Saturday, July 28, 2018

Saturday Musings - A Trade to BrewerTown, "Wedding" Bell Echos and a Kradam Pining?


via GIPHY

Well, this author had a big ol' honkin' post drafted on the stunt and "melodrama" leading up to this year's San Diego Comic Con in the J2 fandom, but we'll table it for awhile.  Instead, we've got a farmers market basket full of "produce" we want to drop on the table.  Let's get started.

 •An update on one of Narnia's OTP's.
As we have mentioned in our post on Moose and Hos with a follow-up duo of posts on the free agency period which took Eric to the San Diego Padres, yet we did not have full closure on Mike Moustakas. He signed with his old team, the Kansas City Royals, in a deal which kept him in a familiar clubhouse, but never really felt like a permanent fix.  Sure enough, overnight, Moose was traded by the Royals to the Milwaukee Brewers, where he will join former teammate, Lorenzo Cain.  The Brewers are still very much in the playoff race, only 1 1/2 games out of first place behind the Cubs.   Narnia wishes Mike all of the best in his tenure with the Brewers and this is best because now he will be able to see Hos whenever the Padres play the Brewers, as both teams are in the National League.


 Narnia would like to share a picture that Eric posted on his Instagram recently.  Dated May 26 of this year, during a season where Hos has mostly struggled on the field, the picture is a happy one. He's having an uncharacteristic year thus far and since he did sign a large contract, it opens him up to verbal criticism on social media.  But here he is with Moose's family.  That is Mike's father on the far left and two of his sisters, along with the husband of one of the sisters and their daughter.
A post shared by Eric Hosmer (@hosmer305) on

We know that Hos will turn it around and also wish Moose all the best with the Brewers! Narnia will continue to check in with our MLB fave twosome since we believe this is a story which hasn't ended despite free agency, trades and "super" agents.

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And Jared and Jensen? We'll make this one short and brief because that's all that is necessary.  While some fans believe the Padalecki beard's Instagrams are about promoting herself and her position as Jared's "wife", one really needs to question why "Mommy and Mom" are such a prevalent, relentless theme.  


http://spn-j2-blog.tumblr.com/post/176286844863
 

We've got some weaknesses in this crafted video.

• We have Genevieve entering a bedroom and the video breaks. Then we have a glimpse of blue sleeve, but otherwise Tom Padalecki acting as though waking up is the main gist of the whole sequence.
• We have a small pair of hands writing "Mo -", a word which is then cut off. We don't know whose hands those are, do we? Were they even Tom's hands?

Here's another set of videos with a glaring weakness.


http://lipglosskaz.tumblr.com/post/176329291317/jensen-jared-misha-gen-ruth-rob-at-sdcc
 

• For quick observers, one might not even notice that the fourth Hollywood Square isn't even a video.  It's a still. Someone let me know if you have the actual video of that last "HW" square. ;-)

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In the category of,



I saw these two tweets on my timeline last night and they scrolled almost back to back and found them (together) to be kind of, well, worthy of a definite second glance.  As some may know, Kristopher Allen is currently touring with the American Idol finalists.  And looks like on Thursday night, he was in San Diego.  To make matters even more torturous, here he is singing his unique and popular cover of "Falling Slowly".


  

The next evening, in a very deja vu Kradam kind of way, Adam Lambert tweeted this:



"Such a PRETTY song".

About a single called "I Think My Husband Lives in San Diego" and one that has been around since.......February. In other words, it's not newly released and being highlighted as such.

I'M JUST SAYIN'.


And yes, Adam, it is a beautiful song.


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 Remember these pictures?  Jake and London chef, Katja Tausig.

















You know, M&M happened to mention the above photo op in a comment on the previous post:

"Funny how he was in England for months when he filmed the movie "Life" in the summer of 2016, yet didn't see him anywhere, except for an awkward series of photos with him and a British chef, Katja Tausig, which hit the Daily Mail (that well-known bastion of truth) in October 2016, AFTER he had already returned to America." - August 26, 2018

So in another case of funny-weird, a blurb about Jake ('out and about' in ol' Londontown again) appeared on Twitter yesterday, referring to this sighting:


 

Here's the scoop:

Actor Jake Gyllenhaal made a low-key visit to Lyle's, the restaurant from James Lowe and John Ogier found in Shoreditch's Tea Building this week.  The star of Donnie Darko and Brokeback Mountain was there on Wednesday evening. - Aug 27, 2018.  



