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The campaign against Pope-Cedar Mountain
-- Gordonsville -- Warrenton -- Bristoe Station -- Groveton -- Second Manassas -- Chantilly, or Ox Hill -- Pope defeated at all points.
The result of the battles around Richmond so weakened Federal confidence in General McClellan's ability, that General Halleck was called from the West and made commander-in-chief of their armies. Previous, however, to his assumption of command, the departments of the Rappahannock and the Shenandoah were combined into one army, called the army of Virginia, and Maj.-Gen. John Pope assigned to its command. Pope had for corps commanders, Generals Sigel, Banks and McDowell, and, as at first constituted, his army numbered somewhat over 40,000 men.1 As soon as this army began to threaten Gordonsville, General Lee, as Ropes remarks, 'though the whole army of the Potomac was within twenty-five miles of Richmond, did not hesitate, on July 13th, to despatch to Gordonsville his most trusted lieutenant, the justly celebrated Stonewall Jackson, with two divisions—his own (so-called), commanded by Winder, and Ewell's, comprising together about 14,000 or 15,000 men.' Then, when it became clear that the peninsula was being evacuated, Jackson was reinforced by the division of A. P. Hill. After Hill's juncture, Jackson's force numbered between 20,000 and 25,000 men, and the commander sought opportunity to strike a favorable blow.
The opportunity soon came. 'Having received information,' reports Jackson, 'that only a part of General [93] Pope's army was at Culpeper Court House, and hoping, through the blessing of Providence, to be able to defeat it before reinforcements should arrive there, Ewell's, Hill's and Jackson's divisions were moved on the 7th in the direction of the enemy.' On the 9th he reached Cedar mountain, about eight miles from Culpeper, and found his old antagonist of the valley, Banks, fronting him. Jackson had somewhat the advantage in numbers, according to the estimates in 'Battles and Leaders.' The tables there give 'Pope's effective force on the field from first to last' as 17,900, an estimate probably too large; Jackson's estimated strength on the field, at least 20,000.
Pope, who was waiting for Sigel to come up, states that he did not intend for Banks to attack Jackson with his corps, but, as the Confederates advanced, cautiously feeling their way, and themselves preparing to be the assailants, Banks threw the brigades of Prince, Geary, Greene and Crawford, and a little later, Gordon, against them. The attack came before Jackson's men had finished their battle formation, and while there was still a wide gap between two of their brigades. Jackson's line of battle, commencing on the right, stood: Trimble, Forno (Hays), Early, Taliaferro, Campbell (Garnett), and Winder's brigade under Colonel Ronald in reserve. In the front line, the Twenty-first regiment and Wharton's sharpshooters were the only North Carolina troops, and they were not engaged until toward the close of the struggle. The front assault of Geary and Prince fell on the brigades of Early and Taliaferro, and part of Campbell. While Campbell's men were meeting the front attack, Crawford, who had been sent to their left, fell on their left flank. Under this double attack, the left regiments retreated in some confusion. General Garnett, who hurried there, was wounded, as were Major Lane and Colonel Cunningham. The double fire was severe, and Campbell's whole brigade gave way. Crawford pushed [94] on until he struck Taliaferro's flank. This brigade was already hotly engaged with Geary, and as Crawford's men rushed steadily on, a part of Taliaferro's brigade, after a gallant resistance, also fell back. Early, however, manfully stood firm. Ronald moved up his reserves to fill the gap left by Campbell and part of Taliaferro's force, and the battle raged anew. Taliaferro had energetically rallied his men, but the battle was still in doubt when Branch's North Carolina brigade hurried on the field, and with a cheer, rushed against Crawford. The Seventh regiment was detached, but the Thirty-third, Twenty-eighth, Thirty-seventh and Eighteenth moved into Campbell's position and drove back the enemy, who, however, made a gallant resistance. General Taliaferro says: 'At this critical moment the First brigade and Branch's brigade encountered the enemy, confused by their severe conflict with the Second brigade, and drove them back with terrible slaughter.' Just as Taliaferro resumed his place in line, Bayard's cavalry followed its brave leader in a charge upon the Confederate line. However, the fire of Branch and Taliaferro was too galling, and the cavalry broke in disorder. Gordon's Federal brigade now came into action, and gallantly led, tried to break the Southern advance; Gordon was, however, only to waste blood, for he came too late. Archer was now up to the front line, and Pender's North Carolina brigade struck Gordon's flank. Just at this time, Thomas, Early, Forno and Trimble joined the left in a general advance, and Banks' whole line was swept back in the gathering darkness. The victory was largely due to Branch's front and Pender's flank attack, and the North Carolina soldiers felt proud of stopping an enemy that had just broken the 'Stonewall brigade.' Jackson says: 'At this critical moment, Branch's brigade, with Winder's brigade farther to the left, met the Federal forces, flushed with temporary triumph, and drove them back with terrible slaughter through the woods.' Gen. [95] A. P. Hill gives even more credit to Branch. He says: 'Winder's brigade, immediately in front of Branch, being hard pressed, broke, and many fugitives came back. Without waiting for the formation of the entire line, Branch was immediately ordered forward, and passing through the broken brigade checked the pursuit, and in turn drove them back and relieved Taliaferro's flank.' Latham's North Carolina battery was also engaged in this battle.
The Union loss in this battle was 2,381; the Confederate, 1,276. North Carolina's loss was 15 killed and 102 wounded. This small loss is due to the fact that the Carolinians were under fire for so short a time. The brigades of Taliaferro, Early and Thomas were exposed during the whole encounter.
After the battle at Cedar mountain, General Jackson moved his command to the vicinity of Gordonsville. There General Lee, accompanying Longstreet's corps, joined Jackson, and on the 21st, the Confederate army moved toward the Rappahannock. Then followed a movement up that stream by both the Federals and Confederates; the Federals moving up the north bank as Lee's army moved up the south.
On the 22d of August, Trimble's brigade was stationed near Welford's ford on the Hazel river, a tributary of the Rappahannock, to protect the flank of the wagon train. Bohlen's Federal brigade was thrown across the Rappahannock at Freeman's ford in an effort to damage or capture part of the train. Trimble, supported by Hood, attacked Bohlen's force and drove it back across the river. The Federals suffered considerable loss, General Bohlen himself being among the slain. In this 'sharp conflict,' as General Trimble denominates it, the Twenty-first North Carolina, Lieutenant-Colonel Fulton, attacked the center of the enemy, while Trimble's two other regiments made a detour to the right. 'After a sharp conflict with the Twenty-first North Carolina,' [96] reports General Trimble, 'the enemy were driven back to the hills in the rear.' There Bohlen made a brave stand, but was not strong enough to hold his own against the united Confederates. Trimble's report thus commends Colonel Fulton: 'It is specially due Lieutenant-Colonel Fulton, of the Twenty-first North Carolina, that I should mention the conspicuous gallantry with which he took the colors and led his regiment to the charge.' This brigade was also under fire on the 24th, near Warrenton, and in the two days the Twenty-first and the two attached companies of sharpshooters lost 5 killed and II wounded.
There was heavy artillery firing at Warrenton Springs on the 24th. There Latham's North Carolina battery, with other batteries, was directed not to reply to the enemy's batteries posted across the river, but to wait for the appearance of his infantry passing up the river. These orders were carried out, and some loss inflicted.
On the 25th, Jackson started on his daring raid to throw his command between Washington City and the army of General Pope, and to break up Federal railroad communication with Washington. On the 26th he marched from near Salem to Bristoe Station. 'Learning,' says his official report, 'that the enemy had collected at Manassas Junction, a station about seven miles distant, stores of great value, I deemed it important that no time should be lost in securing them. Notwithstanding the darkness of the night and the fatiguing march, which would be since dawn over thirty miles before reaching the junction, Brigadier-General Trimble volunteered to proceed there forthwith with the Twenty-first North Carolina, Lieut.-Col. S. Fulton commanding, and the Twenty-first Georgia, Major Glover commanding—in all about 500 men—and capture the place. I accepted the gallant offer, and gave him orders to move without delay.'
About 9 o'clock the two regiments started,
every man setting out with cheerful alacrity to perform the service. [97] Trimble's Report.
On approaching Manassas, one regiment was formed on the north side and one on the south side of the railroad. In this order they moved on in the intense darkness, watchwords and responses having been arranged. On each side of the railroad the Federals had a battery, consisting of four pieces, continuously firing toward their foes. The following is General Trimble's account of his success: 'The position of the batteries on either side of the railroad having been ascertained pretty accurately, the word was given, "Charge!" when both regiments advanced rapidly and firmly, and in five minutes both batteries were carried at the point of the bayonet. Sending an officer to the north side of the railroad to ascertain the success of the Georgia regiment, he could not immediately find them, and cried out, "Halloo, Georgia, where are you?" The reply was, "Here! All right! We have taken a battery." "So have we," was the response, whereupon cheers rent the air.'
