Private Eyes 1.1 "The Code"

                                           
Although it aired in the UK two years ago on Universal Channel not everyone has it so some had to wait for the DVD or for Five USA to air it this year.  Even better than all the reviews you might have read.  It's much more than Moonlighting, Moon Over Miami, as far as TV detective shows go.  Private Eyes is more the modern version of all the film moir classics you've ever watched and the TV 'tecs in books! It's definitely one we've been waiting for a long while.  Stars Jason Priestly and Cindy Sampson as the put upon owner of the Everett Detective Agency, taken over from her late father, who was also a policeman.  Matt Shade (Jason Priestly) stumbles upon Angie (Cindy Sampson) when his father, Don (Barry Flatman) hires her to get to the bottom of one of how one of Matt's picks (in his career as a hockey scout) Cory, collapses on the ice at the Intercontinental Professional Hockey League Try-Outs.

Plenty of laughs, action, emotion along the way, but hopefully not much romance cos that's what always happens in such shows and they end up going downhill.  We like the tension, the possibility; but not yet.  Considering it's been renewed for season 4.  Reminds me more of Remington Steele than any of the other shows out there.  Very similar in premise with Angie having the agency, at least it was already established and she didn't need to make up a fictional male boss to get work as did Laura Holt.  Yet he turned up to assume the role of Rem.  Here Angie has to contend with Matt also showing up to become a part of her agency and a fellow PI; seeing it as a career transition.

Series 1 pilot saw them getting to the bottom of who was behind Matt's pick deliberately being drugged; with him still coming across those in the same profession and showing how unscrupulous fellow managers etc can be.  (As if we don't already know) and how Matt is even tempted to become a top earning scout which is what he always wanted.  His conscious getting the better of him at the end and to do the right thing.  Nothing at all to do with Angie, but glad the decision to do the right thing turned out to be his and his alone particularly as he's putting his teenage daughter, Jules (Jordyn Negri) through an exclusive private school too.

As the title suggests this one is about how Matt's father instilled a code in him about doing the right thing in a list and how he does the same for his blind daughter, giving it to her in a Braille necklace.  Being the dutiful father whilst her mother cruises her life away (and in some ways her own daughter's too.)  Another star of the show is the Porsche 911T that Matt drives, as Jason said it's as old as he is - the 1969 model.  Again more deja vu for me with this show and the car!!

Don't know about anyone else but I had an eerie sense of deja vu watching this, pretty certain I've seen it before, no not on TV here.  Fans of Jason will love this and even if you're not a fan, it's a great harkback to PI books and this is also based on novel The Code by GB Joyce.  The book differed in that the character's name was Brad Shade and his father was an actual cop, he investigated the murder.  Whereas it was changed for the series.  With Matt being the hockey player and Angie being the PI having the cop father.  Not very good reviews for the book what do people want, blood!  Don't I know how that feels.  Some ranging from calling the author not good at writing PI mysteries and should stick to sports!  As if they can do better, there's never any need to get personal.  As I've said several times, why do books have to be perfect when in reality our own lives aren't.  You don't stand there thinking what shall I say, how should I go forward in reality.  It's all spontaneous typos and mistakes 'n' all.  Which is why I never forgive the harshest critics when complaining about what other people write, something most of them will never do for themselves!  Ranty much?!!  ha.

Also can be seen as a harkbark to Jason's role as Brandon in Beverly Hills 90210 - a whole other lifetime ago and maybe somewhere we can see this as Brandon living the dream as a hockey player after all!  I didn't think much of  Cindy (sorry) in Supernatural as Dean's girlfriend and ex, Lisa.  She just didn't fit in with his character.  Nothing personal!! But she's great here!  Yeah Kimmy Kardashian, you're great!! ha.

Ghost Adventures 18.8 "Mount Wilson Ranch" Review

                                           
An investigation into a ranch in Pioche, Nevada, where sightings of UFO and aliens has been reported to the point where researcher Robert Bigelow, founded of Bigelow Aerospace; bought it to carry out research and employees who lived on the ranch too. A base of operations.  Many of the interviewees had 'experiences' there; paranormal and seeing aliens and lights, but no one really wanted to say much or go on camera.  If they did they weren't that open or forthcoming.  Except for Jeff and his wife, Nicole.  Jeff spoke with Zak on the phone and told him what Bigelow had said to him about the sightings.  Kelly tells him about the Cowboy bathroom but no one's told her what happened there and she was told not to go in.  She couldn't tell him who the two men were who told her this.  She said the entity locked her in the bathroom.  Zak called it a "weird vibe" as no one wanted to say much. 

