May 2017 Cape Town.

Wash, rinse and repeat.

Ahhh yes, good ol' times or "what to avoid when you use Photoshop for the first time".

A word on Wardpark/Cumbernauld Studios

@docsama left a comment, on S's birthday, under one of my posts and I promised her an answer with more information, as soon as I got the time. Anyway, here goes - and @docsama, sorry for the delay:

Question is: who owns the Wardpark Film and Television Studios?

The answer was quick to find, in the not-so-old specialized media:

The story begins in 2013, with an ambitious Scottish entrepreneur, Terry Thomson - this guy (courtesy of The Herald, https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15984820.analysis-three-projects-pipeline-help-productions-make-big-picture/):

He is the owner of the Thomson Pettie Group, based in Carluke (https://www.thomsonpettie.com/about-us), which has nothing to do with cinema:

You've read that right: they are 'manufacturers of fabricated metal parts and assemblies', primarily for the national automotive industry. Yet, in 2013, Mr. Thomson agreed to rent what he described as 'a dormant industrial property' - a warehouse, to be exact - to Sony, in order to host the filming and production of OL. Thus, he became the CEO of a newly created entity, The Wardpark Film and Television Studios (https://www.hackmancapital.com/scotlands-largest-most-iconic-film-studio-acquired-by-hackman-capital-partners-and-square-mile-capital/).

By 2017, Wardpark was doing so well, that a big expansion plan was announced, with the direct support of the Scottish Government, which invested £4 million via Scottish Enterprise, its business support, advice and funding agency:

And then, in November 2021, the little engine that could was sold to those two big US investors, Hackman Capital Partners (HCP) and Square Mile Capital Management LLC (now globally rebranded as Affinius Capital). In this montage, Hackman Capital Partners brought its own confirmed film studios and media management expertise...

... while Square Mile most probably funded a sizeable portion of the acquisition, simply because this is what they do best:

Perhaps an interesting detail: HCP owns and manages both the Culver City based Sony Pictures Animation Studios' Campus and the legendary Culver Studios, now rebranded by Amazon:

Back to Scotland, Wardpark Studio's sale made just about everyone happy. Mr. Thomson kept his CEO job and look who was more than thrilled about the juicy transaction:

Currently, the studio is operated by HCP's subsidiary, The MBS Group:

That means that MBS probably manages just about everything, as far as daily management is concerned, from business operations, staffing and/or property management, to lighting and grip, trucks and generators' fleet, expendables and props. Unless I could see a contract and have a precise idea, I can just enumerate all the services they offer.

At no point in time did S and C own anything of those studios. As for the Executive Producer part, that is another discussion entirely. I could be coaxed to write something about it, if you really want to know why Those Two are EPs and what does that really, really mean - because once again, I have seen and read a LOT of bullshit in here, especially in the Desperate Housewives Disgruntled Tumblrettes' corner.

Thank you for asking. It was fun to research and write and I hope it brought more clarity to you.

Good job (again) in shedding light in this ownership structure. But of course SC don't have any shares in these film studios. Not only OL and BOMB are filmed there, but many other productions like Karen Pirie or Good Omens (for which they built an entire busy Soho street in one of the sound stages). To have a studio just for one production would be economical harakiri, they should rather be independent (well... kind of...) companies to secure jobs and economic wealth for the region.

Is it a real London bank holiday weekend without Nikki R posting from WF1?

Is she out of favour? No toilet photos from a Firmdale property.

I’m sad that Nic boi wasn’t sitting in the stands with Sam cheering on Sailor Moon ( you just know Sarah stole her hair colour and style from that cartoon). Gym bros together 4 eva!

Come On peeps. Really?

It’s very obviously look here not there. Making sure that the ringmaster in this 🎪 has drawn attention away from Caitriona and son in their preferred London location.

Lies Are Us

The way in which @samheughanswife is able to sum up this hot mess in just a few short sentences and hit the nail on the head (once again) is just fabulous! 👌

Couples doing the same thing. Saw the Beckhams’ photo in People Magazine. Thank you. Reminded me of the Heughans.

Yep. Very good. Finally someone with some common sense who has heard a thing or two about business practices and the "follow the money"-principle.

And here we go again with the #shitshow, courtesy of a very chillaxed, borderline infantile Brazilian fan (she could have also been Romanian, French, Cambodian, by the way).

