Category Archives: Immortality

When Disney started up their newStar Warscontent, wiping the previous Expanded Universe material from continuity, there was dismay from fans who were furious that this wealth of novels, comics, games, etc., was now relegated to Legends status. As the years have gone by, though, certain concepts, storylines or characters have been carried over from the old canon to the current one. The Clone WarsandRebelshave been good value for this, for example.

But a new novel has made a major change that completely separates it from the Legends canon, and its all to do with Darth Plagueis. After the reference to Palpatines Sith master in Revenge of the Sith,fans had to wait until 2012sDarth Plagueisnovel, written by James Luceno with input from George Lucas, for his full story. Thats now a Legends title, however, and E.K. JohnstonsQueens Perilhas officially contradicted its recount of Plagueis the Wise and his mentorship of Darth Sidious.

For one, Lucenos novel revealed that Palpatine was actually still an apprentice inThe Phantom Menace,only killing his master when he became Chancellor of the Senate.Queens Peril,meanwhile, which is set in a similar period, establishes Palpatine as the numero uno Sith Lord operating in the galaxy during this time. Plagueis himself may still be canon, then, but his reign now ended much earlier than it did in the old canon.

Of course, this is the second major retcon to the Palpatine/Plagueis dynamic Star Warshas served up over the past year.The Rise of Skywalkerfinally albeit indirectly revealed the secret to immortality that Sidious discovered from his master: Essence Transfer, which is how he was able to survive his death in Return of the Jediand transplant his soul into a back-up clone body on Exegol. How, when and why he murdered Plagueis, however, is now once again a mystery.

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Star Wars Just Wiped Darth Plagueis Backstory From Continuity - We Got This Covered

Though it doesn't seem to be something we'll ever see come to fruition, legendary horror author Stephen King says he wants to write a novel based on Friday the 13th franchise killer Jason Voorhees. Ever since the very first movie in the series, Jason has been getting seemingly killed off for good, only to show up in the sequel. Fascinated by the hockey mask-wearing killer's apparent immortality, King took to Twitter to pitch his idea for a Friday the 13th story.

"The best novel idea I never wrote (and probably never will) is I JASON, the first-person narrative of Jason Voorhees, and his hellish fate: killed over and over again at Camp Crystal Lake. What a hellish, existential fate!" King writes on Twitter. It's a really interesting concept, as even after eleven Jason movies and a Nightmare on Elm Street crossover, we still haven't seen a movie that's actually from Jason's point of view. Wouldn't it be intriguing to know what's really going on in the mind of an undead maniac, doomed to roam the abandoned campgrounds where he died as a child?

Still, while it's a fun idea, we shouldn't count on seeing Stephen King's Friday the 13th hitting bookstores anytime soon. In a follow-up tweet, Stephen King admits that legal complications would likely prevent such a book from ever being written. "Just thinking about the legal thicket one would have to go through to get permissions makes my head ache," King notes. "And my heart, that too. But gosh, shouldn't someone tell Jason's side of the story?"

While Jason has been in more movies than most of his horror genre contemporaries, the pop culture icon is still shrouded in mystery. Why is it that he keeps coming back? He is clearly powered by some kind of paranormal forces, but what exactly is fueling this is unclear. Perhaps Jason Goes to Hell director Adam Marcus came the closest to providing an explanation, revealing in an interview with Horror Geek Life in 2017 that he believed Jason was in fact a "Deadite" from the Evil Dead universe, and that his mother had revived him using black magic. Marcus also included references in the movie alluding to this origin story.

When we last saw Jason Voorhees, he was played by Derek Mears as he slaughtered many teenagers in 2009's Friday the 13th remake. Paramount Pictures had planned to film the next movie in the series in 2017, though the studio balked and cancelled its production based on the failure of Rings at the box office. As Friday the 13th: The Game became a big hit, followed by the record-setting success of David Gordon Green's Halloween reboot in 2018, it's pretty clear that perhaps Paramount made the wrong choice.

In any case, we're probably not going to be getting any new Friday the 13th movies (or Stephen King novels) anytime soon, based on the ongoing legal drama surrounding the rights to the series. Friday the 13th Part 3 star and entertainment lawyer Larry Zerner has previously speculated that a final decision in that case could be reached as early as this month, but there's been no major updates since. Hopefully, that day will come sooner than later so we can finally get Jason back on the big screen. This news comes to us from Stephen King on Twitter.

Topics: Friday the 13th

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Stephen King Has a Friday the 13th Book He Wants to Write About Jason Voorhees - MovieWeb

Gene lives in Keizer and frequently shares his opinion with the Keizertimes. This week he reflects on the anniversary of D-Day, which passed this week.

When interviewed, young people believe they are free of harm.That false sense of believing in their immortality has made them fodder for leaders since the beginning of time, whove used their youth to battle adversaries. Nevertheless, there are always a few among those facing a battle who are mature and wise enough to realize a high probability their end is nigh.

A recent commemoration brought this subject up: D-Day, June 6, 1944.That date was when thousands of Allied troops faced the juggernaut Nazi Germany war machine mightily entrenched along the northwest coast of France.

The invasion had been planned for a couple of years. While it is likely that many Allied troops knew their participation was inevitable.The bottom line is, no matter those troop numbers harboring young men with delusions of grandeur, when the troops were about to wade ashore into a virtual tsunami of bullets, they experienced fear with a desire to run away.