Ghost Adventures have done investigations involving suspected aliens and UFOs and this one was not quite the same in the sense that from the outset of driving up to see the mountain in person. they heard a whistle which even upset the dog accompanying them.  Especially as it was on a clifftop which wasn't very accessible.  Driving there at night, they came across what looked like lights but actually were coming from a nearby property.  However lights were seen and caught on Aaron's camera.  Almost like being a beacon or as Bigelow told Jeff, a portal for UFOs.  Their static camera by the truck even picked up a dark figure walking past it and then switched over to daylight recording.

Aaron and Dakota investigated a cabin where Aaron was spooked by a sound and a breath could be heard.  He also saw the arm of a figure from the window and there weren't any tracks in the snow outside.  As well as both he and Dakota smelling freshly brewed coffee.  The door also flying open suggesting they should get out.  They used the Periscope 360 Plasma which detects free floating static energy, as well as being an electromagnetic pump.  That eerie booming sound, not heard before. Dakota's camera battery dying.  The camera shuts off and comes back on again by itself.  With sounds coming from the laser mic after they left.

Zak feeling touched on his neck, as well as his groin area and both he and Billy getting chilled. When Zak was standing by the bathroom.  Billy using a device that uses electromagnetic energy, indicating Q&As by using the red or green colours.  The flashlight method almost but one they don't use.  At the ranch, Zak caught a light anomaly, as well as becoming unwell.  An orb also went into his body and using the Direct Link Device they got some long sentences and some awesome voices coming through, male at first and then female.

"Listen"
"Around, or ground."  But actually I hear "Brown" when he asks who this is.  It's a 'b' sound. It would be logical if they're communicating with someone at the base, he would reply with his name.

Spirit with us? "yes."
When Zak asks what's touching me, it sounds like "hand."

"We...are...base...couple..."  Again logical as a man's voice is heard first and then a female voice follows.  It's not "help" I hear, but "couple."
Zak: "what do you wanna do with me spirit?"  "Kill."

"Sit."
Female: "Nico"  Doesn't sound female.
"One" spirit.

Very similar to a creepy X-Files ep which gives credence to everything we've watched in shows, as well as documentaries.

Ghost Adventures 18.8 "St Ignatius Hospital"

                                               
Ghost Adventures were called in to investigate this hospital in Colfax, Washington; where the tours were halted due to dark activity and the decision was made to get them in.  I don't even recall the place this rundown since Nick went here back in 2017 for Paranormal Lockdown.  Seems amazing how it was so unrecognizable.  Though they did have dark figures appearing and run ins with Rose and Michael?? it didn't really seem that creepy.  Especially since from this episode it appears something dark has gotten hold of it and have to wonder, ask, whether it has something to do with the people, number of coming in and out of there for investigations, what they may have brought in or unleashed.

As Zak interviewed the docents Nancy and Caleb and Valoree, the executive director of the Colfax Chamber of Commerce who didn't even want to set foot in there and Nancy who was well into her swearing!  With all the noises they heard and the way Jeff was affected and he promised he wouldn't go into Michael's room and he did just that.  Seems like there was something else present there trying to attach itself to him, someone other than Michael.  Which is what Jeff wrote in his text to them.  As well as all three of them, Zak, Billy and Aaron, being physically affected.  Zak feeling something attached to his back, or at least something on his spine, revealing the red mark and bruise.  Aaron being left on his own on the fourth floor when they all agreed to stay together and also feeling nauseous.  And worse still and out of character for Billy, wanting to go back there on his own.  He seemed really out of it.  Particularly if you look into his eyes.

This coming after they caught that stick figure of what appeared to be a child.  Was it, who knows and the female voice on the Direct Link, "I'm stuck in the crypt."  Why would a little girl even say that?  They did invite that entity to interact with them by telling it to appear and to hold Billy's hand.  They really opened themselves up in such a place when it wasn't the right thing to do.  Billy also having to sit down and get the attachment off him.  Which eh later said took up to a week to get rid of the full effects of it.

The amazing capture from Zak on the still camera with that actual full body apparition; was so obvious it was there.

 You can almost see a face there, marked red.

Aside from the banging noises, there wasn't much as far as the spirit box went.  With Billy getting "Killed" and "Attic" on the Puck and Zak catching that mist by the attic stairs when Aaron said he felt touched.  All in all not much conclusion as to what caused the extra negative activity there and it doesn't really seem they did anything about it.
Though Nick did say they felt there were both intelligent and residual presences there.  Perhaps that's what Michael's presence was and the entity that affected Jeff was something more sinister.

