Cinema Talk

It's time for Leah to have her day in court, and a custody settlement allowing Lenny basically unfettered access to their baby -- and, therefore, to Leah herself -- is obviously not the result she had hoped for. Enter Kelly, who's ready and willing to help Leah get out of the county on an assumed identity. Unfortunately for Leah, Kelly has no idea how to do any of that. On top of that, Noah's ongoing grief-induced self-destruction has Donna looking for comfort elsewhere, and since Matt is the guy she has her eye on, it's really cramping her style to have to cover for Kelly and Leah's shady plans with, you know, Lenny's lawyer. Speaking of Noah: he's still drunk and ridiculous, and now involving Val in his ill-conceived efforts at self-medication, including...illegal street racing? And despite all the time he spends with her, Noah fails to notice that Val's going through her own shit -- specifically, that she's determined to get closure about her father's death by turning herself in to the cops. A bad experience with a skeevy photographer who uses Sophie's inexperience as a model to coerce her into posing nude leads Sophie to try to pay her bills through honest means. Sadly for Nat, this requires him to give her a job as a waitress. At least one of her customers has a good experience, though: an heir named Tom who's so taken by Sophie that he's prepared to take her on as his sugar baby, starting immediately. In Brandon's absence, Steve and Janet have a lot of Beat pages to fill and only Steve's bad idea as to how they should fill them: they should remake the paper as a Weekly World News-style tabloid! This leads them to investigate an allegedly haunted hotel, where they get locked into a walk-in fridge, and nature takes its course. We're hitting all the highs and lows of "Confession" in our latest Again With This podcast!

Visual Aids

The accompanying Visual Aids are disturbing the peace.

KENT, WA—Noting that there’s simply not room in his life for both a serious commitment and the numerous serialized dramas he’s currently watching, local man Rob Anaya told reporters he’s thankful to be single during the golden age of television. “Things have just been going so well recently with Man In The High Castle and Handmaid’s Tale, I would never want to put all that on hold for a girlfriend,” said Anaya, explaining that, with Netflix having just renewed gritty crime drama Ozark for a third season, this was the ideal time for him to be unattached. “God, can you imagine if I were on a date right now instead of spending another night watching Better Call Saul alone in my room? I mean, I just got an HBO Go subscription to rewatch all-time classic prestige dramas Six Feet Under and The Sopranos, not to mention that new episodes of High Maintenance, Game Of Thrones, and Insecure are just around the corner. I’m just so grateful I don’t have a devoted significant other jeopardizing that.” At press time, Anaya was discussing the latest episode of The Good Place with his coworkers, each of whom manages to watch the show every week with their spouse.

In our Lifetime Achievement series, Bandcamp Daily takes a deep dive into the work of artists with a staggering number of releases to their name.

Diggs Duke is an enigmatic figure, whose sporadic output and limited social media presence adds another layer of intrigue to his already-mysterious persona. Duke is a mostly self-taught multi-instrumentalist whose work mixes bebop and soul into fluid, shapeshifting art. His voice has a smoky, textured tone, recalling D’Angelo circa ’00. He also cares little for traditional release dates, dropping new projects or songs at a moment’s notice. As of this feature, Duke has 23 releases on his Bandcamp page; his most recent, Inkhenmet’s Journey to the City of Harmony, is a conceptual piece about Egyptian history.

In 2012, Duke’s music caught the attention of esteemed tastemaker and Brownswood Recordings label head Gilles Peterson, who included his track “Nine Winning Wives” on the compilation Brownswood Bubblers Nine. A year later, Duke released a full album via Peterson’s label, and another EP—The Upper Hand & Other Grand Illusions—in 2014. Fast-forward to this summer, when June’s Independent Studies played like a combination of intriguing demos that Duke decided were worth sharing. Elsewhere, 2017’s Beyond The Years celebrated notable African-American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar and the rich history of jazz.

Here, we’ve chosen a number of Duke’s most resonant projects as a way to salute the low-key virtuoso.