In addition to the 8 guns and 300 prisoners taken, 2,000 barrels of flour, 2,000 barrels of salted pork, 50,000 pounds of bacon, large supplies of ordnance, 2 trains of over 100 cars freighted with every article necessary for the outfit of a great army, large quantities of sutler's stores and other valuable supplies fell into Trimble's hands.2 The next morning, the 27th, Trimble having reported the accomplishment of his mission and asked for aid in holding his captures, General Jackson sent the divisions of A. P. Hill and Taliaferro to join him at Manassas. Ewell, with Jackson's remaining division, was left at Bristoe with orders to fall back if attacked in force. As these two divisions moved up to Manassas, Branch's Carolinians had a sharp encounter with one of the Federal batteries and its supports, but soon dispersed this force. Shortly after Hill's division arrived, General [98] Taylor with his New Jersey brigade, supported a little later by Scammon with an Ohio brigade of two regiments, attacked the Confederates, presumably with the intention of recapturing the stores. The Eighteenth North Carolina regiment was detached from Branch to guard the captured supplies, and the rest of Branch's brigade joined in the chase of Taylor's men, who had been scattered by the brigades of Archer, Field and Pender. General Taylor was mortally wounded, and his command driven across Bull Run. The Confederates took 200 prisoners, and inflicted, according to the itinerary of Taylor's brigade, 'a very severe loss in killed, wounded and missing.'
The short supply of rations upon which Confederate soldiers did hard marching and harder fighting is well illustrated by this sentence from Gen. Samuel McGowan's report: 'In the afternoon of that day, the brigade returned to the junction (Manassas), where three days rations were issued from the vast supply of captured stores; and the men for a few hours rested and regaled themselves upon delicacies unknown to our commissariat, which they were in good condition to enjoy, having eaten nothing for several days except roasting-ears taken by order from the cornfields near the road, and what was given by the generous citizens of the Salem valley to the soldiers as they hurried along in their rapid march.'
General Jackson's position was now exceedingly hazardous. His three divisions were separated by a long interval from Lee, and Pope was rapidly concentrating his entire army to fall upon and destroy him before Lee could succor him. McDowell, Sigel and Reynolds, having forces greatly outnumbering Jackson's command, were already between him and the army under Lee. McDowell felt, as Ropes states,
that if Jackson could be kept isolated for twenty-four hours longer, he ought to be overwhelmed, horse, foot and dragoons. The Army under Pope, p. 67.
. [99]
Pope, thinking that Jackson would remain at Manassas, wrote McDowell on the 27th, 'If you will march promptly and rapidly at the earliest dawn upon Manassas Junction, we shall bag the whole crowd.' Jackson, however, was too active an antagonist 'to bag' on demand. Burning all the captured stores that his army could not use, he withdrew from Manassas with the celerity and secrecy that marked all his independent actions, and took position north of the Warrenton turnpike, on the battlefield of First Manassas. Pope spent all the 28th in a search for his missing foe. About sunset that night, Jackson disclosed himself by fiercely striking, at Groveton, the flank of King's division of McDowell's corps while on its march to Centreville, where Pope then thought Jackson was. This attack was made by the divisions of Ewell and Taliaferro. It was gallantly met by Gibbon and Doubleday, both fine soldiers, and lasted until 9 o'clock. The opposing forces fought, as Gibbon states, at d distance of 75 yards, and the engagement was a most sanguinary one. Trimble's brigade, containing the Twenty-first North Carolina and Wharton's battalion, took a conspicuous part, and met with a brigade loss of 310 men. The loss in the North Carolina commands was 26 killed and 37 wounded. Among the killed was Lieut.-Col. Saunders Fulton, commanding the Twenty-first, who had greatly distinguished himself by coolness and daring.
The next day began the two days of desperate fighting at Second Manassas, or Bull Run. North Carolina had eleven regiments and one battalion of infantry and two batteries of artillery engaged in these battles: In Law's brigade was the Sixth regiment, Maj. R. F. Webb; in Trimble's, the Twenty-first and First battalion; in Branch's brigade, the Seventh, Capt. R. B. MacRae; the Eighteenth, Lieutenant-Colonel Purdie; the Twenty-eighth, Col. J. H. Lane; the Thirty-third, Lieut.-Col. R. F. Hoke, and the Thirty-seventh, Lieut.-Col. W. M. Barbour; in Pender's brigade, the Sixteenth, Capt. L. W. [100] Stowe; the Twenty-second, Maj. C. C. Cole; the Thirty-fourth, Col. R. H. Riddick, and the Thirty-eighth, Captain McLaughlin; Latham's battery, Lieut. J. R. Potts, and Reilly's battery, Capt. James Reilly.
On the morning of the 29th, Jackson was in position along the line of an unfinished railroad, and Longstreet, having passed Thoroughfare gap, was marching in haste to reunite the two armies. Jackson's line extended from near Groveton, on the Warrenton pike, almost to Sudley's Springs. His own division held his right, Ewell the center, and A. P. Hill the left. In Sigel's morning attack on Jackson's right, an attack which made little impression, no North Carolina troops were under fire. However, in the afternoon, the Union forces, showing a pertinacity and heroism rarely equaled, rushed continuously against Jackson's obstinate Southerners. The puzzled Federals had been searching for Jackson, and now that they had found him, they wanted to end the search. In their repeated assaults, the Carolinians and their comrades on the left found foes of their own mettle. Hooker and Kearny and Reno were ordered to advance simultaneously against Jackson's center and left. Grover, of Hooker's division, however, led his five regiments into battle ahead of Kearny, and made one of the most brilliant charges of the war. He succeeded in crowding into a gap between Gregg's and Thomas' brigades, and reached the railroad. There he was fiercely driven back, and lost 486 men in about twenty minutes. So close was the fighting that bayonets and clubbed muskets were actually used.3 The dashing Kearny, aided by Stevens, next fell on Hill's left. Branch's and Pender's North Carolinians and Early's Virginians had moved up to reinforce the front lines, and for some time the line of battle swayed forward and backward. General Jackson had ordered his brigade commanders not to advance much to the front of the railroad, and so they never pressed their [101] advantages far. When Branch advanced, part of the Seventh regiment under Capt. McLeod Turner was deployed as skirmishers around Crenshaw's battery. The Thirty-seventh regiment first became engaged. The Eighteenth and Seventh marched to its aid. Col. R. F. Hoke, with the Thirty-third, was further to the left, and gallantly advanced into the open field and drove the enemy from his front. The Twenty-eighth, under Colonel Lane, fought determinedly in conjunction with Field's left. Finally this brigade, Gregg's and Field's, succeeded in freeing their front of the enemy. This was done, however, only after prolonged and costly effort. Pender, seeing that Thomas was in sore need of support, moved his brigade against the enemy, who had reached the railroad cut, and there, after a struggle, forced back the foe occupying the portion of it in his front, and drove him behind his batteries. He moved alone, and after waiting in vain for support to attack the batteries, retired unmolested to the railroad line. During this battle, General Pender was knocked down by a shell, but refused to leave the field. The official reports of both sides bear testimony to the unyielding spirit with which this contest was waged. Gen. A. P. Hill, to whose division both Pender and Branch belonged, says: 'The evident intention of the enemy this day was to turn our left and overwhelm Jackson's corps before Longstreet came up, and to accomplish this the most persistent and furious onsets were made by column after column of infantry, accompanied by numerous batteries of artillery. Soon my reserves were all in, and up to 6 o'clock, my division, assisted by the Louisiana brigade of General Hays, commanded by Colonel Forno, with a heroic courage and obstinacy almost beyond parallel, had met and repulsed six separate and distinct assaults.'
Meanwhile, Longstreet had reached the field and taken position. At 6:30 o'clock, King's division, under General Hatch, encountered Hood's Texas and Georgia brigade [102] and Law's brigade of North Carolinians, Alabamians and Mississippians. The Southerners had made a toilsome journey to help their comrades, and Longstreet says they welcomed the opportunity. 'Each,' reports Hood, the senior commander,
seemed to vie with the other in efforts to plunge the deeper into the ranks of the enemy. Advance and Retreat, p. 34.
Longstreet comments:
A fierce struggle of thirty minutes gave them advantage, which they followed through the dark to the base of the high ground held by bayonets and batteries innumerable, as compared with their limited ranks. Their task accomplished, they were halted to wait the morrow. Manassas to Appomattox, p. 184.
Law's men drove off three guns and captured one. Law states in his report that this gun was fought until its discharges blackened the faces of his advancing men. 'What higher praise,' exclaims Ropes,
could be given, either to the gunners or their antagonists? The Army under Pope, p. 108.
That night, General Lee, knowing that the forces would again join battle in the morning, readjusted his entire line. All of Jackson's men were moved into their original and strong position along the unfinished railroad, and Longstreet's corps was aligned on Jackson's right. Pope mistook these movements for a retreat, and telegraphed, 'The enemy is retiring toward the mountains.' Little did he then anticipate how he was to be swept across Bull Run by that 'retreating army' next day.
On the morning of the 30th, General Pope, seemingly yet unaware that Longstreet was in position to strike his left, massed the commands of Porter, King, Hooker, Kearny, Ricketts, and Reynolds in a final effort to crush Jackson. Not all the men ordered against Jackson joined in the heavy assaults on his weakened lines. Still, that afternoon enough pressed the attack home to make it doubtful whether his three divisions could stand the [103] strain, hence he sent to General Lee for another division. Longstreet and Hood had, however, both gone ahead of their troops, and they saw that the best way to relieve the pressure on Jackson was by artillery. Straightway Chapman's, then Reilly's North Carolina battery, and then Boyce's came rolling into position and opened a destructive enfilade fire on Jackson's assailants. 'It was a fire that no troops could live under for ten minutes,' is Longstreet's characterization of the work done by these batteries, soon added to by all of Col. S. D. Lee's guns. The Federal lines crumbled into disorder from the double fire, but again and again they stoutly reformed, only at last to be discomfited. Jackson's troops were fighting in almost the same positions as on the day before. Branch's brigade was, however, so far to the left that it was not in close action on the 30th. The Carolinians in Trimble's brigade, although not in the action of the day, had a day of anxiety, as guards to Jackson's trains that had been threatened by a cavalry attack. Pender was kept on the left until Archer and Thomas were severely pressed. Then his brigade and Brockenbrough's were put in, and all together repulsed the assault.
