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AUBURN Before coach Bruce Pearl took over Auburn basketball in 2014, the Tigers had made eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament since March Madness first debuted in 1939.

Since Pearl's arrival, Auburn has reached the tournament four times, and it would've made it during the 2019-20 season, too, if the COVID-19 pandemic didn't shut the sports world down in March 2020. Other accomplishments Pearl boasts include leading the Tigers to at least 21 wins in five of their past six seasons, a No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll during the 2021-22 season and the program's first appearance in the Final Four in 2019.

A hallmark of Pearl's success has been his adaptability. He didn't fear overhauling the roster when he came to the Plains in 2014 he added four recruits and three transfers in his first offseason and he didn't fear letting some later additions Bryce Brown and Jared Harper are among some of the more notable improve together.

LOOKING AHEAD: What Auburn basketball's roster could look like next season, where Tigers can still improve

NEW ASSISTANT: One big reason Auburn basketball's Bruce Pearl hired Corey Williams? His Texas ties

The Final Four team was all built on freshmen, sophomores (and) juniors all growing up and all going together, and I still would prefer to do it that way," Pearl said at an AMBUSH event in Atlanta last month. "But thats just not the way (it is anymore)."

Pearl is right on both fronts. The Tigers had a 10-man rotation during their run to the Final Four that consisted of three players in their fourth years with the program (Brown, Horace Spencer and Danjel Purifoy), three in their third years (Harper, Austin Wiley and Anfernee McLemore), three in their second years (Chuma Okeke, Malik Dunbar and Samir Doughty) and one in his first season at Auburn in J'Von McCormick, who joined the Tigers after spending two seasons in junior college.

But Pearl is also right that things have changed. In the age of the transfer portal, coming to grips with the reality that some players may leave and throw off the layering of classes is needed.

"If you look at the teams that have gone and advanced to the (NCAA) tournament, they're older," Pearl said. "And it's really, really hard it's hard for freshmen to come in and play a lot and play early. So, sometimes freshmen come in and they're very promising, but they're not willing to wait around with the sophomores and juniors, where they can actually have impact.

"So, we're going to have and you'll see this in Power Five there are going to be Power Five schools (that) are going to take one or two freshmen every year, instead of three or four. ... Half the freshmen are going to have to go somewhere else, and then get re-recruited out of the portal. I don't make the rules, but I've got to play with them."

Pearl's change in philosophy and ability to adapt is best shown in the offseason before the 2021-22 campaign. The Tigers added Jabari Smith Jr as their lone freshman and went on to retool the roster with four transfers: Zep Jasper, KD Johnson, Wendell Green Jr. and Walker Kessler.

Kessler went on to be a first-round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and Green received second team All-SEC honors last season, along with Johni Broome, who transferred in from Morehead State last offseason. And since getting knocked out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in March, Pearl has already brought in Denver Jones from Florida International and Chaney Johnson from Alabama-Huntsville.

"Weve got, on average, about 3.5 (players) per team, per year, entering the transfer portal nationally," Pearl said. "... It forces us to have to continue really hard in the months of April and May to not only work with your players and help them finish up their spring conditioning and basketball and academics ... (but to also) then recruit to replace guys you didnt think you were going to have to replace. And didnt want to replace. ...

"Were just going to bring in really good guys that we think can help us continue to be competitive. It just forces us to work a little differently."

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

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How Auburn basketball's Bruce Pearl continues to adapt in recruiting - Montgomery Advertiser

This article contains spoilers for Xenoblade Chronicles 1, 2, and 3 and all of their expansions, especially Future Redeemed.

Monolith Softs Xenoblade series has, over the course of a decade, become Nintendos flagship RPG franchise. Back in 2011 it was uncertain if the original Xenoblade Chronicles would be localized in the West, but after fan campaigns that I was actively a part of, the game released in April of 2012 and I devoured it. I remember picking it up at a GameStop and playing it nonstop through spring break. I fell in love with the franchise, and Ive always found something to love with each new entry.