I have watched the clip at least three times. Not that it proves anything else than a very carefully planned choreography. The problem is, the girl they picked or who volunteered for the fan part is a very unconvincing actress and I just knew something was very wrong.

The geotagging was very clear: 'corner of Melbury with Kensington High Street'. And prior to that, we had carefully planned Anons making the rounds (@bat-cat-reader, but also Marple), placing Xena sixteen minutes away, on the same street, jogging and marveling at the tropical exotic details of the London Metropolitan Area:

Let's place things on a map. Impeccable, eh?

Barely a 16 minute long relaxed jogging under the palm trees (LOL for ever), passing by the Hilton London Olympia Hotel and then ending at the Enoteca Rosso, 'corner of Melbury with Kensington High Street'.

And it's a match with the Tick Tock clip, too:

I even listened to her abundant Instagram stories, carefully narrating her encounter and being very casual about 'thinking he was with his Paramour of the Moment' (this girl has a very annoying accent in Portuguese, I will not wake up Shipper Mom for this kind of bobagem, but I think she might be from São Paulo? hit me up with your guesses).

We do have a bleach problem in this picture, though, spare the fact that it is a table for four people, not two, with who I think might be the Nicorettes and Big Red Olivier (not very sure, but could very well be). Scottish Xena's hair is longer and ultra-bleached on her last Insta pix and stories. This woman's is shorter and well, she needs to hit the nearest salon pretty soon, too.

Also, please let us use our brains for three seconds: why would a professional athlete hit a very gourmet Italian spot in town less than six hours before a competition? On which planet would that be ok?

I remember Nadia Comăneci telling everyone they were absolutely forbidden to eat and sometimes even drink on the very day of any competition. Sure, Béla Károlyi's methods were almost Nazi like and he repeatedly was in trouble for that. And thank you, I might be a totally non-fitness person, I know that requirements for gymnastics and athletics are not exactly the same. However, how can you damn run a competition with an undigested portion of paccheri ai funghi porcini (random, but beloved choice) in your belly? Or wine (it is an enoteca, after all, not a vegan joint!)? Or (oh, damn my life!) desert? 😱😱😱

Riddle me this.

There is nothing more useful than the odd, volunteering idiot.

PS: she said he footed the bill. Mark me, it was the Nicorettes.

Show must go on...

... and rather very much in your face, mind you.

Scottish Xena posted two stories at about 7 AM, counting calories, and, in the process, making sure to address roughly any objections that were ventilated on this side of the fandom, including this very page. See for yourself...

What are the odds she'd be talking about nutrition? Right. I am not an idiot. I know when something is way Over The Top - less is more, Xena. Less is always more: there was no need to overdo it like that, placemat and all, if you wanted to remain credible. You read us and you have been instructed to do so, just to perfectly stick to your walking, talking and very profitable Local Innuendo script.

Fair enough. And then, you also tell us that you will be at Hyrox today around noon, to film some ESN promo: your bread and butter, of course. S is just for shits, giggles and that Instagram yield:

So, there's that. *urv connecting dots like crazy, without having the slightest clue of what was discussed at that table. Her own brand of cheap fanfic for the masses, for the other five clowns commenting, out of which three at least are her own sock accounts.

Cue in the Useful Idiot. The Brazilian Tourist and Fan. Uma senhorita tão desagradável, who changed her story in between her first reaction reel and the debrief, back at her suburban Airbnb or where the fuck that was filmed.

First reaction reels:

'Just saw SH.' Not alone, oh no: 'com uma moça'. With a girl. So yeah, she had qualms asking for a pic.

First lie and dramatization. She posts a message for S where she explains she did not dare approach him, but she saw him alright. The one in Portuguese is completely different, though: 'I am going to post the video without sound, because I could only say "what a shame", while I was filming him on the sly. LOL.' I guess she thinks we are all idiots, or something. Also, in her reel, she confirms: 'ele estava almoçando com outra pessoa'/he was having lunch with another person. So far, so good, right?

Six hours later, a second debrief batch of reels, taking her reader's questions. The narrative changes, with a strong bias:

'Yes, he is super accessible and educated! I did not freak out, I just politely asked to take a pic (what I do consider the right way to approach famous people, at the end they are still human beings).'

