Random Thoughts

WyldeMan wrote:Stephen Amell has once again proven why actors shouldn't publicly share their opinions, as he's gone and pissed off SAG-AFTRA during their strike by saying that while he supports his union he does not support the strikes and now a shitload of actors and producers are trolling him for being a tone deaf moron. Then he felt that he should further clarify his comments with a statement and it only made his co-workers hate him more...

Amell has also been tweeting and promoting Heels while not showing up to picket so he's officially a scab and if there is one thing strikers love, it is scabs....

WyldeMan wrote:Taylor Swift had a two day concert in Seattle this weekend and her fans dancing to her music registered as much seismic activity as a 2.3 earthquake on local seismometers.

This happened once before in Seattle back in 2011 during a Seahawks game, however that lasted only a couple of minutes while these Swift quakes lasted ten hours on two separate days...

WyldeMan wrote:

It's nice to see that Zachary Levi isn't letting the utter failure that was Shazam 2 derail his career because now he's the dad in the Netflix Spy Kids reboot....

UltimateMarvel wrote:Dang it Stephen! Why open thy mouth? Did he not struggle to get to where he is now? He's the only actor I've heard that doesn't support the strike besides the studio heads.

UltimateMarvel wrote:I saw it on the news, that is INSANE! She also came to my city for her tour, tickets sold out and the whole city went nuts. They also mentioned the millions amount of revenue she brought in to the city.

Yesterday, I heard she gave her crew some big bonuses so that was nice of her. Truckers got $100k.

UltimateMarvel wrote:I couldn't even finish the trailer, man. Also made me think, were the original Spy Kids movie this garbage? I remember watching them as a kid and thought they were cool back then. lol

WyldeMan wrote:Hey Abe, I forgot to include this Zachary Levi quote when you said Amell was the only actor you'd heard talk against the strike, well Levi is just as tone deaf as he went to a recent fan convention and said this:

"I'm not allowed to talk about … this is so dumb. I'm not allowed to talk about any of my previous work. I'm not allowed to talk about movies that I may be a superhero in. I'm not allowed to talk about TV shows that I may have been a nerd who worked at a Best Buy. I'm not allowed to talk about any animated princess movies that I was fantastic in -- as the best prince ever! I'm not allowed to talk about those things."

Rusty wrote:To be fair, this is the part of this that is fucking ridiculous. Not being able to even talk about previous work is fucking nonsense. Apparently the WAG softened their stance a bit, but SAG is standing firm on it. They can respond with anything from a tap on the shoulder to expulsion from the Union.

“Barbie” is saying “hiya” to the billion-dollar club.

Greta Gerwig’s pink-coated fantasy comedy has surpassed $1 billion at the global box office, including $459 million in North America and $572 million internationally. This makes Gerwig the first-ever solo female filmmaker with a billion-dollar film.

Three other billion-dollar blockbusters were co-directed by women, including “Frozen” ($1.3 billion) and “Frozen 2” ($1.45 billion) both co-directed by Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck, as well as “Captain Marvel” ($1.1 billion), co-directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.

“Barbie” is hitting the coveted milestone after just 17 days of release, becoming the fastest Warner Bros. release (and eighth in the studio’s 100-year history) to join the $1 billion club. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” previously held that record at 19 days.

It’s only the second blockbuster this year and the sixth of the pandemic-era to cross $1 billion, following “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Jurassic World Dominion” and “Avatar: The Way of Water.”

“It’s a good club to be in,” Jeff Goldstein, the studio’s president of domestic distribution, said during a Sunday morning phone call.

In a note to press, Goldstein and Andrew Cripps, president of international distribution, admitted they are not often “rendered speechless by a film’s performance.” But Barbillion — as they’ve dubbed the box office milestone — has “blown even our most optimistic predictions out of the water.”

“This is a watershed moment for ‘Barbie,’ and no one but Greta Gerwig could have brought this cross-generational icon and her world to life in such a funny, emotional and entertaining story, one that is resonating with all four quadrants of moviegoers and literally turning the entire world pink,” Goldstein and Cripps said in the joint statement. “Long lines and repeat viewings prove that movies are back in a big, big way, and we look forward to seeing just how far ‘Barbie’ can go in the real world.”

