I'm not sure what to really write for this one. It more or less came from working on the previous superhero/action roles entry.
Kate Bishop Hawkeye and X-23 teaming up would make for some interesting stories in the comics. With Kate Bishop as a private eye in LA or while on other cross road travels, it really presents some interesting story potential and also dives into Marvel's mutants and Avengers crossovers like Uncanny Avengers to continue on that synergy.
I kind of want to see it as it's own comic run. The crossover potential between both of them to the rest of the Marvel leading ladies or other characters presents intriguing story potential for a long duration. It'd be a fun comic to read with both sides balancing the other to keep it both serious yet lighthearted and quirky.
It feels like such a curious pairing that you'd think it'd at least be worth a miniseries to explore. Maybe they could teach each other some new tips and tricks. A road trip type case even would be especially fun.
Okay yes, and maybe I'm only looking for an excuse to include more Kate Bishop famous wit panels.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Action/Super Hero Roles That'd Be Perfect For Lucy Hale If She Were Interested In Them.
Already a hero to many the world over, Lucy Hale is a multi-talented performer that never ceases to amaze in any role she portrays or endeavor she undertakes. Today she reaches the milestone of turning 25 and we here at Kinney Pride are wishing her the best and hope all her birthday wishes come true. In the spirit of celebrating such a milestone, I thought it might be prudent to take a look at how many future action/super hero roles are out there that she could portray with unmatched ease from the wealth of talent she displays routinely in all the work she does.
Anita Blake comes to mind from St. Louis author Laurel K. Hamilton's Vampire hunter series. Ms. Hale's petite stature and her appearance with a red stripe in her hair as shown on Pretty Little Liars is a an exact match to the description of the character within Hamilton's books. While Ms. Hale doesn't have any Latina heritage, it's often referenced in the books that Anita Blake while having that, is often confused for not because she lacks the majority of any such physical characteristics which includes having the similar fair skin as Ms. Hale has.
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In anime & manga adaptations, there's Black Rock Shooter. Though with her behind the character, the costume would need to be updated to suit the empowerment theme that the character often represents(in other words, more than a bikini top and hot pants under the trademark coat). Battle Angel Alita that James Cameron has been working to bring to the big screen would also be extremely awe-inducing under her portrayal as the lead character. Stocking of the Pantie and Stocking duo would be interesting too, and have a rather fun tongue in cheek art imitating life appeal. Skuld from Ah! My Goddess is also a strong possibility with her inventive and curious nature. Ah! My Goddess in general would be interesting to see adapted since the main characters themselves are the personification of human traits. Belldandy is a caregiver, healer, and supportive. Urd is all about the sexual appetite, and Skuld represents science, math, and engineering. Ms. Hale could also easily portray Peorth from that series with an unmatched flair. She also presents an interesting spin on Priss from Bubblegum Crisis, a series that's essentially about a team of 4 women in armor that kick more ass than Ironman and War Machine combined. There's also Gall Force that would need to feature a cast of all women fighting to protect their race during a war in space. Okay, that ones extremely convoluted to explain and could be dicey under the wrong director.
Over at Warner Brothers with their DC licenses, there are many she'd be perfect for. Donna Troy of the Amazons and Teen Titans would be an obvious choice, but there's also Dana Tan from Batman Beyond fame. If Warner Brothers were feeling adventurous in trying to keep up or even outdo Marvel, there's also a plethora of characters in the deep space 30th century futuristic Legion of Superheroes that often travel back in time to the 20th century. A team that has had ample audience exposure through various series cameos across the board and even previously held their own animated series. This kind of property could do well to outshine Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy and could even give WB better footing into the comic movie scene while they are still figuring out how to handle their mainstays in a unified front(which they're doing a much better streamlined job of with the rumored upcoming 3 movies a year pattern!). Such characters as Shrinking Violet, Phantom Girl, or possibly Shadow Lass from the Legion of Super Heroes are all easily within Ms. Hale's wheelhouse and would be highly memorable under her skills, lasting within the minds of audiences world-wide. Ms. Hale has mentioned before that if she could have any super powers, it'd be flight or time travel, and the Legion gives her a chance at both. Then of course there's also the Nu52 Teen Titan Raven that'd be quite hypnotic under her talents and the vast emotional spectrum she's displayed in her various roles to date.
When it comes to the Fox Marvel license arena, the immediate one that comes to mind is X-23. Ms. Hale outright is Laura Kinney down to even the hue of her eyes. This is one of those castings where immediately you wonder why even bother looking at other characters for Ms. Hale, or even any other actresses for Laura Kinney since she evokes the characteristics so emphatically onscreen and with natural ease. On the slim chance Ms. Hale were passed over for that role(of which a casting director would have to be blind to not see that potential!) there's also Sage, Aurora, Blindfold, or either of the Vale sisters(Preview and Network). She would also make for an absolutely stunning rendition of the mutant named Wicked. I personally lean X-23 is the role she's destined for, but if not, Wicked herself would be an absolute jaw dropping addition as well and carries interesting potential within her abilities for cinema.
With the Fantastic 4 rights area, there's Galacta, the daughter of Galactus. While this oft 'hangry' character may never be adapted(though Fox really should, she'd be fun!), the perfection this pairing presents should not be overlooked. If Fox wanted to get on the ball and show they can cast right, personally I'd say all three characters(X-23, Wicked, and Galacta) should all be given to Ms. Hale. Though I've yet to figure out how Lucy Hale could portray both X-23(preferred!) and Wicked within the same cinematic universe, Galacta as an all-powerful cosmic being is easier to let slide when she portrays one of the other two mutants. It may even present a unique and fun cinematic moment if X-23 and Galacta were in a scene together similar to a moment the Galacta: Daughter Of Galactus comic presented with Wolverine. (And while at it, I'm going to go ahead and shamelessly plug Gali's official Galacta: Daughter of Galactus twitter account.)
Over in the Disney Marvel camp, Kate Bishop stands out as one that needs to be added to the cinematic universe and is perfect for Ms. Hale to pick the quiver up for.(Plus she has said before she is pretty good with a bow and arrow! So it sounds like a match made in heaven!) Not only would this allow her to work with Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, but it'd also allow fans the colorful wit they've come to expect from Hawkeye thanks to Jeremy Renner's portrayal. His having a more-savy-and-experienced-than-he young protege like in his Marvel Now series could prove highly fun as well as yield interesting Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. cameos and scenes. It presents ample potential for his own solo film that is almost more needed now than even Black Widow's since she's been appearing in the other phase 2 films and he hasn't. (That's not to say Black Widow doesn't need a prequel film or solo feature of her own though!) If they were inclined to expand on the Guardians of the Galaxy roster over time, there's also Cammi who is currently appearing in Avengers Undercover after her stint in Avengers Arena. Ms. Hale could also easily portray Fantasia of the Winter Guard. A team that is the Russian equivalent of the Avengers and could be added to the cinematic universe as it branches out larger.
Kate Bishop though seems like the perfect fit for her overall. She fits Kate Bishop about as perfect as she does X-23.(And if you caught the season 5 premiere of PLL, you should see why I say this for both characters!) I can't see any other actress portraying either of those roles as well as she would. The rights for each being held by two different companies(Disney with Avengers and Fox with X-Men) works in favor of this possibility. It carries its own symmetry within for how to convey different ends of the young heroine spectrum and not only would it give her two iconic hero roles, but it'd make her outright the in demand young actress of Hollywood. After both those roles, well, we've seen what Mystique and Hunger Games did for Jennifer Lawrence. The Kate Bishop and X-23 roles combined like that would rank even higher in the minds of audiences world-wide. Add in her already iconic role of Aria from Pretty Little Liars, and you have a recipe for an actress that could make the audiences the world over spine's tingle from the sheer amount of star power and awesomeness she encapsulates. Oh and she sings country music too? Well hot damn, no other auditions needed. Everyone else can go home now.
Lucy Hale is the rising star to keep on eye on in the coming years. Whether it's the musical passions she's finally reached that's been her dream since going to LA, or her portrayal of Aria over in Pretty Little Liars, she (as well as her 3 co-stars!) carries an unmatched skill for the performance arts. She'll soon be making her debut at the Grand Ole Opry itself on June 21st! One solid week from today! So from the bottom of our hearts here at Kinney Pride, we wish you the best birthday imaginable Ms. Hale. You've truly earned all that life may bring in your future and hope you enjoy every minute of it. It's long overdue for you to be recognized for the kind, sweet and amazing woman that you are inside and out. You are a person unlike any other out there, and for that I personally commend and salute you. Road Between itself has to be one of the single best music albums period that I've ever heard. For anyone out there that hasn't already purchased a copy, you may want to. (If you can find it! Recently discovered locally that it's sold out and this area isn't the only one!) It's more than worth the price and can be found on both Amazon as well as iTunes. Target and Walmart each have their own exclusive tracks too. It's one of those rare albums where there's not a single song you'll want to skip while it plays and you will want to find every song. The absolutely glowing reviews each avenue of release has on display are not exaggerations. It is that amazing.
You can see her exercise her performance arts talents every Tuesday at 8/7 central in the show Pretty Little Liars on ABC Family. This season looks like it will further prove the point that she is the actress and singer to watch in the coming years with all that she attempts and succeeds at with an unmatched grace from simply being herself with no pretense. Be sure to check out a possible upcoming tour for her hit album Road Between. Announcements about that might be coming to light possibly anywhere from now to near Autumn. One can only hope a world tour announcement for next year will not be long after so she can visit Tokyo and Australia even! You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep up to date on all her endeavors!
To give you some scope of how much admiration I have for her and her skills: I've once said I refuse to take any fan labels as they carry too many connotations of blind fan worship and bias. Lucy Hale is the exception. I am proud to call myself one of her Halers and feel no shame in saying that.
Once again thank you Ms. Hale and enjoy your day. It may be half of 50, but you've always given 110% and will forever make hearts sing from simply being you and showing what having real class and strength is. For that and more, I give my deepest sincerest thanks and appreciation.