With Xenoblade Chronicles 3, after some distance from when I first played it, I find I adored its themes, the expert world-building, and the ridiculously in-depth combat system. And now with the release of Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Connected, I can definitely say that the DLC was sloppy at several points, but it still managed to provide a decent endpoint to one of the best RPG trilogies of the past decade.

Future Redeemed serves as a prequel to the main game set centuries before and features an almost entirely original cast, save for Xenoblade 1 and 2 protagonists Shulk and Rex. Their presence is only the tip of the iceberg for longtime players, with Shulk and Rex making references to their previous adventures and the people they encountered, commenting on the fused nature of Aionios, and interacting with characters that are aware of their respective worlds.

In the beginning, I was excited to see what these original characters would do with Rex and Shulk and how they would factor into the story. However, their presence ultimately raised questions that superseded my enthusiasm to play as them again. I kept wondering how they were present in this world, how they were the parents to two other party members, Nikol and Glimmer, and why they retained their memories of their original worlds in the first place, among many others. What made these two special over everyone else we encountered? From a narrative perspective, I ultimately just settled on them being in there to provide some type of metatextual symbolic closure for the series. If this is the end of one era of the franchise, Monolith Soft might as well bring back some fan-favorite characters despite how little logical sense it makes.

While Shulk and Rexs appearance feels like hamfisted fan service with a murky explanation, I much preferred the other methods Future Redeemed took to satisfying longtime players. Exploring Colony 9 again as your main hub was a wonderful callback, as well as the climax of the game having you return to Prison Island, a major location from Xenoblade Chronicles. Plus, the game was able to wrap up one of the major lingering threads in the series: Where was Alvis?

In Xenoblade Chronicles, Alvis was a character who flip-flopped between being an ally and an enemy, but his role was greatly expanded in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 despite not formally being present within the game. You inadvertently learn about who he really is and his role in the games cosmology, something that was further referenced in the 2020 Switch remaster of 1. He wasnt present in the base game for Xenoblade Chronicles 3, but his appearance here in Future Redeemed offers resolution for a character that I desperately wanted to know more about. Plus, making him both the main antagonist and your closest ally as Alpha and A respectively was a brilliant little touch that kept me interested in learning more about what happened to them between the events of the first, second, and third games.

Though like with Shulk and Rex, Alvis return is predicated on a lot of questions that dont really have any clear answer. This is in line with Xenoblade Chronicles 3 as a whole, a game that had these huge lofty ideas and concepts but never really was able to flesh them out or have them make any logical sense. Its a game about making you feel a feeling, but due to Future Redeemeds smaller scale and shorter length, it just brought into focus how much of the DLCs story is irrelevant.

None of what happens in the DLC impacts the base game in any meaningful way. It really only serves to flesh out a section of a late-game area that only aroused mild curiosity when you encountered it and nothing more. Future Redeemed is not as essential to understanding or even complementing the base game in the same way that Torna: The Golden Kingdom was for Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

And yet, this is the first Xenoblade game I 100% completed. It took me about 30 hours and is significantly smaller than any main entry, but I still did it. The game is fun and exemplifies what the Xenoblade franchise does best, offering up compelling worlds to explore with highly engaging combat. While I loved just how much you could customize your party in the base game, I equally enjoyed how limited your party and their abilities were, emphasizing both move synergies and teaming up with party members in order to best utilize a characters inherent strengths.

While narratively the plot of Future Redeemed leaves something to be desired, it still serves as a fitting conclusion to the series. This feels like a perfected version of the franchises combat, taking the best of what worked in every installment and refining it to a mirror shine. The ending sees Shulk, Rex, and A all join together to preserve Aionios from Alphas machinations, claiming that someday a new set of heroes will be able to set the world right again and restore the world to what it should be. The credits roll, we see cutscenes from every game in the trilogy, and we reflect back on all the adventures we went on, closing with the world being restored to how it was supposed to be, free from all of the chaos and interference by each entrys villains.