When Longstreet saw the enemy's attack on Jackson fairly broken, he ordered his whole corps to advance on the right. This movement in such force was not expected by Pope, and in spite of McDowell's efforts the left was at once pushed back. For the possession of the Henry house hill, so vital to the Federal retreat, both sides fiercely contested, and the dead lay thick on its sides. General Law reports that he united the Sixth North Carolina with his other regiments in a charge on a destructive battery near the Dogan house, and drove the gunners from it. His whole brigade was active during the afternoon's fight. Law also reports that Major Webb handled his men with consummate ability. Jackson had joined in the forward movement, and the Federal army had been slowly driven off the entire field. In the [104] advance of Jackson, Archer's, Thomas' and Pender's brigades acting in concert had rendered most effective service. Latham's and Reilly's batteries contributed their full share to this victory.
The Federal army retreated toward Fairfax, and Jackson was sent in pursuit over the Little River road. Near Germantown was fought, on the 1st of September, what the Confederates call the battle of Ox Hill. The Federals name it Chantilly. As soon as Jackson overtook the Federals, he deployed for attack, and the battle was fought during a terrific storm. The brigades of Branch and Brockenbrough were sent forward to develop the enemy's force, and were soon hotly engaged, and Branch was exposed to a heavy fire in front and on his flank. General Hill, whose brigades were mainly engaged, says: 'Gregg, Pender, Thomas and Archer were successively thrown in. The enemy obstinately contested the ground, and it was not until the Federal generals, Kearny and Stevens, had fallen in front of Thomas' brigade, that they were driven from the ground. They did not retire far until later in the night, when they entirely disappeared. The brunt of this fight was borne by Branch, Gregg and Pender.'
Col. R. H. Riddick, whose power as a disciplinarian and ability as a field officer had made the Thirty-fourth regiment so efficient, was mortally wounded there, as was Maj. Eli H. Miller, and Captain Stowe, commanding the Sixteenth North Carolina. The fighting on both the Confederate and the Federal side during this campaign was such as is done only by seasoned and disciplined troops, commanded by officers of mettle and ambition. In modern war, the range of the rifle has about broken up personal conflict, and lines of battle do not often come in close contact; but in these engagements around Manassas, hand-to-hand fighting actually occurred. General Grover reports that, in his charge on Jackson, bayonet wounds were given; on the right a Confederate colonel [105] was struck in the head with a musket; in front of the 'deep cut,' Gen. Bradley Johnson saw men standing in line and fighting with stones, and at least one man was killed with these antiquated weapons. General Hood states that after the night battle on the 28th he found the Confederates and Federals so close and so intermingled 'that commanders of both armies gave orders for alignment, in some instances, to the troops of their opponents.' In some cases, volleys were exchanged at such short range that 'brave men in blue and brave men in gray fell dead almost in one another's arms.' General Johnson reports that he noticed 'a Federal flag hold its position for half an hour within ten yards of a flag of one of the regiments (Confederate) in the cut, and go down six or eight times, and that after the fight 100 dead men were lying twenty yards from the cut and some of them within two feet of it.' General Gregg's reply, 'I am out of ammunition, but I think I can hold my place with my bayonets,' breathes the spirit of Manassas. The result of the campaign was most gratifying to the Confederates. Pope, despite the fact that he unfortunately entered upon his new command with the declaration, 'I have come to you from the West, where we have always seen the backs of our enemies,' had been forced back from Gordonsville to the Washington lines. His total battle casualties had been 16,843,4 and Lee had captured from him thirty pieces of artillery and upward of 20,000 small-arms,5 to say nothing of the stores at Manassas.
The North Carolina losses in the two days and one night at Manassas were as follows: killed, 70; wounded, 448. At Ox Hill, or Chantilly, they were: killed, 29; wounded, 139. [106]
1 The Army under Pope.-Ropes, p. 3.
2 Trimble's and Taliaferro's Official Reports, Rebellion Records, XII, 2.
3 Grover's Report.
4 Official Records, Series I, XII, II, 262, 139.
5 Lee's Report.
Jackson (Mississippi, United States) (20)
North Carolina (North Carolina, United States) (7)
Groveton (Virginia, United States) (3)
Chantilly (Virginia, United States) (3)
Bull Run, Va. (Virginia, United States) (3)
Warrenton (Virginia, United States) (2)
Washington (United States) (1)
Salem (Massachusetts, United States) (1)
Providence, R. I. (Rhode Island, United States) (1)
Neshoba (Mississippi, United States) (1)
Hazel River (Virginia, United States) (1)
Germantown (Tennessee, United States) (1)
Fairfax, Va. (Virginia, United States) (1)
Centreville (Virginia, United States) (1)
Cedar Mountain (Virginia, United States) (1)
Stonewall Jackson (25)
John Pope (18)
Trimble (17)
W. B. Taliaferro (14)
C. C. Lee (8)
Richard S. Ewell (5)
Winder (4)
J. D. Taylor (4)
Philip Kearny (4)
Bohlen (4)
Grover (3)
Geary (3)
S. Fulton (3)
Forno (3)
G. C. Wharton (2)
W. A. Stowe (2)
Ronald (2)
R. H. Riddick (2)
S. D. Lee (2)
E. M. Law (2)
Bradley Johnson (2)
Gibbon (2)
Garnett (2)
Brockenbrough (2)
McLeod Turner (1)
Scammon (1)
Ricketts (1)
Official Records (1)
J. T. Purdie (1)
Eli H. Miller (1)
McLaughlin (1)
Samuel McGowan (1)
McClellan (1)
R. B. MacRae (1)
Stephen D. Lee (1)
J. H. Lane (1)
Halleck (1)
Doubleday (1)
C. C. Cole (1)
Chapman (1)
Boyce (1)
W. M. Barbour (1)
September 1st (1)
August 22nd (1)


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Dodgers News: Michael Young Decides To Retire To Spend Time At Home
For a World Series favorite, the Los Angeles Dodgers are rather thin on the infield. The departures of Mark Ellis, Skip Schumaker, Nick Punto and Jerry Hairston Jr. has left GM Ned Colletti signing veterans to minor league deals.
Chone Figgins and Brendan Harris were brought in to compete during Spring Training with in-house candidates Alexander Guerrero, Miguel Rojas, Justin Sellers and Dee Gordon. However, Colletti and the Dodgers were hopeful that Michael Young would return, but according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, his baseball career is over:
Sources: Michael Young to retire. Had three good offers, including from #Dodgers, but wanted to be with his family.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 30, 2014
For the past few weeks, Young has reportedly had offers on the table to continue playing, but it was retirement or play for the Dodgers in his mind. The 37-year-old infielder was traded to the Dodgers from the Philadelphia Phillies on August 31 for a minor league pitcher.
What the Dodgers do from here remains to be seen, but Colletti would like to sign a player that can backup Juan Uribe at third base and spell Adrian Gonzalez at first base occasionally. For Young, he retires with an exact batting average of .300 and will be most remembered for his tenure with the Texas Rangers.
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Video: IMBIBE Magazine
Imbibe Magazine
Mixing Brandy Cocktails with Jillian Vose of NYC's Dead Rabbit
"The award-winning Dead Rabbit in New York City is known for its inventive cocktails, and beverage director Jillian Vose is behind many of the bar's most memorable creations. "Inspiration comes in many different forms," she say, "whether it be farmer's markets, spice shops, something nostalgic, or new products like BERTOUX that inspire you to create exciting things for your guests and for yourself." Check out the video above to find out what Vose looks for when choosing new products like BERTOUX Brandy and watch as she mixes a Watch Tower, which combines BERTOUX with crème de pêche, citrus, Irish whiskey and greek yogurt. "When I first tried BERTOUX I was really excited to use it because of its versatility," Vose adds. "You could clearly see that the people that created it made it so that it was great for making cocktails."


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This diet medication acts as a stimulant and for this reason it should never be taken at night as it can cause sleeplessness and insomnia. As a general rule of thumb it is best never to take these diet pills past 4pm. If you miss a dose, just skip it and return to your next scheduled dose the next day. Never take a double dose of your prescription regardless of the strength that has been prescribed to you.
Can you overdose when taking Phentermine?
Phentermine, like any other prescription medication, can pose serious health side-effects when taken in higher dosages than what has been prescribed for you. Symptoms of overdose include tremors, rapid breathing, rapid heart beat, confusion, panic or extreme anxiety, nausea, vomiting, aggressiveness, diarrhea and/or seizures. If you experience any of these side-effects when taking this medication, seek emergency medical attention immediately.
What are the possible side-effects caused by taking Phentermine medications such as Phentermine 37.5 mg Tablets?