Yet, the natural fear felt when faced with the likelihood of being hit by a high-speed projectile did not deter them from scrambling out of those landing crafts and into the surf to face the gut-wrenching Wehrmacht. Looking at the landing site from the safety of the landing craft, each had to grip-hard his bravery that morning, even though theyd been trained for months to put up a good fight.It was later verified that 2,499 American troops died that day while many others followed the first wave of attack and did so at Normandy until August, 1944.

Meanwhile, opinion leads me to believe that hardly a single leader among those at the U.S. federal levelexcepting the late Senator John McCain and perhaps a handful of otherswould have been able to board the landing craft much less head out into the English Channel on that fateful morning; a day that marked the beginning of the end of Nazi Germany.

Virtually all Republicans in the Senate and the House of Representatives, plus a number of Democrats in both houses of Congress, are so afraid of a critical tweet by President Donald Trump, jeopardizing their Washington positionswhere they were elected from the middle class but retire as millionairesbut are not brave enough to speak one word of dissent or disagreement with the White House occupant.

The heart and soul of a democracy are its people who are honored in their right to choose. In America, we elect representatives at the national level upon whom an oath is administered. There is no word in the oath that suggests or encourages any U.S. senator or representative to swear allegiance to the head of the executive branch or the judicial branch of the government.Yet, we now have a majority of U.S. senators who are loyal to President Donald J. Trump, thereby breaking their oath of office, violating U.S. law, tradition, and not standing brave to protect our way of life.

(Gene H. McIntyre lives in Keizer.)

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Bravery in service of the US | Keizertimes | You think you know. To be sure, read Keizertimes. - Keizertimes

Photo: Eli Reed/Magnum Photos

It is a beautiful symmetry to have Eli Reeds photographs capture and canonize this American chapter and George Floyds funeral. Reed is one of the best living photographers and is walking history himself; he is the first Black photographer to join Magnum Photos and is a member of Kamoinge, the Black photography collective that has in its DNA Roy DeCarava, a founding father of black-and-white fine photography.

The images are something, as they say down South, perhaps even more so because George Floyd is so present and absent from them. Where is he? Its just as well that Floyd be in absentia, in a sense, from a photo series about him. Find George Floyd, the human, the person who unsuspectingly became a symbol, the father, the man who called out for his mother as he lay dying. Reeds photos arent the expected intimacy of a funerals mise-en-scne with the casket and Floyds family like that of Medgar Evers and Martin Luther King but it is hard to find a real reason why America would have deserved that kind of record for the ages anyway. In lieu of photographing Floyd, Reeds camera tenderly captures the minutiae of people, in the middle of a pandemic, social collapse, and a revolution, willing themselves to bear witness.

Photo: Eli Reed/Magnum Photos

The iconography of George Floyds death begins, in the modern sense, in the lynching postcards of the early 20th century. They are a perverse picture of Americana; they are souvenirs from the scenes of murders. Like the leather wallets and belts fashioned from human skin afterwards, these postcards were first and foremost evidence of many things murder, the unhinged fantasies of White subconsciousness that have long been anchored in the idea of a Black chattel class and a belief in the unalienable right to act out that role play. That a reminder of that kind of unforgettable horror could even be necessary or even desired is an indication of what has long not been well with White America, and for quite some time; Lillian Smith, a Georgia native who framed White supremacy as a mental illness, wrote in Killers of the Dream, These ceremonials in honor of white supremacy slip from the conscious mind down deep into the muscles. James Baldwin put it more explicitly: And they have brought humanity to the edge of oblivion: because they think they are White.

Video is not infinite, but it is the strongest contender in humankinds constant quest to conquer the infinite in real time. In its cruel loopability and limitless excess, what is immortality if not an excess of everything? Everything becomes excessive on video: the length, the audience, the distribution, the distortion, the filters. America has met its match. America has found a medium capable of showing her to herself without tiring and with the matched coldness and unrelenting brutality with which America has always treated Black people.

Photo: Eli Reed/Magnum Photos

Perhaps this helps explain why the last moments of Black life on video have found an audience and momentum to catalyze protest and people in our contemporary times. That objectivity and excess of video have distilled the core of the moment in a way few mediums can: The combination of free-range prerogative and unhinged fantasies of White people has long been at the center of these murders and subjugations. The person and the body may be Black, but they are not the subject. Its what makes Emmett Tills body so difficult to look at; it is not him, it is not Mamies child.It is the site of an imagination, deranged, it is the deadly narcissism of Whitenesss desires as bluntly as the point can be made, and infinitely as need be. Watching Derek Chauvin kneel on George Floyds neck for eight minutes is truly unhinged, and we are watching him enact the same fantasy that his forefathers stood proudly for in photographs when Black bodies were swinging from poplar trees. Video does not tire, and as such on a cellular level, we know America and we know that we will see another Black person die on video again. And that has absolutely nothing to do with Black people.

Photo: Eli Reed/Magnum Photos

And so, it is in this weird moment between the slight beginnings of a White reckoning and the evermore Black activism that has always been this countrys moral North Star that the afterlife of George Floyd begins.

He is a child of Texas, a son of Houstons Third Ward, Cissy Floyds firstborn, and as the sun set on June 9, 2020, he returned to them. Watching the procession of Floyds horse drawn recalled Ossie Daviss eulogy for Malcolm X: and we will know him then for what he was and is a prince. Indeed, Floyds homecoming was fit for a king; this has always been the visual thesis of African-American funerary, especially when someone has been stolen from us. The horse-drawn carriage, the gold casket, the choir, the Appian Way procession of the last mile to his grave; George Floyd was given a state funeral by the people, his people.

