Category Archives: Immortality

Marion McClinton.

Ive started this obituary a dozen times.

Theres a clever intro or anecdote I could lead with, but it eventually comes back to the same thing: Hes gone. My best friend has moved on. I know that hes telling my mother about the time we spent together. I grin when I think of how he and his mother are catching up. I laugh out loud when I think of the collaborations, he, August, and Claude are cooking up. But it always comes back to: I must learn to negotiate a world without Marion McClinton.

In 1976, when we met, there was no way we could know that standing outside the Firehouse Theater in Minneapolis on our first day as professional actors would be the start of a bond that would span countless sports arguments, brushes with immortality, marriages, divorces, births of children, deaths of parents and siblings, Broadway, and the fulfillment of most of our hopes and dreams. In the final weeks of his life, we were alone, and he said, Dub, manIm realizing Im never going to direct again. After a long pause he added, What am I going to do? Thats all I am. No, thats what the world knows about you, I replied. Thats what newspapers will say but youre so much more.

And he is. Most people will never know that he got equal enjoyment spending hours with fledgling actors at St. Paul Central High School discovering their voices as he did working with Broadway stars. Moreover, he talked to them both in the exact same way, with stories from his past that planted seeds of encouragement and confidence and brought them back from the fear of failure that lives in all actors. His commitment to inspiring every writer who crossed paths with him was legendary. He opened doors, bringing young directors in regional, Off-Broadway, and Broadway rehearsal spaces, only requiring they do the same for those that followed them. Most of the theatrical world is unaware he turned down the artistic directorship of a major regional theatre rather than uproot his son, who was about to enter high school. Family came first.

He was a true son of St. Pauljust ask any interviewer who said he was from the Minneapolis or the Twin Cities. He got his start as a playwright at the Multicultural Resource Center on St. Anthony and Victoria writing history plays after hours, based on the lives early Black Minnesotans. He was instrumental in developing the jazz acting esthetic at Penumbra Theatre, always carrying a yellow legal pad with pages of script titles to suggest and casting ideas.

I dont know much about his life on the road. We made it a point to never talk about that, because we both felt it was important to for him to have a relationship with someone who didnt want anything. He was indefatigable. When health issues made the life on the road unbearable, he came back looking for new challenges and finding a new home at Pillsbury House Theater, championing another generation of writers whose work he consumed when the pain wouldnt let him sleep. He created pathways for the next generation of African American actors in Minnesota and did some of his best work. He made himself accessible to everyone I brought to the house.

My primary memory of him there is sharing. He had a story for everything, and he was never the center. Either his mother said, or August used to say, or the time George C. Wolfe remarkedthen he would drop the knowledge. Like he was just the repository of the wisdom, not the one that always brought up the right story at the right time.

Its impossible to talk about Marion without talking about him in the room. Rehearsal room, that is. Thats where he came to life. In the room his kidneys didnt hurt. In the room he was following his calling. In the room he was still close to Mr. Wilson. The good times were just a story away. It was always difficult for him to leave the room. Whether it was at the end of the rehearsal day or giving the state of the union (his term for the final time he addressed a cast before opening), leaving the room meant returning to real life. To a failing body and an art form filled with people he sometimes thought had forgotten about him.

In the room he was the most patient director Ive ever worked with. In the 45 years we worked together he never said, We dont have enough time, or We need more time. The time we had was the time we needed. Ill say now: Marion, we need more time. Lets talk about that the next time we get together. Rest in power, my brother. And so it goes.

James Williams, a mainstay of the Twin Cities theatre scene since 1976, was a founding member of Penumbra Theatre.

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Marion McClinton Brought His Best to the Room - American Theatre

Recent Star Wars leaks suggest we could see a character become fanged and demonic in Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, but who is it? Our initial guess was Emperor Palpatine taking some horrific new form, but one clever theory suggests the leak could be referencing a terrifying Force user we havent seen in the movies before, but one with a direct connection to The Rise of Skywalkers most intriguing plotlines.

Big spoilers obviously follow for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

In the British Board of Film Classifications official listing for The Rise of Skywalker, the film gets a 12A rating partially due to one scene described as follows:

A young woman finds herself alone amidst an arena of sinister enemies, taunted by their leader. A character briefly becomes fanged and demonic.

The young woman is obviously Rey. For all we know, this moment could apply to Palpatine. Weve seen his face melt from Force lightning before, so its possible he can make himself a little more demonic. But what if instead, its describing the Son of Mortis?