Thanks to zeitgeist-smashing buzz, “Barbie” has remained No. 1 at the box office for three consecutive weekends — and that’s despite competition from “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” “Meg 2: The Trench” and “Oppenheimer.” It’s already the second-highest grossing movie of 2023, behind only Universal and Illumination’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which earned $574 million domestically and $1.35 billion worldwide.

The rapturously reviewed “Barbie” opened on July 21 and smashed expectations with its $155 million domestic debut, ranking as the biggest opening weekend of 2023, as well as the best start for a film directed by a woman. It arrived as a full-fledged phenomenon, thanks to the marketing campaign of the year and stellar word-of-mouth to match. There was also hype from “Barbenheimer,” the nickname for the twin release date with Christopher Nolan’s dark historical drama “Oppenheimer.”

Gerwig, the Oscar-nominated director of “Lady Bird” and “Little Women,” co-wrote the screenplay with her partner Noah Baumbach. Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling star as the stereotypical versions of Barbie and Ken, who leave behind the Dreamhouse on a quest for self-discovery in the real world. Issa Rae, America Ferrera, Dua Lipa, Simu Liu, Michael Cera, Helen Mirren, John Cena and Will Ferrell round out the cast.

“A massive achievement like this is possible when you have an incredible filmmaking team, with cast and crew coming together to create a truly special moviegoing experience,” Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, co-chairs and CEOs of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, said in a statement. “Greta now joins an elite group of writer-directors whose singular vision has generated $1 billion at the global box office, a milestone that is testament to her brilliance and to her commitment to deliver a movie that Barbie fans of every age want to see on the big screen.”

Rusty wrote:Damn. I'll still wait for it to hit streaming, but I will have to check it out.

WyldeMan wrote:Hey Abe, I forgot to include this Zachary Levi quote when you said Amell was the only actor you'd heard talk against the strike, well Levi is just as tone deaf as he went to a recent fan convention and said this:

"I'm not allowed to talk about … this is so dumb. I'm not allowed to talk about any of my previous work. I'm not allowed to talk about movies that I may be a superhero in. I'm not allowed to talk about TV shows that I may have been a nerd who worked at a Best Buy. I'm not allowed to talk about any animated princess movies that I was fantastic in -- as the best prince ever! I'm not allowed to talk about those things."

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:Hey Abe, I forgot to include this Zachary Levi quote when you said Amell was the only actor you'd heard talk against the strike, well Levi is just as tone deaf as he went to a recent fan convention and said this:

"I'm not allowed to talk about … this is so dumb. I'm not allowed to talk about any of my previous work. I'm not allowed to talk about movies that I may be a superhero in. I'm not allowed to talk about TV shows that I may have been a nerd who worked at a Best Buy. I'm not allowed to talk about any animated princess movies that I was fantastic in -- as the best prince ever! I'm not allowed to talk about those things."

What's wrong with these guys? We know they've both had hit shows and they gotten paid very well for it but they're acting like supporting the strike will undo that or hurt their career. Plenty of more famous actors are out there at the picket lines.

What's pretty funny is that I thought he'd already come to terms and accepted the limitations and failures of his career given that he wrote a book about exactly that just last year. BTW, you can buy the Hardcover version of this one year old "best seller" for $7.50 on amazon....

Radical Love is the debut memoir from Zachary Levi (Shazam!, American Underdog, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Chuck), which shares his emotional journey through a lifetime of crippling anxiety and depression to find joy, gratitude, and ultimate purpose.

Tory Lanez Sentenced To 10 Years In Megan Thee Stallion Shooting

UPDATED, 3:34 PM: A judge today sentenced Tory Lanez to 10 years in prison after his conviction for shooting fellow Grammy-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion in 2020.

Lanez, real name Daystar Peterson, was convicted on December 23 of one felony count each of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, having a loaded unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.

Judge David Herriford of Los Angeles Superior Court handed down the sentence after a hearing that stretched over two days and saw prosecutors ask for a prison term of 13 years, while defense attorneys produced an array of witnesses in hopes of their client receiving probation.