Photo: Eli Reed/Magnum Photos

For it is in the visuals and the iconography of the homecoming so called by enslaved people because they believed, upon death, their soul would return to Africa that the person, the human, the humanity reemerges. The last moments of Black life under the duress of unpoliced imaginations, to paraphrase Claudia Rankine, have very little to do with Black life. And if the afterlife is a journey that is filled with abundance, beauty, and absent of all the ignorant, cruel, and dull things that make this physical one at times unbearable, it would make sense that the beginnings of the Black afterlife have absolutely nothing to do with White people. And yet, it is also never not complicated and complex; the Houston Police Department escorted his cortege on its final journey. Make of that what you will.

The visual foundation of Floyds afterlife incorporates themes of majesty, splendor, and nobility that are a deeply historical call-and-response to Blackness in funerary and the afterlife across time. It recalls the ancient Egyptians, New Orleanss jazz funerals, the funeral pageantry of West African tribes, Geechee and Lowcountry funerals, the work of photographer James Van Der Zee and the promised abundance of the upper room in works such as Alma Thomass painting Resurrection. Floyd returned home to the very specific African-Creole corridor of East Texas and Western Louisiana is worth considering. Here, his iconography and afterlife begins in one of the most stunning ancestral regions for African-Americans and one of the most infamously racist. A place from which the most desperate domestic refugees fled and still, to this day, flee up North for a different type of racism. Floyd himself had fled up North, to Minneapolis, like Mamie Till went up to Chicago. Further east, Emmett Tills afterlife had its beginnings in this corridor too in the Mississippi Delta in the Tallahatchie River, to be exact.

Photo: Eli Reed/Magnum Photos

Where is George Floyd? How do we find him? We have no clue how and where he will settle in history, art history, how his last moments will enter a canon of filmed death. What we are looking for, beyond the momentum of canonization and movement, is him. Those intimate, quotidian, and mundane things which begrudgingly and solemnly construct a life and ones work in it. Who will replace his hello to the people who are used to seeing him every day? If he is that person in the neighborhood who takes out the trash for the elderly women who live alone on the block, who will take his place? Who will lead George Floyds Bible studies or be the gentle giant in the barbershop, on the block, and at the corner store? How do a community and a family replace what is irreplaceable? Reeds photographs began looking for these unanswerable questions.

His images recall the tenderness and difficulty of a watercolor portrait. A watercolor portrait is a small miracle; a painter must work quickly, with sustained velocity and controlled chaos, to bend the fluidity of water and the subjects essence to reveal something luminous, telling, and coherent. Maybe it is the same mastery of application at work here; Reeds camera captures the uncapturable, what it meant to be in the sticky humidity of that Houston evening that smelled like grief, mosquito repellent, candle wax, and cedar wood. For those not there, Reeds work acts as a bridge to translate the mourning, the prayer circles, the enormous and quotidian worries of those there the traffic afterwards, if the chicken left in the sink had fully thawed by the time they got home, if something calamitous would happen on the way back, what would happen now to Georges family, now that he was in the ground and the real shattering, breaking, and healing (maybe) begins. The luminosity of the human experience is here in the artists offering to George Floyd, a lion in the winter of his years who has captured wars at home and abroad, still working, this time in the looming discontent of Juneteenth, a plague, and the knocking knees of an empire in collapse. Somewhere in there is a radical love, a belief that George is still owed more, that Black people are deserving of more and that they must have it, and they must have it yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever. Like watercolors, the fervency of this simple truth is hard to capture. It is that love for, and of, and by Black people at the very root of it all which propels the people to the street, prepared to die if it should come down to it. And it is because, like Ossie Davis said of Malcolm, they love us so.

It is, as they say down South, truly something.

Photo: Eli Reed/Magnum Photos

Photo: Eli Reed/Magnum Photos

Photo: Eli Reed/Magnum Photos

Photo: Eli Reed/Magnum Photos

Photo: Eli Reed/Magnum Photos

Photo: Eli Reed/Magnum Photos

Photo: Eli Reed/Magnum Photos

Photo: Eli Reed/Magnum Photos

Photo: Eli Reed/Magnum Photos

Photo: Eli Reed/Magnum Photos

Photo: Eli Reed/Magnum Photos

Photo: Eli Reed/Magnum Photos

Photo: Eli Reed/Magnum Photos

Photo: Eli Reed/Magnum Photos

Photo: Eli Reed/Magnum Photos

Photo: Eli Reed/Magnum Photos

The one story you shouldn't miss today, selected byNew York's editors.

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The Afterlife of George Floyd: A Portfolio by Photographer Eli Reed - The Cut

American Horror Story has featured a number of different Supremes so far. Here's every character who took on the role as the lead witch of the coven.

A handful of major characters emerged as the Supreme witch in American Horror Story. The title is given to the leader of the descendants of the Salem witches and is meant to be the living embodiment of magic. The role of Supreme was primarily in the focus of American Horror Story season 3, Coven, but the topic returned on a few other occasions. Series creator Ryan Murphy has been keen on using the presence of witches in the horror anthology and has plans to bring back their presence in the future.

