Bye, Bye, Bye November

Slaying!
Zendaya

On the last day of November 2019 heading into the last month of 2019, December I'm feeling somewhat nostalgic. Thus I was thinking about all things that went down this past year and one truth that stood out is: It's Zendaya's world we just live in it.

Think about it, but not too much. She's beautiful, talented, she always slays on the red carpet,  not to mention her career is on fire 🔥


While I had heard of Zendaya it wasn't until her breakout role as Rue Bennett on HBO's Euphoria that she caught my attention. Going forward I was hooked on her/ 

So let's leave November on a up note with visions of Lady Z dancing in our collective heads.

Sweet dreams and just say "No" to bedbugs!!!

Zendaya on IG -
https://www.instagram.com/zendaya/?hl=en

Film Buff Friday: Slaughterhouse-Five

BILLY PILGRIM LIVES - FROM TIME TO TIME TO TIME... Past, present and future collide in darkly satirical fashion in Slaughterhouse-Five! Based on Kurt Vonnegut's classic 1969 novel, this tale of time travel and alien abduction emerged as part of a wave of more cerebral science-fiction films in the late 60s to early 70s, elevating the genre beyond the B-movie fare of previous decades. Upstate New York, 1968. Mild-mannered Billy Pilgrim (Michael Sacks, The Sugarland Express) finds himself "unstuck in time". Traveling back and forth across the entire span of his existence, he experiences key events of his life in a random order, including his formative years, the firebombing of Dresden and finally, at some undefined point in the future, his surreal adventures on a distant planet. Praised by Vonnegut himself for its fidelity to his novel, Slaughterhouse-Five boasts assured direction by George Roy Hill (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) and a memorable score by renowned concert pianist Glenn Gould. Now exclusively restored in 4K, Slaughterhouse-Five shines like never before, reinforcing its timeless appeal.

Bonus Materials

• Brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative, produced by Arrow Video exclusively for this release
• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray™ presentation
• Original lossless mono audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• New audio commentary by author and critic Troy Howarth
• New video appreciation with author and critic Kim Newman
• Pilgrim's Progress: Playing Slaughterhouse-Five, a new video interview with actor Perry King
• Only on Earth: Presenting Slaughterhouse-Five, a new video interview with Rocky Lang, son of executive producer Jennings Lang, about the film's distribution
• Unstuck in Time: Documenting Slaughterhouse-Five, a new video interview with behind-the-scenes filmmaker/producer Robert Crawford, Jr.
• Eternally Connected: Composing Slaughterhouse-Five, a new video interview with film music historian Daniel Schweiger
• Theatrical trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Corey Brickley

Press Quotes

Kurt Vonnegut's compelling source novel about life, war, and faith is turned into a stellar film adaptation in 1972's Slaughterhouse-Five.      —DoBlu.com

Order Here: https://mvdb2b.com/b2b/s/AV250   

Michael's Musings

Doe Your Mama Know?
Michael Shinafelt

Happy Thanksgiving Minions! If you are a turkey and you get scared, does that make you a chicken?

BTW does your Mama know? 

If it she does hopefully it's with waffles and some Cabernet. I'm packing at present, take that however you want, time to tap Turkey Day!

I taste heaven from my knees, hope you do too!

Here comes the judge! (give it a name)

Einstein Speaking

It's that time of year again when Satan gets letters asking for presents from the dyslexic children

All men are the same! BTW Who told you to try all of them! 

Harry Morton passed at 38, Damn! 

Something I am thankful for is where I have been and where I am going. It's been a long uphill battle. If you hang in there it truly only gets better 😄

Fatal Attraction
Glenn Close & Michael Douglas 

In case you aren't doing turkey this Thanksgiving, try rabbit stew...

Kiss it goodbye, you ain't ever gonna get it again

Tease it to Heaven, spray it to Hell 

Time to get your Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on! 

Woman Crush of the Week -Tina Turner just turned 80, Hail Queen!

"I am 100 percent sure that people who re-tweet their own tweets have also attempted to suck their own dick" - I 100% agree Whitney Cummings

Grab your booze and let's celebrate Thanksgiving!