Anita Blake comes to mind from St. Louis author Laurel K. Hamilton's Vampire hunter series. Ms. Hale's petite stature and her appearance with a red stripe in her hair as shown on Pretty Little Liars is a an exact match to the description of the character within Hamilton's books. While Ms. Hale doesn't have any Latina heritage, it's often referenced in the books that Anita Blake while having that, is often confused for not because she lacks the majority of any such physical characteristics which includes having the similar fair skin as Ms. Hale has.
 |
| Alita |
In anime & manga adaptations, there's Black Rock Shooter. Though with her behind the character, the costume would need to be updated to suit the empowerment theme that the character often represents(in other words, more than a bikini top and hot pants under the trademark coat). Battle Angel Alita that James Cameron has been working to bring to the big screen would also be extremely awe-inducing under her portrayal as the lead character. Stocking of the Pantie and Stocking duo would be interesting too, and have a rather fun tongue in cheek art imitating life appeal. Skuld from Ah! My Goddess is also a strong possibility with her inventive and curious nature. Ah! My Goddess in general would be interesting to see adapted since the main characters themselves are the personification of human traits. Belldandy is a caregiver, healer, and supportive. Urd is all about the sexual appetite, and Skuld represents science, math, and engineering. Ms. Hale could also easily portray Peorth from that series with an unmatched flair. She also presents an interesting spin on Priss from Bubblegum Crisis, a series that's essentially about a team of 4 women in armor that kick more ass than Ironman and War Machine combined. There's also Gall Force that would need to feature a cast of all women fighting to protect their race during a war in space. Okay, that ones extremely convoluted to explain and could be dicey under the wrong director. |
| From left to right: Peorth, Urd, Belldandy, and Skuld from Ah! My Goddess. |
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| Donna Troy. |
Over in the Disney Marvel camp, Kate Bishop stands out as one that needs to be added to the cinematic universe and is perfect for Ms. Hale to pick the quiver up for.(Plus she has said before she is pretty good with a bow and arrow! So it sounds like a match made in heaven!) Not only would this allow her to work with Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, but it'd also allow fans the colorful wit they've come to expect from Hawkeye thanks to Jeremy Renner's portrayal. His having a more-savy-and-experienced-than-he young protege like in his Marvel Now series could prove highly fun as well as yield interesting Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. cameos and scenes. It presents ample potential for his own solo film that is almost more needed now than even Black Widow's since she's been appearing in the other phase 2 films and he hasn't. (That's not to say Black Widow doesn't need a prequel film or solo feature of her own though!) If they were inclined to expand on the Guardians of the Galaxy roster over time, there's also Cammi who is currently appearing in Avengers Undercover after her stint in Avengers Arena. Ms. Hale could also easily portray Fantasia of the Winter Guard. A team that is the Russian equivalent of the Avengers and could be added to the cinematic universe as it branches out larger. Kate Bishop though seems like the perfect fit for her overall. She fits Kate Bishop about as perfect as she does X-23.(And if you caught the season 5 premiere of PLL, you should see why I say this for both characters!) I can't see any other actress portraying either of those roles as well as she would. The rights for each being held by two different companies(Disney with Avengers and Fox with X-Men) works in favor of this possibility. It carries its own symmetry within for how to convey different ends of the young heroine spectrum and not only would it give her two iconic hero roles, but it'd make her outright the in demand young actress of Hollywood. After both those roles, well, we've seen what Mystique and Hunger Games did for Jennifer Lawrence. The Kate Bishop and X-23 roles combined like that would rank even higher in the minds of audiences world-wide. Add in her already iconic role of Aria from Pretty Little Liars, and you have a recipe for an actress that could make the audiences the world over spine's tingle from the sheer amount of star power and awesomeness she encapsulates. Oh and she sings country music too? Well hot damn, no other auditions needed. Everyone else can go home now.Lucy Hale is the rising star to keep on eye on in the coming years. Whether it's the musical passions she's finally reached that's been her dream since going to LA, or her portrayal of Aria over in Pretty Little Liars, she (as well as her 3 co-stars!) carries an unmatched skill for the performance arts. She'll soon be making her debut at the Grand Ole Opry itself on June 21st! One solid week from today! So from the bottom of our hearts here at Kinney Pride, we wish you the best birthday imaginable Ms. Hale. You've truly earned all that life may bring in your future and hope you enjoy every minute of it. It's long overdue for you to be recognized for the kind, sweet and amazing woman that you are inside and out. You are a person unlike any other out there, and for that I personally commend and salute you. Road Between itself has to be one of the single best music albums period that I've ever heard. For anyone out there that hasn't already purchased a copy, you may want to. (If you can find it! Recently discovered locally that it's sold out and this area isn't the only one!) It's more than worth the price and can be found on both Amazon as well as iTunes. Target and Walmart each have their own exclusive tracks too. It's one of those rare albums where there's not a single song you'll want to skip while it plays and you will want to find every song. The absolutely glowing reviews each avenue of release has on display are not exaggerations. It is that amazing.
You can see her exercise her performance arts talents every Tuesday at 8/7 central in the show Pretty Little Liars on ABC Family. This season looks like it will further prove the point that she is the actress and singer to watch in the coming years with all that she attempts and succeeds at with an unmatched grace from simply being herself with no pretense. Be sure to check out a possible upcoming tour for her hit album Road Between. Announcements about that might be coming to light possibly anywhere from now to near Autumn. One can only hope a world tour announcement for next year will not be long after so she can visit Tokyo and Australia even! You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep up to date on all her endeavors!
To give you some scope of how much admiration I have for her and her skills: I've once said I refuse to take any fan labels as they carry too many connotations of blind fan worship and bias. Lucy Hale is the exception. I am proud to call myself one of her Halers and feel no shame in saying that.
Once again thank you Ms. Hale and enjoy your day. It may be half of 50, but you've always given 110% and will forever make hearts sing from simply being you and showing what having real class and strength is. For that and more, I give my deepest sincerest thanks and appreciation.
Happy Birthday to Lucy Hale.
Lucy Hale has quickly become the lone favorite for who should portray X-23 from her vast filmography that includes such work as Bionic Woman, Pretty Little Liars, Fear Island, Sorority Wars, A Cinderella Story: Once Upon A Song, Scream 4, among more! Today, June 14th, is her 25th birthday.
Due to complicated circumstances, Kinney Pride has wasted years on not recognizing Ms. Hale's potential though she has always been on our radar and wholeheartedly had our support & respect. Thankfully she has clawed her way to the top with her spirit, innate talent, hard work, and her dedicated work ethic.
Not only has she reached her dreams of a music career, and shown routinely that she is the actress to watch in the coming years as she and the rest of her cast mates display routinely on Pretty Little Liars, she is also a true role model for youth. She doesn't accept abuse from anyone. She understands and avoids toxic bad love by staying out of abusive relationships. She gives thanks and gratitude, but also doesn't kiss ass to be where she is. She doesn't use people, and is one of the kindest, sweetest, & most humblest people you'll ever meet. She genuinely cares for her Halers, and they are some of the most supportive fans you'll ever meet. They never talk badly of anyone, and always uplift her with kind supportive words. She treats her Halers as friends, and they return it in kind. Having never sought out fan worship, only attempting to pursue her dreams, she constantly thanks them for the support. She often admits to being surprised at how much she is admired, and is glowing with thanks & appreciation from how they help her along the way to remind her to stay true to herself.
She's even celebrating her birthday with her fans in a special Sherwood Oaks Macy's concert in LA today. A venue that has a more personalized touch. From my previous experience (went to her St. Jude's concert at the Hard Rock Cafe in Memphis back in April), she really does connect with her audience and give that personal touch in how she makes eye contact with everyone to acknowledge their presence with a warm smile. In the way she performs at these more personalized venues, she seemingly thanks every person that shows up, making them feel welcomed and thanked for being there with her enthusiastic demeanor & kindness.
Who am I Seein tomorrow for my bday and a performance for @raggedmag ?! Macys in Sherman oaks at noon !! Let's party. 💃✌️🎤
— Lucy Hale (@lucyhale) June 14, 2014
Sure there may be a few rotten eggs that try to sexualize her and scream sexual harassment remarks her way, sadly like all women deal with daily, but she ignores them with an unmatched grace and lives her life her way unhindered by the patriarchal standards perpetuated. She makes no pretense for who she is, yet still carries herself with self-respect and an earnest will to do what she loves while enjoying all that life offers.
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| You know this should become a meme right? Aria knocking a bitch OUT is a classic already. |
She is a truly beautiful woman inside and out that does what she can to help charities when her name is needed, but also helps those same charities monthly without ever saying a word or using it for press(yes, I noticed). She doesn't brag or use it for publicity, but instead does what she does to help because she can and it's the right thing to do with the position she's in. The few times it has come up, she has used it to encourage others but never mentions how much she personally donates, only that every bit of help counts.
She doesn't put herself on a pedestal, but instead often seems to think of herself as just any other person and is quick to admit she often gets starstruck by all that surrounds her while she lives her dreams. She stays grounded but confident, never giving way to arrogance or being a braggart, but still proud of all she accomplished as she should be.
She is a true every woman that helps others and does so with an unmatched spirit of strength, love, tranquility and inner peace. Laughing and enjoying life along the way. It's no wonder that she's not only Kinney Pride's top and only pick for X-23, but also Kinney Pride's top and only pick for Kate Bishop of Hawkeye fame.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Preview: All-New X-Men Issue 29(unlettered)
The unlettered preview for All-New X-Men issue 29 is up on Comic Book Resources.
All-New X-Men #28 Released Today
Issue 28 of All-New X-Men hit comic stands today. You can check out the preview for it over on CBR.
Friday, June 6, 2014
NYX: A Potential Super Powers Cult Classic?
I've always tended to want to skip this story. In many ways still do. It's ultra-violent, full of sex, abuse, and the story has no real ending that's ever been written.
Fodder for an R movie outright. There's no other route for it. It's literally the Spring Breakers of the X-Men stories, only it focuses on homelessness and runaways among other societal problems. On the positive side though, it does have a group of women standing up against a pimp and his men to save others and themselves. That's exactly what makes it cult-classic film material too.
That's probably the reason why it shouldn't be skipped. It brings a very real tangibleness to these problems even through the metaphors. It has surreal situational humor and an action piece that'd be interesting for the big screen almost as much as Quicksilver's DOFP scene. It carries strong emphasis on women standing up for each other and looking out for each other even under this heavy stress.
Casting for it is the question.
Lucy Hale and Selena Gomez both present interesting potential for X-23.
Tatiana Cabon is a character that's more suited towards Ms. Gomez though as it'd avoid the comparison to Spring Breakers for her. X-23's role does bring a counterpoint to her portrayal of Faith in Spring Breakers as what if she didn't get away when she did. Cabon's character could also be picked up by another actress that can portray the description needed.
Ms. Hale in the role of X-23 also helps further break her career wide open for the roles she can handle and keeps her from being typecast at all to any single type of role. The same could be said of the origin tale though too. There is some interesting symmetry going on though with Ms. Hale in the role of Laura, and Ms. Gomez in the role of Tatiana. It may make the onscreen chemistry and scenes work more fluidly with that casting overall.
It should be noted that there is no merchandising to this film outside of minimates. It'd be R rated and not something suited for children, pre-teens or teens at all, immediately inhibiting a natural audience or box office draw. It could be done on a reasonably small budget though so the returns may not be as pressing to makeup as opposed to a massive box office summer blockbuster's budget. There's also the fact that the X-Men cinematic universe films have also been lacking any form of real merchandising push since X-Men Origins: Wolverine anyway.
The home sale market is where this movie would shine. It'd easily become a cult-classic and would generate many discussions on the topics it entails.
This isn't the same as say an R-rated X-Force: Not Forgotten feature film. Where X-Force could still have the merchandising presence with an R rating due to the nature of film universe it's in and other factors that can help make a line flourish under that banner, NYX does not. It's a standalone piece that was never made to connect to the rest of the stories and was even attempted to be retconned by Chris Yost and Craig Kyle when they introduced X-23 to the New X-Men. Even with curtailing the rating down to PG-13, there is no merchandising potential with it outside of X-23's history. A merchandise line would have to gravitate towards the full scope of X-23's comic history to sustain itself.