In order to determine a Supreme, the witch must pass all seven stepsof the Seven Wonders test. The elements includeTelekinesis, Divination, Transmutation, Pyrokinesis, Concilium, Descensum, and Vitalum Vitalis. Only witches that master all seven sections can become the Supreme. The test is very dangerous and has been known to cause death for those who attempt the Seven Wonders.

Related:American Horror Story: Every Seasons Connection Explained

Even though being Supreme involves many benefits, it doesn't last forever. The role will pass from generation to generation, meaning when a new witch comes to power, the current Supreme will start to lose her strength. The next Supreme can't take over until the previous leader has passed away. Here's every character who took on the role of Supreme in American Horror Story.

Scthach served as an immortal witch and the original Supreme according to American Horror Story lore. The character was introduced in season 6, Roanoke, and was primarily portrayed by Lady Gaga through the reenactments onMy Roanoke Nightmare.Adescendant from the Druids,Scthach sailed to the British colonies during the 14th century. When the ship arrived, she was one of the only survivors, leading British soldiers to believe she was a witch. They imprisoned Scthach with the plans to burn her at the stake. With the help of Pagan gods,Scthach received the powers to massacre the soldiers before gaining followers in exchange for their souls, including Thomasin White, aka "The Butcher".

As the first-ever Supreme,Scthach was highly skilled in all elements of the Seven Wonders. She was also presented as one of the most powerful witches in history. Not only did she have immortality, but she also held rare magical abilities.Scthach partook in black magic and would often sacrifice humans for various rituals. What made her so different was the fact that she wasn't born a witch, she obtained powers through worship.

Scthach may have been the original Supreme, but Fiona Goode (Jessica Lange) served as the first major character to take on the role in the series. When viewers were introduced toMiss Robichaux's Academyin Coven, Fiona was the current leader of the descendants of Salem. It was later revealed that Fiona killed the previous Supreme for doubting her worth in the coven. Rather than look out for her fellow witches, Fiona was more focused on finding immortality. She was obsessed with youth and feared the fact that one of the young students would soon emerge to take her place. Fiona tried to mentor the girls as a way to gauge who would threaten her role. When she got cancer, Fiona became desperate but there were no options left. Papa Legba, the Gatekeeper to the Spirit World, wouldn't give her immortality because she didn't have a soul to offer in exchange. Fiona eventually died from her illness, sending her to her personal hell.

Related:American Horror Story: Dante's Inferno Theory Explained

Cordelia Goode (Sarah Paulson) was Fiona's only child and the headmistress ofMiss Robichaux's Academy in Coven. Unlike her mother, Cordelia had an interest in teaching the students and protecting the future of the witches. She and Fiona had a strained relationship due to their opposing viewpoints. Fiona also felt that her power started to wane since the moment Cordelia was born, adding to the animosity. Cordelia struggled with her potential but when the opportunity arose, she took part in the Seven Wonders test. The witch wound up passing each section and became the new Supreme when her mother passed away.

Cordelia was still the reigning Supreme in season 8, Apocalypse, and helped lead the charge against Michael Langdon, the Antichrist. After he successfully resurrected some of her fallen witches, she felt her powers diminishing. Cordelia reluctantly allowed Michael to take the Seven Wonders to see if he emerged as "the Alpha," the male equivalent of the Supreme. He passed but she subsequently had a vision of the forthcoming apocalyptic events. She orchestrated a plan that would pay off in the future. In doing so, Cordelia sacrificed herself and allowed a younger witch to gain the power to travel back in time to prevent Michael's rise of power. With the change in the timeline, it's presumed that Cordelia is still serving as the Supreme in the American Horror Story universe.

Mallory (Billie Lourd) was a newcomer atMiss Robichaux's Academy in Apocalypse. From the very beginning, it was clear that Mallory had a lot of potential as a witch. In fact, it was insinuated that Cordelia was losing some of her powers because Mallory was emerging as the next Supreme. Cordelia also recognized the strength of Mallory's powers so she put the young witch under an identity to protect her during the coming apocalypse. Mallory was sent to Outpost 3 where she was later reunited with Cordelia and some of her other coven members. Having already passed all elements of the Seven Wonders, Mallory became the Supreme when Cordelia sacrificed herself during Michael's attack. Mallory thenperformedTempus Infinitum, traveling back to 2015 so she could kill Michael before he obtained powers. After succeding she restored the timeline, saving many of the witches that were previously killed, including Cordelia.

Next:What To Expect From American Horror Story Season 10

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Kara Hedash is a features writer for Screen Rant. From time to time, she dives into the world's most popular franchises but Kara primarily focuses on evergreen topics. The fact that she gets to write about The Office regularly is like a dream come true. Before joining Screen Rant, Kara served as a contributor for Movie Pilot and had work published on The Mary Sue and Reel Honey. After graduating college, writing began as a part-time hobby for Kara but it quickly turned into a career. She loves binging a new series and watching movies ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to hidden indie gems. She also has a soft spot for horror ever since she started watching it at too young of an age. Her favorite Avenger is Thor and her favorite Disney princess is Leia Organa. When Kara's not busy writing, you can find her doing yoga or hanging out with Gritty. Kara can be found on Twitter @thekaraverse.