For the people in the back: she is a lady. And a liar. The worst kind of liar, actually: a narcissistic one. Let's see what else she takes great pains telling us: 'ele tem um fandom bem tóxico'/he has a very toxic fandom. From now on, we just know what to expect, right?

Second answer, she explains he is very tall. He went inside to pay the bill and then he also went towards the bathroom (wtf?), she followed him inside, she asked for the menu, he finally went out and she approached him ('abordei' - 🙄) between the door and her table. Classy.

Cue in to a third answer (and second lie) to a very odd question: 'what did he smell like?' or something along those lines. For this one, I had to ask confirmation from Shipper Mom, who told me two things (she knew next to nothing about the whole episode- no bias): ' it's damn hard to understand what the hell she is talking about, she is eating half of her words. Plus you can tell she is lying.'

He doesn't smell, she tells us. But hey, she also freaked out a bit, finally (I thought she hadn't?!) and then well, 'ele estava com outra pessoa, uma moça, deve ser a namorada dele'/ he was with another person, a girl, probably his girlfriend'. But then he went inside (again? wasn't he coming out of the venue?), 'and the girl stayed at the table'. Things go murky afterwards, like they absolutely always do: she tells us she spoke to her (?), but would not say anything more, yet making sure to tell us she 'saw both of them'.

If anyone has a better version than mine, please step forward: we listened three times in a row, with Shipper Mom, a teacher of Portuguese and published literary translator. She was appalled by this young woman's carelessness and mendacity.

The Brazilian Tourist Fan is 23 years old (and it shows), she presents herself as a journalist and writer:

Seriously? What are the odds?

And finally, to wrap it up, the classical cheering moment, at yesterday's Hyrox: ' yeah, Sarah, nice!'

Nice, indeed.

FFS. Will it ever end?

Yes, it will. Anything ends: even Stalin's terror.

Just putting things into Brazili an fandom perspective. "He has a very toxic fandom", is the general term used in Brazil by casual Outlander fans (those who don't actually follow anything in depth), who certainly attend two big specific Outlander groups in Brazil (or was told by someone who are on them). To give you an idea, one of them we called Prometidolândia, it was the first Outlander group in the country and also the first to make it clear that shippers were not welcome. The second group (Antilandia) has Antis as Adm and went as far as to ridicule shippers in a live broadcast made with a famous page about entertainment in general (a moment that should have been used to exalt and publicize the show was used for nitpicking). The only general Outlander group in Brazil where shippers are not persecuted is Frasers Ridge Brasil. You can even create a shipper post, add a hashtag and moderation controls who is trying to mess and tell anyone who don't like the post, just keep scrolling (like any other post). I mention these three because they are the best known Outlander groups in the Country, there is another one also from Antis but it is not even that popular because it was created years after the others were established. These above are groups about the show and the books. SIS is a very famous group but is a specifically shipper group, and even being a shipper group, the girls are doing amazing work for the show and the books too.

Well, whoever accesses Prometidolandia and Antilandia (or have contact with someone from them) will read, see and hear just how toxic shippers are, how much we persecute the poor defenseless boy and his successive girlfriends (In fact, I would like to advise the Adms of these groups to make a fixed post , like a bulletin board with updates on new blondes, given the change in the boy's love life.). But, back to the subject, the “toxic fandom” argument always refers to our side.

Those who stay in hotels close to his house, those who spend three months in Scotland (because that's what they can do without a visa) and three in Brazil, just to be "close" to him, those who expose anyone who uses the hashtag mpc without being a member, those who decide to buy his mother's works just for stalker purposes or those who almost camp near where Cait lives to get a glimpse and a photo of her family life are not mentioned as toxic. And the ones who send very personal gifts also. None of these things were done by shippers, so they don't qualify as something toxic.

Recently someone who saw my photos from LandCon came to talk to me, she is a casual Outlander fan who has been watching since 2020 and since she doesn't know me because I almost never post on Facebook Outlander groups, she mentioned "the toxic side" and I tried to get deeper into the topic with her about the toxicity...the "information" she had all came from these groups...screencaps with all of our allegedly sins😜 . So I showed her (with screencraps too) other examples of toxicity that she knew nothing about. I also told her that I'm on the side that those people consider toxic, but when she had the opportunity to attend a Con, look closely who are the people who, when they meet Sam at these events, act politely towards him and don't treat him like meat ready for consumption...And also look closely the fans who do exactly the opposite of this. Then tell me which group of angels these last ones are in, since we are the toxic ones.

