriter) Saturday, July 11, 6-8 p.m. on the porch at ReInvention Brewing, 9 N. Main St., Manchester.

July 11: Tas Cru & The Tortured Souls Saturday, July 11, at 6 p.m.,in the parking lot at Fanatics Pub & Pizza, 7281 W. Main St., Lima. Tickets: $50 per vehicle, 585-624-2080 or 315-473-2411.

July 12: Cool Club & Lipker Sisters Sunday, July 12, 2-5 p.m. at an Open Barn concert at Muranda Cheese Company, 3075 State Route 96, Waterloo (featured food vendor is 4J's NVR Specialty Sauces)

July 12: Music of the Stars Sunday, July 12, 2-5 p.m., Roseland Drive-In at Roseland Waterpark, 250 Eastern Boulevard, Canandaigua. Only presale tickets will be redeemed; tickets are $40, $55 or $70 depending on tier. Buy tickets at roselanddrivein.com or call 585-396-2000.

July 14: Jeff Riales & The Silvertone Express Tuesday, July 14, at 6:30 p.m.,in the parking lot at Fanatics Pub & Pizza, 7281 W. Main St., Lima. Tickets: $50 per vehicle, 585-624-2080 or 315-473-2411.

July 17: Big Eyed Phish (Dave Matthews tribute) Friday, July 17,6:30-9p.m., Roseland Drive-In at Roseland Waterpark, 250 Eastern Boulevard, Canandaigua. Opening act: Mike Cosco and Julie Dellarie. Tickets are $45, $60 or $75 depending on tier. Buy tickets at roselanddrivein.com or call 585-396-2000.

July 17: The Occasional Saints (New Orleans blues/swing) Friday, July 17, at5:30 p.m. on the outside patio at Abilene Bar & Lounge, 153 Liberty Pole Way, Rochester. (Happy-hour show)

July 19: Nate Michaels Sunday, July 19, 2-5 p.m. at an Open Barn concert at Muranda Cheese Company, 3075 State Route 96, Waterloo. (Featured food vendor is Lake Country Food Truck)

A 'Little' online music

Not all venues are equipped to offer the live experience, of course, but some continue to offer what's arguably the next best thing in a digital age with livestreamed concerts. The Little Theatre in Rochester continues a nearly full slate of shows, just online at its Facebook page. Maria Gillard, adjunct instructor of music at Finger Lakes Community College, is performing every Monday in July as a residency, with 7 p.m. concerts July 6, 13, 20 and 27. Also coming up for the Little: Classical Guitar Night at 7 p.m. July 5; Alex Goettel at 7 p.m. July 9; and Crossmolina at 8 p.m. July 11.

SummerWrite lit camp moves online

Concerns over high traffic in a small space and sanitizing requirements with a small staff has led Writers & Books to opt not to open its University Avenue facilities in Rochester to the public this summer. W&B has moved all of its adult workshops online and now plans to conduct its annual literary-themed youth summer camp, SummerWrite, entirely virtually. It began offering SummerWrite programs June 29 and will continue rolling out the reading and writing enrichment camps most of them five-session Monday-through-Friday programs, offered through Zoomthrough Aug. 28.

A complete list of the programs, with cost and registrationlinks,is at wab.org. For an example, next week's SummerWrite programs include "Acting Exploration," "Musical Theatre Book Club," "Fiction in a Flash" (about creating very short fiction), "Take Space, Make Space: Storytelling Through Dual Language Poetry," "Writing a Fiction Series," "Produce a 90-Second Newbery Film" and more.

See original here:

Front-Row Seat: Striking the chords for live musics return - MPNnow.com

People, social distancing and wearing masks to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, chat as they wait in line at a mask distribution event, Friday, June 26, 2020, in a COVID-19 hotspot of the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami. Florida banned alcohol consumption at its bars Friday as its daily confirmed coronavirus cases neared 9,000, a new record that is almost double the previous mark set just two days ago. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Surges in new Covid-19 infections have paused or rolled back reopening plans in at least 19 states as the nation's top infectious disease doctor offered a bleak warning: Americans need to take sensible measures to curb the spread or risk seeing 100,000 new cases a day.