There may be other side-effects attributed to taking Phentermine that are not listed here. It is important to speak with your doctor about any side-effects you feel you are experiencing while taking this medication.
What other medications will conflict with taking Phentermine?
What special considerations should be made before you buy Phentermine 37.5 mg tablets?
Due to the stimulant nature of these diet pills, some side-effects may include dizziness, blurred vision, restlessness and poor concentration. Also, extreme tiredness can go undetected. These side-effects can be particularly dangerous when you are driving, operating heavy machinery or performing other hazardous activities, either for work or leisure. To minimize the risks, be alert to any indication you may be experiencing one or more of these side-effects and stop any dangerous activity you may be doing at the time. It is also particularly important when taking this medication to get a full night's sleep and avoid any hazardous activities if you have been suffering from sleeplessness or insomnia.


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Best Prime Day Media Deals: 8-Film Harry Potter 4K, Game of Thrones, Baby Driver, more
Patrick Campanale	- Jul. 16th 2018 1:59 pm PT Twitter icon @pcamp96
AmazonBest BuyMediaWalmart
As part of Prime Day 2018, Amazon is offering the entire 8-Film Harry Potter Collection on 4K UHD Blu-ray at $79.98 shipped. Also at Best Buy for $99.99 shipped if you don't have Amazon Prime. Regularly $170 at Best Buy and closer to $150 at Amazon, this is by far the lowest that we've ever tracked and is the best available. If you're a Harry Potter fan, this is a must-add to your collection if you don't yet own it. Enjoy all 8 films in glorious 4K HDR to bring a greater visual dynamic never before seen at home. Rated 4.9/5 stars by Best Buy shoppers.
Amazon is also offering 20% off on select movies and TV Blu-ray titles. You'll find movies like Spider-Man: Homecoming at $12, Jurassic Park for $6, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle at $12.50, and more.
Enjoy higher-quality viewing? Amazon is also discounting quite a few 4K Blu-ray titles from $10. You can score movies like Terminator 2: Judgement Day for $13 (Reg. $23), Spider-Man: Homecoming for $15 (Reg. $20), Blade Runner 2049 at $15 (Reg. $25), Labyrinth $15 (Reg. $23), and more.
Vudu is having a huge Disk + Digital Sale with all kinds of titles included, from Justice League in 4K UHD at $9.99 (Reg. $30) to Shrek: The Whole Story (4-film collection) at $9.99 (Reg. $25). Shop the entire sale with dozens of options here.
Best Buy is running a number of sales today on movies, highlighted by its three 4K Blu-ray videos for $50 with titles like Mad Max: Fury Road, Pacific Rim, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Kong: Skull Island, and many others all available. Generally, these movies will go for between $35-50 by themselves, so this is a great sale. Check out all the included titles on Best Buy's landing page.
There's also another sale going on at Best Buy that has Deadpool for $10, Dirty Grandpa at $7, The Shape of Water for $12, and more. Be sure to hit that entire roundup here.
And if you don't want to buy the entire Harry Potter collection for $80 above, then you can pick just two movies in glorious 4K HDR for just $30. Regularly $20+ each, this is great if you're looking to finish off an existing collection of Harry Potter 4K movies. Be sure to opt for in-store pickup here to save on shipping, or spend at least $35 to avoid that charge.
Other Blu-ray sales:
Mission: Impossible: From $20 | Amazon
MI 1 4K: $20 (Reg. $25)
MI 1-5: $20 (Reg. $30)
Order now to lock in the savings
Game of Thrones:
Complete First Season: $10 (Reg $30) | Walmart
Complete Second Season: $10 (Reg. $30) | Walmart
Rick and Morty:
Complete Third Season: $10 (Reg. $20) | Amazon, Walmart
Despicable Me 3: $10 (Reg. $13) | Amazon
Baby Driver 4K: $10 (Reg. $20) | Amazon, Walmart
This is the tale of Harry Potter, an ordinary 11-year-old boy serving as a sort of slave for his aunt and uncle who learns that he is actually a wizard and has been invited to attend the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry is snatched away from his mundane existence by Rubeus Hagrid, the grounds keeper for Hogwarts, and quickly thrown into a world completely foreign to both him and the viewer. Famous for an incident that happened at his birth, Harry makes friends easily at his new school. He soon finds, however, that the wizarding world is far more dangerous for him than he would have imagined, and he quickly learns that not all wizards are ones to be trusted.
Media Walmart
Patrick Campanale
Twitter icon @pcamp96
With a love of phones, drones, and computers (couldn't make that last one rhyme), I'm always looking for the best deals around! If you've got a tip to an awesome deal, go ahead and drop me a line at patrick@9to5mac.com!
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Savory, seasoned nuts make a great addition to a holiday party.
Whisk oil, honey, mustard powder, salt, garlic powder and onion powder together in a large bowl. Add nuts; stir to coat evenly. Transfer coated nuts to prepared baking sheet.
Bake 10-15 minutes, stirring halfway, until golden brown and toasted. Remove and allow to cool completely.


Jump on the treadmill or work on your weights — Massachusetts' Beverly's Fitness Together offers a full body workout. Start making the health changes you have been talking about and workout at Beverly's Fitness Together.
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What is that magic thing that makes a joke funny, then unfunny, and eventually, when you're worn down by the same repeated joke, funny again? I get this when I watch the above trailer for handheld spin-off Duke Nukem Trilogy, released at the downsized E3 of 2008. Armed with only a few logos, a cutout of Duke, some random photography and visual effects, it's pretty obvious there was nothing to show of the game. And yet, that didn't stop the trailer from being over three minutes long. It's art.
You'll see the same logos flash up again and again, presented in increasingly bizarre situations. You'll see badly animated cutouts of guns open fire on the Duke Nukem logo more than once. We'll linger on shots of glass being pierced by bullets for far longer than we need to. There are many random flashes of photos of men in gas masks that are given no context whatsoever. Meanwhile, a still image of Duke is the star of the show, flying across the screen to pace out all those moments where you're just staring at logos. You will never forget the words Critical Mass, Chain Reaction and Proving Grounds.
It's exhausting, and beautiful. If you've never seen it before, this is my gift to you. Only one part of the Duke Nukem Trilogy came out, sadly—and living up to this would've been impossible anyway. But this is the perfect E3 trailer, if you ask me. I've never forgotten it, and watching it has become a yearly ritual.


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McQueen keen to commit to Titans
Tony Webeck
Fri 12 Aug 2016, 07:00 AM
He may have been reluctant to depart Redfern nine months ago but such has been the turnaround in fortunes of the Gold Coast Titans that back-rower Chris McQueen is keen to extend his stay at the club beyond next season.
At a time when most NRL clubs had finalised their roster for the 2016 season McQueen only became a Titan in mid-December when he was squeezed out of South Sydney to facilitate the return of Sam Burgess.
The 2014 premiership winner and Origin forward was considered the Gold Coast's most high profile recruit of the summer but merely served as a pre-cursor to further late additions in John Olive, Nathan Peats, Konrad Hurrell and Jarryd Hayne.
Draw Widget - Round 23 - Wests Tigers vs Titans
The Titans have also secured the services of England international Dan Sarginson and Queensland Emerging Origin prop Jarrod Wallace to give the club a much brighter outlook in the short-term than McQueen could possibly have imagined when he signed.
With the Titans still in finals contention and the Rabbitohs languishing in 14th position, the 29-year-old is eager to explore the possibility of finishing his career on the Gold Coast.
"I still feel like I've got a few good years in front of me but I have no intention of leaving as long as Gold Coast wanted me," McQueen said ahead of the must-win clash with the Wests Tigers on Saturday.
"I'm back in Queensland and I'm really enjoying it here.
"I'm off contract at the end of next year but certainly staying on and being here for the long haul and helping build this club up to be a really competitive team is something that I want to do.
"[Contract talks] probably won't happen until early next year but that's something that when we come back after Christmas and start to get into next year's season that's something I'll be getting on to pretty quickly.
"I wasn't reluctant to come here but certainly when I got the tap on the shoulder to leave Souths it was disappointing and it wasn't something that I was thrilled about.
"To see during that pre-season when we were wooden spoon favourites and to see the way the boys have come together and managed to pick up a few other players – some pretty big name players too – it's definitely in hindsight made my decision to leave Souths a really good one."
McQueen's form in the past six weeks has been a key factor in the Titans' late-season resurgence but he credits the overall development of the team as a reason he is back playing near the best of his ability.
He has scored five tries in his past six games and as the most experienced finals campaigner amongst Titans players said it is crucial they don't let a top-eight opportunity pass them by.
Despite starting the season as clear favourites to finish at the foot of the ladder, McQueen insists that the season will be viewed as a failure by those within the club if they fall short of finals football.
"A lot of people probably wouldn't think so but as a playing group and if you ask our coaching staff I think they'd say yes," McQueen said when asked whether the year would be viewed as a failure if they miss the top eight.
"We're in a position now where all we have to do is win games of footy and we'll make the eight.
"There's not long left in the season and we're sitting in a pretty good position at the moment so if you ask any of the players or the coaching staff they'd definitely say it's a failure if we don't make the eight.
"We're aware that we pretty much need to and want to win all of our games. We're in that middle part of the ladder where one more loss would probably see our season over.
"We're aware that we've got some pretty big games coming up but we're excited for it.