Independent Studies

Though he records concept LPs and uses a variety of monikers, this past June’s Independent Studies is the most recent collection of music he released under the name Diggs Duke. “Shepsi’s Plea” is an example of Duke’s simplicity; a subtle, plucked harp is used to create soothing, meditative arrangements. “Cybermoan” is structured around a steady drum build that eventually gives way to a somber trombone.

Beyond The Years

Diggs Duke partly designed Beyond The Years as a celebration of Paul Laurence Dunbar, one of the 19th Century’s earliest prominent black poets. The title track and “Gettin’ Up” put different musical spins on Dunbar’s work: the former serves as a perfect intro with its simple piano-driven melody, while the latter recreates the sound of jazz from decades past. Throughout, Duke takes on the role of bandleader and student of musical history, employing perfect drum timing and freewheeling scat singing.

Offering For Anxious

Offering For Anxious sounds like John Legend, if he were more experimental. The opener “Harsh Words With The Oracle” combines modern jazz with rhythmic conga drums, while the brief “Something In My Soul” would fit perfectly on a smooth jazz playlist alongside Sade. That song is just one of many examples where Duke stops just short enough to leave listeners wanting more.

The Upper Hand & Other Grand Illusions

The Upper Hand & Other Grand Illusions fits comfortably in the “neo-soul” category, and is one of Duke’s more cohesive projects. Though easier to digest than some of his headier material, the poetically titled EP still finds room for nuanced chord progressions, like the ones on “Forever Love Is Tainted.” A progressive step into the adult contemporary world, the upbeat melody of“The Pinnacle Of Class & Taste” is powered by handclaps, and boasts a rousing piano solo that is at once sophisticated and festive.

Armoire

Armoire is all deconstructed jazz and soul. Sonically, it’s mostly spare, but moments like “Ego Eagle” feel sweet and unhindered, as Duke hums a faint melody over slight percussion. “Remember The Dark Sky” is a sophisticated lamentation where, once again, a methodical drum tap takes center stage over Duke’s vocals.

Remembrance

Remembrance primarily relies on instrumentation to conjure a wide range of emotions and feelings. Duke’s only vocals come by way of background harmonies on “Long Lost,” where a vibraphone, plucked guitar, and soft sax notes play in perfect sync. “Love Breeds Love” features one of the most elegant arrangements Diggs has ever released, bringing his jazzy blend of brass, pianos, and drums together for the perfect soundtrack to a romantic rendezvous.

Gravity

2017’s Gravity showcases an artistic potential that would only blossom over time. The title track addresses the ups and downs of the mating game, and the incorporation of live horns, bass, and drums creates an adult contemporary vibe that makes it suitable background music for Sunday chores.

Because You’re So Wonderful

Because You’re So Wonderful features Diggs Duke at his most dexterous. While his work doesn’t generally cater to jazz novices, the title track centers around a well-arranged keyboard progression that manages to be both sophisticated and straightforward. “We Don’t Need Love (But Understanding)” is a rumination on independent art that is delivered in the spirit of traditional gospel, while “Indiana Africana” is an educational tune, showing how centuries of music are interconnected, as conga rhythms clash with chords.

-Jesse Fairfax

James Philip Womack, 31, was charged with 11 counts including possession with attempt to deliver methamphetamine or cocaine, possession of a weapon and parole violation.

In 2010, he plea bargained a meth case and got what looked to many like special handling at the time.

NBC L+3 Ratings: "This Is Us" & "New Amsterdam" Generate Tuesday's #1-2 Biggest L+3 Lifts

"This Is Us" and "New Amsterdam" are Tuesday's #1-2 biggest L+3 gainers on the night - increasing the dominance of "This Is Us" over the Tuesday competition:

This Is Us

· Grew by +1.28 rating points in 18-49 (2.97 in "live plus same day" Nielsens to a 4.26 "live plus three days" figures) and +4.0 million viewers overall (10.6 million to 14.6 million), for the largest L+3 lifts of the night in both measures.

· Increases its dominance over the Tuesday competition, having already scored as the night's #1 telecast in L+SD results and then adding to that with the night's biggest L+3 lift.

New Amsterdam

· Increased by +0.84 in 18-49 rating (1.84 to 2.68) and +3.9 million viewers overall (8.4 million to 12.3 million), for the #2 biggest lifts of the night in 18-49 rating and total viewers, behind only the gains for "This Is Us."