“He not only shot me. He made a mockery of my trauma,” Megan said in a statement read by Deputy District Attorney Kathy Ta.

The incident happened as Megan Thee Stallion was leaving a party at Kylie Jenner’s house. Lanez was accused of shooting her in the foot. The “Savage” rapper had testified in December that he told her to “dance, bitch,” and then shot her in the feet, and she wrote in her victim-impact statement that she can’t bring herself to be in the same room again with Lanez.

Read details of the case below.

PREVIOUSLY, December 23: A Los Angeles jury has found Grammy-winning rapper Tory Lanez guilty of all charges in the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion outside of a house party.

The incident happened as Megan Thee Stallion was leaving a party at Kylie Jenner’s house. Lanez was accused of shooting her in the foot.

Chaos erupted in the courtroom when the verdict was announced. A man identified as Lanez’s father yelled at the judge, while spectators wept and yelled “appeal.” Deputies had to quell a melee in the corridor outside the court room.

Lanez, wearing a pink coat, pink pants and white turtleneck, sat in stunned silence next to his defense team. It was later revealed that he will appeal the verdict, but for now, he was led from the courtroom in handcuffs. His sentencing is set for Jan. 27.

Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was charged with assault with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle. Prosecutors later added a third count of discharging a firearm with gross negligence. He now faces a maximum sentence of 22 years in prison and may be deported to his home country of Canada after serving his sentence.

The trial saw Lanez enter a plea of not guilty to shooting her. His public outreach included dedicating an entire album to rebutting Megan Thee Stallion’s version of events.

The case originated in July 2020. Police stopped an SUV going four-deep in the Hollywood Hills. Megan Thee Stallion, whose real name is Megan Jovon Ruth Pete, testified in the trial that she initially told police that she had cut her feet on glass when asked about why she was bleeding.

She was taken by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where doctors found bullet fragments in her foot, which required surgery to remove.

“I couldn’t walk for a while,” she testified. “I still have nerve damage. I can’t really feel the side of my left foot. The back of my feet are always sore, but I just push through it.”

Although initially hesitant to snitch, Megan Thee Stallion eventually outed Lanez as the shooter on her Instagram feed. She later took aim at him in the song “Shots Fired.”

In her testimony, Megan Thee Stallion said Lanez offered her $1 million to keep quiet about the shooting.

Lanez did not testify in his defense.

WyldeMan wrote:Speaking of stupid mother fuckers, this Lanez bitch just threw away a decade of his life poorly reenacting a scene from Goodfellas in the streets.

Rusty wrote:In better news - I finally got me a new TV.    Sony. 2023. 43". LED. 4K. HDR. Legit native 120hz refresh rate (PS5 gaming goodness).

I got given a $100 gift card for a store about a month back. I was going to blow it on a few Blu-Rays but decided to wait. I had this TV and an LG equivalent from the store in my Wishlist. This pops up over the weekend with a $300 discount, ad in the gift card and it was too good to pass up. I stupidly passed up on the LG during the last Black Friday sale for about the same price. Was not making the same mistake again.

Tracking says it'll be here Friday. Fucking WOOT!!!

WyldeMan wrote:

It's always nice getting a new tv. 

Btw how old is your current one?

Rusty wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:

It's always nice getting a new tv. 

Btw how old is your current one?

Not sure how old it is, but it's not a Smart TV (no apps), and its old enough that the USB port is for firmware updates only. Not for media use. I'd guess at least 15 years.

It's the TV down at the river, where I keep my PS5 and do my gaming, which is why I wanted both 4K and 120hz. Finally get to check out my UHD Blurays. .

Johnny Hardwick Dies: ‘King Of The Hill’s Dale Gribble Voice Actor Was 64

Johnny Hardwick, who voiced the conspiracy-minded character Dale Gribble on King of the Hill, died August 8 at his home in Austin, Texas. He was 64.

Hardwick and his character with the distinctive Texas drawl had been with the Emmy-winning animated series since its debut in 1997 through its final episode on Fox in 2010. Earlier this year, Hulu, where the reruns currently stream, announced that Hardwick would return for the series’ streaming revival.