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American Horror Story: Every Character Who Became The Supreme - Screen Rant

It was only a couple of decades ago, but the 2000s already seems like another era altogether. This is especially true when you look back at what the Philippine Basketball Association was like back then. In this series, we harken back to the time of two-network broadcasts, a two-conference format, Fil-Shams, and other events that defined the PBA in the first decade of the new millennium.

Let's venture back in PBA history. Remember the league's first decade? Of course! That was dominated by Crispa and Toyota, perhaps the most storied rivalry in Philippine sports. By the time Toyota disbanded after the 1983 season and Crispa exited at the end of 1984, the two teams had combined to win 76 percent of the championships up for grabs since the inaugural 1975 season.

As regards to imports, it was the era of the big, defensive-minded ones like Cyrus Mann and Andrew Fields, the high-scorers like Larry McNeil and Lew Massey, and the do-it alls like Billy Ray Bates and Norman Black. There were many legitimate PBA superstars to choose from, almost all of whom are considered among the best to have ever played in the league, with more than a handful mentioned in greatest-ever discussions. We do not need to name them - they are household names for any real PBA fan - but we must note the four MVP awards of Ramon Fernandez scattered every couple of years ('82, '84, '86, '88) throughout the 1980s.

In the mid to late '80s, the former amateur stars slowly entered the league, replenishing the stock of basketball heroes that was slowly dwindling as the pioneers and early outstanding performers retired. Great Taste and Tanduay had their share of winning, and San Miguel Beer closed the decade out with a Grand Slam performance (winning all three tournaments for the year), proving that Crispa did not have a monopoly on the feat after garnering it twice before.

What was the PBA like in the 2000s? Here are some stories that defined the league in the first decade of the new millennium.

The 'Fil-sham' controversy Red Bull, Sta. Lucia among notable titles Shifting to a two-conference format Memorable milestones in the 2000s Lang, Freeman & other notable imports When the PBA tried a parallel broadcast

Several teams, including Purefoods, Shell, Ginebra, and Swift tried staking their claim to greatness in the new decade, the 1990s. Each won championships, but would not emerge as the ultimate winner of that span of the PBA. That honor has to go Alaska, which at one point went to eight straight Finals series and ended with nine championship trophies (10 if you count the year 2000 as part of that decade).

Import Bobby Parks etched himself in PBA annals with a stack of Best Import Awards, which led to the award now being named after him. Tony Harris took the league by, well, hurricane. Resident Alaska import Sean Chambers became the yardstick for reinforcements of that time. As a side note, amidst all of this, the popularity of Ginebra rose to unequaled proportions, which remained consistent despite the team's inconsistent win-loss records. Alvin Patrimonio was clearly "the face" of the league, as he won four MVPs of his own. It was also the era of "The Aerial Voyager", "The Flying A", "The Bull", and "The Tower of Power". Again, you know who those are.

Of course, each fan has his own vivid memories of the achievements of his team, the matchups, the notable moments, particular imports, regardless of era. But, the true mark of a particular timeframe is when it is etched in the minds of the majority, if not most, and even, all.

The decade that just passed brings PBA memories of San Miguel Beer (five straight Philippine Cup crowns) and June Mar Fajardo (six straight MVPs). Of course there is a dabble of TNT, an occasional Rain or Shine, a smacker of Barangay Ginebra (always in the discussion), and of course, a big chunk of San Mig Coffee - a Grand Slam winner as well. There're Denzel's free throws, Brownlee's three, and Balkman's choke. Those are some of the standout memories, without a doubt.

But, what about the 2000s? San Miguel started out the decade strong, making it to five straight finals and winning three. Danny Ildefonso won back to back MVPs. And then, things got, well, different. In 2002, three different teams won championships. It was the same case in 2003. When the PBA shifted to a two-conference format starting the 2004-2005 season, two different teams won the championship each year until the end of the decade, and the champions were any of six different franchises, or 60 percent of the PBA's member teams. Championship trophies were passed around like hot potatoes. The one "evil villain" team that everyone else wanted to defeat did not exist.

MVP-wise in the 2000s, Willie Miller and James Yap also garnered two awards each, but they won theirs years apart from each other (i.e., Miller in 2002 and 2007, Yap in 2006 and 2010). There were no overwhelming MVP awards by any means. There were several legitimate contenders each year, so there was no runaway MVP winner for the entire period, if you really think about it.

In short, it was open season. It was anybody's ballgame. It was, dare we say, a time of parity - perhaps the most overall parity the league ever had.

Even as far back as the early '80s, the league was striving for parity. Certain players, all big men, were banned from playing on the same team, to spread out the talent. When the powerhouse teams disbanded, their players were not absorbed by just one new franchise. The team-less cagers were distributed to two or three other teams to "level the playing field." The idea was that parity would make the league more interesting because everyone had a chance to win. Most agree with this because, which serious participant in a major sporting competition would be happy if it had no chance at all to win? When winning is within everyone's reach, everyone will try to grab it, right? However, the question arises: While everyone may want parity, does parity leave lasting memories?

For PBA fans, there's nothing like nostalgia. A handful of ESPN5.com writers present interesting and timeless pieces, tackling a wide range of unique topics.