Not sure if I can picture Jakers in this "agile-eating environment" type dining setting, can you?  Those who have followed Jake these last oh, say 6 years, can you picture him in one of these middle tables?


I don't know...awfully light.  Awfully open.  Tables awfully close together.  And no brick walls? lol.

Just an interesting aside:  was the Shoes' video, Time to Dance, in which Jake "starred", supposed to be taking place in Shoreditch?  


 

We'll see if Mgmnt tries to resurrect Ms. Tausig in Jake's "canoodling" life.  ;-)

Meanwhile, the hubs Austin was busy taking pen to pad and conjuring up a Just Jared robot for his twitter search, addressing Andrew Lincoln, a Walking Dead actor whom we did know that Austin man crushed on quite obviously and who could ever forget Andrew noticing how devilishly handsome  he was in turn?


http://dixonscarol.tumblr.com/post/133878490827/andrew-lincoln-in-heads-up-making-of
 

"He is a six foot hunk.  He's unbearably good looking.  And he's ridiculously fit."

Austin wrote a long-a** letter about his man-crush:


 

In the midst of Austin's worshipping, Narnia did notice this line:

"Andy became the example that I have since tried to model myself after. As a man. As an actor. As a friend. And hopefully, someday soon, as a husband and father."

While these two life changes of Austin becoming a husband and father would be legally and petri-dish-wise impossible because they've already made their way into his personal history, we do think it merits a take-notice.  Is Austin planting a seed with that sentence?  One of those "oh, by the way guess what happened already"  Just Jared headline splashes?   

"I do, We did" kind of announcement? Eventually, even the George Clooney's of Hollywood are showing they feel the need to put the Hetero and Happily Ever After image on their instagrams. And since Jake doesn't show any signs of wanting to take that road, Austin has shown he is willing to take the extra mile of pretense.  We'll see.

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And speaking of "I do, we did", guess who got 'married'?  



"By the time you read this, she and her partner, singer-songwriter Phil Elverum, whom she met through a mutual friend, will have been married in a secret ceremony in the Adirondacks, witnessed by only a handful of friends and their two daughters." - Vanity Fair

                                        via Just Jared

This will be an interesting story to watch.  All Narnia will say at this point is, at least the "wedding" didn't take place in a barn or gymnasium. ;-)

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And as we leave the post, let's end with a few lovely Kris and Adam moments, how about it?

                                                              "no, you are, no, YOU are, no You are..."





Awwwww!!  I LOVE them!

pic sources:  AV club, gfycat, Press Reader, ONTD, SavlaFaire,
                     Yelp, photobucket
our playlist:  I Think My Husband Lives in San Diego - 
                        Dan Graydon
                     Mona Lisa - Nat King Cole
                     Wait For Me - Taylor Dayne
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Sunday, July 22, 2018

Killin' Time - Jake Gyllenhaal Takes the Debit Card For a Walk in London




Fresh Prince Room GIF from Freshprince GIFs

As Narnia has been following in its post Spiderman's Far From Home Daily Update - For Jake Gyllenhaal Fans Only, there has not been an official confirmation of  Jake playing the role of Mysterio in the new Spidey flick, even though the production has been filming since early July.  So it makes sense that while Jake awaits word on when he can come off the bench and join the players on the field, that he kill some time while in London!  And that he has been doing, right? Going out to eat at the River Cafe and bumping into Burt Bacharach, attending the play Fun Home, and dining al fresco with a "member of his team" (even though all we saw was the back of her head), but positively identified by the "trustworthy" source, jakebullshittingovereverybody.  