"We are now having 40,000 cases a day. I would not be surprised if we go up to 100,000 a day if this does not turn around," Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci told the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing.

Turning it around will take a coordinated, collaborative effort, he said at the hearing, not the "disparate responses" the nation has shown so far.

But without strong national leadership, that coordination may be up to mayors and governors, according to Dr. William Haseltine, a former biotechnology executive and professor at Harvard's medical and public health schools.

"This situation is now so grim and is getting worse by the day," he said. "From now on, they know it's in their backyard and their job to take care of it if no one else does."

Most of the US has the pandemic in their backyard, with only two states showing a downward trend in cases from last week. The surge comes as restriction-fatigued Americans increasingly gather in large groups for summer recreation.

Precautions like social distancing and mask wearing are meant to help people "enjoy themselves within the safe guidelines," Fauci said.

"We should not look at the public health endeavors as being an obstruction to opening up. We should look at it as a vehicle to opening up," he said.

Turning the tide means more masks and fewer bars

The measures health experts tout to curb the virus are especially important considering more than 90% of the country has not experienced the virus, meaning herd immunity could still be years away, Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told the Senate HELP committee on Tuesday.

Both Redfield and Fauci stressed the importance of widespread masks, which experts have encouraged for months even as President Donald Trump has noticeably forgone them.

An environment with universal masks is "fundamentally the most important thing we can do," Redfield said.

What people shouldn't do in this pandemic, Fauci said Tuesday, is head to the bar.

"Bars: really not good, really not good. Congregation at a bar, inside, is bad news. We really have got to stop that," Fauci said Tuesday.

Without those measures, Fauci said, the US will continue to be in trouble.

"Clearly, we are not in total control right now," he said. "The numbers speak for themselves."

In Florida and other Sunbelt states, hospitals are rushing to line up more hospital beds as they head into the height of the summer season amid a startling surge in confirmed cases of the coronavirus.

Over the past few days, states such as Florida, Arizona, Texas and California have reversed course, closing or otherwise clamping down on bars, shutting beaches, rolling back restaurant capacity, putting limits on crowds at pools, or taking other steps to curb a scourge that may be thriving because of such factors as air conditioning and resistance to wearing masks.

Any time you have these reopenings, youre depending on people to do the right things, to follow the rules. I think thats where the weak spots come in, said Dr. Cindy Prins, a University of Florida epidemiologist. She warned that things are likely to get worse before they get better.

Hospitals in the new hot spots are already stretched nearly to the limit and are scrambling to add intensive care unit beds for an expected surge in COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks.

Newly confirmed cases in Florida have spiked over the past week, especially in younger people, who may be more likely to survive the virus but can spread it to the Sunshine State's many vulnerable older residents.

The state reported more than 6,000 new confirmed cases Tuesday. More than 8,000 were recorded on each of three days late last week. Deaths have climbed past 3,500. Floridians ages 15 to 34 now make up 31% of all cases, up from 25% in early June. Last week, more than 8,000 new confirmed cases were reported in that age group, compared with about 2,000 among people 55 to 64 years old.

Hospital ICUs are starting to fill up in South Florida, with a steadily increasing number of patients requiring ventilators. Miamis Baptist Hospital had only six of its 82 ICU beds available, officials said.

Link:

Your daily 6: Gambling without booze or smoking, Hong Kong crackdown and virus 'grim and getting worse by the day' - STLtoday.com

BEST METAL The Best Metal on Bandcamp: June 2020 By Brad Sanders July 02, 2020

It feels like it shouldnt need to be said, but sadly, it does: there is no place in metal for racism. An all-star cast of metal musicians have been saying it loudly and unequivocally these past few weeks on a new web series called Metal vs. Racism. You can watch the episodes that have aired to date on Bay Area death metal crew Necrots Instagram page. If youre a cruel, small-minded, and ignorant person, and watching those videos makes you want to smash your High on Fire and Testament records, Ill gladly lend you the hammer.