45 interesting trivia about the PBA Ranking the near-Grand Slam teams Memorable PBA backcourt tandems Memorable PBA frontcourt tandems Greatest PBA 'what-ifs' (1970s-1990s) Greatest PBA 'what-ifs' (2000s-2010s) 5 potential Greatest Players additions Players who became stars after trade

One's memory generally retains only so much. Unless one was personally involved and actually immersed in the experience, the ordinary or irrelevant happenings and goings-on will not oftentimes stick, and recollection would entail a little Q&A, a little research. Try to remember the dynasties, though, or the highly dominant teams and individuals. If they shined brightly for more than a fleeting moment, they made lasting impressions, regardless of a fan's affiliation. Toyota-Crispa? Check. San Miguel Grand Slam? Yup. Alaska dynasty. How can we forget? Tim Cone Grand Slam, again? Oh, yes. Everyone wanting to beat SMB in the All-Filipino? Of course. June Mar is MVP? Some may say the MVP race had become boring. But they remember!

With no disrespect at all meant to the teams and individuals that won in the 2000s, it does seem that that decade is left wanting when it comes to branding the brains of the regular (and maybe even avid) fan. It is not anyone's fault in particular. That may just be the way it is. Is the age of seeming parity to blame? Perhaps.

Consider these questions: Was there a PBA dynasty in the 2000s? Did any team win a Grand Slam? (No, it was the only decade that none did.) Are any of the championship teams from that decade included in a top-of-the-head list of the greatest champion teams in PBA history? Were there one or two, or let's say a definite group of players that just played so dominantly well in that time, such that they are included in the greatest-ever debate? Sure, there will be those who will posit an argument here and there, but will the people around him agree or engage him in debate immediately, without looking the matter up on the internet or elsewhere for verification? This all leads to another question. Does the brain of a fan, in hindsight, actually prefer when there are more dominant teams and players, who, in theory, are more memorable, rather than a drab flatland of equal opportunity?

Others will look to explain the seeming disinterest in the results of the 2000s PBA wars. Foremost would be the fact that their teams did not perform too well in conferences other than the ones they won, if they won at all. Naturally, if your team is not in the thick of things, you will lose interest. Perhaps there was controversy. The fake Fil-Am problem that hit just at the beginning of that decade without a doubt led many fans to turn away in disregard. Also, the hoops heroes of many from the late eighties and throughout the earlier nineties were either in retirement or in a downward spiral heading there, playing-wise. Fans may have been still acquainting themselves with the new blood, especially in the early part of the decade. It might have been that the imports just weren't as talented as they used to be, and several had questionable characters to boot. It could be partly these reasons or a host of other things.

The bottom line is, in the PBA's 45 years or four or so decades of being, it is arguably (but not too arguable) the 2000s that, while being the most evenly matched, results-wise, whether for teams and individually, are the years that require a little more thinking when it comes to discussions of teams, players, and achievements. A parting point to ponder: Was the period of parity actually an impediment to PBA immortality?

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Why is the 2000s the PBA's forgotten decade? - ESPN

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Guardian: The Lonely and Great Godaired its very first season on January 21, 2017. Its final episode was highly shared and reviewed by the viewers increasing its rank up to fifth highest-rated drama in the history of Korean TV series. South Korean has been in the news because of the cultural en-richness caused by the show!

Other than fame and number of viewers, the series also has won Grand Prize (Daesang) for writer Kim Eun-sook and Best Actor for Gong Yoo at the 54th Baeksang Arts Awards.

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His master kills the Goryeo Dynastys military general Kim Shin as a result of the traits he seems to have committed. Now even after dying, his life is no less painful as he is given the curse of immortality and is subjected to unpleasant deaths of his beloved in front of his eyes. Only the Goblins bride can put an end to his eternal immortality.

The plot then takes a swift turn with a young girl, Ji Eun-Tak, summoning the goblin which results in the mixing of their fates. Then there is a house rented by a Grim Reaper from the Goblins nephew Yoo Deok-Hwa. The plot later derives some connection between the reaper and the young girl reaching out for a very dark ending to season one.

The season two could work upon the exhibited knots in season 1. The relations could be justified and may Kim Shin attains a solution to his everlasting problem.

As for the casts, the members of season 1 will again play roles in season two to proceed with the ongoing plot and solve the mysteries. The following are:

For more updates on the series, follow up the informative articles on popculturetimes!

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Guardian: The Lonely and Great God Season 2 What Is The Status Of Renewal? And Is It Cancelled? - Pop Culture Times

Patna, Jun 12 (PTI) RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Friday slammed the BJP and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for "personal attacks" on him, asking them to focus instead on real issues like "unemployment, law & order and migration".

"Bihar will get nothing by personal attacks on me," the RJD leader said in a tweet.

"We are used to these derogatory attacks & inflammatory rhetorics from last 30 years from all of you. Why did you stop updating about corona cases, health management, unemployment, quarantine centres & poor migrants issues?"

His counterattack came a day after Bihar Information and Public Relations Department Minister Neeraj Kumar accused RJD supremo Lalu Prasad of getting land registered in the name of his son Tej Pratap Yadav, when he was a minor, by promising people government job.

"Even after being in power for 15 years, your political employment in my familys name says youve nothing to showcase. Your disastrous term will end very soon. Its about time to pull down the facades and let the people of Bihar know about your immortality & corruption," Tejashwi said in another tweet.

He went on to add, "Nitish Kumar & BJP must concentrate on real ground issues vis-a-vis unemployment, law & order, migration, labourers, corruption, communalism, governance, development, education and health infrastructure etc. This will help Bihar and therefore needs to be addressed urgently."