Read here Paranormal Lockdown ep
https://mila255.blogspot.com/2017/01/paranormal-lockdown-24-st-ignatious.html

Ghost Adventures 18.7 "Crescent Hotel Eureka Springs"

                                                      
As in my tweet a few days ago, this place surrounded familiar as it was shown in Mysteries at the Monument 1.12 back in 2013 depicting the gruesome real life tale of charlatan, Norman Baker, who set this place up as a cancer hospital, stealing money from the many for dud cures and false promises.  The building was built in 1886 and served it's community for 50 years as Zak says; before it was bought by Baker, who was man in vaudeville and used what he saw there to swindle people.  He set this place up as a hospital saying the waters would also cure and he wasn't even a doctor.  Zak et al wanting to investigate here for years.  Built on limestone and sandstone, notorious for paranormal activity and the waters containing all sorts of minerals like magnesium, potassium.

Suspected sightings have included a little boy, a lady known as the 'Lady of the Mist', supposedly a student at the ladies college that came after the hospital, as well as a demon, and Michael, a stone cutter who fell to his death and ended up in room 218.  This episode was close to home as Zak lost his father to cancer last year and knows full well the hope offered in medicine and cures, only to be dealt a blow when it doesn't help.  Zak felt ill when he went into the Pain Asylum when they got a vice on the spirit box asking "you got credit?"  Eerily attributing it to being Baker as he was all about the money!  Billy and Zak did feel dizzy in one of the rooms later.

Even before the investigation began, they were getting activity when Jay heard a noise in the morgue and later the curtain was moving by itself.  Billy showing that it wasn't the door being opened and there wasn't any wind.  He left  the morgue quick smart!  As the investigation went on, they heard talking coming from the second floor and thought it could be Michael.  Zak felt scratches on his back/neck but there wasn't anything there, although there did appear to be some redness visible, it was probably his skin colour. 

A voice came through on the spirit box and it sounded like "get him."  As for Michael if that was him, his voice when they were at nerve centre coming from the second floor sounds like "Michael want to dance????"  The voices came from 218 or nearby. They also caught a twisty mist with a voice saying "help me" but it doesn't sound like that!

If you watch the actual footage and pause it, you can see faces around the mist.

The musical box began playing on its own for a long while, with the Trifield meter showing a rise in the energy field.  As well as a figure captured on the SLS. 

They also heard a female voice near the Pain Asylum saying "hello."  But nothing else was captured in the laser experiment.  They did get the words "Alice, mist, tub, rose" on the ovilus and Jay found in the book that there was a cottage named the Alice cottage around which has a Jacuzzi tub so presumably that lady must go there in the Winter months.  However there is also a Rose Cottage nearby, so Rose doesn't necessarily have to be the lady's name.

Oh and Zak, my brother called, he'd like his checked shirt back!!  Everytime Zak said Norman Baker, I had Norman Bates in my head and he said it enough times!  But hey no demon sightings here! 

At 24.53 you can hear voices and at 25.02 you hear a slight banging before Zak says he saw a dark shadow figure.  At 27.5 "cut through that" is what I hear??  Particularly relevant as Michael was a stone cutter.
Aaron gets a class A EVP saying "I'm a victim!" 

The spirit box says "history."  Dakota and Billy hear a voice behind Billy as Baker's portrait can be clearly seen on the morgue door.  Funny it appeared to suddenly show up out of nowhere!  On the Puck Billy asks where Norman is and the puck shuts off.  Gets "spirits" when he asks if there are spirits here.  He gets "NOR" so he was trying to say his name or someone was. 

Apparently bottles/jars with human tissue were found days after the crew had left. 

So anyway was looking at the pics Billy posted and funnily enough you can see faces in the fireplace, but the tip of that fire guard looks like a skull circled in green.  One of the faces on the bricks looks kinda like Zak!! ha.  The one circled blue.  Also the one in red looks creepy.

As for the next pic I know it doesn't really look like it, but the way the photo was taken it looks like there's a figure there and you can just make out the back of an elbow in the gold of the structure.

Rosmersholm Duke of York's Theatre

                                                  
Contains spoilers
Simply stunning and breathtaking, although simply is too vague a word to us!  An amazing cast bringing to life a wonderful take of politics, intrigue and hidden secrets with a climactic ending that's only predictable if you've read the entirety of this fabulous tale based on Henrik Ibsen's play and is considered to be the most darkest of his writings.
Hayley Atwell as Rebecca West and Tom Burke as Johannes Rosmer of the titular character; are so captivating and there is so much sexual chemistry between them.