Redditor u/Urdur made an interesting connection between the Rise of Skywalker ratings leak and a lesser-known Star Wars character from the Clone Wars animated series. And its not the first time the topic of Mortis has come up in regards to the plot of Episode IX.

Its worth noting that the Son died during The Clone Wars, which takes place during the prequels, but considering he lived in Mortis, an ethereal realm that exists at the nexus of the Force (you read that right), anything seems possible. He could appear as a vision, or he could simply get recycled by J.J. Abrams into one of Palpatines spooky acolytes.

During The Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka Tano are drawn into Mortis where they encounter the Father, Son, and Daughter. These three beings represent balance, destruction, and peace, respectively. The Son is capable of transforming into a monstrous Gargoyle thats similar in design to Draculas humanoid bat form. It definitely counts as fanged and demonic. (The Daughter also transforms into a slightly less terrifying winged beast.)

From what we know of various Rise of Skywalker leaks and rumors, this might not be the only Mortis reference.

Some kind of dagger with ancient writing on it has been rumored to play a key role in The Rise of Skywalker ever since it was spotted in an early trailer. Plenty of fans assume this is the [Dagger of Mortis]((https://www.inverse.com/article/61406-star-wars-9-new-footage-spoilers-trailer-dagger-of-mortis-rey-steals-from-kylo-ren), a mystical relic capable of killing immortal beings. The current location of the dagger is unknown, but if located, it could theoretically kill Palpatine should he achieve immortality.

The final Rise of Skywalker trailer confirmed the daggers importance, and a December TV spot revealed it could serve as a sort of map to some other key location. The going theory is that C-3PO can translate some writing on the dagger, but only if the droidsmith Babu Frik gives him a factory reset, the droid equivalent of death. The writing should, in theory, lead Rey to Palpatine for the final confrontation.

More recent leaks, coupled with those ratings, describe an arena of sinister enemies. So wherever Rey confronts Palpatine, shell be surrounded by Sith acolytes standing on the sidelines. Could the Son of Mortis somehow be among them? Or some other being capable of transforming into a fanged monster?

One things for sure: The Rise of Skywalker sounds scary as heck.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will be released December 20, 2019.

Excerpt from:

'Star Wars 9' theory: Son of Mortis may be confirmed by ratings leak - Inverse

The walls of the small 10-by-12 foot office are filled with drawings. On the left wall hangs 16 framed concert posters symmetrically from top to bottom. A whiteboard sits behind the door with Draft. Draft. Draft. Draft. Draft. scrawled across it in blue marker.

Under the only window in this office is a small framed degree that says Brigham Young University-Idaho: Cory Kerr. Dressed in a blue button-up shirt and bright pink tie, Kerr sat in his office chair and talked about illustration.

Im trying to create something that will outlast me, said Kerr, a communication professor at BYU-Idaho. Im trying to create something that will be around long after Ive died and Im gone because I find that type of immortality fascinating.

Kerr found his creativity at a young age. He spent every free second drawing something new.

I feel really strongly that if people are not creating that they are not living up to their potential, Kerr said.

As time went on, his excitement slowly turned to fear. He spent so much time trying to draw something perfect that he became unpleased with his creations.

He needed a break.

Kerr found different creative outlets as he furthered his education at BYU-Idaho. As a communication student, he worked with graphic design, photography and different types of illustration.

He worked as a lab assistant in the Visual Media Lab and a teaching assistant. When he graduated with his bachelors degree in 2004, he went from intern to vice president of production at Gibby Media Group.

I wrote scripts, conducted on-air interviews, shot, edited, animated, rendered and mastered video projects for a variety of clients, Kerr said.

He finished his education with a masters degree from Savannah College of Art and Design. In 2014, he came full circle and made his way back to BYU-Idaho as a professor in the Communication Department.

According to Kerr, he finds joy in watching his students succeed.

I really really like Brother Kerr as a teacher and as a mentor, said Kaitlin McKenna, a BYU-I alumna.

McKenna considered Kerr to be a faculty mentor and took his classes throughout her time at BYU-I.

Ive gotten so used to how he critiques and realized how valuable it is, McKenna said. Weve been sitting here (in his office) since nine this morning just sitting with him because hes so insightful. And he is so good at what he does. And hes so willing to help you learn.