The actor’s death was confirmed by the Austin coroner’s office. No foul play is suspected, and a cause of death is pending per the coroner’s investigation.

King of the Hill, created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, is set in the fictional town of Arlen, Texas, and follows the life of Hank Hill (Judge), wife Peggy (Kathy Najimy) and teenaged son Bobby (Pamela Adlon). Other voice actors on the series are Stephen Root, Lauren Tom and Ashley Gardner.

Born John Michael Hardwick in Austin, the actor got his start in local stand-up comedy in 1990. He’d eventually make appearances on The Jon Stewart Show and at L.A.’s The Laugh Factory and the Montreal Comedy Festival.

Hardwick was credited as a producer and writer of King of the Hill during the early Fox seasons. He was Emmy-nominated with the show as a supervising producer in 2001 and 2002, and shared the Emmy as a producer in 1999 when King of the Hill was named Outstanding Animated Program.
Since the original run of King of the Hill ended, Hardwick had launched his own popular YouTube channel.

The Hulu revival from 20th Television Animation was announced last January, with Judge and Daniels returning to exec produce. Saladin Patterson will join the production as an executive producer and showrunner.

Deadline has reached out to Hulu for comment.

Disney+ and Hulu are about to cost you a whole lot more.

Effective Thursday, Oct. 12, Disney+ Premium, which currently costs $10.99/month, will see a 27-percent price increase, at which point you’ll have to fork over $13.99/month (or $139.99 per year) to keep enjoying an ad-free experience.

The cost of Hulu’s ad-free tier is also going up 20 percent, from $14.99 to $17.99/month.

Those who already subscribe to both Disney+ and Hulu’s ad-free tiers will be able to sign up for the new Duo Premium bundle, which will launch Wednesday, Sept. 6 and cost $19.99/month.

The cost of Disney+ and Hulu with ads will remain at the going rate of $7.99/month (or bundled for $9.99/month).

WyldeMan wrote:
Holy shit, that is a serious upgrade for gaming from your current situation....

WyldeMan wrote:

FXX has released a trailer for the 14th and final season of Archer, premiering with its first two episodes on Wednesday, Aug. 30 at 10/9c:

Rusty wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:

FXX has released a trailer for the 14th and final season of Archer, premiering with its first two episodes on Wednesday, Aug. 30 at 10/9c:

I really need to catch up on my Archer. Last season I watched I think was season 8.

WyldeMan wrote:Today marked the 100th day of the SAG strike with absolutely no end in sight.

I read earlier that the majority of tv shows are typically already rolling on their fourth episodes of the season by this point of the year. 

According to seasoned tv producers, if the strike isn't resolved before Labor Day and cameras aren't immediately rolling by then too, it's going to start having a massive impact on the schedule for the next six months at a minimum.

Rusty wrote:It's going to be interesting to see how this all gets settled.

I've been reading some articles about studios are soft-bragging that they're saving $100's of millions of dollars, so they're coming in under budget for the quarter with plenty of cash flow, which is increasing their stock prices. However it can't last long. Whilst they may be "saving" money, they're not creating anything so there's no new money coming in.

Once productions start up again, they'll have to pump out shit loads of content so their spending will be off the charts. Much like what happened through COVID.

Rusty wrote:Not sure how old it is, but it's not a Smart TV (no apps), and its old enough that the USB port is for firmware updates only. Not for media use. I'd guess at least 15 years.

It's the TV down at the river, where I keep my PS5 and do my gaming, which is why I wanted both 4K and 120hz. Finally get to check out my UHD Blurays. .

WyldeMan wrote:Even Stephen Amell who just two weeks ago spoke out against the strike was photographed picketing today in New York while the rest of the Arrow cast was together in Los Angeles. Me thinks he pissed everybody from Arrow off and is trying to do an apology tour.

WyldeMan wrote:In it's FOURTH weekend, Barbie again took the number one spot at the box office adding another $30 million. Bringing the domestic total to $522 million and the international stood at  $575 million yesterday.

Everybody knew that Barbie had long legs but now she's standing on top of $1.1 billion worldwide and she's going to the fuckin moon!