Rebecca is a woman who has no means of her own and she states as such, she doesn't even have voting rights and all she has is her body and her mind, but alas no one wants to know a woman or want her for her mind back then.  They're paid a visit by the Governor before the elections and he wants people to vote for a righteous candidate, until he discovers that Rosmer has lost his wife, given up on God, as he was a pastor in another life.  He has guilty feelings over the loss of his wife, Beth who committed suicide by the footbridge visible through the window (but not to the audience).  As the opening scene shows Rebecca looking through that same window, as well as parts being changed in the play as such as this opening scene, whereas in the original version, she is actually crocheting a shawl.  We do get a shawl in the final moments but it's not crocheted.

Sumptuous period costumes, well as sumptuous as you can get in a theatre production, well forget  that I'm not making a big deal out of that and a set portraying Rosmer's financial position too as he says at the end that he doesn't have anything to his name and he has signed everything over to Rebecca, who has her own secrets and is convinced that his love for her will bring Rosmer back to God, his faith and even getting people who find nobility in their lives and for everyone to be equal.

The Governor being Rosmer's brother-in-law, Kroll (Giles Terera) has secrets too, not least in his publication, The Tribune, in rivalry with The Lighthouse, written by a man, Mortensgaard who was also turned into an outcast by the local people helmed by Rosmer and lost his reputation as he was with a woman whose husband had left her and they had a child together who died.  Kroll is also a right wing bigot (very topical as most plays of our time are in their productions.) But Mortensgaard (Jake Fairbrother) who is leftist, isn't portrayed in a good light.  No pun re his publication The Lighthouse, he wants to bring light into the world.

Rosmer is inwardly conflicted and doesn't like the world and its bureaucracy, neither does Rebecca.  Female emancipation and the importance of politics are abundant and once again topical with the world of fake news/Brexit and other political connotations.  Fast paced in places but not so it becomes unintelligible to follow.  Rebecca's line of not being sure if she follows Rosmer or he follows her reminded me of Twitter/social media.  Modern audiences may have a little trouble equating the importance of the value with reputation in public life.  How Kroll erroneously believes Rosmer and Rebecca are having an affair and she should marry him as marriage is important between a man and woman.  As the housekeeper, Mrs Helseth (Lucy Briers) tells her that the Rosmer children never cry, adults never laugh, which Rosmer decides he wants to do.  Explaining his line of being middle aged since he was born! (Which I had the chance to repeat back to Tom!)

Rosmer has many ghosts from his past and his family name eating away at him, as shown by the portraits of the generations looking down at him in his study.  But he wants equality for everyone and the servants had a distinct knack of listening at keyholes.  After he declares his love for Rebecca, she doesn't want him but tells him he should vote and vote with his conscience as she watches him with the Governor taking the long way round and not crossing the footbridge.  Beth's ghost still haunting him too.  After the Governor spills the beans about Rebecca's secret she prepares to leave, she has a sexual history, with her real father and her mother didn't tell her who he was, Dr West.  Which also damns and confines her sexuality as a woman.  At the last moment she decides they should leave together and start over where no one knows them.  As they walk over that footbridge the mill wheel is blocked and the house floods once again as it did when Beth died.

The poster explaining the heady ending!!

Add to that some exceptional dialogue, a reappearance by the tutor who taught Rosmer whom they believed was dead, almost akin to his wife turning up and things not going well for him as no one wants to listen to his lecture in town.  As well as Rosmersholm men never smiling or having any joy which he wants to change and believes he can do that with Rebecca.  As he tells the Governor, he was "born middle aged...I had no childhood..."  As well as wanting his God back.  Powerful stuff!

To me there were echoes of  George Elliot's The Mill On The Floss (1860) re the wheel and the flooding, Jane Eyre (written 1847) with Beth being mad, like the first Mrs Rochester and Mr Rochester's fierce desire for Jane.  As well as a little Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca (though that came after) who committed suicide by scuppering her boat in the sea.  Explains plenty of why it's dark though this was written in 1886 much later than Jane Eyre and The Mill On the Floss.

A must see and not just if you're fans of the leads!  It'll go down as well as their meal of fermented trout!!
Duke of York's theatre, London.  Until 20th July.

Sebastian Stan Panels MCM Comicon 25/26 May

Another panel like Misha's where there were far more wanting to attend than could.  Most of the queues were impossible. They should have gotten a separate hall just for those instead of squeezing them into one small space.  Anyway didn't think much of the moderator either, just cos she's on YouTube, whatever, doesn't mean she was a good choice, then they always do that with their moderators!  Claire Lim was useless! Whether you agree or not!

Anyhow Sebastian was great but I wondered why everyone went for Bucky cosplay cos if I was doing cosplay I would've gone for the Mad Hatter from Once Upon A Time.  He was so different in that and so very underrated, but a perfect fit (misfit) for that!  Maybe next time!
                                                    
Anyway Seb says he tries to have more compassion for himself these days.  Even on the off days he tries to see not everything will be perfect but he likes to go for a walk, especially in London where he can see other people and say he's not alone.