There is the notion that it could be interesting because of how it still displays that even in this new Xavier's dream survived world, that teens and runaways can still fall in the cracks of society and have to deal with drug usage or worse. It also has a heavy fan following and does feature something rare in superhero cinema. It features women tackling these problems themselves and dealing with the effects of events in very real and emotionally diverse ways. The story has a tangible human element to how it's conveyed because of this.
For me personally, this film is a tossup and might be better suited with X-23's scenes from it put into the short film collection method. It's a debatable point that's worth discussing though for preferred casting and if it should be done because of all it represents and handles. It is cult-classic material though that'd create it's own news cycle from the shock it entails with the topics it dives into and handles.
Fodder for an R movie outright. There's no other route for it. It's literally the Spring Breakers of the X-Men stories, only it focuses on homelessness and runaways among other societal problems. On the positive side though, it does have a group of women standing up against a pimp and his men to save others and themselves. That's exactly what makes it cult-classic film material too.
That's probably the reason why it shouldn't be skipped. It brings a very real tangibleness to these problems even through the metaphors. It has surreal situational humor and an action piece that'd be interesting for the big screen almost as much as Quicksilver's DOFP scene. It carries strong emphasis on women standing up for each other and looking out for each other even under this heavy stress.
Casting for it is the question.
Lucy Hale and Selena Gomez both present interesting potential for X-23.
Tatiana Cabon is a character that's more suited towards Ms. Gomez though as it'd avoid the comparison to Spring Breakers for her. X-23's role does bring a counterpoint to her portrayal of Faith in Spring Breakers as what if she didn't get away when she did. Cabon's character could also be picked up by another actress that can portray the description needed.
Ms. Hale in the role of X-23 also helps further break her career wide open for the roles she can handle and keeps her from being typecast at all to any single type of role. The same could be said of the origin tale though too. There is some interesting symmetry going on though with Ms. Hale in the role of Laura, and Ms. Gomez in the role of Tatiana. It may make the onscreen chemistry and scenes work more fluidly with that casting overall.
It should be noted that there is no merchandising to this film outside of minimates. It'd be R rated and not something suited for children, pre-teens or teens at all, immediately inhibiting a natural audience or box office draw. It could be done on a reasonably small budget though so the returns may not be as pressing to makeup as opposed to a massive box office summer blockbuster's budget. There's also the fact that the X-Men cinematic universe films have also been lacking any form of real merchandising push since X-Men Origins: Wolverine anyway.
The home sale market is where this movie would shine. It'd easily become a cult-classic and would generate many discussions on the topics it entails.
This isn't the same as say an R-rated X-Force: Not Forgotten feature film. Where X-Force could still have the merchandising presence with an R rating due to the nature of film universe it's in and other factors that can help make a line flourish under that banner, NYX does not. It's a standalone piece that was never made to connect to the rest of the stories and was even attempted to be retconned by Chris Yost and Craig Kyle when they introduced X-23 to the New X-Men. Even with curtailing the rating down to PG-13, there is no merchandising potential with it outside of X-23's history. A merchandise line would have to gravitate towards the full scope of X-23's comic history to sustain itself.
There is the notion that it could be interesting because of how it still displays that even in this new Xavier's dream survived world, that teens and runaways can still fall in the cracks of society and have to deal with drug usage or worse. It also has a heavy fan following and does feature something rare in superhero cinema. It features women tackling these problems themselves and dealing with the effects of events in very real and emotionally diverse ways. The story has a tangible human element to how it's conveyed because of this.
For me personally, this film is a tossup and might be better suited with X-23's scenes from it put into the short film collection method. It's a debatable point that's worth discussing though for preferred casting and if it should be done because of all it represents and handles. It is cult-classic material though that'd create it's own news cycle from the shock it entails with the topics it dives into and handles.
Opinion: Should Fox Double Down On X-23 Features?
This question is one I've been thinking about lately. With the strong vocal powerful movement of women being tired of how they've been treated throughout this country's history, it's long time for that to change within cinema itself to start setting an example.
With the Hunger Games proving women are indeed a box office draw alongside a lot of gender stereotyped market cliches that need to be fought, it might be time to do that.
X-Force itself has been pushed back considerably, and X-Men: Apocalypse is slated for a 1980s time frame that leaves the present day X-Men open for exploration in this new established future. Fox may want to push for their own serial film series that beats out other studios to this female lead superhero trend. Even Marvel themselves are a bit behind on this as they've yet to tap the audience favorite Black Widow for her own solo movie and haven't announced such a film for their phase 3 lineup yet. There is an open window right now that no studio is using. Even Warner Bros has pushed back their Wonder Woman solo movie by a few years. Over at Sony, they're still 4 years minimum away from doing a Black Cat solo feature if one is even in the cards.
There's a window here to generate positive press if Fox were willing to take advantage of it. They could dive headfirst into bringing X-23 to the big screen to beat out these other studios and be the first to do a serious female comic hero film while audiences are already literally begging for one. So maybe they should outright double down into that.
There's been a couple different ways to do this that I've talked about before. In particular, a good approach would be to possibly speed X-Force up a bit and use the "Old Ghosts" story for that instead of a Cable led Apocalypse feature. In doing this they could cast Selena Gomez as X-23, that then spins her off into her own solo serial franchise for after that point. There's also the possibility of letting Ms. Gomez portray Laura Kinney for a NYX feature film. In the nature of doubling down though, they could also film an X-23 origin feature at the same time that featured Lucy Hale as the title character. With two actresses portraying the same character, they have more leeway to expand on the story and have rapid fire releases. This also plays up to the aspects of prepping a Not Forgotten sequel by using the previously mentioned Daughters of Darkness story conveyance method. By doing it this manner, Kimura appears in the origin, but doesn't again again until Not Forgotten. So if they do cast Naya Rivera as Kimura, that allows her to do both films without being worn out from filming two at once. She could do the origin feature while NYX: Wannabes or the "Old Ghosts" feature is being filmed, and then could do the Not Forgotten film with the X-Force cast when they move on to the sequel. That's not the only approach that could be taken though. I'm just personally leaning really heavily on trying to think of a way both Lucy Hale and Selena Gomez could portray the title role in some fashion. Both actresses present much to the table on it. There's even the possibility of letting Ms. Gomez portray Kimura, and Ms. Hale portraying Laura Kinney for the origin feature itself. Though I've yet to put much thought into that direction itself. There's also X-23's sisters that a future sequel could dive into too.
The best method right now with how far off X-Force is might be to do NYX with Selena Gomez, the origin tale with Lucy Hale, then back to Ms. Gomez or Ms. Hale for X-Force possibly depending on the director's vision. This would also give us the establishment of X-23 in an ensemble cast that spring boards into a solo feature and gives some time leeway with the filming to allow for Ms. Hale's current pursuits and obligations(assuming she's interested in the role at least). Between this and a direct to DVD short film collection that allows Fox to test out directors and other factors, we could have a multi-faceted approach to creating audience retention and awareness to build an intellectual property into sustaining itself for the long term. It also leaves the door open for Ms. Hale to reprise the role in other movies or forays like a TV show if Academy X were adapted for the small screen, but also dependent upon audience reception(which should be positive anyway).
These are the pieces I'm trying to figure out right now on how they could balance to each other.
The perks to doing the Daughters of Darkness short film method also yields an interesting potential for Fox. They can test out many new directors under the same feature to see who they may want to tap for later on films. This would give them a drawing on point as well as help establish the character to audiences while expanding on their freshly minted X-Men universe's present day. So going in these directions overall works in Fox's favor for their best returns on multiple levels.
All around, it's beyond time for a studio to step up to the plate and do a comic based solo heroine feature film. With all that X-23 could do film-wise and the various marketing angles that can be taken that would make a difference in lives outright. She's a candidate that shouldn't be ignored. It'd be rather fitting that the daughter of Wolverine is the first one to come of age in this climate and claws her way to the top.
On the merchandising front, I find it intriguing to lean on Daughters of Darkness for an X-23 toy line. Not only does it present an interesting chance to challenge notions of the toy market, it gives them a dual layer of merchandising. You have the doll variety and typical action figure variety outright. This could be a chance to combat against the notion that boys don't buy figures of girls and also challenge the claim that girls don't buy action figures at the same time. It'd also allow for multiple actresses to be well represented by Hasbro in an action figure line.
It'd prove network execs were only making excuses in blaming the strong viewership of women for Young Justice being why their toy line failed. The real reason being the obvious toys that lacked any play factor to them outside of the larger figures that were more costly to produce and had the price tag to show it as well as took up too much shelf space with retailers leery of them from how poorly the mainline sold. Yes that's right, instead of looking into the real factors of why the line did poorly, network execs outright blamed women for it. They stated that Young Justice was canceled not because of ratings, but because women were watching it instead of boys. Goes to show how allergic to money many executives are that they'd cancel a show with strong ratings simply because the ratings are women who allegedly don't buy "boys toys." Never mind the fact that the toy line itself wasn't appealing to either gender to begin with.
It all rests in Fox's hands right now. If they manage to get an X-23 feature off the ground and rather quickly, depending upon the story used, they have many marketing directions that could be taken and press it could generate. It's just a matter of how to approach it. There's a lot to balance here, but any way you look at it, the audience and studio win big.
With the Hunger Games proving women are indeed a box office draw alongside a lot of gender stereotyped market cliches that need to be fought, it might be time to do that.
X-Force itself has been pushed back considerably, and X-Men: Apocalypse is slated for a 1980s time frame that leaves the present day X-Men open for exploration in this new established future. Fox may want to push for their own serial film series that beats out other studios to this female lead superhero trend. Even Marvel themselves are a bit behind on this as they've yet to tap the audience favorite Black Widow for her own solo movie and haven't announced such a film for their phase 3 lineup yet. There is an open window right now that no studio is using. Even Warner Bros has pushed back their Wonder Woman solo movie by a few years. Over at Sony, they're still 4 years minimum away from doing a Black Cat solo feature if one is even in the cards.
There's a window here to generate positive press if Fox were willing to take advantage of it. They could dive headfirst into bringing X-23 to the big screen to beat out these other studios and be the first to do a serious female comic hero film while audiences are already literally begging for one. So maybe they should outright double down into that.
There's been a couple different ways to do this that I've talked about before. In particular, a good approach would be to possibly speed X-Force up a bit and use the "Old Ghosts" story for that instead of a Cable led Apocalypse feature. In doing this they could cast Selena Gomez as X-23, that then spins her off into her own solo serial franchise for after that point. There's also the possibility of letting Ms. Gomez portray Laura Kinney for a NYX feature film. In the nature of doubling down though, they could also film an X-23 origin feature at the same time that featured Lucy Hale as the title character. With two actresses portraying the same character, they have more leeway to expand on the story and have rapid fire releases. This also plays up to the aspects of prepping a Not Forgotten sequel by using the previously mentioned Daughters of Darkness story conveyance method. By doing it this manner, Kimura appears in the origin, but doesn't again again until Not Forgotten. So if they do cast Naya Rivera as Kimura, that allows her to do both films without being worn out from filming two at once. She could do the origin feature while NYX: Wannabes or the "Old Ghosts" feature is being filmed, and then could do the Not Forgotten film with the X-Force cast when they move on to the sequel. That's not the only approach that could be taken though. I'm just personally leaning really heavily on trying to think of a way both Lucy Hale and Selena Gomez could portray the title role in some fashion. Both actresses present much to the table on it. There's even the possibility of letting Ms. Gomez portray Kimura, and Ms. Hale portraying Laura Kinney for the origin feature itself. Though I've yet to put much thought into that direction itself. There's also X-23's sisters that a future sequel could dive into too.