"At the moment we're still in control as long as we win games but we can't afford another loss because then it will come down to relying on other teams to get results to help our cause."
The Hayne lesson all players should heed
Wests Tigers v Titans: Schick Preview
Hayne named at five-eighth for Titans
Rookie to watch: Ezra Mam
Round 1 rewind: Benji Marshall stays alive
Tigers eye big home support against Hayne's Titans
Fri 12 Aug, 2016
Hayne could play 80 against Wests Tigers
Tiger cubs ready for final test


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failed critics
26/01/2015 Callie Petch	3 Comments
by Callum Petch (Twitter: @CallumPetch)
Last year, DreamWorks Animation celebrated its 20th anniversary. To mark the occasion, Callum Petch has been going through their entire animated canon, one film a week for the next 30 weeks, and giving them a full-on retrospective treatment. Prior entries can be found here, should you desire.
Before we get started this week, and I have to get all mildly irritated at wasted potential, let's briefly address this week's news. As I have touched on multiple times throughout this series, most specifically in the Joseph: King Of Dreams and Bee Movie pieces, DreamWorks Animation today is not in a good spot, like, at all. Their films have been significantly underperforming, the studio has been losing money, and certain films – most specifically B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations – have been in development hell for years. Their attempts to find a buyer have failed, primarily because Jeffrey Katzenberg is trying to play what everyone knows is a crap hand like it's a royal flush, and things look really grim.
Compounding that misery was this week's onslaught of news. Following on from a recent string of major misfires, and in an attempt to stop haemorrhaging money, the company is cutting approximately 500 jobs, top execs have left the company, the number of feature films being released each year will now count two maximum with one always being a sequel of some kind, and they are closing PDI – the animation studio that has been with them since Day 1, that they acquired totally in 2000, and which just released major bomb Penguins of Madagascar – totally with most of its staff being laid off instead of reassigned. That loss of 500 jobs equates to almost 20% of the company's current workforce.
Look, Katzenberg, if for some utterly ridiculous reason you are reading this, you need to change tactics and you need to step back. As we have seen (sort of) throughout this series, the Western feature-length animation landscape is not what it was back in 2005. It has new faces, new voices, resurgent faces, and a whole bunch of filmmakers who can deliver top-quality animation for well below $100 million – Despicable Me 2 cost $78 million, whilst The Lego Movie only cost $60 million – and who don't ram multiple films down the audience's throat every single year – even when they're good, like they were for 2014, they still just burn out the general public.
You're trying to run the company like it's still 2005 when it really isn't, and your studio and films are suffering for that. Katzenberg, you need to find a buyer, first of all. You need to get off of Wall Street, so that DreamWorks have that safety net of a major company again if everything does go wrong. Illumination are owned by Universal, Blue Sky by 20th Century Fox, Pixar by Disney; you need to join that group. Secondly… you need to step down. I'm sorry, but you do or, at least, step back. Don't try and make a power play whilst selling the company, don't stick around and continue to micromanage, just stop. You are the company's own worst enemy at this moment in time, and it needs a new voice leading proceedings.
I know that it's hard to let go of something you've helped build, but there is a point where you just have to admit that you are not the right man for the job anymore. This is one of those times. So sell the company, step back, and let somebody else take the reins for once. Otherwise I am terrified that we won't be seeing DreamWorks Animation, at least in this recognisable sort of form, for much longer. OK, on with this week's entry.
23] Puss In Boots (28th October 2011)
Budget: $130 million
Gross: $554,987,477
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%
So, let's talk about that incest subtext, shall we!
Question: are Jack and Jill brother and sister, or just two non-blood related people of opposing genders? Not in Puss In Boots, we'll get to that, I mean in the nursery rhyme. The rhyme itself has changed over the centuries, but at no point in any of its incarnations does it specify exactly whether the pair are siblings, married or just two people. A third verse makes reference to Jill having a mother, who whips her for laughing at Jack's misfortune, but that's as far as the specificity goes. As a child, I always saw them as brother and sister. I mean, the rhyme is so innocent and the nature of their relationship, to me, always seemed like that of siblings rather than friends or lovers or what have you.
Therefore, I grew up holding that belief, as I imagine a good majority of other people did. Hence why seventeen year-old me ended up sat in the cinema in abject horror as the Jack of Puss In Boots started talking in earnest to the film's version of Jill about impregnating her with a baby. Because "our biological clocks are ticking." Now, again, the nursery rhyme doesn't specify, so you get that wiggle room, but neither does the film. They are mentioned as husband and wife, but they are never openly denied as brother and sister, and this is a problem.
See, the Shrek series up to this point has been pretty darn faithful when it comes to presenting fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters in their universe. They may gain sassy personalities or have that thing they're known for doing twisted around for comedy – The Wolf, for example, is a crossdresser who just wishes to lay in other people's beds and it's funny because it's a man dressed as a woman – but they are portrayed with the backstory (or unspoken backstory) that viewers know and accept, unless specifically stated otherwise. That's why, even though it is never specifically stated so in the nursery rhyme so they do have that leeway, a good subset of the film's older audience may be grossed out by the implication. Especially since DreamWorks still have that poor double-coding stigma attached to them; if they did intentionally start making incest references, would anybody here be surprised?
This also ends up being emblematic of the problems that face Puss In Boots. The first is how the baby desires are brought up, made a huge deal out of, and then promptly tossed off-screen and out of the film after its interest is lost – which is what ends up happening to Jack and Jill and, to somewhat of an extent, Kitty Softpaws. The second is because it's a film that wants to find its own voice and do its own thing, hinting at true greatness constantly, but keeps being dragged down by the worst impulses and traits of the series that it's spun-off from – having villains who are happily married and have humanising conversations about their domestic life is a great idea. Marrying it to nursery rhyme characters for no reason, ones with misconceptions surrounding them: not so much.
But let's hold up for a minute. You may notice that I mentioned offhandedly a few paragraphs back about how I saw Puss In Boots in the cinema. That is information that runs contradictory to my constant notes that Kung Fu Panda was the moment that I decided to stop seeing DreamWorks films in the cinema. Well, Puss In Boots very much turned out to be the exception, brought on by a friend of mine at Sixth Form at the time having gotten free movie tickets she needed to burn and there being nothing else on that week. I ended up finding it incredibly boring, a nice distillation of all of the things I disliked about DreamWorks in one forgettable, only occasionally enraging package reminder to stop subjecting myself to their output already.
Of course, I was a different critic back then, one who wouldn't fall headfirst back down the rabbit hole of animation until a good year later and one who, quite honestly, was probably wanting to dislike it. A second watch has made the stuff that doesn't work stick out even sharper, but has also revealed the nugget of a genuinely great film fighting against everything that stands in its way to burst out and reveal itself – the film that the critics saw and showered with praise. Puss In Boots is a potentially brilliant film that just can't stop lapsing into bad habits, like an addict on the road to recovery and with that same kind of "dammit, no! You can be better than this!" feeling attached to it. Fitting, really, since those are actually the arc words of the film itself.
For example, and as I've previously discussed in their respective articles, the Shrek sequels run on pop culture references and a sprinkling of mean-spiritedness. The characters go through the motions, but their bonds never feel sincere, instead being obviously controlled by the almighty screenwriter from upon high. In short, there's no heart. Puss In Boots, by contrast, is very character-driven. In addition to those little exchanges between Jack and Jill, the film's central emotional core pivots on Puss and Humpty Alexander Dumpty. There's even an 11 minute stretch of the film dedicated to the flashback that sets up and explains the duo's dynamic, recognising that hard work like that will pay off down the line.
And, for a good half an hour, it does. Puss and Humpty swap banter, re-affirm their bond, de-frost in the former's case, and generally just strike up a good rapport with one another, which is good since most of the movie consists of those two and Kitty Softpaws. Speaking of, although she really doesn't get much to do – no surprise for a DreamWorks Animation joint by this point, I know – she still brings a fun dynamic to the cast. She brings out the really entertaining Casanova side of Puss, and I really like the fact that she's actually rather soft personality-wise naturally, with her harder and more anger-filled moments coming from genuine reasons to be so rather than just being pissed all the time until the film decides it's time for her to fall head over heels for Puss.
So the central trio are extremely well-drawn and likeable with good chemistry and a nice sense of heart. Shame it's all pissed away when Humpty is revealed to be the villain who had been the mastermind behind everything from the start in an overly-elaborate revenge scheme on both Puss and the town of San Ricardo. It's one of those special kind of twists where it's blindingly obvious and yet incredibly stupid and nonsensical at the same time. The film telegraphs the twist way too early and obviously – really exaggerated shifty eyes, silent mouthing, clearly fake smiles – in a way that contradicts Zach Galifianakis' sincere vocal performance, it screws up the character arc majorly – especially since it promptly forgets about it barely 10 minutes later in order to do the redemption finale – and it reduces the reveal flashbacks themselves to a lame gag, undercutting whatever power the twist should have.
It was apparently executive producer Guillermo del Toro – in his first major work on a DreamWorks film since coming aboard as a Creative Consultant for the company in 2010 – who decided that Humpty should redeem himself at the end with the self-sacrifice, which is a smart move, the film has put way too much time and effort into the relationship between Humpty and Puss to just throw it away for third act explosions. But it also throws into sharp relief just how pointless the betrayal itself is, especially since the film could still have this exact same finale without it!