This changed her perspective towards the fandom, because she was no longer just repeating what people said, she had found other answers on the same topic in our conversations.

Another interesting point is : everyone who meets Sam with someone has several versions of the meeting, which are changed successively according to who shows up to talk to them in private. It must be some phenomenon caused by the depth of his blue eyes. We've had people before who, on the same day they met him, just posted a photo and spoke superficially about how wonderful the moment was.

And after the countless questions and attention received, these people followed something like this pattern:

At 7:00 pm they posted that he was with friends

7:05 pm he had a woman with him

7:10 pm they were just talking

7:20 pm certainly It was his girlfriend

7:30 pm wasn't sure about gf

7:40 pm had a deep conversation with him while was taking a photo.

07:45 pm he has a toxic fandom

07: 50 pm I respect his privacy

Some of them close the account to private after the mess of the 5 minutes of fame. I don't blame the fans because even Melissa the Storm, the journalist who announced Caits fengagement, did something like 10 versions of the same Instagram post in less than 24 hours.

Reblogging for @outlanderskin's Brazilian POV and description of the Brazilian fandom (you forgot The Instagram Taitzilla, btw).

@TinyTunney

The Cut...

seanellisphoto stories

Anon curious...

Hmmm...

Now, this is something very strange, isn't it?

At the Equal Means Equal silent auction, that Reserved copy was #39, yesterday, and listed as follows:

'Issue 6, signed by the actress, and shot by Ellen von Unwerth. Donated by Jules Wood.'

By some supercalifragilistic maneuver or something, it is now #27 and listed as follows:

'Issue 6, signed by the actress and shot by Ellen Von Unwerth

Caitríona Balfe, Irish actress, star of multi-year global hit series “Outlander” and EQUAL MEANS EQUAL supporter, donates her signed copy of Reserved Magazine, a limited edition, rare collectors item

Donated by Jules Wood'

Donated by her, but then also by Jules Wood and hastily revised since yesterday, to make us all bitch about for hours? What in the name of hoo-ha is going on here?

Oh, well. If you had any doubts Tumblr content is read and immediately acted upon.

Auction is still stuck at 2000 USD, by the way.

PS: lies are still lies and I regret nothing about what I wrote earlier, without knowing things had uhm... been revised (still: who the hell donated that copy, huh?). But this plot twist is intriguing, to say the least.

Changing Sides (ok, not really!)

(may contain sarcasm)

I've decided to go to the dark side! I've now been convinced that the SC union is but a myth. Antis have shown me the way ……. I think it's their kind, reasonable and friendly approach that's done it!

I've realised, a little late, that we have all been well and truly fooled. We are moronic, brainless idiots with but one working brain cell. Thank you Antis for clarifying this.

All those “receipts” are just speculative, blurry evidence, stories passed on by desperate shippers - the “real” story and circumstance hidden or deleted to confirm they are together. Caitriona is not playing - as no SM Happy Birthday to her co-star and bestie. That'll show them. Of course, all those pics of them together are not relevant - just two mates out and about - probably ran to each other down the supermarket and went for a drink. Or out to eat. Or to the theatre - as brother and sister so often do. No Japanese birthday toilet this year, big boy! A poxy little cake which looked as if only Lauren and Cesar contributed to it! Cheapskates.

And then there's Mr McWhoareyouagain. The obvious “love”, “connection” and the “married” vibes couldn't be stronger, could they? Their convincing togetherness could not be feigned. They are the epitome of true love - so much so, that she is happy to keep him financially and clear his debts. He pays her back by appearing mean, moody and magnificent at her award ceremonies. To show the world they are a couple. And to hold her coat.

And don't forget how we found out about Brian, I mean Tony - the civilian lover. How Cait left us a very clear holiday “be grateful” trail to engagement-gate and how it took 6 attempts for the resident journo to put it out there. Tony on the beach - who could say no to this handsome hunk! So much personality in one diminutive packet!