And so it is, via this very same source that we have our latest "out and about across-the-pond-style" sighting of Jakers.  Let's have a look at our guy whom we've seen more of now breathing outdoor oxygen than we saw in the States since last fall.  ;-)



There he is! While it's not a piggyback ride with Tom Holland like we're anxiously awaiting, we'll take it because we love new pics of our guy.  There he is through the window and looks like he's joined by a belt buckled male of some variety and with his now customary sunglasses-hooked-in-the-T-collar.  Obviously, to prove the man in the photo is really THE Jakers Gyllenhaal. Now we're not sure who the original poster is because that person is not credited (as usual for this account) and so I reckon we just need to take the administrator's word for it.  *wink*

So it was a "quiet day" (ear bud free? Not sure as there is a bit of window glare interference!) and according to the caption, we are told that Jake has "been at places like this and furniture stores".  Why?  Because apparently, "it looks like he is still trying to fill that new apartment he purchased last year".  Hmmm.  The narrator must be talking about that paparazzi proof condo Jake bought last year, the "No no no no no no" condo with the underground garage that he disappeared into when harassed by that fan, who later deleted their account.  Now Narnia has to worry if Jake went home to a sleeping bag that evening! 

 What could Jake have walked out with after shopping at Labour and Wait in London?

 Well, how about a whistle to round up the troops for dinner time? This dandy little mechanism will likely even reach the ears of Big Sis Maggie, the matriarch Grandma Gyllenhaal and nieces:


And how about a welcome mat because I'm sure the Gyllynichols are open to their neighbors and visitors just dropping by, including assorted Spidey cast members and leadership team:



We'll try to keep this store tab under control because well, since Jake isn't confirmed yet for the Mysterio role and Austin turned down his In the Dark series lead role, we don't want to strain a budget based on uncertain income. ;-)

For the pooch that no one has seen while his owner has been out and about in London thus far but surely resides with the fam, Jake needs to make sure "Leo" stays hydrated at least.


Look at that! The vintage housewares shop carries it all, don't they?  A dog bowl with the word "DOG" on it.  That's awesome.

And finally?  For those nights that "Mags" and NanaG feel up to it and will babysit for a few hours so that Jake and Austin can have some London "we" time over some carryout, how about a set of romantic candle tapers? I hope they are scented!


Aawwww.  A home away from home.  ;-)  And we'll let the guys worry about getting items like these and any "furniture" through customs and onto the family barge when they return to the States.

And speaking of the hubs, what about Austin?  Well, the candlit, romantic meal will apparently have to wait because Austin says he's stateside right now.  Yup, we heard from our other OTP half last night:

From another "supportive, in-the-know" account,



 There he is!! Looking dapper as usual and since Austin has been involved with Oceana for awhile now, it doesn't surprise that he would appear to make good on an appearance this time, since last year, Austin bailed on Oceana without so much as an RSVP regret.  But here he was in 2014, coincidentally the same year that Leo DiCaprio attended the Sea Change event:

Austin's tweet was good for a thanks-for-the-support reply from  Oceana's Chief Deputy scientist, Katie Matthews, who actually is presently in Italy:

While we "labour and wait" for further pictures of Austin at the Sea Change event last night, we'll sip some English tea in honor of him and the hubs.



Happy Sunday!

 pic sources:  tumblr, tenor, labour and wait.com
our playlist:  Shop Around - The Miracles
                     Material Girl - Madonna
                     Walk On the Ocean - Toad the Wet Sprocket
                     Drops in the Ocean - Hawk Nelson


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Friday, July 20, 2018

What Makes You Beautiful: Meaning and Narrative


Back on July 9, Harry Styles confessed to a packed house in Sacramento, CA that he fell in love to the song, "What Makes You Beautiful," a relatable tune about the sheer joy of being overwhelmed by that certain someone who turns heads and lights up your world in every way.