I wonder how hard those WBD execs are slamming their own heads against their tables right now for not having Robbie and Gosling sign sequel clauses. Robbie told them again and again that Barbie could be a billion dollar franchise and yet....

Something tells me they're not gonna make that mistake again. Here's looking at your next Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots five movie contract Vin Disesel....

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:In it's FOURTH weekend, Barbie again took the number one spot at the box office adding another $30 million. Bringing the domestic total to $522 million and the international stood at  $575 million yesterday.

Everybody knew that Barbie had long legs but now she's standing on top of $1.1 billion worldwide and she's going to the fuckin moon!

I wonder how hard those WBD execs are slamming their own heads against their tables right now for not having Robbie and Gosling sign sequel clauses. Robbie told them again and again that Barbie could be a billion dollar franchise and yet....

Something tells me they're not gonna make that mistake again. Here's looking at your next Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots five movie contract Vin Disesel....

Damn! I might just have to watch this stupid movie now. I don't know how but this is your fault!

Retired NFL star Michael Oher, whose supposed adoption out of grinding poverty by a wealthy, white family was immortalized in the 2009 movie "The Blind Side," petitioned a Tennessee court Monday with allegations that a central element of the story was a lie concocted by the family to enrich itself at his expense.

The 14-page petition, filed in Shelby County, Tennessee, probate court, alleges that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, who took Oher into their home as a high school student, never adopted him. Instead, less than three months after Oher turned 18 in 2004, the petition says, the couple tricked him into signing a document making them his conservators, which gave them legal authority to make business deals in his name.

The petition further alleges that the Tuohys used their power as conservators to strike a deal that paid them and their two birth children millions of dollars in royalties from an Oscar-winning film that earned more than $300 million, while Oher got nothing for a story "that would not have existed without him." In the years since, the Tuohys have continued calling the 37-year-old Oher their adopted son and have used that assertion to promote their foundation as well as Leigh Anne Tuohy's work as an author and motivational speaker.

"The lie of Michael's adoption is one upon which Co-Conservators Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy have enriched themselves at the expense of their Ward, the undersigned Michael Oher," the legal filing says. "Michael Oher discovered this lie to his chagrin and embarrassment in February of 2023, when he learned that the Conservatorship to which he consented on the basis that doing so would make him a member of the Tuohy family, in fact provided him no familial relationship with the Tuohys."

The Tuohy family did not immediately return phone calls Monday to numbers listed for them.
Oher's story became a book and eventually a film that was nominated for two Academy Awards, including Best Picture. BFA/Alamy

Oher's petition asks the court to end the Tuohys' conservatorship and to issue an injunction barring them from using his name and likeness. It also seeks a full accounting of the money the Tuohys earned using Oher's name, and to have the couple pay him his fair share of profits, as well as unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

"Since at least August of 2004, Conservators have allowed Michael, specifically, and the public, generally, to believe that Conservators adopted Michael and have used that untruth to gain financial advantages for themselves and the foundations which they own or which they exercise control," the petition says. "All monies made in said manner should in all conscience and equity be disgorged and paid over to the said ward, Michael Oher."

Oher was a rising high school senior when he signed the conservatorship papers, and he has written that the Tuohys told him that there was essentially no difference between adoption and conservatorship. "They explained to me that it means pretty much the exact same thing as 'adoptive parents,' but that the laws were just written in a way that took my age into account," Oher wrote in his 2011 best-selling memoir "I Beat the Odds."

But there are some important legal distinctions. If Oher had been adopted by the Tuohys, he would have been a legal member of their family, and he would have retained power to handle his own financial affairs. Under the conservatorship, Oher surrendered that authority to the Tuohys, even though he was a legal adult with no known physical or psychological disabilities.

The petition alleges that the Tuohys began negotiating a movie deal about their relationship with Oher shortly after the 2006 release of the book "The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game," which chronicled the story.

