Sunday, August 5, 2018

Gobbledygook Google Camp, Smile for Service, Dance for Your Masters



As sure as night follows day and the sun rises in the morning, Sony/Syco continue their tireless campaign to publicly separate one of Narnia's favorite OTPs, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. With Harry Styles wrapping up his very visible and successful World Tour at the Forum on July 14, 2018 in Inglewood, CA, the first step was to conspicuously make sure to shine the spotlight on Louis Tomlinson's whereabouts. While fans were expecting that center stage would now focus on his music, Sony/Syco made sure that their continued sabotage of his career would not be interrupted. After all, what better way to get rid of those pesky Larries than to allow one to rise, while doing everything possible to drag the other one down.

With Harry's tour having ended, Louis was not only suddenly "working" again, after months and months of career silence (suffocation), but Simon Cowell made sure to thrust the knife in deeper by forcing, signing Louis up as a judge on Cowell's once flagship show, X-Factor. Given X-Factor's death spiral, which has been crashing and burning for years, (experiencing its lowest TV ratings ever during its December 2017 finale show) this strategic move was perfectly designed to use Louis' enormous fanbase (including Larries) to try to prop up a lost cause. Since Cowell's contract with ITV ends in 2019, Sony/Syco also gets the added benefit of being able to shift some of the blame onto Louis for another failed year on the show's way out, if this probable final15th season crashes and burns yet again.



Louis  positioned next to Cowell, July 17 - press conference at Somerset House in central London



Generi Alimentari Da Panino Modena, July 25, 2018


And, don't think these two group photos are a random occurrence either. Rather this convenient juxtaposition is just one more way to graphically portray Louis as a guy who has not progressed passed 2010. While placing Harry smack dab in 2018, au courant, free and happy, nearly one-thousand miles away from his man. 


July 25, 2018. An exaggerated smile and a blue bandana tied in a bow




Glum and rigid, July 26, 2018, X-Factor Auditions 

Still, as the hiatus from hell continues on into late summer of 2018, so too does Louis and Harry's resolve and solidarity. Yes, they are in different locations. Yes, they are being marketed as seemingly on different status levels in the entertainment industry, but look how they continue to communicate what is really going on behind the scenes. Louis' message on that t-shirt is loud and clear.  Harry, in fact, is not free at all. He may be dining out in Northern Italy, with "new" friends, seemingly without a care in the world, but never forget that he must smile nicely for the camera in order to be "served" what he really wants.  Being the impressive actor that he is, Harry plays his part well, but notice how he also wears that blue bandana as a reminder of where his heart really lays. Let's just say, Rainbow Bondage Bear would be very proud, indeed. ♪ When I run out of road, you bring me home.

Now, just for fun, let's take a closer look at this whole jet set image of Harry gallivanting around in that sleek, "$350,000" Maserati Gran Turismo Convertible in Sicily. By the way, Modena is almost 1300 miles from Sicily, which is also meant to imply that Harry has all the time in the world. No place to go. No one to be with. Heaven forbid if he ate in a restaurant near Google Camp!  

Ah, but let's return to the topic at hand, shall we? Harry's front seat companion is identified as his mother, in the first photo, while the second pic is with his very public bro pals Ben Winston, James Corden, and Jeff Azoff. All portrayed as snobbishly involved in this year's elitist, ultra exclusive and uber private three-day Google Camp "conference".  Riiiiight. For one thing, with all the photos and the detailed, high profiled stories splashed across social media and the online tabloid press, this event hardly looks secluded or hush-hush. Almost like part of a narrative that Sony/Syco might wish to sell now that Harry is no longer being geographically bound by the scheduled dates/locations of a world tour. In other words, if Harry just disappeared from sight, people might begin to think he's with Louis in London. And, we certainly can't have that happen. Can we?

How do we know that's Anne? Because we are told it is

Another reason to side-eyed this ridiculous narrative is the carefully choreographed passenger list. How convenient that they are all the usual suspects we are used to seeing with Harry, so no need to question the veracity of the tableau, right? Well let's go ahead and question it anyway, just for fun.




First off, where's James Corden's headrest? This particular Maserati model is designed for four, yet somehow Corden doesn't have one. Seems odd, don't you think? In addition, where's his seat belt? We see it in the first photo, but not here. We should see some evidence of that belt on his right shoulder. But, again, nothing is there. Also look how high up Corden is sitting in that back seat in comparison to Azoff.  James Corden is only 5'8" yet somehow he towers over Azoff. It's true, that Jeff is shorter than Harry who is supposed to be 6' foot tall so why isn't James and Jeff sitting in that backseat at the same, or a similar height? Another oddity is that Corden's head should be directly in front of that rear back window. Not positioned behind the window glass. But if that was done, the person who was tasked to populate that car, wouldn't have been able to let us see Harry's front seat passenger, Ben Winston. And, by the way, what happened to Winston's headrest? Once again, we just get a fat head (sorry, not sorry) pasted into the front seat, someone much taller than the rear seat passengers and yet Winston's head slouches well below Corden's. 

I'll stop here because it's already abundantly clear that when experiencing the duplicity of the closet, what the audience is being directed to see always must be questioned. Often used to whip up fandom angst, while pushing an official narrative that benefits management, the "art" of photoshopping is much too pervasive to not look a bit more carefully when being presented with the perfect image. Most importantly, Sony/Syco has been trying much too hard to orchestrate never ending reasons to separate Harry and Louis month after month. Year after year. The ultimate purpose is obvious and has been since the beginning of 1D's hiatus in January 2016. Don't forget that in the latter part of 2015, Harry urged the fandom to "Please, don't forget us." It seemed at the time that he was referring to One Direction as a group. But being the clever man that Mr. Styles is, that plea could have easily been referring to him and Louis as well. 

Now, after two and half years of constant separation, (even concealing Harry from being backstage with Louis at his "Just Hold On" X-Factor performance for Jay in December 2016, I think it is now pretty obvious that those poignant words were, in fact, meant to have that kind of double meaning. After all, what better way to strengthen the hand of Sony than to zap the power of the 1D and Larrie fandom, thereby reducing the choices the group might have after their "hiatus" (contract obligations) is over? The more things change, the more they remain the same. But, in the end, I know who I'm rooting for to still be standing. Because, no matter what, Louis and Harry have taught us that love always wins. And, these guys definitely deserve some sweet happiness.

 Jeff Azoff and Harry Styles


Ben Winston and James Corden




pic sources:  Tumblr, Twitter, Getty Images, Maserati, XFactor
                     
our playlist:  Nobody Can Drag Me Down - One Direction
                      Baby You're A Rich Man - The Beatles

                     I Shall Be Released - Bob Dylan
                     

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