Hellraiser

This is going to be interesting. I had no idea that there was any backlash to whatever Rolfe and Cinemassacre are doing because I stopped paying attention to his channel a long time ago. This is all completely new to me.

Thanks for clearing that up!

That is not how grappling moves usually worked in the WWE games up to now. You tap the grapple button to do a front facelock, tap the grapple button + left stick into any direction for a normal grapple move and hold the grapple button + left stick into any direction for a strong grapple move. You didn't have to do a striking move to set a grapple move up or push any button multiple times. It was very intuitive and that was something I always liked about the SmackDown games and why I preferred them over most other wrestling games. Now if this new combo system is something that you get in addition to the traditional grappling systems, I wouldn't mind it. But if it replaces the traditional systems, then I'm out. It might not be exactly as bad as the combo system for Attitude/Warzone or Nitro/Thunder, but it would still be a major step backward if you ask me.

I get what the song is about, but the lyrics are cringe. Especially the chorus. The rhymes feel painfully forced.

I totally forgot about the point system. I had to do all of them because I decided to do the opposite of #2 in ME2.

Episode 6 spoilers:

I feel like some of the stuff introduced here is going to be integral to the overarching plot of the MCU going forward. So you might wanna sit through it unless you don't mind looking stuff up when it comes up again in later movies.

And so the mudslinging begins: Bassist Steve Micciche has put out a statement of his own that doesn't paint Keith in the most positive light. I'd link to his Twitter profile, but he didn't post the statement as a thread but as separate tweets. So I'm linking Lambgoat instead who have the entire statement in one piece: https://lambgoat.com/news/35455/every-time-i-die-bassist-steve-micciche-shares-his-version-of-the-bands-demise/

I enjoyed the show well enough so far.

I mostly knew him as young Hannibal in Hannibal Rising. And for what it's worth, his performance wasn't the problem of that movie. Apparently he has become quite a big deal in French cinema since then. He was nominated for a César award (they're like the French Academy Awards IIRC) for best actor for his portrayal as fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent in the movie Saint Laurent in 2014 and then won it 2 years later for his role as Louis in It's Only the End of the World. It is a tragedy. 37 is way too young.

I wonder what the point of this stunt was. I heard someone suggest is that this could have been a way of letting KK Downing in the band while saving face at the same time. They Announce that they plan to tour as a four-piece, wait for all the outrage from the fanbase to pour in and then put out a statement saying that they have listened to the fans and that to provide the best possible concert experience, they have decided to put aside your differences and welcome Downing back into the band. Make it look like you did it for the fans while at the same time not looking like a bunch of pushover for letting the guy that has been talking shit about them for years back into the band. But apparently they really thought that they could get away with touring as a quartet. In other news, former Black Sabbath singer Tony Martin announced today that he has been informed by Tony Iommi's management that a record deal has been signed to reissue the remaining 4 Black Sabbath albums with him as a singer. So it looks like those reissues are happening this year. https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/tony-martin-says-record-deal-has-been-secured-for-reissues-of-albums-he-recorded-with-black-sabbath/ And Keith Buckley has put out a full statement regarding the break-up of Every Time I Die:

Gaspard Ulliel, who is probably best known by international audiences for playing a young Hannibal Lecter in Hannibal Rising and who was cast as Midnight Man in Moon Knight, has died after a skiing accident at age 37. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jan/19/gaspard-ulliel-french-actor-dies-skiing-accident

So there is going to be a limited Undertaker edition with 3 different versions of Taker (Phantom Mask, Lord of Darkness & Boneyard match versions) as well as a nWo 4-life edition.

Judas Priest have ditched Andy Sneap as a live guitarist and will play as a quartet going forward: https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/judas-priest-to-tour-as-quartet-while-former-touring-guitarist-andy-sneap-focuses-on-his-production-work/ This is weird. Priest have always been a two guitar band. The twin-lead work of Tipton and Downing was the band's major trademark (combined with Halford soaring vocals). Priest with 1 guitarist doesn't make sense. And to make things even weirder, the band's statement makes it sound like Sneap left as a live guitarist on his own accord because he wants to focus on his job as a producer. But in his own statement, Sneap says that the decision was made without his input and that he is very disappointed about it (they are still on good terms though and he is still producing the follow-up to Firepower). https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/andy-sneap-is-incredibly-disappointed-but-respectful-of-judas-priests-decision-to-tour-as-quartet/ I get that they don't want K. K. Downing back since he has been badmouthing them basically ever since he left the band (and was actually surprised and confused about not being invited back into the band when Tipton was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and stepped down from playing live shows), but why can't they they just get someone else to play the 2nd guitar? What about Metal Mike Chlasciak from Halford's solo band?

Is Kaiden speciesist too? I thought that was just Ashley. To be fair, I never romanced the dude. But from the non-romantic interactions I had with him, he seems to be pretty chill.

I can't blame her though. I can't think of many people who have had shit thrown at her as badly and as constantly as Lindsay. And that has pretty much been the case ever since her Youtube career started way back in 2008. It was death by a 1000 cuts. She has been planning on leaving YT for a while. The whole Raya drama just accelerated the process.

I never saw either Dio nor Motörhead live. So any of their shows. For Dio it would be a show from either the Holy Diver, Last in Line or first half of the Sacred Heart tour when Vivian Campbell was still in the band. For Motörhead any era would do except the final few years of the band's existence when Lemmy started to decline physically. I'd even be curious to see what the band was like live with Brian Robertson in 1983. Alternatively I would also love to see Helloween during the Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 2 tour in 1988 when Kai Hansen was still with the band and Kiske was in his prime.

One thing I forgot to add is that once Hagar and Vinny got to know each other and Hagar asked him about it, Paul said that he had no memory of that. So it was probably just management putting out their feelers to different singers because they realized how dysfunctional the band had become and anticipated that Anselmo would leave or be fired sooner or later and not something the band themselves ever really considered.

In a recent interview, Sammy Hagar claimed that at one point in the late 90s after he left Van Halen, he was asked by Pantera's management to replace Phil Anselmo. He says that happened before he befriended Vinny Paul. He turned them down because he didn't want to join another band after his split with Van Halen and especially not as the replacement for another singer. Would have been interesting if that had actually happened. Could you imagine Pantera playing a Groove Metal version of Why Can't This be Love or Hagar singing Walk?

Hawkeye finale and Black Widow post-credit scene spoilers

Nope.

And it is also crap. Jenny Nicholson made a video about it a while back:

It is okay. Not outstanding, not terrible. Run-of-the-mil Priest-inspired Metal played by competent musicians. The production sounds a bit cheap. In particular the drums. And they weirdly buried Tim Owens's vocals in the mix. It is better than Redeemer Of Souls and Nostradamus, but it has nothing on Firepower.