The Voice

· Grew by +14% in 18-49 (2.17 to 2.48) and +1.4 million viewers overall (9.9 million to 11.3 million) going from L+SD to L+3 Nielsens.

Dapper Dan’s glow up seems to have no end in sight. He was recently recognized for his 20 plus years of style contribution.

On Tuesday, September 4 the tailor was honored at the Harlem’s Fashion Row gala hosted at Capitale New York. Mr. Day was presented with the Lifetime Maverick Award. Wearing a black tuxedo with a sequin like bow tie, that matched his signature over sized Gucci sunglasses, the famed outfitter was grateful for the distinction and the opportunity to further open doors for minority designers.

“It’s something I never expected, and that’s pretty obvious by the fact I never tried to penetrate the fashion industry,” he explained to Page Six. “I had absolutely no connection to the structure of fashion, so it was something that I never expected. But I feel great about it now — more so for what it does to people of color, for people behind me.”

NBA great LaBron James also had a big night as he formally unveiled HFX x Lebron 16. It is a Nike first; a basketball shoe for women designed by women. Three African American designers crafted the shoe under James’ direction that it be themed after strong Black women. On stage the LA Laker’s speech furthered his sentiments behind the release.

“I believe that African American women are the most powerful women in the world” he said. ‘Bron also cited his mother as a huge inspiration for the collaboration. “Because of you, Gloria James, I am able to give back — her sense of pride and sense of strength.”

Harlem’s Fashion Row is a social company that provides a voice for multicultural designers; through a creative platform that enables these designers to sell and present their collections to key leaders within the fashion industry.

Via Page Six

Photo: Getty

Got some leftover change after a day of pop culture treasure-hunting? Then this JR station has a vending machine you’ll want to check out.

The platform for the Chuo Line local trains at JR Nakano Station (which stands between tracks 1 and 2) looks pretty much like any other rail platform in Tokyo. There’s a concrete floor, a couple of benches, and, of course, vending machines.

Feeling a little thirsty, we walked over to the bank of machines with some coins in our hand, ready to purchase some Pocari Sweat, canned coffee, or another of Japan’s tasty soft drinks. But as we got closer, we couldn’t help noticing that passersby kept looking at one machine in particular.

With September here, a lot of vending machines are transitioning into special seasonal drinks for the fall, and at first we thought this might have been why the machine was getting extra attention. It turns out, though, that this machine isn’t stocked with beverages at all. Instead, it’s full of toys, specifically the compact novelty figures that are usually sold out of capsule toy, or gacha gacha, machines.

Typical toy vending machines in Japan only offer items from a single series, but this towering collection of collectibles gave us several to choose from, including Underbite Planet animals (both Series 1 and 2), Statue of Too Much Liberty (in which the New York icon strikes new poses), and plastic bonsai trees even smaller than the actual miniature plants they’re based on. Being the cultured historians (and also just plain weirdos) we are, though, we felt ourselves drawn to the Historical Mailbox series…

…and so we tossed 300 yen (US$2.70) into the machine, pressed the corresponding button, and retrieved our prize from the slot at the bottom, just like we’d have done if we’d been buying a drink.

While you get to pick which series of figure you want, the exact model is still randomized, with the box offering no hints.

Once back at the office, we opened the box to find…

…a surprisingly cool-looking replica of a mail box from the fourth year of the Meiij period, which corresponds to 1871 by the western calendar.

▼ If one of Japan’s last samurai needed to send a letter, this was how he did it.

Even though vending machines can be found throughout Japanese train stations, one selling figures is extremely rare. So why does Nakano have one? Because while it can’t match the world-wide fame of Akihabara, Nakano has long been a beacon for the otaku community in Tokyo. Locals and visitors are just the sort of people who’d be happy to have one more place to pick up some cool or funny figures, further proving that the quirkier the neighborhood, the quirkier the vending machines.

Photos ©SoraNews24
[ Read in Japanese ]

Source: https://soranews24.com/2018/09/11/theres-a-cool-surprise-waiting-on-the-platform-of-nakano-station-tokyos-other-otaku-paradise/