He said looking back he would have played Bucky more enjoyably if he wasn't quite afraid when he go the role.  He would have trusted the role more and "owned" it.  I remember his questions at the AppleStore 2014 (See blog post from then) where he was much more relaxed as it was a much more intimate setting, better questions too and he didn't get pushed around from pillar to post!  You know, do this, autographs where he didn't get a chance to talk or personalize pics, then talk, photo ops, it was maddening and yes no pun intended re mad Hatter!!

Seb was in awe of the fan drawings and loves to see them, adding "we need that sense of self-expression".  He hopes they will carry on drawing.  Seb said it's hard having long hair when playing Bucky.  If Bucky ever went into space he'd want Groot along since he'd let Bucky speak more so than not.

Re Avengers Endgame he commented on how both he and Captain America/Steve are free at last.  If he had the Infinity gauntlet he would use it for good unlike Thanos.  He would like to see Bucky in a relationship with Nat.  He was happy for Steve going back to be with Peggy [Agent Carter.]
On accents he spoke of the posh "Dr Strange guy" ha, yes Benedict Cumberbatch but he loves the Cockney accent, something the mod couldn't point out to him when he said that!  Cos how the hell do you not tell him it's known as Cockney!!  He likes showering over having a bath.  Likes to watch Netflix when he's chilling out and loves Star Wars too.

In his opinion Captain America's shield is way cooler than Thor's hammer! That Black Widow is better than Captain Marvel and strangely or not feels John Wick would win a battle between him and Chuck Norris.  He enjoyed Winter Soldier and Civil War as he thought they were more fun and Anthony Mackie doesn't do his own stunts since he's on a wire.  Yeah they were good films cos he was in them more and Bucky had more of a story; something more to do.

When Steve and Bucky were saying their farewells, Seb wanted them to have more to the conversation between them, but the Russo's were of the belief they would have already had that conversation.  Well they could have repeated it for us fans!!

His fave long lasting memory was filming with Chris in the first Avengers movie and that it was in London.  He absolutely loves London as he can be himself here.  As well as being fascinated by the history and he visited Shakespeare's Globe Theatre too.

Seb enjoyed MCM Comicon.  He might return to theatre sometime next year.  Great he should come here for theatre, but then the fans/stans will be out in force and a lot of people will still be disappointed at not being able to meet him!  One day he'd also like to direct.  He left Romania at a turbulent time and he visited last year after being away for 14 years.  He's looking back at his country and re-educating himself about it.  He said one fan was freakin' [fu**king] amazing for learning Romanian.  Ah Vlad would be proud! ha.  Okay bad joke!

That's the gist of it, I typed from memory so hopefully I got everything!  Hopefully Seb will return for a con here again but a more better one where he'll be treated with more than just being an object or piece of meat, harsh but that's what it felt like!

Misha Collins Panels MCM Comicon 25th/26th May

Lots of questions and fun to be had but the people queueing for the panels was unbelievable , it's a shame they didn't do more for those who couldn't get in, like find somewhere to stream it cos that was really unfair for many people.  Also the same with the Sebastian Stan panels too!

Misha felt right at home here being at his first MCM Comicon but of course he's no stranger to cons and to speaking: a helluva lot!!  He was taken aback by the love he was shown and everyone meeting him for the first time saw how cool he really is, or in Dean's words "awesome"  Not from the panel.

Misha on his family and how they're really sweet and he misses them.  Also how they sing songs like 'Twinkle twinkle little star.'  That's what he'd like Sam and Dean to sing in a Supernatural ep!  That he would like to see other songs on the show like maybe The Muppets theme.  As well as Metallica and heavy metal.  Maybe they should all get together and compose one of their own, a real heavy Supernatural metal anthem!

He spoke of Jensen's dream that he had on the ending of the show and he was trading in the Impala for a motorbike on Craigslist and he drives away alone on the bike and there's no second seat cos "Sam is gone...poignant...I feel like the show needs to end tragically and have a finality to the ending...about one of the brother's surviving than having them both die in a sendoff, more Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, I feel like it's something; one survivor, one story and that dream that Jensen had has stuck with me."
Hey that's what I said about The Mentalist too, that Patrick Jane should've so been Red John!  anyhow, that's what I thought too, how they needed some form of closure for one or the other brother since season 2 and how they would always keep bringing each other back in some way!