 See: Last Night Was Wild: Harry Styles Live at the Golden 1 

Thanks to Savan Kotecha, one of the songwriters of WMYB, we have known for some time that the official version of how the song came about was that the lyrics had been inspired by his wife who he eventually married in 2009, after dating for many years while working in Sweden. To support this attribution, Kotecha went on the record in several interviews to spood-feed the details of the songwriting process, yet somehow ended up providing the least romantic description of how the "inspiration" for the lyrics came about:

"Well we’re eating, but I’m just going to say it anyway, I was literally taking a shit at the Royal Garden hotel in London. My wife was on the other side of the wall and she was having one of those ‘I feel so ugly’ days. I shouted ‘you’re not’ and in my mind I was thinking ‘wow, that’s one of the great things about you is that you don’t know how beautiful you are and that’s what makes you beautiful’."

Taking a shit? That was Kotecha's explanation for the passionate, confessional lyrics of "What's Makes You Beautiful"?  Really? 




How touching of Kotecha to share the graphic details of that "tender" moment with everyone. Of course, one might rationalize his oddly articulated too-much-information recollection by pointing to the fact that he was nearly 33 years old when the song was actually penned. Perhaps a man long grown out of the first bloom of starry-eyed love. Another possibility may be that bowel movements are what actually stirs the imagination of a thirty-something professional songwriter. Particularly, a long-time minion of Simon Cowell. In any event, the Number 2 impulse certainly does give new meaning to the descriptive declaration, "You light up my world like nobody else." 

 Kotecha with One Direction and Cher Lloyd in Los Angeles, January 26, 2011

All snark aside, it is hard to ignore that there is an obvious emotional disconnect from the official version of WMYB's story of origin, and the romantic feelings typically associated with the pristine and tender memories of being overwhelmed by someone. Moreover, taking into account Simon Cowell's vast affinity to dissemble and dissimulate, one has to wonder how much of this background story is true and how much is drivel intentionally designed for public consumption. After all, who was Kotecha constantly exposed to during his X-Factor role as a vocal producer for the show throughout the critical time period of July 2010 to May 2011? That's right. Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles.

Love songs can be animated by many things, but more often than not by that which is new and unsullied by real world considerations. Given the sheer exuberance and joy expressed in the message behind "What Makes You Beautiful" one might ask the question about whether Kotecha had been inspired not so much by the mainstream response of his wife who he had been with for many years before supposedly suddenly penning this can't-get-enough-of-you tune. But, perhaps he was encouraged/captivated by a certain 16 and 18-year old pair of youngsters who couldn't keep their eyes or hands off of one another and who everyone (including Kotecha) saw falling in love in real time on Live TV, beginning in the autumn of 2010?  Louis and Harry were a pretty powerful force of nature, after all. The kind of experience that almost writes itself.





No way did Kotecha miss what was really going on between Louis and Harry,
and this sort of early banter makes you wonder about Kotecha's own preferences as well



In summary, Kotecha had been tasked with writing a debut hit record for a boyband who were already known for two members with a  mutual crush on one another. Two same sex inseparables who stood out as a couple from the very beginning and who collectively named themselves, and were quickly being referred to in the media with the catchy moniker, Larry Stylinson. Theirs was a young love in its fullest bloom, growing stronger with each passing day for all to see. Both youngsters full of passion and joy, not only about their future career prospects, but the romantic dream of sharing a life together. One would have to be blind (or maybe constipated like Kotecha) to miss the immutable force of these two boyfriends who couldn't keep their hands off one another, and who routinely turned heads when they walked through the door." The perfect inspiration for a songwriter tasked with writing One Direction's debut song. 

If only you saw what I can see,

You'll understand why I want you so desperately,










Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe
You don't know you're beautiful


 



Louis and Harry Live Show X-Factor October 16, 2010







 This cuddly twosomeness occurred right before Louis and Harry's April 2011 
ski holiday in Courchevel, France





The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed




Louis and Harry making early connections with each other for all to see - X-Factor, 2010


 

Being the way that you are is enough
If only you saw what I can see
You'll understand why I want you so desperately




And turn away when I look into your eye eye eyes


But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell
You don't know you're beautiful



Inspiration personified, don't you think?

pic sources: Tumblr, X-Factor Tour, Splash
our playlist: A Thousand Years - Christina Perri
                    Love Is All Around - The Troggs
                    I Can't Help Falling in Love with You - UB40
                    Grenade - Bruno Mars
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