Check out this months best metal picks below.

This Juneteenth, when Bandcamp donated their cut of all sales to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, dozens of bands and labels stepped up to make their own donations to racial justice initiatives.One of the many bands to step up with donations that day was Spirit Adrift, a longtime favorite of this column and perhaps the committee (of one)s pick for the best metal band in the world right now. They released Angel & Abyss Redux, an EP featuring an acoustic reworking of the Divided by Darkness highlight, plus brilliant covers of Roky Ericksons I Think of Demons and Jimi Hendrixs The Wind Cries Mary. The band is donating 100% of every sale of this record to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in perpetuity, so if you didnt have a chance to grab it on Juneteenth, it is well worth picking up now.

Now three full-lengths and a smattering of demos and EPs into their career, the Finnish duo Lantern have moved far beyond merely worshiping the Nordic death/doom scene that first inspired them to pick up guitars. Dimensions is a legacy-making album, the kind of record that should ensure their place in death metal history. Its bookended by the seven-minute Strange Nebula and the 14-minute Monolithic Abyssal Dimensions, which highlight the band at their labyrinthine best, each song rife with twisting riffs, decaying atmospherics and stretched to epic lengths. Just as impressive are moments like the two-minute Portraits, almost an interlude track, but far too interesting to be cast off as such. Its an effectively eerie vocal showcase for frontman Necrophilos in a genre that rarely provides vocal showcases. Cauldron of Souls is another high point, a black metal-tinged banger with an infectious stab of lead guitar serving as its primary hook. For the past several years, its felt like Lantern were quietly climbing their way to making a true masterpiece. With Dimensions, theyve reached the mountaintop.

For a brief, shining moment in the mid-00s, post-hardcore, Hot Topic screamo, metalcore, and prog rock all got along. Bands like Coheed and Cambria, Between the Buried and Me, and Canadian stalwarts Protest the Hero were consistently releasing ambitious, strange music that defied categorization but seemed to bring all kinds of misfit kids to the table. If you werent down then, you probably wont be down now, but if you were down then, the new Protest the Hero album is like a cold blast of shopping mall air conditioning to the face. Now 15 years older than they were when they released their debut LP Kezia, the band offer a more controlled fury on Palimpsest. Vocalist Rody Walker still climbs seemingly impossible scales, but after recovery and retraining following a vocal cord injury, its not with quite the same level of abandon. That allows him to force us to focus even more on his lyrics, which here dissect American history through the dual lenses of its Trumpian so-called greatness and the more complicated truth. A Canadian singing about the flaws of America might seem presumptuous, but his relative distance grants him a clarity thats genuinely refreshing. Behind Walker, guitarists Luke Hoskin and Tim MacMillar oscillate between a jerky start-stop dynamic and seemingly self-aware moments of faux-epic bluster, underpinned with the most bombastic orchestral parts the band has ever used. Most impressively, Protest the Hero took a sound that, to many people, feels tethered to a semi-embarrassing moment in time, and brought it thrillingly into the present.

Live albums feel particularly attuned to this moment. There are those among us who have historically derided them as a pale facsimile of the real thing. Now, we live in a world where there is no real thing, and no one has been to the real thing in almost four months. Its in that context that we must examine Power Trips new album, Live in Seattle. I saw Power Trip on that tour, in Brooklyn. They were incredible that night, well-deserving of the 675-capacity venue that theyd sold out after years of playing their furious brand of thrash-infused hardcore in smaller bars. Does Live in Seattle capture the feeling I had that night? Not quite, but a crowd surfer didnt break my glasses while I listened to it, either, so I guess its a wash. The band rips through all the essential cuts from Manifest Decimation and Nightmare Logic, plus some key non-album singles, closing with the crowd-pleasing anthem Crossbreaker. Theres a real sense of movement and propulsion to the album, with only the briefest breaks for stage banter as the band barrel through their set. As non-live live experiences go, its one of the better ones available for headbangers to experience right now. Heres hoping we can all get back together and mosh to Power Trip again soon. Hell, by then Ill probably let you break my glasses.