Look, I'll fix it for you right now. Instead of the betrayal, have the trio arrive at San Ricardo looking to give back to the town, only to have them reject and shun Humpty due to the whole "once a bad egg, always a bad egg" type of stigma. Let that throw Humpty into a fit of jealous rage and cause a falling out between Puss and himself, with Humpty planning on skipping town with the Golden Goose when no-one's looking. When its mother shows up, then have Humpty decide to leave San Ricardo to burn, only to experience a moral panic just as he's about to flee. Puss then turns up, they talk, he convinces Humpty to help save the town as just because he was bad before, and the town still thinks he is, doesn't mean he needs to still be, and then the finale progresses as before. You then get to hit the same beats and tackle the same themes without having that stupid pace-ruining, near-character-derailing betrayal! It was so easy to avoid!
As, in fact, are a lot of the film's problems. As mentioned earlier, this is a film that very much is striving to find its own voice, to set itself apart from its parent series as something different and new. So the tone is that of a swashbuckling adventure movie with a distinctly Spanish feel and location. Again, there are times when it works very well, the trip and heist from the giant's castle is a particular highlight, and the emphasis on drama, and often melodrama, works to the film's advantage, preventing itself from undercutting everything like Shrek ended up doing – although it still chooses to do so enough times to get annoying; the exit from Puss' flashback finds Kitty having been sent to sleep by it.
The problem is that it doesn't manage to commit to that voice for the entire film. Just when it settles into its groove, engages the more sceptical viewer and threatens to push through into greatness, it falls back on old, bad DreamWorks and Shrek habits. There's the aforementioned accidental incest stuff, but then the gross and utterly inexcusable prison rape gag rears its head to piss away any and all good will the film had accumulated thus far. Later on, in the space of two minutes of one another, we get jokes about Puss being a drug addict – because no action-comedy tells the audience that we're supposed to believe the character's protestations that film's equivalent of marijuana is for "medicinal purposes" – and masturbation. There's a Fight Club reference that's only a decade late to the "That Joke Is No Longer Funny" party.
Puss In Boots is a film that wants to be its own thing, but either can't break free of or keeps retreating into, for safety, the Shrek formula and the Shrek voice, like it's worried that the audience won't turn up unless it hits all of those necessary beats when required – hence why Humpty Dumpty and Jack & Jill are, well, Humpty Dumpty and Jack & Jill. It's a film with a Shrek cast member, if nursery rhyme or fairy tale characters don't show up, people might not turn up! Despite the fact that the film is set in Spain, and so the world of the film gets all muddied with the world of Shrek. Yes, the film isn't supposed to overlap with Shrek, but that leads to the question of why this needs to be Puss In Boots. Why not just come up with some totally original characters and worlds? Job's already half-done.
In fact, flow-breaking side-bar real quick: this is definitely the ugliest-looking of the Shrek-related films that I have seen, almost by design. It's a film that has the majority of its side cast as humans and, as we have already discovered in three prior Shrek sequels, humans do not look good or appealing when put through the Shrek art-style, which is what Puss In Boots subscribes to albeit with more dirt and grime. Therefore, the film attempts to steer into the skid, purposefully adding excess facial hair with large amounts of detail, extending proportions, bending things out of shape and such. I get what it's going for, but I really don't think it works, frequently and accidentally crossing the line from "creepily off-putting" to "just plain ugly to look at", especially with Jack and Jill. Animation itself is fine, although boarding is a major step down from prior DreamWorks films, but the design is what lets it down.
Anyways, I get the feeling that the reason why DreamWorks didn't go the whole hog and come up with original casts and worlds and such is because everybody at the company was still worried and hurting over the failure of The Road To El Dorado from 2000. Puss In Boots actually, in its best moments, strongly recalls that much better movie. See for all its faults, The Road To El Dorado never doubted what it wanted to be. Never tried to awkwardly take turns appeasing kids and adults separately with easy cat jokes for the kids and one night stand gags for the adults. Never panicked and zigged instead of zagging because it felt its plot was being too predictable.
Puss In Boots, however, is a film caught between two worlds and not confident enough in its own abilities to just leap off into the good one. And since The Road To El Dorado exists, it ends up coming off as a poorer attempt to turn that into box office gold, this time. El Dorado just does everything better: the central dynamic is more convincing, the dialogue is better, it doesn't sacrifice its emotional heft at the altar of "argh, the kids might be bored by this seriousness", it looks nicer, it's more fun, and its ultimately tertiary female lead is better – both Kitty and Chel serve the purpose of "headstrong love interests who wander in and out of the film as required" but Chel ends up having the bigger impact on the film's plot and makes a bigger mark for me.
But, hey, the film continued DreamWorks' hot streak with the critics and won back a significant portion of the disillusioned Shrek fan-base. Not so much at the domestic box office, mind. Continuing a downward spiral that, quite honestly, throws the current box office woes into sharper relief, Puss In Boots' no. 1 debut was the lowest for a DreamWorks Animation film since Flushed Away – $34 million dead. It would repeat at the top the next week, holding extremely strongly in all fairness, before falling off in the weeks following as Happy Feet Too, The Muppets, and Twilight 4 Part 1 leeched away its screens. Puss would close at just under $150 million domestic. That's not half bad, honestly, but it's also the lowest for any Shrek-related film yet released, and you just know that DreamWorks, Katzenberg, and shareholders will have wanted and expected more. Least it still earned a good $400 mil overseas, putting the thing nicely over the profit line, unlike two films that we will come to in due time.
A sequel to this film is supposed to be still coming at some point. They've been promising it for years, but it's never really gotten further than those promises that it's coming eventually. With that creative re-shuffling and the scaling back of their feature film output going on at DreamWorks, it seems less and less likely that it's ever going to happen, and I honestly find that a shame. We already know that the Shrek series and I don't get along and Puss In Boots' worst moments are when it relapses into that voice. It's a film that is always seemingly on the verge of becoming its own thing and being hugely entertaining whilst doing so, but keeps falling back into those old habits. A sequel could be the confidence boost it needs to push forward on that original voice, but I guess, at this rate, we'll never find out.
Still, least it's a better final note for the Shrek series than Shrek Forever After or, god forbid, Shrek The Third! That's always a plus!
After putting out their masterpiece in the shape of Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss In Boots marked a return to the kind of fun, lightweight animated movies that, nonetheless, attempt to have their own voice that DreamWorks were known for. The box office repaid them in kind and the critics seemed to be more accepting of this kind of film than before. Things were looking a little shaky at the box office, but everything was mostly continuing to be smooth sailing. Not to mention how having a growing collection of beloved live-action auteurs in their pocket – Roger Deakins and now del Toro – was doing wonders for their storytelling.
Next week, we look at a film that is unexpectedly co-scripted by one such auteur. The result finally pushed its once-maligned series into critical acceptance and was rewarded with major box office returns. The auteur is Noah Baumbach, and the film is Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. Da-da-dada-da-da-AFRO CIRCUS.
A new edition of DreamWorks! A Retrospective will be posted here every Monday at 1PM BST!
Callum Petch owns the money, he controls the witness. Follow him on the Twitters (@CallumPetch) and listen to Screen 1 on Hullfire Radio every Monday at 9PM BST (site link)!
2011animationAntonio BanderasDreamWorksDreamWorks AnimationGuillermo Del ToroKung Fu Panda 2Madagascar 3Puss In BootsretrospectiveShrekThe Road To El DoradoZach Galifianakis
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3 thoughts on "Puss In Boots"
Pingback: The DreamWorks Animation Retrospective Conclusion | failed critics
Cherry Coombe says:
Is this Owen? Whatever. Phenomenal discursive practice. I need another life … will now read slowly … –
Owen Hughes says:
I wish I wrote these, Cherry! Alas, it was Callum who writes for our website from time to time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tqaqn32KdH4
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Keyword: tomlinson
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The Criminalization of Republican Politicians
10/30/2005 4:56:49 PM PST · by PurpleMountains · 308+ views
From Sea to Shining Sea ^ | 10/30/05 | Purple Mountains
What do these people have in common?: George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, William J. Casey, Dick Cheney, Tom Delay, Raymond Donovan, William Frist, Lewis Libby, Robert McFarlane, Oliver North, John M. Poindexter, Karl Rove, Kenneth Tomlinson, Caspar Weinberger. Answer: they are all conservative Republicans who have been accused by the liberal press and/or prosecuted for criminal acts under pressures brought by liberal politicians. All of them have been persecuted by the threat of legal action or by actual indictments for political reasons. None have been found guilty although some have had to go through the expense of an appeal...
Diana inquest: MI6 'plotted tunnel murder'(of Slobodan Milosevic?)
02/15/2008 12:02:16 AM PST · by Bokababe · 21 replies · 215+ views
UK Telegraph ^ | 2/13/08 | Nick Allen
MI6 plotted to murder Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic in a staged car accident in a tunnel five years before Diana, Princess of Wales died in a similar crash, a renegade former spy has told the inquest into her death. Richard Tomlinson, who worked for MI6 in the early 1990s, told the High Court he had seen a two page document, drawn up in 1992, detailing three plans to kill Mr Milosevic. Diana inquest: MI6 plotted tunnel murder One plan was to use a strobe light to blind Mr Milosevic's chauffeur The first involved using a Serb opposition paramilitary group, which...