The best method right now with how far off X-Force is might be to do NYX with Selena Gomez, the origin tale with Lucy Hale, then back to Ms. Gomez or Ms. Hale for X-Force possibly depending on the director's vision. This would also give us the establishment of X-23 in an ensemble cast that spring boards into a solo feature and gives some time leeway with the filming to allow for Ms. Hale's current pursuits and obligations(assuming she's interested in the role at least). Between this and a direct to DVD short film collection that allows Fox to test out directors and other factors, we could have a multi-faceted approach to creating audience retention and awareness to build an intellectual property into sustaining itself for the long term. It also leaves the door open for Ms. Hale to reprise the role in other movies or forays like a TV show if Academy X were adapted for the small screen, but also dependent upon audience reception(which should be positive anyway).
These are the pieces I'm trying to figure out right now on how they could balance to each other.
The perks to doing the Daughters of Darkness short film method also yields an interesting potential for Fox. They can test out many new directors under the same feature to see who they may want to tap for later on films. This would give them a drawing on point as well as help establish the character to audiences while expanding on their freshly minted X-Men universe's present day. So going in these directions overall works in Fox's favor for their best returns on multiple levels.
All around, it's beyond time for a studio to step up to the plate and do a comic based solo heroine feature film. With all that X-23 could do film-wise and the various marketing angles that can be taken that would make a difference in lives outright. She's a candidate that shouldn't be ignored. It'd be rather fitting that the daughter of Wolverine is the first one to come of age in this climate and claws her way to the top.
On the merchandising front, I find it intriguing to lean on Daughters of Darkness for an X-23 toy line. Not only does it present an interesting chance to challenge notions of the toy market, it gives them a dual layer of merchandising. You have the doll variety and typical action figure variety outright. This could be a chance to combat against the notion that boys don't buy figures of girls and also challenge the claim that girls don't buy action figures at the same time. It'd also allow for multiple actresses to be well represented by Hasbro in an action figure line.
It'd prove network execs were only making excuses in blaming the strong viewership of women for Young Justice being why their toy line failed. The real reason being the obvious toys that lacked any play factor to them outside of the larger figures that were more costly to produce and had the price tag to show it as well as took up too much shelf space with retailers leery of them from how poorly the mainline sold. Yes that's right, instead of looking into the real factors of why the line did poorly, network execs outright blamed women for it. They stated that Young Justice was canceled not because of ratings, but because women were watching it instead of boys. Goes to show how allergic to money many executives are that they'd cancel a show with strong ratings simply because the ratings are women who allegedly don't buy "boys toys." Never mind the fact that the toy line itself wasn't appealing to either gender to begin with.
It all rests in Fox's hands right now. If they manage to get an X-23 feature off the ground and rather quickly, depending upon the story used, they have many marketing directions that could be taken and press it could generate. It's just a matter of how to approach it. There's a lot to balance here, but any way you look at it, the audience and studio win big.
Selena Gomez Looking Into Super Hero Roles?
I was given a heads up on an article over on Hollywood Life by someone important to me and it was a curious read.
Basically, the article was about the fact that Selena Gomez is looking into Superhero/action movie roles. I'd link to it, but I do not condone the rest of the gossip rag bull the article dove into after that initial news bit. Sometimes(or really all the time) their articles cause more damage than helps with their little extra tag along crap they add. They end up causing more harm to stars reputations than helping with these connotations of 'the men they've been known to be tied with are the only reason these women are worth reading about.' I find that rather sickening outright. The validity of the report itself is also still under question as Hollywood Life is notorious for outright false and misleading reporting.
With this news of her looking into these kinds of roles though, it got me wondering what kind of roles would be interesting for her to do and could really make an impact on trying to promote girl power/female empowerment.
One that came to mind rather immediately was a live action Kim Possible. Considering her Disney roots and how much she's stated before that this cartoon has impacted her, it seemed fitting. A realistic take or update for live action that could treat this concept seriously but also update it for the audiences that are older now. A super spy thriller that could blend elements of Black Widow to comedic elements with how surreal the setup itself is.
Then there's also the recent news of the MMPR mainstream reboot movie. She's often said in the past that the Pink Ranger was one of her favorites as a kid. Depending upon how this film is handled, it could prove quite interesting to see her take on that character. Now that's assuming this movie isn't done as one giant campfest that makes people scratch their heads about it. That one is going to be one giant cluster**** unless handled right and has a decent script to back it up though.
There's Lara Croft from the recent Tomb Raider reboot game. The game features Lara in her first adventure and how she became the woman she is. Ms. Gomez has proven previously she can do the accent(Monte Carlo), and the story itself has depth, emotional pull, as well as high-octane action. It's a story of one lone young woman trying to save her friends from an island of mystery so to speak. This is one you'd think Hollywood would be quick to adapt because of the climate we're currently in. It could work as a prequel to the Jolie movies, or it could be a standalone feature unto itself that launches a new series of films.
On the anime side, Black Rock Shooter is another possibility though that's again another one dependent on the story used as to how well it'd play. It'd be interesting nonetheless as BRS is known for eye-widening action visuals and strong story points of friendship and the difference friends make in life to each other. There's also the much talked about Battle Angel Alita film that James Cameron is doing. There's potential for her as Rally Vincent if Gunsmith Cats were ever to be adapted for the big screen. If Hollywood really wanted to make a dent in providing leading female roles that can be sci-fi role models, there's the potential of adapting the sci-fi multi-part epic Gall Force to the big screen with it's all women story that bleeds into the foundation of how Earth itself and humans came to be. The Devil Hunter Yohko anime adapted to live action with her as the title character also presents extreme cult-classic potential with how it dives into and gives a cinematic voice to many of the various concerns the #yesallwomen hashtag contains. Possibly prompting more thought into the actions of geeks worldwide.
If they were to ever reboot Xena: Warrior Princess for the big screen, she'd be the perfect candidate for a young Xena just beginning her journey into the woman that became all we know of from the TV show.
Over in the DC camp, there's a handful of characters she could portray with ease. Raven of the Nu52 Teen Titans for example could be fun. Pandora is outright one that she could fit for. Donna Troy, one of the Amazon sisters to Wonder Woman, is another. Though she might be more fitting as the Young Justice heroine Empress instead. Especially if they decide to retcon Empress into having also been a former young Amazon.
With Marvel/Fox, there's several she could portray. There's Monet St. Croix, otherwise known as M. She could portray Marrow, or a young Cecilia Reyes would be interesting if added to the X-Men films. She'd be perfect for Risque from the original X-Force. Frenzy could prove to be interesting if they approach some of Magneto's Acolytes. There's Kimura that could allow her freedom and a way to portray a bad girl that revels in it. Tatiana Caban is a possibility if they do approach a NYX feature film. There's also Feral of the New Mutants that became the original X-Force.
On the Marvel/Disney side, there's White Tiger (Ava Ayala as seen in the Ultimate Spider-man cartoon and in Avengers Academy) and Echo (Maya Lopez) from Daredevil who also became an Avenger briefly. She could also portray Melee from the Initiative. There's the possibility of Death Locket, the female Deathlok from Avengers Arena if she were added to Agents of SHIELD or had a substory buildup within the movies(possibly a Black Widow movie sub-story?). If Marvel would be bold, I'd almost say a young Agent Morales fresh out of S.H.I.E.L.D. academy when Hydra went public. It'd allow her a simple bridge gap to other feature films that the new S.H.I.E.L.D. begins to show up in. Like both Agent Carters, it could lead to short films and potential spin-off additions. Satana might be fun for her over with Dr. Strange's movie coming up although it's unknown who will be in it or what that story will focus on(probably classic Dormmamu and Mordo origin story, though if they really felt ambitious, they should go for the animated feature's approach and use Oded Fehr as Stephen Strange while also bolstering the diversity of the magic realms to establish side mainstays as well for later). Satana though stands out as a role she could really bring to life in ways no one else could.
If none of those line up to Marvel's interests though, there is one fan favorite that needs to be added to the MCU somewhat soon-ish(alongside Kate Bishop of Hawkeye fame!). The character I'm speaking of is America Chavez, aka Miss America.
She's a young Latina, and part of the Young Avengers. She's essentially Captain America and Wonder Woman rolled into one but as a young adult. Her appearances in Marvel comics have been an absolute delight and she also brings more diversity to the table for the MCU on many levels. Her appearances, alongside Kate Bishop's romp over in Hawkeye has me almost praying for a real Young Avengers film or tv series, especially America Chavez's interactions with the cursed-into-being-a-kid Loki. This character outright seems tailor made for Ms. Gomez to pursue and dominate in the role of.
Over with the Marvel/Sony license in Spider-man and Venom territory there's several possibilities depending on story directions. Most of which would be symbiote tied either in being original creations or expanding on a previous one like Scream. There's also Hummingbird if her story were ever to be adapted. If Sony were to ever dive into the team dynamic that Spider-man had left in his wake, there's always Cassie St. Commons who became Dusk of the Slingers quartet. Shriek has strong potential too if they do eventually bring Carnage into this cinematic universe. With the symbiotes, there's also the chance of any one of the symbiote spec-ops squad members like Scorn or any other spins/updates on the Mercury Team. This also includes potentially a new rendition of the short lived Michael Hall symbiote armored team that consisted of Royal Blue, Firebrick, Burnt Orange, Paris Green, and Gun Metal. If they approach the Flash Thompson Agent Venom story, there's also the potential of her portraying Mania.
In the these-rights-have-such-a-convoluted-history-I- have-no-clue-who-they-belong-to-now camp, there's the comic book Fathom and its lead character Aspen that could prove highly interesting with her behind the portrayal. Over with Marvel there's also Squirrel Girl, but with her potentially being a mutant, it's unknown if she would be part of the MCU or the Fox X-franchise.
On the literary front, there's the Anita Blake series outright which she might be perfect for.
This also isn't supposing she chooses to go the more independent film route with an instant cult-classic film like how Black Dynamite became. There's strong potential there if handled right that'd allow her to better control her merchandising options as well as establish a property that could build unto itself with no external baggage.
This is a fantastic career move on her part and could lead to some great performances from her to add to her filmography all around. There's no shortage of ideas anytime soon.
Basically, the article was about the fact that Selena Gomez is looking into Superhero/action movie roles. I'd link to it, but I do not condone the rest of the gossip rag bull the article dove into after that initial news bit. Sometimes(or really all the time) their articles cause more damage than helps with their little extra tag along crap they add. They end up causing more harm to stars reputations than helping with these connotations of 'the men they've been known to be tied with are the only reason these women are worth reading about.' I find that rather sickening outright. The validity of the report itself is also still under question as Hollywood Life is notorious for outright false and misleading reporting.