Whatever happened over the holidays, it's hard to even pretend it's real. The “wedding” in deepest darkest Somerset. No pictures allowed. No announcement of the priest was confirmed. Florist sworn to secrecy. Nobody in the village is out taking pics of the ”celebrity” wedding. Sam’s solo photo op. Why? So we see he's just a “guest”.

Actually, writing this has convinced me we are right. They are together. They are in love. Show me more proof that they are not. Because when I see this “proof” I'm more convinced they are bundled up behind closed doors, laughing at us. Good for them.

"Because when I see this “proof” I'm more convinced they are bundled up behind closed doors, laughing at us. Good for them."

Well, at least it's always entertaining sneaking on the dark side, isn't it?!

Fitness at Dawn, the London edition

Thought she was under the radar?

Kinda, sorta. She did compete at Hyrox PRO Bordeaux, last week-end, results and all. Still, bizarrely kept totally silent on her usually braggadocio Insta account - there is no trace of this:

And now, let us pre-emptively brace ourselves for... yeah, you got it:

Next week-end, Hyrox PRO London, on Saturday night, starts at 19:10, local time:

... and surely enough, to properly keep the innuendo making endless rounds...

...at Hyrox Men London, on Sunday, starts at 17:20, local time. Let's see if he shows up - I wouldn't put money on it.

The above explaining the need to be seen training in Brixton. Also:

Yeah, as I predicted: a Paid Partnership with both Gymshark and Gymnasium - Brixton. 💵💵💵#chaching

We hide no information, write no fanfic and debunk everything thoroughly, as it comes.

(Danke sehr für den Tipp, Bärchen - ❤️).

The telling hashtag

So S is willfully disclosing his LHR location, with a story and a post to boot, as expected:

📌at Bourne Offices, 11 Richmond Buildings, in Soho:

Literally round the corner from Soho House, on Dean Street. Of course:

Also, this - very telling:

#gifted. Before *urv starts her demented Fitness at Dawn - The London Hyrox Edition fanfic, let's unpack:

S chose to wear, in this post, one of the sunglasses models from David Beckham's eyewear collection. Price tag is a bit steep (twice my Ray-Ban Wayfarers), but still democratic:

But why the #gifted hashtag? Before you think C or Scottish Xena lovingly picked those up the shelf for his birthday, you might like to check a bit around for context. You see, all dbeyewear collections are manufactured by a single Italian producer based in Padua, Safilo Group. Hashtagged accordingly in his post, by the way.

A couple of days ago, Safilo Group and dbeyewear's commercial partnership reached a new, very important milestone:

[Source: Safilo Group press release, https://assets.ctfassets.net/cmstik7jzbvm/2lwJmoKJR7x3ydijfpi7c6/9870e11fbb2c040a89a6d8acb4ed25ea/20240502_Safilo_firma_un_accordo_di_licenza_perpetua_per_l-eyewear_di_David_Beckham.pdf]

On May 2nd, Safilo Group and Authentic Brands Group (ABG), the corporate side of Eyewear by David Beckham signed a 'perpetual licensing agreement, replacing the current one that would have ended in 2030'. Authentic Brands Group and Safilo Group have been working together since 2019, when Beckham started to design his own eyewear collection. Now, they are taking their collaboration one step further, with ABG (or the licensor) granting Safilo Group (the licensee) perpetual (unlikely to be retired, unless something goes really, awfully wrong along the way: breach of contract, etc.) exclusive right to produce, use, advertise, sell its merchandise.

Something like this needs proper promotion, so Safilo Group and/or ABG graciously sent S those sunglasses, in the hope he will sport them in one of his posts with a potential 3+ million subscriber views.

A word on the UK pretty obscure regulations on promoter advertising and the use of the #gifted hashtag. There is not one, but two competent national regulatory authorities: the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The ASA is a bit more lenient in its approach and they clearly say that if the promoted product has been sent to the influencer on a no strings attached basis, then it is ok to use that #gifted hashtag. They will not pursue, based on the lack of #ad, however they will name and shame you - not a pretty picture, after all:

[Source, heh: ASA's Influencer Guide to making clear that ads are ads, https://www.asa.org.uk/static/uploaded/3af39c72-76e1-4a59-b2b47e81a034cd1d.pdf]

But the CMA is way more vigilant. They consider that any freebie can and must be monetized, based on its retail value and as such, must be clearly labeled as an #ad, when promoted on socials by an influencer. And yes, they can and might pursue, at any given moment: that must be proportional with the offence and in S's case, it might simply mean being served with a cease and desist notice or a removal and prohibition order. I'd rather not be in those shoes, mind you:

[Source: CMA's guide Hidden ads: Being clear with your audience, 2022; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-media-endorsements-guide-for-influencers/social-media-endorsements-being-transparent-with-your-followers]

If he wants no further headaches, he should simply edit that post and add the right hashtag. It will be interesting to see if and when he will do it.