At the age of 32, Kerr decided to start drawing again. He spent 60 weeks creating his own comic. He taught himself how to work with thumbnails, pencils and inks to color. This process was slow, but his 60-page comic about a boy who wakes up as a giant cockroach was exactly what he wanted.

It was the first time in years that I felt fulfillment and satisfaction, and so there was something in that, Kerr said.

His passion reignited.

Kerr created a YouTube channel called Illo Talk and a website called Cory Kerr Art. His website displays his illustrations along with different videos and links to a shop where people can buy his art. Kerrs YouTube channel allows him to teach others, and himself, about art. According to Kerr, it gives his viewers a raw look at what its like inside his mind. Today, Illo Talk has over 2,000 subscribers.

The best way to learn anything is to do a project, Kerr said.

One project he worked on was a 100 Days of Animation challenge. Everyday for 100 days, Kerr spent 30 minutes on a short film and posted a video to his YouTube channel.

Each video explained how he learned to animate things like insects walking, butterfly wings and dandelion petals. His goal was to release the short film at the end of the 100 days.

If you dont choose to carve out time to make things, then you wont, Kerr said. Itll be haphazard, youll be waiting for the inspiration.

Kerr created an art studio where he makes all his projects happen. Original black and white illustrations drape along the wall. Between two desks hangs two shelves full of comic books hes collected and created over time. One series took 12 years to complete.

He explained that drawing takes time and patience.

If youre writing, you can say that there were 400 people in the crowd. When youre drawing, you have to draw 400 people.

In total, Kerr has over 400 videos.

I think all of human connection is based on storytelling, and I have a deep-seated desire for people to connect with each other more than they are, Kerr said.

Whether it be through drawing, animating, teaching lessons, making comic books and making childrens books, Kerr continues to tell his story through illustration.

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Making animations, sketching comics and teaching illustration - BYU-I Scroll

Marvelhas teased the appearance of a significant new member of one of the Marvel Universe's cosmic pantheons, the Elders of the Universe,in Dan Slott and Sean Izaakse'sFantastic Four #20.

The issue's main story will see the villain Mole Man and a giant kaiju targeting longtime Fantastic Four ally Wyatt Wingfoot. However, only the Human Torch and his "soulmate" Sky, a superhero from an alien world, are around to aid him. The solicitationtextalso touts the appearance of the brand-new Elder and asks, "Who are they, and how will they change the FFs life... forever?"

RELATED: The Fantastic Four's Most Powerful (and Evil) Member Just Took a New Form

The Elders of the Universe are a group of the sole survivors of alien races that otherwise went extinct billions of years ago, all of whom achieved immortality by fixating obsessively on a personal pursuit like gathering knowledge, collecting artifacts and living beings, travel and even plants. Elders who have played key roles in the history of the Marvel Universe include the Collector, the Champion, the Grandmaster and Ego the Living Planet. The Collectorwas the first of these beings to appear, debuting in 1966 with Avengers #28, although the Elders of the Universe were not introduced as a group until Avengers #174 in 1978.

The solicitation text and cover art forFantastic Four #20 are below:

Fantastic Four #20, by Dan Slott and Sean Izaakse, goes on sale in March 2020 from Marvel Comics.

KEEP READING: Annihilation: Scourge Proves Why Reed Richards Is Marvel's Dumbest Genius

Ms. Marvel's Greatest Enemy May Be... Her Own Costume?!

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Marvel Introduces a New Elder of the Universe in Fantastic Four #20 - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Veteran TV producer and director Ken Ehrlich began his career with the Grammy Awards telecast in 1980, and in four decades presiding over the broadcast has become perhaps best known for mashup live performances featuring musicians from often wildly disparate genres and generations. Think Elton John and Eminem in 2001, classical pianist Lang Lang with heavy metal group Metallica in 2014 or Paul McCartney, Kanye West and Rihanna in 2015.

The 62nd Grammy Awards on Jan. 26 will be his final night at the helm, after which Ben Winston, executive producer of The Late Late Show With James Corden, will take over.

I dont know what my legacy is going to be with this show, Ehrlich said. I dont know if next year Ill be forgotten. I dont care. These have been 40 of the most amazing years of my life.

We invited Ehrlich, 76, to share in his own words the watershed moments from his long tenure of bringing the awards show to viewers around the world.