With this news of her looking into these kinds of roles though, it got me wondering what kind of roles would be interesting for her to do and could really make an impact on trying to promote girl power/female empowerment.
One that came to mind rather immediately was a live action Kim Possible. Considering her Disney roots and how much she's stated before that this cartoon has impacted her, it seemed fitting. A realistic take or update for live action that could treat this concept seriously but also update it for the audiences that are older now. A super spy thriller that could blend elements of Black Widow to comedic elements with how surreal the setup itself is.
Then there's also the recent news of the MMPR mainstream reboot movie. She's often said in the past that the Pink Ranger was one of her favorites as a kid. Depending upon how this film is handled, it could prove quite interesting to see her take on that character. Now that's assuming this movie isn't done as one giant campfest that makes people scratch their heads about it. That one is going to be one giant cluster**** unless handled right and has a decent script to back it up though.
There's Lara Croft from the recent Tomb Raider reboot game. The game features Lara in her first adventure and how she became the woman she is. Ms. Gomez has proven previously she can do the accent(Monte Carlo), and the story itself has depth, emotional pull, as well as high-octane action. It's a story of one lone young woman trying to save her friends from an island of mystery so to speak. This is one you'd think Hollywood would be quick to adapt because of the climate we're currently in. It could work as a prequel to the Jolie movies, or it could be a standalone feature unto itself that launches a new series of films.
On the anime side, Black Rock Shooter is another possibility though that's again another one dependent on the story used as to how well it'd play. It'd be interesting nonetheless as BRS is known for eye-widening action visuals and strong story points of friendship and the difference friends make in life to each other. There's also the much talked about Battle Angel Alita film that James Cameron is doing. There's potential for her as Rally Vincent if Gunsmith Cats were ever to be adapted for the big screen. If Hollywood really wanted to make a dent in providing leading female roles that can be sci-fi role models, there's the potential of adapting the sci-fi multi-part epic Gall Force to the big screen with it's all women story that bleeds into the foundation of how Earth itself and humans came to be. The Devil Hunter Yohko anime adapted to live action with her as the title character also presents extreme cult-classic potential with how it dives into and gives a cinematic voice to many of the various concerns the #yesallwomen hashtag contains. Possibly prompting more thought into the actions of geeks worldwide.
If they were to ever reboot Xena: Warrior Princess for the big screen, she'd be the perfect candidate for a young Xena just beginning her journey into the woman that became all we know of from the TV show.
Over in the DC camp, there's a handful of characters she could portray with ease. Raven of the Nu52 Teen Titans for example could be fun. Pandora is outright one that she could fit for. Donna Troy, one of the Amazon sisters to Wonder Woman, is another. Though she might be more fitting as the Young Justice heroine Empress instead. Especially if they decide to retcon Empress into having also been a former young Amazon.
With Marvel/Fox, there's several she could portray. There's Monet St. Croix, otherwise known as M. She could portray Marrow, or a young Cecilia Reyes would be interesting if added to the X-Men films. She'd be perfect for Risque from the original X-Force. Frenzy could prove to be interesting if they approach some of Magneto's Acolytes. There's Kimura that could allow her freedom and a way to portray a bad girl that revels in it. Tatiana Caban is a possibility if they do approach a NYX feature film. There's also Feral of the New Mutants that became the original X-Force.
On the Marvel/Disney side, there's White Tiger (Ava Ayala as seen in the Ultimate Spider-man cartoon and in Avengers Academy) and Echo (Maya Lopez) from Daredevil who also became an Avenger briefly. She could also portray Melee from the Initiative. There's the possibility of Death Locket, the female Deathlok from Avengers Arena if she were added to Agents of SHIELD or had a substory buildup within the movies(possibly a Black Widow movie sub-story?). If Marvel would be bold, I'd almost say a young Agent Morales fresh out of S.H.I.E.L.D. academy when Hydra went public. It'd allow her a simple bridge gap to other feature films that the new S.H.I.E.L.D. begins to show up in. Like both Agent Carters, it could lead to short films and potential spin-off additions. Satana might be fun for her over with Dr. Strange's movie coming up although it's unknown who will be in it or what that story will focus on(probably classic Dormmamu and Mordo origin story, though if they really felt ambitious, they should go for the animated feature's approach and use Oded Fehr as Stephen Strange while also bolstering the diversity of the magic realms to establish side mainstays as well for later). Satana though stands out as a role she could really bring to life in ways no one else could.
If none of those line up to Marvel's interests though, there is one fan favorite that needs to be added to the MCU somewhat soon-ish(alongside Kate Bishop of Hawkeye fame!). The character I'm speaking of is America Chavez, aka Miss America.
She's a young Latina, and part of the Young Avengers. She's essentially Captain America and Wonder Woman rolled into one but as a young adult. Her appearances in Marvel comics have been an absolute delight and she also brings more diversity to the table for the MCU on many levels. Her appearances, alongside Kate Bishop's romp over in Hawkeye has me almost praying for a real Young Avengers film or tv series, especially America Chavez's interactions with the cursed-into-being-a-kid Loki. This character outright seems tailor made for Ms. Gomez to pursue and dominate in the role of.
Over with the Marvel/Sony license in Spider-man and Venom territory there's several possibilities depending on story directions. Most of which would be symbiote tied either in being original creations or expanding on a previous one like Scream. There's also Hummingbird if her story were ever to be adapted. If Sony were to ever dive into the team dynamic that Spider-man had left in his wake, there's always Cassie St. Commons who became Dusk of the Slingers quartet. Shriek has strong potential too if they do eventually bring Carnage into this cinematic universe. With the symbiotes, there's also the chance of any one of the symbiote spec-ops squad members like Scorn or any other spins/updates on the Mercury Team. This also includes potentially a new rendition of the short lived Michael Hall symbiote armored team that consisted of Royal Blue, Firebrick, Burnt Orange, Paris Green, and Gun Metal. If they approach the Flash Thompson Agent Venom story, there's also the potential of her portraying Mania.
In the these-rights-have-such-a-convoluted-history-I- have-no-clue-who-they-belong-to-now camp, there's the comic book Fathom and its lead character Aspen that could prove highly interesting with her behind the portrayal. Over with Marvel there's also Squirrel Girl, but with her potentially being a mutant, it's unknown if she would be part of the MCU or the Fox X-franchise.
On the literary front, there's the Anita Blake series outright which she might be perfect for.
This also isn't supposing she chooses to go the more independent film route with an instant cult-classic film like how Black Dynamite became. There's strong potential there if handled right that'd allow her to better control her merchandising options as well as establish a property that could build unto itself with no external baggage.
This is a fantastic career move on her part and could lead to some great performances from her to add to her filmography all around. There's no shortage of ideas anytime soon.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Correction: Amazing X-Men Issue 8
During a previous announcement it was mentioned that X-23 would be in the 5 part story World War Wendigo.
If you were curious and only purchasing her comic appearances, you should know that part 1 of the story does not have her in it.
It is unknown if she will appear in a later part of the arc as there is story relevance to suggest she may yet appear. I repeat though, Amazing X-Men Issue 8 does not contain an appearance by X-23. There are still 4 more parts to this story as it unfolds but it's usage of current Marvel continuity, if you have previously followed Alpha Flight, is sketchy at best.
The first part of this story arc deliberately retcons the previous Alpha Flight miniseries into nonexistence.
Kinney Pride may be diving into this later as the story unfolds further to have a larger picture of the events and purpose of this story alongside Yost and Kyle's return to X-Men comics. So long as it does not contain X-23 within its pages, that may be skipped entirely.
If you were curious and only purchasing her comic appearances, you should know that part 1 of the story does not have her in it.
It is unknown if she will appear in a later part of the arc as there is story relevance to suggest she may yet appear. I repeat though, Amazing X-Men Issue 8 does not contain an appearance by X-23. There are still 4 more parts to this story as it unfolds but it's usage of current Marvel continuity, if you have previously followed Alpha Flight, is sketchy at best.
The first part of this story arc deliberately retcons the previous Alpha Flight miniseries into nonexistence.
Kinney Pride may be diving into this later as the story unfolds further to have a larger picture of the events and purpose of this story alongside Yost and Kyle's return to X-Men comics. So long as it does not contain X-23 within its pages, that may be skipped entirely.
The Fan Cast Actress Switch
This hasn't been mentioned yet, but before it does come up let's go ahead and explore why the switch between preferred actresses for the role of X-23 happened.
Originally, I've had a strong push on wanting Selena Gomez to portray the character, and while I do think the role could do wonders for her career and even help her vent on the big screen due to some issues in her own life. There have been some hindrances because of her ties to another person that mistreated her and has made a name for himself as a misogyny promoting anti-Christ. You can see it pretty much across every article that pops up about him with how he's talked of women as conquests, berated them, even harassed her and belittled her feelings about what she's gone through. Going so far as to even laugh with his fans and promoted them making jokes about it too. The more she tries to better herself and move away from it, the worse his commentary seems to get trying to hold her down and abuse her even though she really did make herself before he ever existed on the scene. She had a bright future ahead of her before he came in the picture, and all he's done since is hold her back from that. So it's amazing to see her finally getting back on her feet and taking charge to bring that future back for herself after all she's been through. She has an aspect to her that relates to what X-23 has gone through that could truly help her portrayal of that character. There have even been some humorous moments during her Stars Dance tour that help cement that point alongside many other internal geek references of "she's destined for the role in some fashion."
Lately, my focus has shifted away from her though for an origin feature and towards Lucy Hale instead. She brings a lot to the table from her filmography and the internal geek references that are there. She's been in the Bionic Woman remake that also had a 1023 reference within it, as well as Fear Island that had one of the Ashmore twins too. Among much much more that shows how much she'd be perfect for the role and even lets geeks play the connect the dots "she was destined for it" internal references. Her country music also carries a soul within that screams to the high heavens "let this woman help write the music used in the movie!" She has the acting chops outright, and her filmography proves it. Her role over in Pretty Little Liars also helps fixate the point that she can handle the role. Her country soul evokes X-23 herself if Laura were ever to break onto the music scene. All around it's hard seeing anyone else portray Laura on the big screen as accurately as she could besides the aforementioned star.
What finally sold me on Lucy Hale for X-23 outright though was this:
I saw this video right after watching her video for "You Sound Good To Me." Immediately after watching it, my first reaction outright was "this is Laura Kinney." The outfit uses, the gloves, all of it. This video outright made me think I was watching a video made with Laura Kinney herself. That's how well she evoked the persona that'd be needed and how the video portrayed the look that just worked for everything that would needed to be checked for.