Diana Inquest: MI6 "Plotted Tunnel Murder"
02/14/2008 9:57:11 AM PST · by Fennie · 14 replies · 110+ views
The Telegraph ^ | February 13, 2008 | Nick Allen
MI6 plotted to murder Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic in a staged car accident in a tunnel five years before Diana, Princess of Wales died in a similar crash, a renegade former spy has told the Inquest into her death. Richard Tomlinson, who worked for MI6 in the early 1990s, told the High Court he had seen a two page document, drawn up in 1992, detailing three plans to kill Mr Milosevic. Mr Tomlinson said the plan was shown to him by a senior MI6 officer referred to as "A" who argued that a crash in a tunnel would mean fewer...
Super Bowl- Video of the Declaration of Independence reading - (Wonderful!)
02/04/2008 8:58:05 AM PST · by STARWISE · 15 replies · 459+ views
FoxSports/YouTube ^ | 2-3-08 | Fox Sports
This was presented just before the beginning of the Super Bowl yesterday, a Fox Sports Super Bowl tradition. Speakers include: Jim Brown, Don Shula, Roger Staubach, Marie Tillman (widow of Pat), Ronnie Lott, Ozzie Newsome, Teddy Bruschi, Paul Tagliabue, Lovie Smith, Steve Largent, Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy and more. Well done and moving.
American football: Chargers rusher angered by Patriot celebration
01/16/2007 12:23:50 AM PST · by Big Guy and Rusty 99 · 32 replies · 699+ views
breitbart ^ | Jan 15 5:19 PM US/Eastern | AFP
National Football League rushing champion LaDainian Tomlinson remained upset by New England's post-game victory celebration after ousting San Diego from the playoffs. The Patriots, seeking their fourth Super Bowl title in the past six years, edged the Chargers 24-21 with help from four San Diego turnovers and a missed 54-yard field goal on the final play of an emotional game. Several New England players hurled their helmets into the air and danced on the middle of the field in celebration, incurring a meaningless 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct and the wrath of San Diego star rusher Tomlinson. "I would never,...
PATS' SACK DANCE TICKS OFF TOMLINSON (Class Alert)
01/15/2007 4:22:26 AM PST · by beyond the sea · 266 replies · 3,662+ views
NY Post | 1/15/07 | Mark Cannizzaro
LaDanian Tomlinson, usually very mild-mannered, became incensed after the Chargers' 24-21 loss to the Patriots yesterday when some New England players began mocking Shawne Merriman's sack dance on the Chargers' logo. "I was very upset," said Tomlinson, who went after some of the New England players. "I would never react that way. I'm a very, very classy person. When you go to the middle of a field and you're doing the dance that Merriman does, that's disrespectful to me and I can't sit there and watch that. It showed no class at all, and maybe that comes from their head...
Head of the class: LaDainian Tomlinson could be the best running back ever—but he'd never say so
12/25/2006 7:37:58 AM PST · by rhema · 74 replies · 1,488+ views
WORLD ^ | 12/23/06 | Mark Bergin
When the Chargers defense forced a turnover late in the fourth quarter of a 48-20 blowout victory over the Denver Broncos Dec. 10, San Diego running back LaDainian Tomlinson had no intention of reentering the game. The league's leading MVP candidate had already done his work for the day, rushing for 96 yards and two touchdowns to that point. Never mind that the ball sat just seven yards away from another score. Never mind that Tomlinson needed just one more touchdown to break the NFL's all-time single-season record. With the game's outcome secure, the consummate team player was content to...
No Rove influence seen in US public TV boss hiring
12/16/2005 9:46:30 PM PST · by Fido969 · 8 replies · 326+ views
Reuters ^ | Dec 13, 6:43 PM ET | Reuters
No Rove influence seen in US public TV boss hiring Tue Dec 13, 6:43 PM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Corporation for Public Broadcasting's inspector general found no evidence in correspondence that White House adviser Karl Rove or other White House officials tried to influence the hiring of the group's new leader, according to a letter released on Tuesday. CPB Inspector General Kenneth Konz denied a request by three watchdog groups to release documents and e-mails related to a report that found former CPB Chairman Kenneth Tomlinson was motivated by politics when he hired a new president and chief executive...
Lesson learned: Don't touch that dial
11/18/2005 9:26:03 AM PST · by inpajamas · 6 replies · 681+ views
Missoulian ^ | 11-18-2005 | Editorial
SUMMARY: If public broadcasting needed fixing, we'd hear about it on NPR and PBS, wouldn't we? They got him! The dirty, no-good, rotten Republican miscreant Kenneth Tomlinson, until recently the chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting - they nailed his sorry conservative hind end to the floor! It's a wonder it took so long. A six-month investigation into this right-wing Clinton appointee's mismanagement of the holy temple of enlightened government culminated this past week with an inspector general's report alleging Tomlinson ignored public broadcasting rules and ethics code, which is sort of bad. But his transgressions were believed to...
Tomlinson quits US public broadcasting board
11/03/2005 7:53:27 PM PST · by baystaterebel · 56 replies · 1,936+ views
Reuters ^ | Nov 3, 2005 | Staff
Kenneth Tomlinson, the former board chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting accused by critics of trying to politicize public television and radio, has resigned from the board, it said on Thursday. Tomlinson, a Republican, quit shortly before CPB Inspector General Kenneth Konz was to publish a report after investigating his activities, including paying outside researchers to check public programming for liberal bias. Critics, including broadcasters and congressional Democrats, accused Tomlinson of trying to advance his own conservative agenda in public broadcasting, which is supposed to be non-partisan.
What's wrong with public broadcasting?
08/03/2005 6:22:26 AM PDT · by Valin · 12 replies · 642+ views
New Criterion ^ | James MacGuire
In the run-up to its meeting in late June 2005, the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) was subjected to extraordinary pressure by the liberal media, left-leaning interest groups like Common Cause, Action for Children's Television, "media watchdog" Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy, and a gaggle of sixteen Democratic senators who called for the resignation of CPB's chairman, former Reader's Digest editor-in-chief Ken Tomlinson. Their purpose was to prevent CPB from naming Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, Patricia Harrison (a former Republican National Committee chairwoman), as the new president and CEO...
Corporation for Public Broadcasting Chairman Promises to Lead Fight for Balance
07/29/2005 8:59:56 PM PDT · by LdSentinal · 9 replies · 412+ views
The Washington Times ^ | 7/28/05 | Chris Baker
Jul. 28--The chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting pledged yesterday to continue his campaign to bring ideological balance to government-funded programming, saying he will not bow to pressure from opponents who dispute his charges of liberal bias. Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, in a meeting with editors and reporters at The Washington Times, also defended his use of tax dollars to study the political leanings of the guests on some PBS and NPR programs, stressing that his call for balance is in public broadcasting's best interest. "This is something the public broadcasting community is going to have to come to grips...
War waged over public broadcasting
07/21/2005 6:30:02 AM PDT · by markedman · 7 replies · 563+ views
Chicago Sun-Times ^ | July 21, 2005 | Robert Novak
War waged over public broadcasting July 21, 2005 BY ROBERT NOVAK SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST Sen. Arlen Specter, a busy man with multiple duties, was understandably unprepared July 11 as he chaired a rare Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing about public television. When he asked whether there was an opening statement for him to read, the subcommittee staff director replied there was none but handed him questions. Therein lies a behind-the-scenes story about public air wars in Washington. The hearing's purpose was to grill Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, Corporation for Public Broadcasting board chairman, about hiring two consultants in his campaign against liberal bias...
Researcher's Appraisals of Commentators Are Released (Scrutiny of Bias in Public Broadcasting)
07/01/2005 2:03:32 AM PDT · by RWR8189 · 6 replies · 611+ views
New York Times ^ | July 1, 2005 | SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
WASHINGTON, June 30 - A researcher secretly retained by the chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to monitor liberal bias in public radio and television set his sights on several media personalities, including Bill Moyers, Tucker Carlson, Tavis Smiley, David Brancaccio and Diane Rehm, according to documents made public Thursday. Senator Byron Dorgan, Democrat of North Dakota, released 50 pages of what he called the "work product" of Fred Mann, a researcher who has been connected to conservative journalism centers and who was hired by the corporation's chairman, Kenneth Y. Tomlinson. Mr. Dorgan pronounced the work "a little nutty"...
NYP: PUT PBS OUT TO PASTURE - Getting government out of the broadcasting would quiet the hollering.
06/26/2005 5:21:19 AM PDT · by OESY · 8 replies · 902+ views
New York Post ^ | June 26, 2005 | Editorial
It's time to take the public out of the Public Broadcasting Service. That is, it's time to cut taxpayer-funded broadcasting loose and let it compete.... Conservatives have long charged PBS with liberal programming bias. Now liberals are claiming that congressional Republicans are trying to influence programming and personnel. Those charges got louder with the naming Thursday of former GOP co-chair Pat Harrison as president and chief executive of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.... This came after 16 Senate Democrats — including New York's Chuck Schumer and both Jon Corzine and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey — called for the dismissal...