MOST NERVE-RACKINGJustin Timberlake, Al Green, Boyz II Men and Keith Urban, Lets Stay Together (2009)This was the day Chris Brown and Rihanna bailed on the show during dress rehearsal. First we heard that he wasnt coming and had no clue what happened. I said to myself, Ill just let the show breathe a little more, make up three minutes here or there; Ill be OK. Then 15 minutes later, I got a call that she wasnt coming. Someone finally came in and said they were out last night, somebody hit somebody, theyre not going to be here today. Now Ive got nine, 9 minutes to fill.

I was sitting next to [Timberlakes manager] Johnny Wright. I said, What am I going to do? He said, I think theres something we can do with Justin. We walked back to Justins dressing room and told him we had a problem. Justin, with more presence of mind than I had at that moment, said, Lets look at who else is on the show and zeroed in on Al Greens name. He said, I just did Lets Stay Together with him in Memphis why dont we see if hell do that with me? We also had Boyz II Men on the show, and I thought we could use them. We walked past Keith Urban in the hallway and asked him, Would you put a solo in Lets Stay Together? He said You must be [messing] with me. We wound up with a great number with Al and Justin, plus Boyz II Men and Keith Urban in the bargain.

MOST TALKED-ABOUTAretha Franklin singing Nessun Dorma, subbing for ailing tenor Luciano Pavarotti (1998)It was 8:10, so wed already been on the air for 10 minutes, and Ron [Basile, one of the shows producers] came to me with a little note that said, Mr. Pavarotti wants you to call him. Hes at home in his apartment. I called and he said, Mr. Ehrlich, I am sick, I cannot sing tonight, I will come sing next year. After I said, I hope you feel better, I thought, What am I gonna do? Theres a 35- to 40-piece orchestra and 30 singers ready to play Nessun Dorma.

Then I remembered Aretha had sung it at the MusiCares dinner two nights before for him. She was going to be on the show to do a number related to the Blues Brothers 2000' movie. I ran upstairs to her dressing room [at Radio City Music Hall] and I took [producer-engineer] Phil Ramone with me. He had basically done MusiCares that year. We walked in, she was sitting there eating chicken, and I just laid it out to her: How would you like to sing Nessun Dorma in front of the world? She looked at me like, Ill do it, but then said, I need to rehearse it. One of us had a cassette of the afternoon rehearsal that was in the days of boom boxes. We played it for her, and she said, This is three keys higher than I sing it. Well, there was no way we could get it transposed for the orchestra and the singers in an hour. So she said, I can do it. I walked her down and stood offstage with her. It was the first time shed seen the setup with the orchestra and singers. She took my hand and squeezed it and said, This is going to be fun. Neither of us ever forgot it. After that, she put it into her concerts, and it became one of her signature pieces.

MOST CHAOTICThe show after Whitney Houston died (2012)We heard about it around 3 p.m. on Saturday, the day before the show. Todd [Smith, a.k.a. LL Cool J, the shows host that year] was there with us. I wasnt thinking in terms of his monologue at that moment. I was thinking we needed to do something, onstage, and I knew the answer was to get Jennifer Hudson to do one verse and one chorus of I Will Always Love You, with the barest accompaniment. We brought her in and cleared the house, just her and [house band member] Greg Phillinganes on piano. She couldnt get through it in the morning when she came in, but she got it on the show. Then it was all about Todd. He said, We need to start the show off with a prayer. David [Wild, the shows scriptwriter] and I looked at each other. But we are not the spiritual beings that Todd is. He came in the next morning with this prayer, we rehearsed it, put it on, and it was the most appropriate thing in the world.

MOST UNDERAPPRECIATEDB.B. King, Buddy Guy, Keith Urban and John Mayer salute to Bo Diddley (2009)Bo Diddley was shredding before it was called shredding. This segment was sandwiched in between a couple of other things that had more Pow!, but this was about musicality. If you can find it on YouTube, you can see the way it was shot: We spent [camera] time looking at the guys who werent playing to appreciate the guy who was playing. Its as much about humility and generosity as anything else.

MOST MIND-BOGGLINGLY COMPLICATEDOpening number (2005)We opened the show with five Grammy performers stationed all over Staples Center: Gwen Stefani and Eve, Maroon 5, Black Eyed Peas and Los Lonely Boys. Ive always loved the finale scene from the movie Fame, where all the different departments come together and perform I Sing the Body Electric. And I had always tried to find a way to steal it for the show. The closest I came was that year. We had done three acts, and even four acts in the same number, but this one had the most people coming on- and offstage. Rehearsing it was almost impossible it was like herding cats: This ones here, that ones there. But it was fun to do.