Now, there are a few hindrances to Ms. Hale portraying the character. Most of which stems from whether or not she'd be interested in it, as well as if she has any time in her schedule that'd allow for it. Between her starting rise as a country music icon and her role over in Pretty Little Liars eating up close to 9 months of her schedule regularly, it's unknown if she'd even have time for such a role. The balancing act and hectic schedule she currently has due to her obligations and passions are the hindrance here. Not saying that's a bad thing at all though. She's multi-talented and finally reaching her long held dreams. We here at Kinney Pride have nothing but praise for her, and would hope if the opportunity did come up, that she would audition and get the role, but also completely understand that her schedule is pretty hectic and filled with other obligations as well as the dreams she wants to pursue. With her first headlined country tour coming up in November possibly, and unknown how long it'll last before she's worn out alongside possibly more filming for the next season of Pretty Little Liars probably next March. She is indeed a busy woman that rarely gets to rest. As long as she's enjoying herself though, what's there to complain about?
This is also what led to finding a manner in which both stars could portray Laura Kinney in a smaller fashion due to these time constraints. A method I hope is explored as it could prove both empowering for women and beneficial to audiences alike as well as help convey a "superhero film" as art. I still lean heavily on wanting Lucy Hale to portray Laura Kinney in a full origin feature though, but I do not want to entirely disregard the potential Ms. Gomez brings to the role either as after all she's gone through in her own life, she deserves a film or two that's about empowerment and rising with personal strength from within when others try to hold you down. If even to remind herself that she can and to stay on that path of betterment avoiding the lies and hate others ignorantly spout her way.
Originally, I've had a strong push on wanting Selena Gomez to portray the character, and while I do think the role could do wonders for her career and even help her vent on the big screen due to some issues in her own life. There have been some hindrances because of her ties to another person that mistreated her and has made a name for himself as a misogyny promoting anti-Christ. You can see it pretty much across every article that pops up about him with how he's talked of women as conquests, berated them, even harassed her and belittled her feelings about what she's gone through. Going so far as to even laugh with his fans and promoted them making jokes about it too. The more she tries to better herself and move away from it, the worse his commentary seems to get trying to hold her down and abuse her even though she really did make herself before he ever existed on the scene. She had a bright future ahead of her before he came in the picture, and all he's done since is hold her back from that. So it's amazing to see her finally getting back on her feet and taking charge to bring that future back for herself after all she's been through. She has an aspect to her that relates to what X-23 has gone through that could truly help her portrayal of that character. There have even been some humorous moments during her Stars Dance tour that help cement that point alongside many other internal geek references of "she's destined for the role in some fashion."
Lately, my focus has shifted away from her though for an origin feature and towards Lucy Hale instead. She brings a lot to the table from her filmography and the internal geek references that are there. She's been in the Bionic Woman remake that also had a 1023 reference within it, as well as Fear Island that had one of the Ashmore twins too. Among much much more that shows how much she'd be perfect for the role and even lets geeks play the connect the dots "she was destined for it" internal references. Her country music also carries a soul within that screams to the high heavens "let this woman help write the music used in the movie!" She has the acting chops outright, and her filmography proves it. Her role over in Pretty Little Liars also helps fixate the point that she can handle the role. Her country soul evokes X-23 herself if Laura were ever to break onto the music scene. All around it's hard seeing anyone else portray Laura on the big screen as accurately as she could besides the aforementioned star.
What finally sold me on Lucy Hale for X-23 outright though was this:
I saw this video right after watching her video for "You Sound Good To Me." Immediately after watching it, my first reaction outright was "this is Laura Kinney." The outfit uses, the gloves, all of it. This video outright made me think I was watching a video made with Laura Kinney herself. That's how well she evoked the persona that'd be needed and how the video portrayed the look that just worked for everything that would needed to be checked for.
Now, there are a few hindrances to Ms. Hale portraying the character. Most of which stems from whether or not she'd be interested in it, as well as if she has any time in her schedule that'd allow for it. Between her starting rise as a country music icon and her role over in Pretty Little Liars eating up close to 9 months of her schedule regularly, it's unknown if she'd even have time for such a role. The balancing act and hectic schedule she currently has due to her obligations and passions are the hindrance here. Not saying that's a bad thing at all though. She's multi-talented and finally reaching her long held dreams. We here at Kinney Pride have nothing but praise for her, and would hope if the opportunity did come up, that she would audition and get the role, but also completely understand that her schedule is pretty hectic and filled with other obligations as well as the dreams she wants to pursue. With her first headlined country tour coming up in November possibly, and unknown how long it'll last before she's worn out alongside possibly more filming for the next season of Pretty Little Liars probably next March. She is indeed a busy woman that rarely gets to rest. As long as she's enjoying herself though, what's there to complain about?
This is also what led to finding a manner in which both stars could portray Laura Kinney in a smaller fashion due to these time constraints. A method I hope is explored as it could prove both empowering for women and beneficial to audiences alike as well as help convey a "superhero film" as art. I still lean heavily on wanting Lucy Hale to portray Laura Kinney in a full origin feature though, but I do not want to entirely disregard the potential Ms. Gomez brings to the role either as after all she's gone through in her own life, she deserves a film or two that's about empowerment and rising with personal strength from within when others try to hold you down. If even to remind herself that she can and to stay on that path of betterment avoiding the lies and hate others ignorantly spout her way.
Monday, June 2, 2014
Road Between Deluxe
So tomorrow is the day that Lucy Hale's album Road Between hits brick and mortar stores. We here at Kinney Pride want to say congratulations outright. Singing has long been a dream of hers since she first went to Los Angeles and it's amazing to see her long held dreams finally come true. Sometimes with the way Hollywood is setup, you can go there with dreams of one kind, and end up with getting jobs of a different sort. She's been one of the lucky ones in getting normal and amazing acting gigs in comparison to what others have been through. Sometimes these jobs can be distracting from your main dream and can even keep you from reaching it. So it's amazing to see that she's come full circle back to what she wanted to do at the start of her journey there. It's amazing when the road of life takes you right where you wanted to go.
Road Between is the title of her new album. It's been available on the iTunes radio since May 27th and yeah, it's been what I've been listening to while at the computer ever since then. It's a country album with her Memphis soul coming through loud and clear. Personally, I tend to be very picky about the country music I listen to, but her album has won me over entirely. Every song is a winner. There's not a single one I'd want to skip. So far even the exclusive tracks to Target and Walmart sound extremely promising. I've only heard a snippet of the Walmart exclusive track "Come on" and from what I have heard it's as brilliant as the rest. I did manage to hear one of the two Target exclusive tracks. "Runaway Circus" is a metaphor masterpiece of her lyrical acrobatics in making music that's addictive and original. The other track from the Target exclusive album is called "Those Three Words" and I'm genuinely glad I've yet to hear it first hand. As it is, I've almost got all the lyrics to the rest of the songs memorized from how often they've been playing. So it'll be nice to still have at least one or two surprises left for when the album is in hand.
The first track on the album is "You Sound Good to Me". A catchy song and video. Immediately it made me take notice of her album outright. The video work is simple yet amazing because of this simplicity. It evokes what's in the song while also being warm and friendly. Like the song itself, it's reminiscent of good times with friends on a road trip alongside the adventure and new discoveries the open road can bring. It's simple, symbolic, and effective. There's no overdone fluff or over-complicated aspects to it. The simplicity works in its favor to create an ease of familiarity while also carrying depth about life and its tender moments that can sneak up on you from listening.
"From the Backseat" is the second track, and it starts diving into the metaphor usages that country music can be known for. The entirety of the song is about love, but through the eyes of a child sitting in the backseat watching her parents on a family trip. It's a heartwarming song that talks of no matter how you've lived your life or where you've been, you deserve to find real love that's only for you and no one else. That love means loyalty, patience, and kindness. As the second track on the album, it starts easing you into how much this album is poetry unto itself with the originality and metaphor decisions. How whoever wrote this track came up with the idea of approaching this symbolism is beyond me, but it starts to show the exact genius this album has in every song. This track in particular even manages to work in a Lois Lane and Superman reference within the lyrics themselves to a quite beautiful effect.
"Nervous Girls" is the third track on the album and it is amazing outright. The literary and media references scattered throughout but also the overall intent of the lyrics in saying no matter what walk of life you're from, we're not so different. That all face these same insecurities in their life. The song makes great usage of subtle allusions to various examples. It references Pretty Little Liars itself, albeit possibly accidentally, when it talks of Hannah and her skinny jeans being so damn afraid to eat. It makes a gentle literary allusion to Alice in Wonderland with the lyrics referencing Alice turning 30 and looking through that looking glass. So many more than that too. The song itself is brilliant all around while being uplifting and helping by talking about how girls aren't alone in these fears. It has one of the most beautiful lyrics I've ever heard with the phrase "beautifully strong, yet tragically confused."
"Red Dress" is up next, and it's become one of my favorites with the story it tells within the lyrics. How a small time with someone, how good memories created can stick with us and make us look back fondly on the time spent with them. How those memories can often be summed up in one sentence, but that sentence contains so much more meaning than anyone will ever know. Sure, you may reference it as "the girl in the red dress" but what you might really be thinking of is the time spent with them, not what they were wearing. That simple phrase can make you think of the warmth and kindness of that person. The innocent fun you had of simply talking and dancing whether it's at a wedding or some other venue. There's also another subtle aspect to the emotions it evokes. Missing someone that's grown to mean a lot to you. How you think of them when they're gone and wish they were near. How when you're thinking of them, you might close your eyes and pretend they're right there with you. Whether you're hugging a red pillow or with your head down on a desk wishing their hand was on your shoulder, you're still thinking of them and the impact they've made on you.
"Goodbye Gone" is what follows it. Oh geez, I don't even know what to say about this one. I've found myself belting it out while driving trying to stop myself before getting to the lyrics about boys, and then laughing when I goof and sing that too. The entire song itself is a fun empowering anthem that uplifts and is written in a way that it feels as if it carries a dual layered meaning. On one side you have the entire empowering angle of being free from a bad relationship and moving on your own way that's right for you. From another perspective, you have subtle hues of someone being saved from what may have been a toxic relationship that they refused to see for what it was. The metaphor usage and story told plays on a duality that works wonders for it. It strikes that balance of metaphor and story conveyance that sometimes can only be found in country music. It allows Ms. Hale to truly let her voice stand on its own. There's no doubt her vocal range is capable of amazing feats.
"Kiss Me" is one of those songs you can't help but smile from. It's littered with hope. Those times a relationship may have ended for whatever reason that kept you on good terms, but the story really hasn't ended. That the spark is still there. That you both feel it and think of the other fondly and healthily missing each other. There's subtle allusions of what it can be like with small town love, in any city really, where driving by their home may be on your own way back home. It's an innocent song of simpler times. It walks a fine line of evoking these emotions but not treading on the "bad love" connotations. That this is a mutual feeling which is what makes it okay. It's balanced and well handled conveying the right symbolism and emotions from within.
"Road Between" is the seventh track. Ms. Hale in many interviews has called this one of her personal themes stating that it perfectly captured feelings she was going through. While I cannot speak about whatever those feelings may be, this song is highly universal. It hits home with me personally in a way I cannot even begin to describe. It's a song of learning and growth. A song about the highway of life.
"Lie a Little Better" is a fun song. It sings of the effects of what love can do to a person. How it can make us fall apart, but also how we try to hold ourselves together and hide those feelings and act cool. Yet the truth keeps slipping out anyway. We've fallen so far into it, that it's impossible to hide that feeling. When you love someone, it just shows. It's upbeat and really brings a smile. It's one of my personal favorites on the album with all that it sings about and conveys.