Was a fan of the show before starring on it.  He's also seen the season 1 promo photos with Jared and Jensen. He's enamoured with Cas's loyalty and wants to be like that in his own life.  As well as wanting to 'teleport.'  Hey he could be a guest on Doctor Who: TARDIS teleportation galore and time travel too. so we could always find him still around in some dimension or another!  My words!

He was snuggling his children in bed, tucking them in and he wanted to tell them to stay his little kids forever and how he loves them so much.  They said they were going to grow up and Maison said:      "we're gonna get old and then we're gonna die."  Aww dude not yet!
The Collins family cookbook is about family and community.  It shows love towards his mother and a re-telling of her story.  That's so sweet I had a feeling of family connection when I wrote one too.  Although the recipes are common and well known, they are handed down from generation to the next and have been tweaked to reflect that!

He said that Jensen is the one he'd f**k!  Jensen is "submissive like your mother."
Misha said Mark Sheppard tries to kiss every one of the cast.  When the show ends, we'll move onto more younger and prettier shows after SPN.
He would love Cas to have his wings returned as he's fed up of driving.  He'd like a smart car with Sam and also perhaps a motorbike too.  The show has always been able to curtail Cas in many ways from being able to help and reach out, so having no wings was another obstacle in the way of positive solutions.
Also adding Cas isn't too riled about his own happiness or losing his life, he perhaps has a pen knife he can use to prod himself and not be happy.

He loved the ep the French Mistake and wanted Cas to be even more douchier, so they let him add to the script.  His agent later told him it was good to see Misha actually being his real self!  He felt a little weird meeting people/fans for the first time in person as they've seen/know him and he doesn't know them.  Having feelings of imperfection when he's told how much he's loved/appreciated.

Did get a spoiler for the show for UK viewers as we haven't watched S14 here yet!! But he said the deal he made with the Empty still stands even though Jack is in the Empty now!!

Misha said he will miss all concerned with the show, the SPN family, crew/cast and eventually there won't be that intense an involvement but the love will still be there and how this fandom had an impact on them and shaped their lives.  There were many moments on the show which were memorable but there was crying too when the final season was announced and they spent about an hour on their farewells!

He's clueless as to what he'll be working on next TV-wise and thinks he may crawl up in a cage and cry for maybe a year!  My opinion: man crying/tears are good for this show and probably many will do that when it ends!  Or he might produce.  Cheers from the crowd when said he should run for President!!  He might direct an ep, but he says the cast are like 'children'!  ha. So it could present a bit of a challenge!

Annabelle Comes Home - MCM Comicon

Not your average post!
Getting ready for some more unfollowers with this piece! Ha.  Always get that when I write about the paranormal!  Got the chance to see Annabelle doll up close and personal with a pic with her also at MCM ComicCon on Sunday. Strangely no vibes or anything from her, relieved, but also there's a reason why she's behind the glass case.  The notice above the glass was funny telling people: "positively do not open".  Ya know how can that be positive for something associated with so much negativity.  It was the doll from the movies of course.

Took some other pics of her too and found some faces and reflections that couldn't have come from the angles they did, i.e there were objects in the way and the light wouldn't have caught them.  So uploaded some screen shots below for you to decide for yourselves if you want. 

Apparently some people were a little bemused as to who she was, especially from not seeing the movies, but others actually wanted to touch the glass and were wondering why she was behind glass to begin with.  There were some others who wanted to do I don't know what, didn't hear them properly but they were told that copyright rests with Warner Bros.  But I got the impression it was something weird.  Man I have never typed so fast either?!!

A brief history:  Annabelle was bought in 1970 by a mother as a gift for her daughter who was graduating and becoming a nurse.  Before long, she found the doll would move around her apartment by itself.  A seance was held and they become weary of the spirit of a girl named Annabelle Higgins.  Which was not the case.  Contacting the Warrens, who told her the doll infact wasn't possessed but it was actually an inhuman spirit controlling it.  They took the doll back with them and eventually had it placed in a blessed glass case and in the Occult Museum. 

Still whether you see anything can decide for yourselves.  Had a thought that well, even if it's not the real, actual rag doll, it is her namesake and surely there must be some sort of energy perhaps and particularly since the films involved paranormal subject matter.  For future discussion perhaps.

Rob Thomas Chip Tooth Smile - A Reflection of Times Past

                                                    
"So what’s the strangest place that [Rob] Thomas has ever heard "Smooth” being played over the years? 
“One time my wife and I were walking into a sex shop, and it came on. That was pretty cool!”  
Most people would preferred to have asked what they were doing in the sex shop?!! ha.  What - it's a valid question!!  I thought this line would grab your attention from Rob's interview for the New York Post back on 26th April when the new album was released.  