The self-titled Satans Hallow album that came out back in 2017 was a hell of an introduction to the Chicago newcomers, and it carried the promise of an exciting new band for lovers of traditional heavy metal to follow for years to come. They split up shortly after it was released. Midnight Dice rose from Satans Hallows ashes, with four of the five members of that band reprising their roles here, crucially with Mandy Martillo still on the microphone. Hypnotized is their first proper EP after a demo, a live tape, and a split 7 with fellow Chicagoans, Hitter. Its only 21 minutes long, but damn it if they arent 21 of the finest minutes of true metal to come out this year. Martillos pipes are laser-precise as she belts over Steve Beaudettes souped-up NWOBHM riffs, and songs like Starblind and Speed City feel tailor-made to be played onstage someday, when thats possible again. (Someday youre gonna wish/ You were still half as good as this/ So make tonight your bitch in Speed City reads downright Proustian in these times.) Satans Hallow left us too soon, but with a lucky roll, Midnight Dice should stick around a lot longer.

The fretless bass has a long and contentious history in death metal. Most famously utilized in the early 90s scene by Sean Malone of Cynic, its since taken on a life as a kind of shorthand for exploratory, progressive death metal. If you hear a fretless bass line meandering around the edges of a death metal riff, the band is trying to tell you that theyre doing something outside of the box. On VoidCeremonys bonkers debut album, Entropic Reflections Continuum: Dimensional Unravel, the fretless bass is doing something more interesting. Damon Good (also of Mournful Congregation) has certainly heard a Cynic record or two, but his bass lines help anchor these songs rather than making them spin off into space. His bass represents a human, flesh-and-blood presence on an album thats often given to glorious, maddening abstraction. If this is technical death metal, its only in the sense that everyone performing on it has no shortage of technique. Yet their interests lie not in the proving of chops but in the exploration of whats possible within the death metal framework. Exhilarating as Entropic Reflections Continuum is, it seems theyve only scratched the surface.

Though theyve been well-known in leftist metal circles online since their founding in 2014, the queer, antifascist sludge duo Vile Creature havent yet crossed over to mainstream success. Glory! Glory! Apathy Took Helm!, their third full-length, should change that. For one, theyve signed to Prosthetic Records, who reissued their early work on a comp last year and have put significant promotional muscle behind them. More crucially, Glory! feels like an arrival, a record where everything Vile Creature is all about has coalesced. Throughout the album, moments of transcendental beauty are met with the counterweight of ugliness. When Glory! Glory! transitions into Apathy Took Helm!, the former songs ghostly choral parts dissolve into the latters punishing dirge. Before long, the choral vocals return amid the din of the sludge riffs, suggesting the necessary coexistence in troubled times of joy and agony, love and hate, reflection and action. Ive only spent a week or so with this record; I expect it to reveal so much more in the coming months.

Colin Marston is a lot of thingsvirtuosic musician, champion of the avant-garde in metal, mastering engineer extraordinaire. As a principal member of Beholdthe Arctopus, Krallice, Gorguts, Dysrythmia, and more, he has pushed metal into some of the stranger places its been over the past two decades. Unsympathetic Empyrean, the debut album by his new solo project Xazraug, feels like something entirely new for him, an avant-black metal album roughly in the I, Voidhanger house style, but transgressive in its own peculiar way. Its undeniably an assault on the senses. Its five tracks span from nearly 10 minutes to over 14, and none of them leave a lot of space for contemplative atmospherics. Whether hes playing a mind-bending riff, laying into an Emperor-style synth part, or layering hellish chanting, Marston consistently fills the sonic space with something you cant easily tune out. That makes Unsympathetic Empyrean a demanding listen, but that shouldnt turn off any fans of Marstons work. The challenge is the point.