"That's What I Call Crazy" is after that. It's such a visually fun song with what it describes, you can't help but smile and laugh with the imagery created. I don't even know how to describe this one, it's got that perfect flair all around and evokes so much that's easy to relate to and understand. It's another one of my favorites from the album outright. It's a song you can close your eyes and outright see someone painting their toenails while a small fire rages in the bathtub. A fire that they then try to put out with the the person's t-shirt of the pictures they're burning. It's catchy and fun while dealing with one of the harsher emotions of betrayal that can happen in relationships. Though honestly, every track is my favorite. It's all perfect and universal in ways that are indescribable.
"Love Tonight" has to be one of the most perfect love songs I've ever heard, and I'm not a fan of love songs. This one though, it's upbeat and melodic. It has that visual descriptive nature while also conveying about being swept up in the moment and not looking back because it's still what you want.
"Just Another Song" is a song that Lucy Hale wrote, and it's poignant piece that speaks of how music brings back memories and emotions. How a day can start off perfect but with one simple song the mood of an entire day can change. It's a powerful song with this universal truth it sings of. It's beautiful, sad, but powerful and shows the strength of her voice to convey these emotions with a melody unto itself. The song writing skills she exercises yields magnificent results. It suggests untapped potential that we'll be seeing in future albums from her. If this is any indication of her depth, count me excited for any and all music she comes up with.
"My Little Black Wedding Dress" is next and it's definitely interesting. It's a subtle song about dreams of marriage, but it leaves much to wonder about in its wake. A wedding of happiness, but also sadness with wishing the dress were white instead. A wedding that while it's remembered fondly as happiness and everything blissful about the occasion, it also has something tainted about it. There's a somberness to the metaphor conveyance. The lyrics convey looking back reminiscing joyfully but yet still wishes it could have happened differently. It carries a soft organ melody at the beginning reminiscent of wedding music but also an element of other procession music to a degree. It makes them original by how the song implements the usage and combination throughout where needed. It's an interesting blend that really makes it work for the song to give you pause for a moment and consider what it's about. They carry the metaphor, but also let her voice carry the emotion of the song beautifully. It has a universal tinge to it that possibly sings of "shotgun wedding" or whatever the reasons are that could have sped up a wedding you wanted anyway, but not like the way it happened.
"Feels Like Home" is another one of my favorites. Ms. Hale being from Memphis tends to strike a cord with me because where I'm from in the mid-west isn't far from there. Barely a 5 hour drive really. So the lyrics of red clay under the feet, and the Mississippi river, well, it feels like home to me. The song itself is about growing up and no matter where you may roam, those childhood memories of the rivers nearby and the type of dirt under your feet will always feel like home.
"Loved" is one of those tracks that everyone needs to hear. It talks of what real love is. It's not about the gifts, or the money spent, it's about listening and the small gestures. How you're there for them when they need it. The full attention given that makes a person feel like they're the only person you're talking to, the compliments that are uniquely them from how you know them. Avoiding saying certain words because you know they are words they don't want to hear. How you may even start to pick up small phrases and vernacular from them because you listen. It's a beautiful subtle song that sings of all that's beautiful when you truly show your affection for someone and not even from trying too hard. It's the simple things and affection that shows up naturally that can't be faked.
Two acoustic tracks are also accompanied on the album. Typically I'm not a fan of acoustic tracks. I tend to view them as filler fluff that's repeating a song I'd already heard on the album. I was wrong in her case. Oh wow was I wrong. These two acoustic tracks truly show how powerful and skilled her voice is. They outdo the normal track versions, and show you exactly why she deserves a US and world tour for this album. Not only do they directly let you hear that this entire album was not modified to make her voice better than it is, they start to show you that this is only the beginning of what her voice is capable of. That she's yet to truly show her full potential as a singer. They're the ranch dressing on what's already probably the best salad you'll ever have. As a person who typically avoids rabbit food, me praising salad feels wrong outright. With one as well prepared as this, it could be the only meal I'd ever want for the rest of my life and I'd be more than satisfied with that. In other words, it's a salad of steak if you prefer your food metaphors with some meat. Simply put, it's the best most well prepared auditory meal that's ever existed. It'll give you happy ears.
As her first debut into an adult music career, this is an unparalleled first step. It boggles my mind on where she'll take her music next with an outing as groundbreaking as this is. Though from how groundbreaking and addictive these tracks are, I have no doubt in my mind that all her future forays in the music world will be just as enthralling and captivating.
You can pre-order her album on Amazon, iTunes, Walmart, Target, and many more outlets now. It'll be in brick and mortar stores tomorrow while the digital will be available as of midnight tonight.
Road Between is the title of her new album. It's been available on the iTunes radio since May 27th and yeah, it's been what I've been listening to while at the computer ever since then. It's a country album with her Memphis soul coming through loud and clear. Personally, I tend to be very picky about the country music I listen to, but her album has won me over entirely. Every song is a winner. There's not a single one I'd want to skip. So far even the exclusive tracks to Target and Walmart sound extremely promising. I've only heard a snippet of the Walmart exclusive track "Come on" and from what I have heard it's as brilliant as the rest. I did manage to hear one of the two Target exclusive tracks. "Runaway Circus" is a metaphor masterpiece of her lyrical acrobatics in making music that's addictive and original. The other track from the Target exclusive album is called "Those Three Words" and I'm genuinely glad I've yet to hear it first hand. As it is, I've almost got all the lyrics to the rest of the songs memorized from how often they've been playing. So it'll be nice to still have at least one or two surprises left for when the album is in hand.
The first track on the album is "You Sound Good to Me". A catchy song and video. Immediately it made me take notice of her album outright. The video work is simple yet amazing because of this simplicity. It evokes what's in the song while also being warm and friendly. Like the song itself, it's reminiscent of good times with friends on a road trip alongside the adventure and new discoveries the open road can bring. It's simple, symbolic, and effective. There's no overdone fluff or over-complicated aspects to it. The simplicity works in its favor to create an ease of familiarity while also carrying depth about life and its tender moments that can sneak up on you from listening.
"From the Backseat" is the second track, and it starts diving into the metaphor usages that country music can be known for. The entirety of the song is about love, but through the eyes of a child sitting in the backseat watching her parents on a family trip. It's a heartwarming song that talks of no matter how you've lived your life or where you've been, you deserve to find real love that's only for you and no one else. That love means loyalty, patience, and kindness. As the second track on the album, it starts easing you into how much this album is poetry unto itself with the originality and metaphor decisions. How whoever wrote this track came up with the idea of approaching this symbolism is beyond me, but it starts to show the exact genius this album has in every song. This track in particular even manages to work in a Lois Lane and Superman reference within the lyrics themselves to a quite beautiful effect.
"Nervous Girls" is the third track on the album and it is amazing outright. The literary and media references scattered throughout but also the overall intent of the lyrics in saying no matter what walk of life you're from, we're not so different. That all face these same insecurities in their life. The song makes great usage of subtle allusions to various examples. It references Pretty Little Liars itself, albeit possibly accidentally, when it talks of Hannah and her skinny jeans being so damn afraid to eat. It makes a gentle literary allusion to Alice in Wonderland with the lyrics referencing Alice turning 30 and looking through that looking glass. So many more than that too. The song itself is brilliant all around while being uplifting and helping by talking about how girls aren't alone in these fears. It has one of the most beautiful lyrics I've ever heard with the phrase "beautifully strong, yet tragically confused."
"Red Dress" is up next, and it's become one of my favorites with the story it tells within the lyrics. How a small time with someone, how good memories created can stick with us and make us look back fondly on the time spent with them. How those memories can often be summed up in one sentence, but that sentence contains so much more meaning than anyone will ever know. Sure, you may reference it as "the girl in the red dress" but what you might really be thinking of is the time spent with them, not what they were wearing. That simple phrase can make you think of the warmth and kindness of that person. The innocent fun you had of simply talking and dancing whether it's at a wedding or some other venue. There's also another subtle aspect to the emotions it evokes. Missing someone that's grown to mean a lot to you. How you think of them when they're gone and wish they were near. How when you're thinking of them, you might close your eyes and pretend they're right there with you. Whether you're hugging a red pillow or with your head down on a desk wishing their hand was on your shoulder, you're still thinking of them and the impact they've made on you.
"Goodbye Gone" is what follows it. Oh geez, I don't even know what to say about this one. I've found myself belting it out while driving trying to stop myself before getting to the lyrics about boys, and then laughing when I goof and sing that too. The entire song itself is a fun empowering anthem that uplifts and is written in a way that it feels as if it carries a dual layered meaning. On one side you have the entire empowering angle of being free from a bad relationship and moving on your own way that's right for you. From another perspective, you have subtle hues of someone being saved from what may have been a toxic relationship that they refused to see for what it was. The metaphor usage and story told plays on a duality that works wonders for it. It strikes that balance of metaphor and story conveyance that sometimes can only be found in country music. It allows Ms. Hale to truly let her voice stand on its own. There's no doubt her vocal range is capable of amazing feats.
"Kiss Me" is one of those songs you can't help but smile from. It's littered with hope. Those times a relationship may have ended for whatever reason that kept you on good terms, but the story really hasn't ended. That the spark is still there. That you both feel it and think of the other fondly and healthily missing each other. There's subtle allusions of what it can be like with small town love, in any city really, where driving by their home may be on your own way back home. It's an innocent song of simpler times. It walks a fine line of evoking these emotions but not treading on the "bad love" connotations. That this is a mutual feeling which is what makes it okay. It's balanced and well handled conveying the right symbolism and emotions from within.
"Road Between" is the seventh track. Ms. Hale in many interviews has called this one of her personal themes stating that it perfectly captured feelings she was going through. While I cannot speak about whatever those feelings may be, this song is highly universal. It hits home with me personally in a way I cannot even begin to describe. It's a song of learning and growth. A song about the highway of life.
"Lie a Little Better" is a fun song. It sings of the effects of what love can do to a person. How it can make us fall apart, but also how we try to hold ourselves together and hide those feelings and act cool. Yet the truth keeps slipping out anyway. We've fallen so far into it, that it's impossible to hide that feeling. When you love someone, it just shows. It's upbeat and really brings a smile. It's one of my personal favorites on the album with all that it sings about and conveys.
"That's What I Call Crazy" is after that. It's such a visually fun song with what it describes, you can't help but smile and laugh with the imagery created. I don't even know how to describe this one, it's got that perfect flair all around and evokes so much that's easy to relate to and understand. It's another one of my favorites from the album outright. It's a song you can close your eyes and outright see someone painting their toenails while a small fire rages in the bathtub. A fire that they then try to put out with the the person's t-shirt of the pictures they're burning. It's catchy and fun while dealing with one of the harsher emotions of betrayal that can happen in relationships. Though honestly, every track is my favorite. It's all perfect and universal in ways that are indescribable.