According to the legal filing, the movie paid the Tuohys and their two birth children each $225,000, plus 2.5% of the film's "defined net proceeds." The movie became a critically acclaimed blockbuster, reportedly grossing more than $300 million at the box office, and tens of millions of dollars more in home video sales. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, and Sandra Bullock won a Best Actress trophy for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy. While the deal allowed the Tuohys to profit from the film, the petition alleges, a separate 2007 contract purportedly signed by Oher appears to "give away" to 20th Century Fox Studios the life rights to his story "without any payment whatsoever." The filing says Oher has no recollection of signing that contract, and even if he did, no one explained its implications to him.

The deal lists all four Tuohy family members as having the same representative at Creative Artists Agency, the petition says. But Oher's agent, who would receive movie contract and payment notices, is listed as Debra Branan, a close family friend of the Tuohys and the same lawyer who filed the 2004 conservatorship petition, the petition alleges. Branan did not return a call to her law office on Monday.

In the past, the Tuohys have denied making much money from the movie, saying they received a flat fee for the story and did not reap any of the movie's profits. And what they did earn, they added, was shared with Oher.

"We divided it five ways," the Tuohys wrote in their 2010 book, "In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving."

Oher's court petition says he never received any money from the movie, even though he long suspected that others were profiting, according to his attorney, J. Gerard Stranch IV. Whenever Oher asked questions, he did not get straight answers, his attorney said.

And since the film's success coincided with the start of his lucrative NFL career in 2009, Oher did not take the time to fully investigate the deal until after he retired in 2016, Stranch said. Oher eventually hired a lawyer who helped him uncover the details surrounding the movie deal and his legal connection to the people he believed were his adoptive parents. His lawyer unearthed the conservatorship document in February, and Oher came to the painful realization that the Tuohys had not adopted him.

"Mike didn't grow up with a stable family life," Stranch said. "When the Tuohy family told Mike they loved him and wanted to adopt him, it filled a void that had been with him his entire life. Discovering that he wasn't actually adopted devastated Mike and wounded him deeply."
From left, Collins Tuohy, Sean Tuohy Jr., Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy, attended the film premiere in New York City in 2009. Jim Spellman/WireImage

The petition marks a sharp break in what had been an inspiring, if unsettlingly stereotypical, feel-good story. As the movie portrayed the story, the Tuohys adopted Oher, a poor, virtually homeless and academically challenged Black teenager. They made Oher part of a functional family for the first time. They helped him catch up in school, taught him the basics of football and how to harness his athleticism, putting him on the road to sports stardom.

The truth, however, was more complicated.

Oher certainly led a hard-knock life growing up. But he also had the smarts, the pluck and plenty of help from the Tuohys and others to rise above his circumstances.

Oher was one of 12 children born to his mother, who struggled with drug addiction. Before his 11th birthday, Oher was placed into foster care, where he bounced around numerous homes, and at times lived on the streets. Although he was a capable student, he attended 11 schools in nine years, and repeated both the first and second grades, leaving him behind academically.

His fortunes changed after a friend's father, impressed with Oher's inner drive and focus, introduced him to the principal of a private Christian school in a prosperous Memphis neighborhood. Oher began attending the school in 10th grade, even as his home life remained chaotic. He was a sports prodigy, excelling in track and field, basketball and football, a game he had studied for years.

He began playing football for his new school in 11th grade, quickly establishing himself as one of the nation's top offensive linemen, and college scholarship offers poured in from big-time football programs across the country.

Because of his unstable housing situation, Oher frequently stayed over at the homes of his classmates, including the Tuohys, whose children attended the school. The petition says that the Tuohys forged a closer relationship with him once Oher's athletic prowess drew wide attention. They invited him to spend more nights at their spacious Memphis home and took him shopping. Eventually, they asked Oher to move in. They encouraged him to address them as "mom" and "dad," and said they planned to adopt him, the filing says.

Oher was delighted with all that at the time, his lawyer said, and he fully trusted the Tuohys.

Oher went on to play college football at the University of Mississippi, the Tuohys' alma mater. He was a two-time All-American and a first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2009.

In his new book, Michael Oher says the film depicting his life has been a "large source of some of my deepest hurt and pain over the past 14 years." Denny Simmons/The Tennessean/Imagn

After the success of "The Blind Side," however, suspicion slowly eclipsed Oher's trust of the Tuohys, his lawyer said.