What makes Xenoblade such a good franchise is that, by the end of each game, for all of their strengths and weaknesses, you feel like you actually went on an adventure. You explored a fully realized world and fixed its myriad problems. You gave its residents a future again ending a never-ending war, solving an energy crisis, brokering peace between two hostile races, killing wannabe gods and corrupted despots. These were RPGs that made you feel like you were a part of their worlds, and despite how little some parts of Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Futured Redeemed made sense, it still captured that feeling perfectly. And sometimes, just sitting back and thinking about the past decade of experiences is enough to make you feel like you were a part of something special, something that almost didnt exist.

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Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed Is a Messy, but ... - The Escapist

Provided by Mercury News PHOENIX, ARIZONA - MAY 11: Manager Gabe Kapler #19 of the San Francisco Giants looks on from the bench during the sixth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on May 11, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. Giants won 6-2. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)

By the end of this weekends series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the San Francisco Giants will have a quarter of the season in the books. Quickly as the 40-game mark approaches, it provides a large enough sample for trends to emerge and to sort through the noise.

The Giants have gotten the breakout performances and solid starting pitching they knew they would need to contend Thairo Estrada, J.D. Davis and LaMonte Wade Jr. have been revelations, while Alex Cobb owns the best ERA in the National League, with Anthony DeSclafani not far behind him but underperforming offseason additions and an unreliable bullpen have them stuck under .500.

Allow the numbers to tell the story:

4: Outs Above Average for J.D. Davis at third base, the fourth-best third baseman (tied for ninth overall) in the majors. By transforming into a Gold Glove-caliber defender and keeping up his strong performance at the plate, Davis has more than helped the Giants weather David Villars slow start, cementing himself as the everyday third baseman.

19.7%: Walk rate for LaMonte Wade Jr., the third-highest in the majors. At an average of 4.53 per at-bat, only two other players in the majors are seeing more pitches than Wade. He has such a command of the strike zone, Gabe Kapler said recently in a rare umpiring complaint that he believed Wade should be getting even more calls. Hes so good at determining balls versus strikes. Its just really important that when a guy is as disciplined as LaMonte is that he gets rewarded for his discipline, Kapler said. Its really frustrating thats not happening right now. While he is batting only .260, Wades .431 on-base percentage ranks third in the majors, and his .951 OPS and 165 wRC+ lead the Giants. But Davis explained why his patience is just as valuable: To have a leadoff guy who draws walks, to see those pitches on video and just get a clear idea and approach of how to attack that pitcher, its the best thing that we can have.

11: Stolen bases for Thairo Estrada, the first Giants player to reach that number in his first 37 games of a season since Barry Bonds (1996). Combined with a .326 batting average and six home runs, Estrada has been the Giants most valuable position player (1.7 fWAR).

25.4%: Strikeout rate for Joey Bart, still slightly higher than league average but substantially lower than last season. With increased command of the strike zone, plus the third-best framing numbers of any catcher in the majors, Bart has seized hold of the starting duties behind the plate.

109: wRC+ for Blake Sabol, tied for 10th-best among qualified rookies. One of four rookies in the San Francisco era with five home runs in their first 20 games, joining Orlando Cepeda (1958), Willie McCovey (1959) and Jarrett Parker (2015), the Rule 5 pick has given the Giants reason to keep him on the roster. While there are areas to improve defensively (four catchers interference calls, already tied for an SF-era single-season record) and at the plate (a 40.5% strikeout rate, third-highest in the majors among players with as many plate appearances), Sabol seems to have done enough to earn his spot. If the Giants parting ways with Gary Snchez wasnt evidence enough, take Farhan Zaidis word for it. Were really committed, at this point, to keeping him all year, Zaidi said a couple weeks ago on KNBR. He has done a lot of good things, and hopefully, that continues.