"Love Tonight" has to be one of the most perfect love songs I've ever heard, and I'm not a fan of love songs. This one though, it's upbeat and melodic. It has that visual descriptive nature while also conveying about being swept up in the moment and not looking back because it's still what you want.
"Just Another Song" is a song that Lucy Hale wrote, and it's poignant piece that speaks of how music brings back memories and emotions. How a day can start off perfect but with one simple song the mood of an entire day can change. It's a powerful song with this universal truth it sings of. It's beautiful, sad, but powerful and shows the strength of her voice to convey these emotions with a melody unto itself. The song writing skills she exercises yields magnificent results. It suggests untapped potential that we'll be seeing in future albums from her. If this is any indication of her depth, count me excited for any and all music she comes up with.
"My Little Black Wedding Dress" is next and it's definitely interesting. It's a subtle song about dreams of marriage, but it leaves much to wonder about in its wake. A wedding of happiness, but also sadness with wishing the dress were white instead. A wedding that while it's remembered fondly as happiness and everything blissful about the occasion, it also has something tainted about it. There's a somberness to the metaphor conveyance. The lyrics convey looking back reminiscing joyfully but yet still wishes it could have happened differently. It carries a soft organ melody at the beginning reminiscent of wedding music but also an element of other procession music to a degree. It makes them original by how the song implements the usage and combination throughout where needed. It's an interesting blend that really makes it work for the song to give you pause for a moment and consider what it's about. They carry the metaphor, but also let her voice carry the emotion of the song beautifully. It has a universal tinge to it that possibly sings of "shotgun wedding" or whatever the reasons are that could have sped up a wedding you wanted anyway, but not like the way it happened.
"Feels Like Home" is another one of my favorites. Ms. Hale being from Memphis tends to strike a cord with me because where I'm from in the mid-west isn't far from there. Barely a 5 hour drive really. So the lyrics of red clay under the feet, and the Mississippi river, well, it feels like home to me. The song itself is about growing up and no matter where you may roam, those childhood memories of the rivers nearby and the type of dirt under your feet will always feel like home.
"Loved" is one of those tracks that everyone needs to hear. It talks of what real love is. It's not about the gifts, or the money spent, it's about listening and the small gestures. How you're there for them when they need it. The full attention given that makes a person feel like they're the only person you're talking to, the compliments that are uniquely them from how you know them. Avoiding saying certain words because you know they are words they don't want to hear. How you may even start to pick up small phrases and vernacular from them because you listen. It's a beautiful subtle song that sings of all that's beautiful when you truly show your affection for someone and not even from trying too hard. It's the simple things and affection that shows up naturally that can't be faked.
Two acoustic tracks are also accompanied on the album. Typically I'm not a fan of acoustic tracks. I tend to view them as filler fluff that's repeating a song I'd already heard on the album. I was wrong in her case. Oh wow was I wrong. These two acoustic tracks truly show how powerful and skilled her voice is. They outdo the normal track versions, and show you exactly why she deserves a US and world tour for this album. Not only do they directly let you hear that this entire album was not modified to make her voice better than it is, they start to show you that this is only the beginning of what her voice is capable of. That she's yet to truly show her full potential as a singer. They're the ranch dressing on what's already probably the best salad you'll ever have. As a person who typically avoids rabbit food, me praising salad feels wrong outright. With one as well prepared as this, it could be the only meal I'd ever want for the rest of my life and I'd be more than satisfied with that. In other words, it's a salad of steak if you prefer your food metaphors with some meat. Simply put, it's the best most well prepared auditory meal that's ever existed. It'll give you happy ears.
As her first debut into an adult music career, this is an unparalleled first step. It boggles my mind on where she'll take her music next with an outing as groundbreaking as this is. Though from how groundbreaking and addictive these tracks are, I have no doubt in my mind that all her future forays in the music world will be just as enthralling and captivating.
You can pre-order her album on Amazon, iTunes, Walmart, Target, and many more outlets now. It'll be in brick and mortar stores tomorrow while the digital will be available as of midnight tonight.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Opinion - "X-23: Daughters of Darkness" The Marketing Possibilities of a direct to video release.
One idea I've been tossing around internally about an X-23 film that I personally like, is the idea of doing something similar to the Batman The Animated Series episode "Legends of the Dark Knight." This episode featured kids relating their stories of what they thought Batman was. It allowed for a myriad of stories and styles to be used within the confines of the same episode before the final reveal to the kids of the real Batman.
With X-23, this presents a unique opportunity with all that she represents. Due to the dynamic of her history and character interactions, we're given a point of inquiry for those investigating her actions. Every witness or person she's saved since escaping the Facility might be questioned by someone working on the case to track her for alleged crimes she's committed. Similar to what Steve Rogers did in the origin tale, or what Agent Alisande Morales did prior to the Not Forgotten story arc. This outlet allows for a chance to tell a story for X-23 that contains many stories within. It gives a chance for many actresses to portray her within the confines of the same cinematic world. The story itself being told from each different person means how they see her would be different from each other. So each tale highlighted could present a slightly different side of X-23. Each witness or person saved would describe her differently as is the nature of perception.
Each tale could be a snippet of X-23's history between her origin tale to potentially the Not Forgotten story arc. This allows a more rapid means of covering her character history while also prepping for whoever is handling her case file from the carnage left in her wake prior to the events of a Not Forgotten film. This scenario setup allows for multiple directors and writers even. It presents a unique chance for all kinds of stories to be told. Something similar was presented with the movie Fear Island. The difference with X-23 is that it'd be a single witness from separate not connected events or in some cases different witnesses and perspectives of a larger moment as well. Like say a human trafficking ring Laura may bust. Each woman or child saved may describe her differently and the events they witnessed where another witness's perspective may have ended.
This could work extremely well as a direct to video marketing release prior to an X-23 film itself. Look at the various animated forays that have done this to help build into their tied to movie's release. Animatrix presented unique stories that couldn't be told within the confines of a film, but were still interconnected and help gave a larger view of this world and the people in it. Batman: Gotham Knight allowed several animation directors to portray Batman as they saw him. Green Lantern: Emerald Knights helped showcase the entire Green Lantern corps before that major studio's film release.
With X-23 though, the choices wouldn't be limited to animation. We could have live action shorts attached that showcase and allow these actresses a therapeutic means to vent that could be cathartic for them. Without going into a tirade against the misogyny thrown at many actresses daily, this would be a chance to let them roar. There could also be animated shorts included. Heaven knows I'd personally want to see Monty Oum's take on the character's action potential. With this being a collection of short films featuring Laura, there's a wide array of choices and directions that could be taken per which story told and how it's related to the framing point of an investigator. Of course, the last shot of such a feature should be the reveal of which actress is portraying X-23 for the silver screen and if we saw her in any of the previous "witness statements". It'd allow for a chance to show all these different facets of the character in how others see her, and yet at the end of it, show the audience that this is the real X-23 they've all been talking about.
It's a simple question an idea like this presents. Who is X-23? A setup like this allows the question to be explored from many perspectives and help prepare the audience for exactly how complicated that answer really is. Something like this, the title almost feels like it should be X-23: Daughters of Darkness. Yup, that's a Halestorm song reference in the title there, but it also helps suggest that this contains multiple actresses portraying the character. We could have Summer Glau voicing her for an animated short film. Lucy Hale portraying Laura for a live action one. Selena Gomez for another. India Eisley for one or really any actress that may be interested in the role and what it represents. The list goes on and on, so long as the ending dialogue after the final interview closely mirrors the ending scene of the origin feature itself of "where is she now" with the actress that will be portraying her on the silver screen exiting a vehicle of some kind to be suggestive of her travels that each story related.
Using this as a marketing point prior to an origin film, or even after, could help bolster the overall audience retention of her film appearances. It'd also start to create more discussions over various topics, and could make an impact to help people.
With X-23, this presents a unique opportunity with all that she represents. Due to the dynamic of her history and character interactions, we're given a point of inquiry for those investigating her actions. Every witness or person she's saved since escaping the Facility might be questioned by someone working on the case to track her for alleged crimes she's committed. Similar to what Steve Rogers did in the origin tale, or what Agent Alisande Morales did prior to the Not Forgotten story arc. This outlet allows for a chance to tell a story for X-23 that contains many stories within. It gives a chance for many actresses to portray her within the confines of the same cinematic world. The story itself being told from each different person means how they see her would be different from each other. So each tale highlighted could present a slightly different side of X-23. Each witness or person saved would describe her differently as is the nature of perception.
Each tale could be a snippet of X-23's history between her origin tale to potentially the Not Forgotten story arc. This allows a more rapid means of covering her character history while also prepping for whoever is handling her case file from the carnage left in her wake prior to the events of a Not Forgotten film. This scenario setup allows for multiple directors and writers even. It presents a unique chance for all kinds of stories to be told. Something similar was presented with the movie Fear Island. The difference with X-23 is that it'd be a single witness from separate not connected events or in some cases different witnesses and perspectives of a larger moment as well. Like say a human trafficking ring Laura may bust. Each woman or child saved may describe her differently and the events they witnessed where another witness's perspective may have ended.
This could work extremely well as a direct to video marketing release prior to an X-23 film itself. Look at the various animated forays that have done this to help build into their tied to movie's release. Animatrix presented unique stories that couldn't be told within the confines of a film, but were still interconnected and help gave a larger view of this world and the people in it. Batman: Gotham Knight allowed several animation directors to portray Batman as they saw him. Green Lantern: Emerald Knights helped showcase the entire Green Lantern corps before that major studio's film release.
With X-23 though, the choices wouldn't be limited to animation. We could have live action shorts attached that showcase and allow these actresses a therapeutic means to vent that could be cathartic for them. Without going into a tirade against the misogyny thrown at many actresses daily, this would be a chance to let them roar. There could also be animated shorts included. Heaven knows I'd personally want to see Monty Oum's take on the character's action potential. With this being a collection of short films featuring Laura, there's a wide array of choices and directions that could be taken per which story told and how it's related to the framing point of an investigator. Of course, the last shot of such a feature should be the reveal of which actress is portraying X-23 for the silver screen and if we saw her in any of the previous "witness statements". It'd allow for a chance to show all these different facets of the character in how others see her, and yet at the end of it, show the audience that this is the real X-23 they've all been talking about.
It's a simple question an idea like this presents. Who is X-23? A setup like this allows the question to be explored from many perspectives and help prepare the audience for exactly how complicated that answer really is. Something like this, the title almost feels like it should be X-23: Daughters of Darkness. Yup, that's a Halestorm song reference in the title there, but it also helps suggest that this contains multiple actresses portraying the character. We could have Summer Glau voicing her for an animated short film. Lucy Hale portraying Laura for a live action one. Selena Gomez for another. India Eisley for one or really any actress that may be interested in the role and what it represents. The list goes on and on, so long as the ending dialogue after the final interview closely mirrors the ending scene of the origin feature itself of "where is she now" with the actress that will be portraying her on the silver screen exiting a vehicle of some kind to be suggestive of her travels that each story related.
Using this as a marketing point prior to an origin film, or even after, could help bolster the overall audience retention of her film appearances. It'd also start to create more discussions over various topics, and could make an impact to help people.
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