Visit link:

The Best Metal on Bandcamp: June 2020 - bandcamp.com

In the last few months, like so many other Netflix viewers, I dove head first into Avatar: The Last Airbender. Its a cult series that had been on my I really should watch this list for years, but its limited availability always kept me from actively seeking the series out. As has been experienced by so many other shows that are beneficiaries of the so-called Netflix bump, though, appreciation for Avatar has subsequently exploded, and the show has consistently been in Netflixs top 10, with an entire new audience falling in love with it along the way.

Which of course, to someone who is fascinated by bad movies, can mean only one thing: It was clearly time for me to revisit M. Night Shyamalans The Last Airbender adaptation from 2010. And the timing proved to be fortuitous, as we just marked the 10th anniversary of that legendarily bad films release. It sits second to last in our ranking of every M. Night Shyamalan film, ahead of only (of course) The Happening.

What I found was a film that was every bit as bad on a technical level as I remembered, but also so much worse as an adaptation than I ever realized. To watch the entirety of Avatar, and then move directly on to Shyamalans The Last Airbender is like touring the Louvre and then going to a souvenir shop outside where street urchins are painting their best attempts at replicating the works of Monet and Vermeer. Suffice to say, the work of art does not translate well.

There are myriad aspects of Shyamalans interpretation that flat out dont work, including some aspects of the film over which he had no real control. The post-filming conversion of The Last Airbender to 3D was one of these, and was heavily criticized at the time, being one of the most high-profile cases (along with Clash of the Titans) of more or less complete films being converted to 3D to cash in on the massive success of James Camerons Avatarironically, the reason why the word avatar is no longer present in the title of Shyamalans adaptation. The visual fidelity of the movie seemed to suffer as a result, with many scenes that look murky, dark and underlit.

But Shyamalan as director also made the choice to condense the entirety of Avatars first season, some 8 hours of animated material, into a surprisingly rushed film that was presumably meant to be an epic, clocking in at only 94 minutes if you subtract the lengthy end credits. The result likewise damages its pacing badly, as The Last Airbender relies both on constant narration and exposition dumps from Katara to keep the audience up to speed, and a composite character called the Dragon Spirit that effectively replaces every one of Aangs teachersmost notably Avatar Roku, Fang, Koh, Jeong Jeong and Guru Pathik. The result is streamlined but chaotic, with little to no time for non-plot character interaction.

There are so many aspects of The Last Airbender one could choose to focus on in expounding upon its weakness as an adaptation, but lets instead key in on three in particular: Shyamalans misunderstanding of the characters, the poorly constructed action, and the films persistently troubling racial presentation/whitewashing.

Although aspects like the whitewashing of its characters is often the first controversy that comes up surrounding discussion of The Last Airbender, the films script by Shyamalan also fails them on deeper and wider levels, beyond appearance, representation and racial heritage. Which is to say, Shyamalan just doesnt seem to understand why someone would like most of these characters at all, or how they would be effective as heroes or villains, and they rarely remind the audience on any level of their animated counterparts.

You really cant start anywhere else than with Aang, portrayed here by first-time actor Noah Ringer, who had a grand total of one month to prepare for filming with essentially no applicable acting experience. Ringer was a gifted young practitioner of Taekwondo, and already a fan of the Avatar animated series, who was in fact referred to by friends as Avatar for his choice to shave his head during competition and his physical resemblance to Aang. It was this familiarity with the character and superficial appearance/martial arts training that got Ringer an audience with Shyamalan, who was quickly impressed. And indeed, you can see why, on paper, someone might have thought that this choice would work out, but one would have hoped that a quick glance at the dailies after the first few days of shooting would have made it clear that Ringer was in far over his head.