As for Fitness at Dawn, well... not even sorry.

Gracias a ti, ❤️. Siempre.

Goobers...

sis_brazil

2 anos dessa live maravilhosa... A sexta temporada tinha acabado de ir ao ar e eles estavam começando a filmar a sétima. 🥹🥹 Quel acompanhou ao vivo?? Que a gente tenha pelo menos mais uma live assim antes de terminar a série! 🙏🏻🙏🏻

Will be one of my favorites. Ever. So much cuteness, so many hidden gems in this. 🥰

The 28th Amendment?

After a long silence, Sleeping Beauty's social media seems to be (somewhat) back to life, with this story:

This is part of a national public awareness and lobby campaign organized by a US NGO, Equal means Equal, aiming to promote the formal inclusion of a 28th Amendment (the Equal Rights Amendment) in the US Constitution.

This is the current state of play: what is needed, according to Equal means Equal, is a final push, in order to make something started in 1972 a reality. This state of play is unthinkable, to an European, by the way: gender equality became effective on our ravaged, postwar continent for many reasons, including the most practical you could think of. Those are usually related to voting rights, the acknowledgement of women's contribution to the war effort, the economic and social reconstruction process and even a faux-equalitarian ideology, like in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union (loudly promote gender equality, but at the same time, take away any legal guarantee and protection of private ownership of anything, from houses to shops to banks).

The final push for success is a public appeal to POTUS to act on it, launched as a side event at the New York FOCUS Art Fair, a contemporary art rendezvous' with a strong Gen Z flair:

C is a part to this event with a signed copy of Reserved, an independent media outlet with a clear progressive flair and all the bells and whistles of a Gen Z future icon:

I was particularly intrigued by this: 'Once a magazine, Reserved has evolved into an annual hardcover print edition collector’s item'. It immediately made me think of one of my favorite things in the art world, Franco Maria Ricci's FMR Magazine (https://www.francomariaricci.com/en). A mythical thing, the stuff of legend - to each generation its own, I suppose.

Time to make an important point, though: the Reserved copy up for silent auction was not donated by C herself, but by Jules Wood:

Meet Jules Wood, editor-in-chief of Reserved and fashion director of Ellen von Unwerth's VON Magazine :

Pretty much sure this is an old acquaintance, too.

In the couple of hours since I began writing this post, bidding started from 500 USD and has now risen to 2000 USD, thanks to a generous soul, who wishes to remain Anonymous:

You don't say. Anonymous, huh?

Cue in the Stans who will surely bitch it's 'just her US friends' (primarily BIF barking and/or Anon being dropped in Fascist inboxes in 3, 2, 1...) But hey, we have a different view, don't we?

And it's quite alright.

PS: Pics in that Reserved copy are taken from C's photoshoot for Ellen von Unwerth , sometime before June 2021:

Jewellry and Men in their forties.

The discussion from the venomous accounts 🌀 from NI and beyond critiquing Sam’s embrace of jewellry recently, attempting to connect dots, show them up rather than Sam.

We know what those dots are. Gay or arrested developed man whore.

What Sam is actually doing is crafting an image moving away from the post Barbour period and his look since covid. And he has found his muse.

Chris Hemsworth. The married, straight, iron pumping, gym rat leading man.

Chris has always worn jewellry.

Sam is looking into the future as a mid forties man of a similar physique as Chris.

Chris is Sam’s muse 💯

Lately Sam has embraced the polo shirt in conjunction with his beloved t-shirts.

Bracelet ✔️

Last night in Sydney ⬆️. It certainly wasn’t a case of less is more. It was more is better, necklace ✔️bracelets ✔️ rings ✔️

I was lucky to be there as an unexpected plus one. George Miller is phenomenal