WILDEST SURPRISEAdele Fastlove restart during George Michael salute (2017)Adele restarting her George Michael tribute because she was out of key I sure didnt expect her to stop and call out, Hey, Ken, Im sorry, I need to start this over. Obviously, she didnt hit the key at the beginning. I think it was because she didnt get the bell note. Its a number she starts a cappella. So she stopped, God bless her. She had a choice she could have gone on and gotten creamed by people who knew. But she stopped and said, Let me start over. She loved George Michael. Thats the reason I got her to do it.

MOST FUBARSly Stone tribute with Joss Stone, John Legend, Van Hunt, Maroon 5, Ciara, Aerosmiths Steven Tyler and Joe Perry (2006)I got hosed by Slys manager. It wasnt obvious in the beginning, but it became clear that he hadnt told me that Sly didnt really want to do this. He was a mess. He rode his motorcycle to Staples. He still had his motorcycle suit on when he performed he got off the bike, came onstage, did the number, then got back on the motorcycle and left.

MOST MEANINGFULSame Love with Macklemore and Lewis, Queen Latifah, Madonna and Trombone Shorty (2014)We had 28 couples of all sexual preferences who got married onstage. I had heard from my gay daughter that couples were getting engaged at Macklemore shows, so I will always be grateful to her for telling me about that. The number was wonderful and it made a difference in the culture. It made a bold statement.

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Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich on 40 years of chaos, flubs and impromptu immortality - Los Angeles Times

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is fast approaching, and the sheer number of TV spots being released by Disney and LucasFilm is becoming slightly overwhelming. While we still have little idea of what's going to actually happen in Episode 9 the final instalment in the Skywalker saga there are numerous clues that fans have picked up on. One of them concerns a certain dagger.

At around the 13-second point in the above footage, Rey can be spotted holding up a blade, affectionately known as the "Sith Dagger" by fans. We've actually seen this before in a Rise of Skywalker trailer, though only those who analysed every frame would have actually picked up on the weapon being present. In the final trailer, when Rey and Kylo smash a statue of a Darth Vader-looking person, the dagger can be seen in Rey's left hand.

So, why all the fuss about a dagger? Well, turns out Star Wars fans may have seen the weapon before. In the Clone Wars animated series, the Dagger of Mortis is introduced. The item was used by a character known as the Father, a powerful Force user, as a means to control his own children and make them immortal. In the series, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker come to fight the Father's own son, and it all ends with the Father being killed by the dagger, thus ending his children's immortality. The blade, as well as the planet it's housed on, Mortis, then disappeared.

Could the powerful dagger have been found again? Perhaps by the Knights of Ren, for Kylo's use? Or by Palpatine, to grant himself immortality? Then how would it have ended up with Rey? Unless this is all part of Palpatine's evil plan, nine movies in the making? Maybe that's not even the same dagger and we're clutching at straws? Perhaps there's more than one mystical dagger in the galaxy far, far away? Maybe Rey will kill Palpatine once and for all with the dagger?

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker director J.J. Abrams recently hinted that we'll see new uses for the Force in the upcoming movie. It was really important that we not just redo the things youve seen, but add new elementswhich we knew will infuriate some people and thrill others," he told Vanity Fair. Could Abrams be alluding to one of the characters using the dagger? Becoming immortal? So. Many. Questions. Luckily, we don't have too long to wait, as Rise of Skywalker reaches UK cinemas 19 December and Us theatres 20 December.

For more on Star Wars, check out our deep-dive into theStar Wars timelineand our article onhow to watch the Star Wars movies in order including seven different ways!

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New Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker TV spot teases what fans have dubbed the "Sith Dagger" - GamesRadar+

Maiken Nedergaard considers herself a pragmatic woman. Shes got kids, a career, and she knows she feels better after a solid night of shut-eye. Shes also a neuroscientist at the forefront of research showing the biological value of sleep. In studies she coauthored in 2013 and 2019, she documented how during sleep, fluid washes over our brains, clearing out toxins like beta amyloid, which is linked to neurodegenerative diseases.

Suddenly sleep became a tonic: an Alzheimers wonder drug available, for free, every evening. For Nedergaard, the results made her anxious about her own bedtime priorities. Now, she says, I take sleep very seriously.

For the rest of us, who dont have labs full of equipment to study the inner workings of the brain, theres a growing suite of gadgets offering the illusion of science: nightly reports full of numbers and charts purporting to show just how well were performing while conked out. Fitbit kicked off this trend when it released the first tracker in 2009.