Its a casting choice that simply doesnt work, especially given that the inexperienced Ringer is expected to carry the film as title character and lead protagonist. He often looks lost and uncomfortable, hardly the fault of a 12-year-old taekwondo student who had been handed the lead role of a would-be summer blockbuster, seemingly out of thin air. His face rests with a blank, emotionless look that is bereft of any spark or vitality, and more than anything it demonstrates that Shyamalan had his priorities badly out of order when it came to casting. This was a part that called for an immensely charismatic, often hyperactive personality, rambunctious and full of vigor, but it ended up in the hands of a sullen-looking young man who happened to be proficient in martial arts. In a film that was always going to rely heavily on CGI, Aangs ability to perform real-life kicks should have been the least of their concerns.

This look, plastered on Aangs face for 80% of this film, is not an expression youll see in a single frame of the animated series.

Its certainly not just Aang, though, as almost all the characters have their legs cut out from under them. In some cases, its because the film has almost entirely excised the shows sense of humor, which transforms Sokka in particular from a loveable doofus and quip machine with a gift for tactics into a joyless automaton. The villains, meanwhile, are really no better, and its hard not to laugh at Cliff Curtis as Firelord Ozai, who feels more like an unintimidating, pompous aristocrat than a world-threatening, psychopathic dictator. Its extremely hard to imagine how this version of Ozai would have been able to carry the burden of Big Bad/Phoenix King in the third film of what was meant to be a trilogyhe comes off as effette and incompetent rather than sadistic and calculating.

The only character to feel anywhere close to accurate is Dev Patels Prince Zuko, whose deadly serious nature actually makes sensethe animated series eventually derives a lot of humor from the fact that Zuko is unrealistically humorless by nature. But even Patel later admitted that he was ashamed of the film, feeling completely overwhelmed by the experience. Watching his own work, he described it as I saw a stranger on the screen that I couldnt relate to.

If there was one great selling point to making a live-action feature film from Avatar: The Last Airbender, it was the promise of seeing the powers of air, water, earth and firebending come to life on the big screen. What a shame, then, that The Last Airbender bungles those action scenes so badly, failing even to convey the joy one would expect to feel in manipulating the elements.

Some of the blame here will inherently belong to the aforementioned, post-filming conversion to 3D, which took whatever Shyamalan was already working with and undoubtedly made it look even worse. But The Last Airbenders action issues go far beyond merely a dim, unattractive picture. These sequences are just poorly staged in general, feeling uniquely underwhelming for action setpieces that should have reflected a $150 million budget, by far the biggest in Shyamalans career. It feels like the director had no idea how that money should be spent, and the action ends up looking both haphazard and small in scale and impact. Nowhere is that better captured than in the Earthbenders revolt clip below, which features not only some atrocious acting from our leads, but the sight of half a dozen earthbenders dancing and stomping to produce a 10 pound hovering rock. All of the films fights are like this, featuring blasts of fire, rock and water that travel slower than if most of us were throwing them by hand. On the most basic level, the film fails to make bending itself look effective or awe-inspiring.

Not helping matters is the fact that the mechanics of bending in this movie simply cant avoid looking silly in practice, especially with so little in terms of payoff. Theres simply not a hint of grace to any of the bending movementstheyre endlessly convoluted gestures that go on far too long before something unimpressive happens. Theres something about it that evokes low-rent videogame adaptations like Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, and thats really not a comparison you want for your $150 million CGI spectacular.

These action scenes are even more difficult to appreciate after watching the entirety of the animated series, which features genuinely impressive feats of bending in every episode, and incredibly intricate and beautifully choreographed fight scenes, especially as the seasons progress. A director like Shyamalan, whose films before this point had always been based on character and suspense rather than action, stood no chance of replicating that level of energy.