The Armstrong Williams NewsHour
06/25/2005 5:53:54 PM PDT · by neverdem · 7 replies · 419+ views
NY Times ^ | June 26, 2005 | FRANK RICH
HERE'S the difference between this year's battle over public broadcasting and the one that blew up in Newt Gingrich's face a decade ago: this one isn't really about the survival of public broadcasting. So don't be distracted by any premature obituaries for Big Bird. Far from being an endangered species, he's the ornithological equivalent of a red herring. Let's not forget that Laura Bush has made a fetish of glomming onto popular "Sesame Street" characters in photo-ops. Polls consistently attest to the popular support for public broadcasting, while Congress is in a race to the bottom with Michael Jackson. Big...
NYT: Democrats Call for Firing of Broadcast Chairman Tomlinson
06/22/2005 6:15:13 AM PDT · by OESY · 25 replies · 694+ views
New York Times ^ | June 22, 2005 | STEPHEN LABATON
Sixteen Democratic senators called on President Bush to remove Kenneth Y. Tomlinson as head of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting because of their concerns that he is injecting partisan politics into public radio and television.... They included Charles E. Schumer of New York, Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut, Jon Corzine and Frank R. Lautenberg of New Jersey, Bill Nelson of Florida, Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer of California. Also on Tuesday, Democratic lawmakers joined other supporters of public broadcasting, including children and characters from PBS children's programs, to protest House Republicans' proposed cuts in...
Public Broadcasting Monitor Had Worked at Center Founded by Conservatives
06/21/2005 6:58:46 AM PDT · by fight_truth_decay · 9 replies · 480+ views
NYTimes ^ | June 21, 2005 | STEPHEN LABATON
A researcher retained secretly by the chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, to monitor the "Now" program with Bill Moyers for political objectivity last year, worked for 20 years at a journalism center founded by the American Conservative Union and a conservative columnist, an official at the journalism center said on Monday. The decision by the chairman, Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, to retain the researcher, Fred Mann, without the knowledge of the corporation's board, to report on the political leanings of the guests of "Now" is one of several issues under investigation by the corporation's inspector general. At the request...
NYT: Democrats, Seeing Tit for Tat, Block a Nominee-What'd you expect from obstructionists?
New York Times ^ | June 16, 2005 | STEVEN R. WEISMAN
Opening a new battle with the White House, Senate Democrats on Wednesday abruptly blocked the approval of President Bush's nominee for a top public diplomacy job, charging that the administration had injected partisan politics into the drive to improve the United States' image overseas. The nominee, Dina Powell, the White House personnel director, had been expected to win broad approval to become deputy under secretary of state for public diplomacy, to be the second-in-command to Karen P. Hughes in charge of repairing the United States' reputation, especially in the Muslim world. But in what was to have been a routine...
LA Times' Shaw: Do We Need PBS? - (time to pull the plug?)
06/09/2005 6:23:55 PM PDT · by CHARLITE · 12 replies · 628+ views
NEWSMAX.COM ^ | MAY 31, 2005 | CARL LIMBACHER & Staff
The growing controversy over the Bush administration's attempts to alter the perceived liberal bias in PBS programming has led one media insider to urge: Consider pulling the plug on the network. In his Media Matters column in the Los Angeles Times, David Shaw asks, "Do we really want or need PBS anymore?" Shaw points out that when PBS's parent, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, was created in 1967, television was largely dominated by three commercial networks, while today we live in a "500-channel universe." "But politics, not the availability of more alternatives, is the primary reason to question the continued...
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Facebook: Fake News, Free Speech and an Internet Platform's Responsibility
by Andrew Hoffman,
Facebook: Fake News, Free Speech and an Internet Platform's Responsibility ^ W00C47
#W00C47
Andrew Hoffman
Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations
Truth and deception
Organizational ethics
Codes of business ethics
WDI Publishing at the University of Michigan
Codes of business ethics,Transparency,Data management,Customer privacy
Industry: Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations
Source: WDI Publishing at the University of Michigan
This case describes the role of Facebook in society and its degree of responsibility to protect the privacy of user data and address the real-world impacts of misinformation and fake news across its site. Facebook's idealistic goal of giving people the power to build community and bring the world closer together has seemingly backfired as nefarious actors have exploited user data and the site's infrastructure to advance political and economic goals. Facebook's leadership has been slow to recognize and acknowledge the influence the site has had on world events, including the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and the Myanmar genocide against the Rohingya minority group. Facebook has also been slow to stem the spread of fake news, and addressing user data privacy is at odds with the company's reliance on targeted advertising as its primary source of revenue. This case offers students the opportunity to discuss the changing social and business environment in the era of the Internet, especially issues related to privacy and free speech.
Product #: W00C47
Related Topics: Corporate social responsibility, Truth and deception, Organizational ethics, Codes of business ethics, Transparency, Data management, Customer privacy,
Sexual Harassment, Free Speech or ...?
By Wilda L. White,
Facebook Fake News in the Post-Truth World
By John R. Wells, Carole A. Winkler, Benjamin Weinstock,
By John R. Wells, Carole A. Winkler,
Alexa: A Pandora's Box of Risks
By Russell Walker,


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Phone case companies aren't making cases for the Essential Phone
Leon Hitchens
The Essential Phone, PH-1
, is finally shipping to customers after a data leak, delays, and executives leaving the company. Still, many customers are happy to have an unbranded, near vanilla Android phone from the founder of Android – Andy Rubin.
The phone does look impressive with almost no bezel, thanks to the top cutout for the camera. Compare the bezels to the S8 or Note 8, and you'll see Essential has less than both Samsung phones. But where the phone stands out is the build quality. The back is made out of ceramic, the front has Gorilla Glass 5, and the sides are titanium. It's all meant to provide a premium feel and look, but those materials are also more durable and less likely to break from a small fall. Essential claims titanium doesn't "scratch, dent, or bend," but we all know how easily a phone can break from a quick fall. Essential is standing behind the durable martial by not offering any first-party cases. Third-party case makers also haven't started making cases for the phone, leaving customers without an option. They have to leave their new $700 phone without a case.
Only a couple of companies are offering a case for the Essential Phone
In the video above from Jerryrigeverything, he performs a drop test that shows the Essential Phone isn't as durable as they'd like you to think. The side titanium doesn't hold up to every drop, and the front Gorilla Glass breaks. The back ceramic does stay safe, but personally, I'd rather have the back break than the side or front glass.
There are some screen protectors for the Essential Phone, but they only provide so much protection. It's unclear why no major case maker has jumped to make a case for the phone. Customers on Reddit have started asking why this is and offering up reasons, but one thing is clear – they want a case. An obscure case maker named Viva Madrid made a case for the Essential Phone that is a clear back and appears to have all the cutouts. There is another case on Amazon for only $12.90. It's more like a traditional case that'll absorb a fall or tumble.
Let me know if you find any new cases for the Essential phone or if you know why no one is making cases!
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With his vintage Leica and accompanied by a young translator named Lolly Pop, American photographer Danny Lyon traveled across Shanxi Province in northeast China six times between 2005 and 2009. The result of which is an extraordinary portrait of China, one seldom seen by foreigners.
Shanxi was once the Middle Kingdom and its border to the north with Inner Mongolia is marked by the Great Wall and Fire Towers. Lyon's China is a portrait of what is gone, not just in China but in all of the advanced world. Almost nothing of this century's technological advances are visible in Lyon's photographs. A homage to Lyon's own childhood in 1950s America and a China that is quickly vanishing, this portrayal reveals a uniquely personal and human perspective. Eighty-five black and white photographs are accompanied by the photographer's own writings, handwritten notes and travel ephemera, including business cards, scrap papers, taxi receipts and tickets.


Music legend and 10 time GRAMMY award winner Chaka Kahn and special guest Vivian Green live in concert February 19th. Chaka has released 22 albums and racked up ten #1 Billboard magazine charted songs, seven RIAA certified gold singles and ten RIAA certified gold and platinum albums. Chaka's recorded music has produced over 2,000 catalogue song placements. While apart of the legendary bands "Rufus", Chaka co-wrote "You Got the Love," "Once You Get Started," "Sweet Thing," "Everlasting Love," "Do You Love What You Feel?" and "Ain't Nobody,".


Recipe - Liptauer or Spiced Cream Cheese Dip - Sugar, Darling?
I have my Dad and my excellent cookery book choosing skills (ha!) to thank for this one! Liptauer is a spiced creamy dip made from soft cheese and butter mixed with lots of different spices. It originates from Slovakia but different countries around Europe all have their own variations. This is an Italian variant with a few of my own twists and was in this book that I gave my Dad for Fathers Day.
I've never had a dip like this one before it's quite unusual but even so would work really well on a platter with the usual suspects houmus, taramasalata tzatziki etc. We've always had it with pitta breads before but this we tried some khobez flat breads which were just lovely when sprinkled with a little water, wrapped in foil and heated up in the oven for five minutes. It would be equally great with crisps, crackers, veggie sticks or other breads so give it a go with any thing you fancy! Don't let the anchovies put you off, it doesn't give it a fishy taste as such just a lovely savoury saltiness that you need against the creaminess of the ricotta and butter.
Makes a pretty large bowl full - more than I could fit piled into a large teacup!
I made my dip in my Kitchenaid mixer, but you could easily do it with either a handheld mixer or a wooden spoon!
Whip the butter until it is very soft and creamy, then mix well with the ricotta until thoroughly combined. Now add your spices, anchovies and spring onions and mixed again, then adding the lemon juice and seasoning to taste when nicely blended.
Pop in a fancy dish or tea cup and serve with whatever you wish!