Little more than a glorified pedometer at the time, the Fitbit couldnt monitor your heart rate, pay for anything, or even tell you the time. (It even shorted a WIRED reviewers run by 0.6 mile: Not cool!) But it did include a sleep tracker that measured the duration and quality of your slumber, producing a sleep efficiency score. Since then, obsession with sleep optimization has only grown. The global sleep-tracking market topped $1 billion in 2016. Its expected to increase by another 18 percent by 2024.

Sleep, once no more glamorous than taking a shower, is now perched at the pinnacle of the well-being-as-a-lifestyle trend. The irony is that by agonizing over sleep, its also turning into a source of anxietythe kind of thing that keeps people up at night. Fears over bad sleep are getting the TED treatment and topping best-seller lists.

In his semi-pop-science distillation of research, Why We Sleep, UC Berkeley psychologist Matthew Walker warns that sleep loss is an epidemic that could have dire consequences. Our chronically overtired brains make our bodies more susceptible to diabetes, cancer, and other diseases, he argued. Getting a good 40 winks, on the other hand, would improve memory and mood, and even make us feel and look younger. Sleep is a nonnegotiable biological necessity, Walker proclaimed in his 2019 TED talk. It is your life support system. And it is Mother Natures best attempt at immortality.

Who among us would scoff at immortality?

And so weve slipped Oura rings onto fingers and wrapped Fitbits and Apple Watches around wrists. Beneath sheets and mattresses weve concealed Beddits and Emfits, sensors that promise to monitor heart rates and sleep cycles from their discreet hiding places. We track our REM and non-REM cycles, scrutinizing the length, quality, and depth of our rest on Reddit forums like r/sleep and r/Biohackers, where users write about the benefits of cold showers and question the need for pillows.

All this measuring, rating, tracking, and comparing now amounts to a new sleep disorder that some scientists are calling orthosomnia. A coinage of Greek origin that merges "straight" or "correct" with "sleep," orthosomnia is a condition where anxiety over proper sleep metrics actually induces insomnia.

The patients' inferred correlation between sleep tracker data and daytime fatigue may become a perfectionistic quest, wrote the researchers from Northwestern and Rush universities who came up with the term after observing three cases of people who relied more on their sleep-tracking data than on the advice of experts. In one case, a 27-year-old woman insisted she wasnt getting enough deep sleep and underwent a full examination in the lab. The test concluded she slept normally, but she remained unconvinced. Then why does my Fitbit say I am sleeping poorly? she asked.

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Stop Obsessing Over SleepYour Brain Will Thank You - WIRED

2019 hasnt been the best year at the movies for Amazon Studios. Their big, splashy Sundance acquisitions the Mindy Kaling vehicle Late Night, Scott Z. Burns The Report, and Brittany Runs a Marathon all flopped in one way or another, so much so that the distributor is shortening the theatrical windows for their titles from now on. One of these casualties is Bert and Berties Troop Zero, which we saw back at Sundance and didnt care much for, but figured it would see a big ol theatrical release given how broadly it appealed to audiences. Sadly, thats not really the case anymore, and Amazon has largely been pretty silent about its release prospects in the intervening months. That changed on Thursday when the distributor finally dropped a trailer for the movie. Your mileage may vary, but a whole lot of you might find it cute.

Take a look:

So, yeah. Youre either going to be with that or not, despite having a cast with the likes of Viola Davis and Allison Janney in it.

But here is what we think will be this movies defining legacy: The fact that it has the single longest synopsis from a distributor that weve ever seen in a press release. Just look at this thing, its massive!

In a tiny Georgia town in 1977, a motherless girl dreams of life beyond the confines of her trailer-park home in Troop Zero. When her quest for connection leads her to reach for the stars in a competition to be included on NASAs landmark Golden Record, it becomes clear she will have to depend on some new friends to take her the last mile.

Every night, Christmas Flint (Mckenna Grace) sits under a starry sky with a flashlight, signaling to extraterrestrial visitors that never arrive. Sensitive, imaginative and deeply lonely, Christmas and her equally eccentric best friend Joseph are the ultimate misfits in their rural hometown of Wiggly, Georgia. When Christmas learns that the winners of the annual Birdie Scout Jamboree talent contest will be included on a recording to be sent into space for posterity, her mission in life becomes to join the Scouts and win Jamboree.