"Mike's relationship with the Tuohy family started to decline when he discovered that he was portrayed in the movie as unintelligent," Stranch said. "Their relationship continued to deteriorate as he learned that he was the only member of the family not receiving royalty checks from the movie, and it was permanently fractured when he realized he wasn't adopted and a part of the family."

For years, Oher has chafed at how "The Blind Side" depicted him, saying it hurt his football career and clouded how people view him. He has said that based on the film, some NFL decision-makers assumed he was mentally slow or lacked leadership skills.

"People look at me, and they take things away from me because of a movie," Oher told ESPN in 2015. "They don't really see the skills and the kind of player I am."

For their part, the Tuohys agreed that Oher always had what it took to succeed. "If there is a fundamental misapprehension about Michael, it's that he needed saving," the Tuohys wrote in their book. "We discovered that underneath his shyness, his foot shuffling, and his head ducking, he had a tremendous will to determine the course of his own life."

For years, Oher has said, he was content to live with the myth created by the movie, reasoning that its inspirational message outweighed the pain inflicted by what he saw as its inaccurate portrayal of his life. But that has changed.

"There has been so much created from The Blind Side that I am grateful for, which is why you might find it as a shock that the experience surrounding the story has also been a large source of some of my deepest hurt and pain over the past 14 years," Oher wrote in his book "When Your Back's Against the Wall," released last week.

"Beyond the details of the deal, the politics, and the money behind the book and movie, it was the principle of the choices some people made that cut me the deepest."

Source: ESPN

UltimateMarvel wrote:When you talked about gardening before I didn't think it was going to be this much variety. Looks like you put a lot of time and effort into this and it looks amazing! How do you keep the animals away?

I snapped a few pics of my melon plants too. The one on the right is watermelon and the other three are cantaloupe and yes those are pantyhose, they make great hammocks to support the fruit from snapping off when you're growing vertical.  





One of my (5) cherry tomato plants and pictured to the left of it is a young raspberry bush.

joey con carne wrote:Nice plants! Those tomatoes look great. Mine are coming in nicely. They are orange and getting to be pretty sweet. They are non-stop. I pick all the orange ones today and tomorrow is another batch of goodness. Delicious

UltimateMarvel wrote:Wait a minute Wylde, are you telling me you went to a store and bought some pantyhose? We need some answers.

Tomatoes looks delicious!

WyldeMan wrote:

joey con carne wrote:Nice plants! Those tomatoes look great. Mine are coming in nicely. They are orange and getting to be pretty sweet. They are non-stop. I pick all the orange ones today and tomorrow is another batch of goodness. Delicious

I've never grown tomatoes before, why are you picking them when they're still orange? Are you letting them continue to ripen or eating them as is? I haven't tried any of them yet.

Rusty wrote:My old man does this with his tomatoes. Picks them just before they are ripe (say 90%), and lets them mature inside on the window ledge. They still get a little sun, but it does two things: Limits the exposure to bugs, pests, etc. Last thing you want is wait that extra two or three days before it's 100% only to have some grub creep in and fuck it up at the last minute.

Also, picking them a touch early slows down the ripening process a bit, which also extends their life a little. Whilst they may take an extra day or two to fully mature, once they mature, they'll last an extra day or two before they start getting too soft and mushy.

WyldeMan wrote:I've never grown tomatoes before, why are you picking them when they're still orange? Are you letting them continue to ripen or eating them as is? I haven't tried any of them yet.

UltimateMarvel wrote:Wait a minute Wylde, are you telling me you went to a store and bought some pantyhose? We need some answers.

Tomatoes looks delicious!

I bought six packs of pantyhose and nothing else from my local Dollar Store and the 60 year old female cashier was still deeply confused even after I tried explaining they were for melon hammocks.

For some reason, people in my town don't think we have the weather to grow fruit like this so they never try, especially not vertical. We're in the middle of a 90 degree heat wave all week, I hope my plants can survive a few more days of this, the heat was wrecking havoc on my strawberry plants...

joey con carne wrote:

My tomatoes are orange. They don't turn red. They turn a deep orange/yellow. I don't even know what they are called... photo below. Sorry for large size.