There was that one time, well if you want to find out more, follow me at:
https://www.instagram.com/michaelshinafelt/?hl=en
https://twitter.com/MShinafelt  

Hump Day & Chill - Tom Connan

Multi-Faceted artist Tom Connan has just released a remix of his song "Chaos" which tackles the subject of drug addiction in a very direct and realistic manner. I just had to know what inspired Tom to "go there" so without further adieu let's Hump Day & Chill with Tom Connan!

MS: I love your song Chaos, obviously it resonates with many others as you did a "Black Mix" of it and a whole new video. What made you decide to do a song addressing drug addiction?

TC: I wanted to make a song addressing drugs because several friends of mine fell into that trap, went to rehab etc. It's a horrible phenomenon which is also closely linked to everyone's personal history. Nobody takes cocaine or things like that just because it's "fun". I see a lot of people feeling depressed and trying to escape with drugs. To my own point of view, I think our modern society creates a lot of psychological frustration which sometimes become a real pathology. It's not exactly the same as alcohol, even if it's also some kind of drug, after all. But with cocaine, or heroin, people are looking for something new, some brutal effect in order to erase their negative thoughts. Except it doesn't work. However, I have a lot of empathy for drug addicts as life can sometimes be a very sad and tough experience.

MS: Requiem For A Dream is one of my favorite films. I am guessing you have seen it based on the video. What are your thoughts on it?

TC: I love Requiem For A Dream and I'm very happy that you mention it. I was a child when I first saw it, but then I saw it again a few years ago and I was absolutely fascinated. Not only because it's so realistic, but also because it has this ability to grab you and force you to see what you don't want to see. I think this is precisely where cinema is the best among any other arts. With the combination of music and images, you can't help but looking at it and being focused. Of course normal people feel bad when they see that kind of movie, but sometimes we need to see embarrassing things to increase our awareness about something. I enjoy feeling embarrassed. All the time we watch stupid shows and stupid ads on TV, and it's easy for the mind. With movies like Requiem For A Dream, or Fight Club, or Eyes Wide Shut, we really learn something and become someone new -at some level.

MS: While you show plenty of skin in the re-mix video, you showed a little more in the video for the single. Why did you decide to leave your booty out this time?

TC: Lol, I don't want to show that booty too often. More seriously, this new video was something like the "dark" side of the first one. With the original video, I was trying to show the recreational aspect of taking drugs, which is obvious for everyone. With this second one, I wanted to describe how it can evolve. I have the feeling that in any phenomenon, we can find a "positive" and a "negative" side -we all know that-, but also that we can't delete one part for the other. You can't have the positive if you don't want to take the risk associated with it. If you want to have fun, you have to accept that, at some point, you can put your life at risk. It's the same in love affairs. Love can be a fantastic experience, but when it ends -which happens quite often- it can drive you nuts, so nuts that you want to kill yourself. Love is dangerous, drugs are dangerous, life is inherently dangerous.

MS: Your look in the video is very reminiscent of David Bowie in The Man Who Fell To Earth. Especially when you are shirtless, am I on to something?

TC: Honestly I don't know very much of David Bowie, I was more into singers like Michael Jackson (or even Marilyn Manson). That said, I'm a big fan of transgender and genderfluid pop icons like Bowie, Cher or Prince. Playing with feminine and masculine sides of the human body is so interesting. My own body changed quite a lot the last few years, and I enjoyed all the different levels, if I can say so. We only live once, for me, we need to experience different versions of ourselves. French poet Arthur Rimbaud said something like that in the 19th century.

MS: I love that Tom Connan has gotten freer and more out there creatively.

TC: I think you're totally right about the "freer" person I became. Back a few years ago, I was obsessed with other people's opinion. Now, I just don't give a fuck. My work is not understood by everybody, including in my family, and I think that's good. If you follow what your parents or your brothers want you to do, you'll never achieve your dream. We need to stick to our own model, that nobody can copy. There are tons of singers and artists out there, I don't want to look like them. I want to express my personal, and radical freedom. Otherwise it's absolutely useless.