“I think I just heard one too many people talk about the idea that they hate getting older, and I don’t think they’ve really thought that through, because the alternative to getting older is to stop…We’ve lost some friends over the years that died before their time, and I think that you comprehend as you get older that it’s a privilege that isn’t afforded to everyone.”   On his song One Less Day (Dying Young) which in some ways could be reverse psychology in some respects.  People talk of another year older but don't really see how lucky they are to get that extra year.  Another year older is seen more as not doing what they wanted when they had the chance, when younger.  On losing out on so much.  Yet compared to those who have gone before, gone too soon, the older you are, the more you have achieved in terms of life.  That's it, it's plain and simple: just life!

Rob: "it sounded like such an ’80s song anyway [with] the production and the guitar," on Timeless.  It's not just that song though.  Others on there sound akin to an 80's vibe running through them.  Other faves of mine include Tomorrow, The Worst In Me, Can't Help Me Now, It's Only Love.  It's that kind of an album and even if no one agrees, it definitely is one that makes you sit up and listen, not just the music but also the lyrics.  Rob has written some of the most wondrous lyrics over the years, although I admit some of the words have been used over (see below) which has been one of the highlights of listening and rediscovering his songs for me.  Yeah rediscovering as there was a period where I had other stuff going on and returning to them when my father passed in 2004, especially with Bent and a few others such as Leave, When You're Gone.  Real songs that far from having the feel-good factor (and many do) they were more those that make you wallow in self pity and make you forget the real world for a brief moment.  But also return you to that heart breaking point in time when you realize you'll never see your loved one(s) again.  Only in dreams!

It's Only Love is so breath taking and yeah it's true; give me a song title, lyric, poem and I'll string a few words together and come up with something else!  I love doing that, but don't get to do that quite often.
An example: 

It's only love, when I looked at you for a second time through all the modern trappings of materialism I saw I'm not a material girl

I now chant

it's only #ephemeral

Seriously it's a haunting melody summing up what was, could be, could have been, everlasting, if only...it's only love...

This was going to be a kind of retro piece highlighting some of the best songs from the past and then going onto the current Chip Tooth Smile album, but alas it didn't turn out that way.  But I did attempt to write some nostalgic bits and pieces below.  I think I got carried away in places in the moment and just went with the flow.  That's what spontaneity is all about and something I feel that Rob must do when writing.  Hell I wish I could write music to some of the lyrics/poems I have penned! But I didn't get into it not even at school.

Now Comes the Night is a haunting melody. The piano intro is reminiscent to me of Somewhere In the Night - Scott Bakula. And no I didn't make a connection with both songs having 'night' in the title either, not right away! I know it was used in the final ep of Stargate Universe and was apt for this ep, especially since we didn't get anymore.  It was great they went for one of Rob's songs and making him a little more familiar and known to others around the world, who hadn't heard of him before.

Many songs remind me of Rob's songs & vice versa. Take Lonely Anymore is akin to Rihanna's Unfaithful song.  Though Rob's came a year earlier.  It has a similar beat to me for the chorus part only. 

So it didn't come as a surprise to me that Rob brought out an entire album Chip Tooth Smile which has Timeless, an homage to great '80's music.  But that there are quite a few songs which are reminiscent from the '80's and artists from that era.  Yeah we deffo had the best music going back then! Not that some isn't good these days, but not consistently good, unless you like a specific artist.  Generally there's a market lacking for consistently exceptionally crazy good music and lyrics too.  As well as upbeat rhythm and music for our times to bring us through the doldrums of what we as an entire world are experiencing right now.

Let's see. How Far We've Come has connotations of Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire.  Heck we need a follow-up for this song since there's plenty of material out there, esp right now when the world is going to pot in a hell basket all over again!  With some Dire Straits sliding in subtly with the 'cool' lines.

Hand Me Down is a little Beatles Let It Be vibe and some Bryan Adams' Everything I Do I Do It For You.
Trust You has a Poker Face feel to it
The rock theme, some are heavy heavily rock orientated like Long Day, Push, conjures up an image of a goth puppet being manipulated cos "I can."  Still Ain't Over You reminds me of The Doors with that rocking rhythm and the title in particular especially as Rob sings it.
All That I Am is a classic anthem of love, life, transcending the mundane.  An homage to Native American spirituality, in my opinion; as echoed in the haunting theme.

The use of similar or same words in many songs: broken, mean... I'm not knocking it, it's kinda sweet like a recurring trend almost providing a theme running through them, a link even.  Which is different.  I don't think I've come across that in many songs/artists' music. Duran Duran to name one band tend to do that too in some songs.