When she is blackballed by the snobbish local Birdie Scout troop and their uptight leader Miss Massey (Allison Janney), Christmas rallies a group of elementary-school outliers to start their own chapter. With grudging help from her dads irascible office manager, Miss Rayleen (Viola Davis), Christmas and her crew have to bypass every roadblock Miss Massey can find in the fine print of the Birdie bylaws in order to reach the Jamboree and their chance at immortality.

From Christmas solitary late-night vigils to a final show-stopping musical performance, Troop Zero is an endearing and magical tale set against a backdrop of beloved hits of the 70s, as Christmas forges friendships that will change her life and help her find a real family.

Jesus Christ, right? Thats practically a fucking novel!

Troop Zero hits Prime Video on January 17.

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Prepare to die from cuteness over this 'Troop Zero' trailer - Vanyaland

In 1997, The Onion published the article, World Death Rate Holding Steady at 100 Percent.

While immortality is a quest for lots of fictional characters like Voldemort and the Cullens from Twilight and a few Silicon Valley eliteslike Jeff Bezos, that headline from The Onion still holds true more than two decades later.

Duh. Everybody dies.

But a lingering taboo around death in the U.S. makes it hard to talk about. People in and around the funeral industry are hoping to change that.

Talking about sex is not going to get you pregnant, and talking about death is not going to kill you, said Darren Crouch, founder and president of Passages International Inc.

Not only are we not talking about death, were also trying not to think about it. Only 1 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds plan their own funeral before experiencing the death of a loved one. That number jumps to nearly 20 percent following the death of a loved one, according to CJP Field.

The Green Burial Councils Holly Chan, 24, thinks its time for everyone to start talking about and planning for the inevitable.

At the end of October, shes hosting a talk called Death over Dim Sum at the Reimagine End of Life festival in San Francisco thats bringing together end-of-life experts and Asian Americans of all ages.

Age doesnt really change how much contact you have with death, she said. We could die at any time.

Family members arent any better off not having discussed the wishes of a deceased loved one, she said. Instead, theyre often left with uncertainty and an expensive funeral.

I think this conversation is relevant at any time, she said, adding that its OK to change your idea of what your funeral might look like as your life changes.

Caitlin Doughty runs the YouTube account Ask A Mortician, which has more than 900,000 subscribers. She vlogs about topics like budget-friendly funeral options, new types of caskets and scams within the funeral industry. She also talks about death positivity.

Do not beat yourself up over where you are in your journey to accept death, Doughty said in a video called 7 Habits of Highly Effective Death Positive People.

Yeah, theres a lot about death that sucks, she continued. Its OK to feel bad about death.

But death is a journey that isnt going away. Its time to get comfy with it, she says.

Death doulas are trying to spread the same message by posting about their work on Instagram.

A doula is traditionally someone trained to support and comfort pregnant people and their partners during the pregnancy and birth process. Now, the same idea is being used in end-of-life care.

Chan has found comfort in the growing number of people on Instagram talking about the job of a death doula. She hopes it will bring more attention to the topic of death and dying and spark conversation.

Social media is already shifting some long-held taboos around death, said intergenerational expertHenry RoseLee.

Social media has removed many taboos about what can be seen, shared and discussed, she said.

Younger generations are trying to confront topics that have been impolite to talk about in the past.

Millennials dont want to die any more than any other generation, Lee said. Theyre just embracing the need to discuss quite tough subjects, like death.

[ICYMI: We Asked a Mortician About the Death-Positive Movement, and This is What She Said]

As more people talk about death, more people are moving away from the traditional funeral the kind with a funeral home, casket and everyone standing around in black.

In the same way people are personalizing their wedding ceremonies more and more, people are wanting the same for their funerals, Lee said.

I have even talked to some millennials who are planning a band or performers of some kind, she said. Many see the funeral as a chance to celebrate.

Chan has heard people planning on an end of life celebration before they die, withfirework displays, motorcycles and games.

Lee points out that all this can be done in addition to any traditions, religious or otherwise, you want to include.

Religion does still have an impact on decisions about funerals and death, she said.

However, nearly four in 10 adults ages 18 to 29 are religiously unaffiliated. And they are four times more likely as those a generation ago to identify that way, according to a study by the Public Religion Research Institute.

Due to that shift, it is likely that, in the decades to come, millennials may move away from some of the older traditions, Lee said. Time will tell.