14: Number of different players to homer for the Giants, tied for second-most in the majors. Led by J.D. Davis (7) and LaMonte Wade Jr. (7), seven players have at least five, and 10 already have four. The only teams that can claim as much evenly distributed power are the Dodgers (10 players with four) and Rays (10 players with four, nine with six). The Giants 59 home runs rank fourth in the majors; however, few teams have been as reliant on the long ball, with 60% of San Franciscos runs coming on homers.

.620: Combined OPS from the Giants two free-agent position player additions, Michael Conforto and Mitch Haniger.

7.07: Combined ERA from the Giants three free-agent pitching additions, Sean Manaea, Ross Stripling and Taylor Rogers.

137: Strikeouts by the bottom third of the Giants order, easily the most in the majors. Its a good thing the Giants are hitting home runs because they are struggling to turn the lineup over: Their 7-9 hitters have struck out 14 more times than any other team, drawn fewer walks (27) than all but one team, with the third-lowest batting average (.199) and second-lowest on-base percentage (.260) of any group in MLB.

29.3%: Giants pitchers fly ball rate, the lowest in the majors; and 16.2%: the percentage of fly balls allowed that turn into home runs, the highest in the majors. While the Giants sinker-heavy group has succeeded at keeping the ball on the ground, they have been hammered by hard contact: 44.4% of balls in play hit at 95 mph or harder, the highest rate in the majors. The Giants, who have led the league in homer suppression the past two seasons, believe the first number suggests there will be some regression to the mean in regards to keeping balls in the ballpark. But the amount of hard contact is more troubling.

5.77: Giants pitchers ERA in the seventh inning and later, the highest in the National League and third-worst in the majors. Meanwhile, in innings 1-6, their 3.69 ERA ranks ninth in MLB and fourth in the NL. Despite failing to preserve the shutout bid started by Alex Cobb on Thursday, the bullpen has been better of late, with a 3.95 ERA in May (16th in MLB), converting all five save opportunities, after posting a 6.15 mark in March/April (28th) with six blown saves in 11 chances.

2:41: Average time of game, 27 minutes shorter than their average game last season (3:08). Of the new rules, none has been more noticeable or as welcomed as the pitch clock.

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SF Giants: 12 numbers that matter from the first quarter of the season - msnNOW

Five years after the original "Resident Evil" film series concluded with "The Final Chapter," filmmaker Johannes Roberts rebooted the cinematic franchise with 2021's "Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City." Roberts stuck closer to the games, specifically the first two mainline installments, chronicling a police squad investigating an ominous mansion on the outskirts of town while zombies swarm Raccoon City. Also, rather than rely on a brand-new protagonist like the movies before his, Roberts focused on classic characters from the games, who have all been recast for his adaptation.

"Welcome to Raccoon City" certainly feels familiar to any fans of the games and is loaded with Easter eggs related to the franchise, but it just tries to accomplish too much in its 107-minute runtime. The new cast is earnest enough, with Kaya Scodelario's Claire Redfield being the highlight, and it's the first "Resident Evil" movie in a whilethat feels scary at times, but the whole thing is a noticeably rushed affair. With such a solid cast and fidelity to the source material, hopefully, these sensibilities will be retained in potential follow-ups because, for all its flaws, "Welcome to Raccoon City" feels more like a franchise love letter than prior adaptations.

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Every Resident Evil Movie, Ranked Worst To Best - /Film

IOWA CITY, IA--Tight End University is off to a running start in the 2023 NFL offseason. The Detroit Lions rookie camp has just gotten started and former Iowa tight end Sam LaPorta is already making a good impression on his new team. The No. 34 overall pick was catching everything during his first day of the minicamp.

"Sam LaPorta was the best player on the field at Lions rookie minicamp and it wasnt particularly close," Detroit Lions reporter Colton Pouncey tweeted. "Very impressive day."