Neeraj Kumar had also alleged that Lalu''s "greed" for acquiring benami properties was evident from the fact that he got land registered in the name of "a third unknown son Tarun Kumar Yadav, whose whereabouts are not known to anyone".

Both RJD and Tejashwi''s elder sister and Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti have said that Tarun Kumar Yadav is Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and that this fact has been mentioned in an affidavit too.

Bharti''s clarification on Tarun Prasad Yadav was made during a TV interview. Local TV news channels are also showing a video clip of a programme aired several years ago in which Lalu Prasad is seen with his family members.

In the programme, Tejashwi is seen introducing himself. "Hi, I am Tarun and studying in class VII".

RJD MLA Bhola Yadav, who is a close confidant of Lalu Prasad''s family, said that the affidavit furnished by Tejashwi during the 2015 assembly elections read "Tejashwi Prasad Yadav alias Tarun Kumar Yadav".

"He (Neeraj Kumar) is hurling allegations at (RJD) on what basis?" the MLA said in a video message on RJD''s WhatsApp group.

Condemning the minister''s statement, the RJD MLA demanded that he should apologise for spreading "lies".

Not a single property he mentioned is benami, the RJD leader claimed. In fact, all the properties have been mentioned since 1996 to the CBI, the Election Commission and Income Tax authorities, he added.

Neeraj Kumar, meanwhile, stood by his allegations and dared Tejashwi to file a defamation suit against him if his accusations were false and baseless.

He also questioned how Tejashwi could show the property in his election affidavit without first getting it registered in the name of Tarun Kumar Yadav.

Interestingly out of the two properties at Phulwaria village in Gopalganj district that were registered in 1993, Tejashwi had mentioned details of only one in his election affidavit.

Tej Pratap Yadav, too, did the same with regard to the two properties. PTI AR KK TIRTIR

Disclaimer :- This story has not been edited by Outlook staff and is auto-generated from news agency feeds. Source: PTI

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Bihar will get nothing from personal attack on me, focus on real issues: Tejashwi tells BJP, Nitish - Outlook India

The Wallflowers 1996 hit One Headlight wasnt just a song choice that set a mood for the trailer of The King of Staten Island. It appears in the film itself, in a quick but telling barroom scene that gets at how near-strangers can bond over music even if its music they dont quite remember well enough to proficiently sing along with.

It might seem as if any oldie could have sufficed for a comic singalong moment, but for both leading man Pete Davidson and director Judd Apatow, it had personal meaning that made it the song for Davidson and his new fireman friends to join in belting.

That song was very popular when Pete was young, and he would listen to it in the car with his dad all the time, Apatow tells Variety. It is a very special song to him.

(Indeed, in a Washington Post profile, Davidson described it as the shared favorite song of himself and his late firefighter father, whose death on duty is one of the real-life events thats mirrored in the autobiographically inspired film.)

But Apatow had an equally sentimental association with the Wallflowers track. We were both really surprised our songs were the same, the filmmaker says.

When Leslie and I drove to Ralphs to buy pregnancy kits when we discovered Maude was coming, Apatow explains, that was the song we heard on the radio. Pete and I realized it was an important song to both of us and decided it had to be the key song in the movie.

Apatow has put the song on blast on the other coast as well. Last year I did a benefit at Largo with Jakob Dylan, and I made him play it and it was the best night. He is a great guy. I loved his film Echo In The Canyon.'

Producer Barry Mendel says the number wasnt a 100% lock for the scene in question there were alternatives on backup, depending on the mood of the shooting day. Its a song Pete loved and Judd did and thats where it really started, and then we tried it on set, says Mendel. We had planned to try a few others that day too some great ones but when we did, it worked so well, we just said, Aw, to hell with the others, moved on and called it a day.

The comedy of the fleeting scene comes from just how little of a favorite song may stick in the collective brain over the years and how little that may matter, if popular music is a dont bore us, get to the chorus medium and even just a well-remembered title and hook can confer musical immortality.

To me its more just funny watching anyone try to bond, which we all do, says Mendel. When of course bonding either happens or doesnt, we never seem to learn that trying is beside the point and doesnt much help.

For Mendel, Its hard to put the songs purpose into words, frankly it just feels right there. Its believable that the firefighters, men and women, black, white and brown, in their 20s, 30s and 40s, would all be familiar with and enjoy bonding over it. Its a great dive bar song, and it speaks to the beauty of the journey, which after all is what its all about, right?

Things get just as personal at the beginning and end of the film, as it starts off and then goes out over the end credits with a bookending pair of tracks by Kid Cudi, including the closing Pursuit of Happiness. In a radio interview in 2016, Davidson said, I wouldve killed myself if I didnt have Kid Cudi. If youre 25 and under, I truly believe that Kid Cudi saved your life. I truly believe if Man on the Moon didnt come out, I wouldnt be here.

Says Mendel, Cudis music clicked with this film from day one. The way it works in the opening really brought the film home, and it seemed not just fitting but powerful for that song of his to end the film too, with hope, an awareness of the struggle, and a determination to at least try. Cudis openness about his struggle is something obviously Pete and all of us look up to and has been inspirational to us from the start. In fact, when Pete sent us his first song list, back in the early script stage, these and many other Cudi songs were on it, and we were all just like, Yeah, this feels so right.'

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Judd Apatow Tells How the Wallflowers One Headlight Came to Illuminate King of Staten Island: Its Personal - Variety

The TV adaptation of author Joe Hills NOS4A2 returns for a second season and will premiere via simulcast on both BBC America and AMC on Sunday, June 21 at 10/9c.