MS: Spill about your other ventures outside the music world.

TC: The last two years I worked a lot on other ventures outside the music world, I changed the project name many times, and I finally decided to simply choose one name for every division of the brand: Connan. That's simple, that's neutral, that's honest -it's my real last name- and there's no confusion with my full artist name. It's currently a website (connan.io) when you'll soon be able to find different cultural products: music (not only mine), tv, books, fashion and art. I'm currently working with other artists for the music division, as well as authors for the publishing division. It's super exciting as I'm working on several levels at the same time: my next novel will be published by a well-known French publisher called Albin Michel, but I will also publish myself other authors as an entrepreneur. It's great to have this opportunity to work as an author as well as a publisher. The best is yet to come. 

MS: If you could be any famous person fictional or not, who would you be?

TC: I'd love to be Tyler Durden, that Fight Club character played by Brad Pitt. He's gorgeous, he's radical, he's clever, he wants to revolt against society. That's a role model for me. No joke.

Get social with Tom at:
https://connan.io/

https://www.instagram.com/tomconnan/?hl=en

https://twitter.com/TomConnan

https://www.facebook.com/tomconnan/  

Apprentice To Murder

Not to be confused with "Redrum"

WAS IT MAGIC, MURDER, OR MADNESS? In early twentieth-century Pennsylvania Dutch Country, young Billy Kelly (Chad Lowe, Highway to Hell) falls in with a charismatic "powwower" or folk magic healer, Dr. John Reese (Donald Sutherland, Don't Look Now), shunned by the rest of the community for his non-conformist beliefs. Together, they investigate the mysterious sickness that is blighting the area, which Reese believes to be the work of a sinister local hermit. But as the plague spreads and the wide-eyed Billy falls ever deeper under Reese's spell, are they doing God's work or the Devil's bidding? Also starring Mia Sara (Legend) and featuring a powerhouse performance by Donald Sutherland - reunited here with Don't Look Now screenwriter Allan Scott - Apprentice to Murder is a chilling and unforgettable tale of the macabre that blurs the lines between conventional notions of "good" and "evil".

Bonus Materials

• Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original 35mm interpositive
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original lossless mono soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• New audio commentary by author and critic Bryan Reesman
• New video interview on religious horror cinema with Kat Ellinger, author and editor-in-chief of Diabolique Magazine
• New video interview with cinematographer Kelvin Pike
• New video interview with makeup supervisor Robin Grantham
• Theatrical trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Haunt Love

Order Here:

https://mvdb2b.com/b2b/s/AV230

Monday Motivation

Please Sir, I Want Some More
Red Wine

"Red red wine, It's up to you, All I can do, I've done" Red Red Wine, UB40

Guess what's happening now minions? Red, red wine of the Cabernet Sauvignon kind is what my Monday Motivation is. 

Hey, motivation is a mysterious thing, it can take on many forms, so sit right back and you'll hear a tale...

"Yes" red wine is my end game for Monday as I am having it with cheese and crackers as a little before Thanksgiving celebration with a friend tonight.

Any questions? I thought not, now carry on, that's all.

Say Cheese! 😺

Red Wine on Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_wine  

Come On Get Happy!

Happiness Is...
Lizzo

"Hello world, here's a song that we're singin', C'mon get happy, A whole lotta lovin' is what we'll be bringin', We'll make you happy" - Come On Get Happy, The Partridge Family 

Today I am channeling Lizzo celebrating her sister's Birthday from the happiest place on earth, Disneyland! I was there just two weeks ago and had a grand time, and "Yes" like Lizzo, I got happy!

With all the strife going on in the world around us, please remember to do the one thing that counts most, make yourself and others smile, everyone, smiles.

It doesn't cost a thing and it feels good for all parties involved. Lizzo personally makes me smile every time I see her do anything. Thus I hereby decree Lizzo the mascot for getting happy.

Enjoy your day 100% minions...!

Lizzo on IG -

https://www.instagram.com/lizzobeeating/?hl=en