One of the biggest movements in the funeral industry is green funerals, including more environmentally friendly burial options.

In 2018, nearly 54 percent of Americans were considering a green burial, according to a survey released by the National Funeral Directors Association.

Green burial is for everybody, said Lee Webster of the Green Burial Council.

Traditional burial methods like being embalmed and buried in a metal casket take a toll on the environment. Green burial uses biodegradable plain wooden caskets, shrouds, tree pods or coral reefs.And the options are expanding.

One family Crouch talked to put a family members remains in a biodegradable turtle-shaped urn. They dropped the urn into the sea. A real-life turtle swam up next to it, he said.

Its very, very powerful, he said. That family is never going to forget that service.

Though millennials are carrying on the push for greener funerals, boomers actually originated the idea. They were concerned about the land, what we were putting in it and how to conserve it, Webster said. It wasnt a climate change issue then but now it is.

People are living greener and it would be an obvious extension that they may expect to die greener, Crouch said. The problem is the industry has been very slow to change.

But millennials are normalizing the conversation around green burials, and then everybody follows, Webstersaid.

The gap between what people want and what funeral homes currently offer means a persons funeral might not line up with how they lived their life.

The industry is so used to doing the cookie-cutter funeral, Crouch said. Even though they may have driven a hybrid vehicle, maybe they were avid gardeners, maybe they were environmentalists, its not uncommon for that person to be embalmed and buried in a metal casket.

Webster literally wrote the textbook on potential solutions to this problem. Now mortuary school students are learning about environmentally friendly burials.

Its in the best interest of funeral homes to start adapting to what people want, Crouch said.As more and more options become available, think about how youd want to be celebrated and buried.

Washington just became the first state to allow human composting as a burial method. Who knows what could be next.

There are a lot of unique things on the horizon, Crouch said. Some of them may or may not be practical.

But, he said, the modern funeral director should listen to what was important to the person in life and present the family with all their options not just whats been done in the past.

Heather Morrison is a freelance reporter based in Los Angeles. She reports on religion and disability rights. Follow her onFacebook,TwitterandInstagramfor photos of her dog.

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Millennials Arent Killing the Funeral Industry But It is Changing - Rewire.org

The year 2019 had its ups and downs: TikTok went viral worldwide, Miley and Liam broke up, Meghan and Harry welcomed baby Archie. But nothing captures the zeitgeist of 2019 quite like what we listened to across the world.

In case you haven't heard, music streaming service Spotify does annual roundups of the most-streamed artists, songs and albums of the year, plus personalized roundups showing who you've been loving in 2019.

But Spotify's also lumped in a bonus this time around. This year's roundup happens to be on the eve of the roaring twenties, which means that you also get to see who's topped the Spotify charts for this decade.

Spotify has over 248 million active users monthly across 79 countries according to its investor relations website, making this a pretty good picture of what the world listens to. Here's what Spotify's data shows:

Post Malone, a man of Beerbongs, Bentleys and now, Spotify immortality, tops this list for the first time. This comes just 12 weeks after the release of his third album, "Hollywood's Bleeding". Honorable mentions go to breakout star Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande, who came second and third respectively after the success of their albums "WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?" and "thank u, next."

Let's all think about the fact that Billie Eilish is 17 years old and has two Grammy nominations and a RIAA-certified 2x Platinum album to her name. To add to her list of accolades, "WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?" also took the title for the top-streamed album of 2019.

Congratulations to Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello for taking over the radio (and our hearts) with their steamy collaboration "Seorita." The song has over one billion (yes, with a b) streams on Spotify, meaning that literally one-seventh of the world has listened to it.

Billie Eilish and Post Malone take second and third spots with "bad guy" and Swae Lee collab "Sunflower" respectively.

Lil Nas X, Lizzo and Lunay share this award this year for storming the scenes with their work on "Old Town Road," "Juice" and "pico" respectively.

The genre for the year was comedy, and the three most-streamed podcasts were "The Joe Budden Podcast with Rory & Mal," "My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark," and "Gemischtes Hack."

We apologize in advance for getting these songs stuck in your head all over again.

Open up your Spotify app, hit the home button, and it should be at the top of your screen! If you're on your computer, go to this link to find your personalized Spotify Wrapped list when you hit the "2019 Wrapped" image.

View Photo Gallery Getty All the Can't Miss Moments from the 2019 American Music Awards

Originally posted here:

Who Was the Most Streamed Artist on Spotify in 2019? - TooFab