The series follows Vic McQueen (Ashleigh Cummings), a high school senior from a broken home in New England. She battles against Charlie Manx (Zachary Quinto), a different kind of vampire, who kidnaps children and drains them of their innocence to maintain his immortality. McQueen isnt an ordinary teenager going up against an immortal, though she has supernatural abilities of her own.

1. The Origin of the Shows Name

At first glance, one might think the name of the show is pronounced the way it is written out with letters and numbers, N-O-S-Four-A-Two. But, thats not the case. It actually pays homage to the word Nosferatu, which is believed to be derived from the Romanian Nesuferit, meaning offensive or troublesome, which add up to vampire. The 1922 silent film Nosferatu introduced the term to the public, helping to kick off the vampire genre.

2. Where We Left Off with Season One

In season one, McQueen discovers she has a special supernatural power: riding on her motorcycle, she has the ability to find lost things. Meanwhile, Manx has his own power: when he lures children into his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith, he can suck out their energy and spirit them away to Christmasland, a magical place that exists on the fringes of reality, where its Christmas every day. The children become bloodthirsty demon-like husks of their former selves, and can never leave the gates of Christmasland.

When her young friend is lost to Manx, McQueen realizes she can use her power to try to get these children back. In a heated showdown at the end of season one, McQueen finally gets the upper hand: she sets Manxs beloved Wraith on fire, destroying the source of his power, and Manx rapidly ages and falls into a coma.

3. Where We Pick Up in Season Two

Season two begins eight years later. McQueen now has a young son named Wayne, and has stayed in Colorado to build a life with local biker, Lou Carmody (Jonathan Langdon), who helped her defeat Manx in season one. But she hasnt forgotten the trauma of her supernatural fight with Manx. And when circumstances cause the vampire to come back from the brink of death, hes more determined than ever to get his revenge on the one person who ever took him down.

Now that McQuen is a mother, shes more vulnerable than ever to the evils of Manx, as he becomes determined to kidnap Wayne and imprison him in Christmasland. But McQueen makes a promise in the first look trailer above, saying, Im gonna kill him once and for all.

4. Heres Who is Returning

We can look for both Zachary Quinto and Ashleigh Cummings to return in their lead roles. As well, Ashley Romans will return as police detective Tabitha Hutter. We can also look for Jahkara Smith as Maggie Leigh, another Strong Creative with the supernatural ability to answer any question when she pulls Scrabble tiles out of a magical bag.

5. Heres Who is New

In addition to the returning cast, we can look for some new faces like Jason David, who plays McQueens eight-year-old son. Wayne asks his mom, Who is Charlie Manx? Shes shocked to hear the villainous name come out of her sons mouth. He asks after seeing Manx on TV. 6. Is Manx Still in a Coma?

He is. But, not for long. When his Rolls-Royce Wraith is restored, Manx regains his own strength along with it. He ages backward, once again youthful. His assistant, Bing Partridge (lafur Darri lafsson) comes to his aid, saying, Mr. Manx. Are you awake? Rather than answering, all we hear is his disturbing giggle which is very foreboding. He is pissed, and McQueen is on the top of his hit list.

7. Does Christmasland Still Exist?

Yes and no. Its created by Manxs imagination, manifesting into something that is also very real. We can see why the children walk into the magical land without fear, as its very welcoming. The world itself is based in Manxs inscape, a place that exists in the world of thought on the edges of the physical realm, and can only be accessed by Manxs knife his beloved Wraith which helps cut through the fabric of reality. Despite being mystical, McQueen keeps getting phone calls from the children in Christmasland, leaving others to question her sanity.

8. What Author Joe Hill Thinks About the TV Adaptation

Author Joe Hill chatted with Den of Geek about his 2013 novel being made for screen, saying, (Season one is) a little less than the first half. When Jami (OBrien) read the book, she sort of correctly saw that there was a breakpoint where the story shifts into a different gear. Her feeling was, really, in some ways, NOS4A2 is two or maybe three stories that could be full seasons. She found one of these breakpoints and so yeah, season one is a totally self-contained, totally satisfying story. But it is not the full book. Fun fact: Hill is son to Stephen King, but wed like to think Hill can stand on his own (but for all you King fans, this might up your interest a tad?). Another fun fact: his second novel, 2010s Horns, was made into a film starring Daniel Radcliffe.

9. What Showrunner Jami OBriens Plans Are for Season Two

Jami OBrien, who brought season one to the screen, is ready for season two, saying, I am so excited for the opportunity to bring the rest of Joe Hills amazing novel to television. Joes imagination is unparalleled, reports AMC.com. She goes on to say, I love the characters and the world, and our colleagues at AMC have been wonderful partners. Im grateful to be playing in the NOS4A2 sandbox. OBrien isnt new to the AMC family; she was a co-executive producer on both Fear the Walking Dead and Hell on Wheels.

10. How to go into Season Two

Wed suggest, make sure you have a blanket nearby so you can pull it over your eyes if needed! And, while you can watch season two on its own, you can also find full episodes of season one and behind the scenes clips over at BBC America and AMC online.

You can look for new episodes of NOS4A2 starting June 21.

Are you caught up on season one?

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NOS4A2 Viewing Guide: What You Need to Know Going into Season 2 - Anglophenia