And of course, we have to talk about the elephant in the roomall that whitewashing. The world of Avatar: The Last Airbender is unmistakably interpreted as an Asiatic one, with cultures that broadly reflect various real-world influences. The Water Tribe has an unmissable Inuit appearance to their clothing and artifacts, while Aangs own Air Nomads seem to have been a culture heavily inspired by Tibetan Buddhist monks. The Earth and Fire kingdoms are a bit harder to parse, but they clearly draw inspiration in various areas from ancient Chinese, Korean and Japanese culture. The Fire Nation in particular reflects a Japanese styling in its honor-based military caste and fashions.

Not that youd know any of this, looking at Shyamalans The Last Airbender, of course. He immediately dispenses with the shows ethnic depiction of both the Water Tribe and Air Nomads, casting white actors in all the major protagonist roles, such as Aang, Katara, Sokka and Master Pakku. Grilled at the time of release about why the film wasnt more diverse in the casting of its leads, Shyamalan repeatedly deferred or defended aspects of the casting, pointing to the films other pan-Asian actors, who make up small roles among the earthbenders, and the majority of the firebenders.

That of course raises the sticky situation of which parts did get cast with brown-skinned actors, which largely boils down to all the bad guys. The casting here seems to suggest that Shyamalanhimself of Indian descentseemed to think that anyone brown was acceptable for any Fire Nation role in particular, which leads to a confusing array of backgrounds for characters who are all supposed to be blood relatives of vaguely Japanese descent. Look no further than the Firelords clan, which consists of someone of indigenous Maori descent (Cliff Curtis) as the head of a family with an Indian son (Dev Patel), an Iranian brother (Shaun Toub) and a daughter of Mexican and Indian descent (Summer Bishil). The unspoken implication seems to be that anyone brown is equally likely to be a villain in this worldsomething that wouldnt have been an issue if Water Tribe characters like Sokka and Katara were played by ethnically accurate actors. Instead, the choice to whitewash the protagonist roles causes it to boil down once again to a light vs. dark duality of good vs. evil, like so much other Western fiction. Those with light skin are inevitably heroes. Those with darker skin are nefarious.

The films antagonists are invariably darker in skin tone.

This seeming lack of concern or thought for the issues of race and representation is all the more confusing, given some of the changes that Shyamalan did find worth his time in scripting The Last Airbender. The pronunciations in particular are all different from the animated series across the board; something that annoyed fans on an inherent level when they heard Aang pronounced as Ahn-guh or Ungh. The pronunciation of Sokka likewise goes from sah-kah to soh-ka, and even avatar becomes ah-vuhtar. Shyamalan described these changes as being more authentic to how the names would actually be pronounced in Asian culturesa rather incredible thing to value, while simultaneously not caring that white actors are replacing Asian ones in almost all the major roles. It does boggle the mind to think that he somehow thought pronunciations were a higher priority than representation.

Only a decade later, The Last Airbender feels hopelessly outdated in every measure one could use to gauge such a thing. Its regressive in terms of diversity in a story that should have been used as a launching pad for young Asian stars, instead opting for performers who cant even handle the material in front of them. It manages to be both convoluted and rushed, with a narrative that condenses 8 hours of animation into what feels like 94 minutes of straight voiceover. Its action scenes feel like the work of a director who had no concept of how to stage them, and even when the film is in motion, its unbearably dull to look at. Theres nothing it does particularly well, aside from some decent set design most of which is difficult to see or appreciate. It absolutely does not feel like a film with a $150 million budget.

It does raise the question: Will Netflixs upcoming live-action series remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender be any better? At the very least, it seems safe to say that it couldnt be any worse.

Jim Vorel is a Paste staff writer and resident genre geek. You can follow him on Twitter for much more film writing.

Link:

A Decade Later, Let's Itemize the Sins of M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender - Paste Magazine