Snowblind: focus
Ever the Same, Mad Season, Bent, We Were Beautiful: broken
Gasoline, Disease: beautiful girl
She's So Mean, If You're Gone: mean
Absence of Affection, Pieces: everybody wants you pieces
You get the gist.   Yet where else could you get such great lines as:
"Everything is alright until it ain't right
And we all know that we ain't alright right now"  (Tomorrow)
where you turn your insides out trying to use those same words and come up with something even so remotely coherent and fail dismally.  That'll be me then on occasion!

The Worst In Me deffo a Billy Joel vibe running through this.
You know those misheard lyrics people speak of, well mine for this on the line "...hanging on a moment wouldn't stop" sounds like "hanging on the morning doing stuff!"
Which is funny as I have an ear for EVPs, not the same thing I know but still involves listening! ha.
Early in the Morning is so Phil Collins, it's uncanny!
No, no this isn't a piece on comparing and contrasting and it isn't meant to be read as such.  Rob has his own distinctive style and mood to his songs and music.  Always changing the sounds to coincide with changing times and shown by decades of success.  But more than that by bringing us classy, engaging music to make sure we get by each and every day.  Some escapism as in Little Wonders.

As shown by some of my silly tweets:

Timeless 

who's this Thomas, Thomas you hear in the first two timeless in the chorus.

#MisheardLyrics !

Wrote this and then thought woopsie, it's your name!! ha  

But squint your ears and it does sound like Thomas!

ON a serious note I love the way you sing "Major Tom" so very #Bowiesque sounding!

When you've a song in your head that doesn't quite fit what you're after til coming across Her Diamonds @ThisIsRobThomas Perfect for the ending of this mess! [Pic of my book in the tweet]

Wow what a great fit for this! If only it actually became a reality & not just stuck in dreams.
This was a tweet for one of my books and darn it if this song doesn't fit it!

If we're talking tweets this was too damn, well something or another.  And yes, the out of focus one looks better.  Resembles the Cradlesong pic a bit!  No?!

I hear ya chuckling and I don't blame ya!! 

Tomorrow is one of those songs you are looking to listen to when sad, at the same time it's rather uplifting and bittersweet in its sentiments and rhythm.  I've found that with many of Rob's songs, no matter how sad, sombre; they always make me laugh a little and think, well there's a song for how I'm feeling and I can really cry along with it, sing along or "God damn it's never easy..." but just go with the flow and see where you end up and where each beautifully written line leads you.  Down some path of no return, craving more music and his subtly sublime voice in many songs.  Whilst having that punky rock, throwaway cockney style too in songs such as Push, Bent, Long Day.  Like who needs perfectly proper posh language all the time!
Tomorrow: seconds out and we're down for the heartbreak.

We Were Beautiful the innocence of youth, loss, coming to terms, endearing the past, growing up, longing for yesterday; are the sorts of thoughts and sentiments this conjures up for me.
Can't Help Me Now: a chanson for doomed love, haplessness, going it alone, needing to find someone else to see you through cos the old friend/confidant/lover ain't working or helping.

Snow Blind invokes being lost in a blizzard imagery and can't get out of an endless circle of sameness and nothingness. Stuck in a loop.
Pieces a ballad of infinitesimal haunting memories. Written for Rob's lovely and courageous wife, Marisol, it's also hopeful in a foreboding sort of way.  Fate is out of our hands, but fighting will bring us through the darkness.  Never give up!

And have there been dreams, why yes of course, that goes without saying!  One example!

Funny dream ended up in a place where they were letting people sing Karaoke 

but it was like in individual booths, only people could still hear you. 

Was there with a friend who looked familiar like you. 

Then I said well I'm not trying that, I don't want people to hear me, 

esp when I don't reach the high notes. 

Some guy was having a go and there was a holographic Rob behind 

a glass screen. The guy was singing a song from the new album 

cos it was one I hadn't heard before.

It was It's Only Love. Then said to him, don't stop you're really great!  

Did a double take & saw it was Rob after all!  WTH?!!

Not that any of your songs wouldn't be good for Karaoke or anything!

Chip Tooth Smile in my opinion is one of Rob's best albums to date!  Heck it's better than his best.  It's inspiring in many ways and so grounded in stability and positivity displaying an uplifting beat.  The '80's were one of the best decades for music for those of us around then and especially growing up and this reflects that time of innocence and just finding our way as teens for most of us! I feel Rob was making up here for not writing such brilliant stuff in the '80's (you know what I mean) and it's great knowing that all his other writing and albums were culminating in this work of art.  Destined to outshine that gone before and sparkle in a wilderness of music we had lost for a very long time. Or thought we had, but was always around in some form or another with this exceptional treat to our ears, hearts and souls!