LaPorta was the second tight end drafted in the 2023 Draft. Despite playing in one of the worst offenses in America, he was one of the constant forces for the Hawkeyes.

LaPorta finished his career ranking 14th in career receiving yards with 1,786 yards on 153 receptions. The 153 receptions are most among Iowa tight ends all-time. His 1,786 yards rank second among tight ends.

The record-setting prospect out of Illinois surprised a lot of outsiders when he went at No. 34 overall, but his consistency in a Hawkeye uniform and demeanor are a perfect fit for what Dan Campbell wants to do with his Lions squad. It's a lot of training for only a season's worth of games, but LaPorta is excited about the professional grind that he's going through.

Its nice to get acclimated for sure. Its great to be playing football again. All these guys are out here, theyre here because they love football and were trying to get better, trying to make the team and trying to add value, LaPorta said via the Detroit News. Its been great these last couple of days, getting to know faces, getting to know the system.

Playing in Iowa's offense does prepare its players for the NFL based on the style they play. LaPorta's focusing on every detail he can and is prioritizing 'asking questions' and not 'feeling stupid' for asking them.

They demand a lot, LaPorta said. Very small details. Im learning all the real intricate details of the system right now. Of course, Ive messed them up a couple times already. You probably heard them yelling at me. Those details are really what separates youin the National Football League.

One of the highlights of Saturday was when fellow Hawkeye and Lion Jack Campbell got the chance to square off in a 1-on-1 special teams drill. LaPorta got the best of his teammate during that rep.

Competition brings out the best in both people, Campbell said of LaPorta. Hats off to him. Hes a hell of a player. You guys know that. All you can do is keep going every rep, give it your all, focus, fundamentally sound. Obviously, Ill look back on it, theres probably somethingtheres definitely somethingbetter I could have done, but it was a hell of a play by him.

LaPorta and Campbell will begin their NFL season on September 7 when they travel to Kansas City to take on the Super Bowl champion Chiefs.

You can get anannual membership for 30% off. Take advantage now and be the first to know everything going on regarding Iowa football, basketball, and recruiting!Click Here!

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Iowa Football: Ten Hawkeyes with game-changing ability in 2023 - 247Sports

A CLEANING influencer has shared the simple hack she uses to keep her windows looking sparkling.

The content creator revealed the DIY-spray solution that removes grime from glass instantly.

In her video, TikTok user Len (@lenswegart) explained: "It finally stopped raining and the sliding doors are in dire need of cleaning."

The TikToker showed her audience a close-up of the dirt on her windows following the rainy weather.

Len revealed the "easy hack" she uses to wash the outside of her windows and doors.

"Mix half a cup of water, dish soap, and a quarter cup of vinegar," she said.

The TikToker continued: "Spray on glass and wipe with a microfiber pad using a Sweeper."

In a previous video, Len pointed out that the use of a Sweeper can help shorter people clean effectively.

The content creator demonstrated the easy cleaning hack to her followers.

"This cuts down so much time and makes it so easy to clean glass doors and windows," Len told viewers.

"Who needs a tall partner?" the cleaning fanatic joked.

In another clip, the influencer used a similar DIY mixture to clean the mirrors in her home.

Another content creator revealed the areas of your home you should be cleaning more often.

A third cleaning pro revealed the essential item that is needed to keep your home spotless.

Another influencer divided her audience after she shared the unique way she dries her laundry.

Link:
Im a cleaning pro my two-ingredient DIY spray is perfect for patio doors and windows... - The US Sun

BRAVE Rio Ferdinand nabbed an intruder in his back garden and held him until cops arrived.

The ex-England ace, 44, saw the man at his South East London home while pregnant wife Kate, 31, and their kids were inside.

A source said: This was a frightening incident.

Ferdinand bravely tackled the prowler to protect his pregnant wife, kids and property.

CCTV footage from cameras at his 4million home revealed the suspect tried to open the rear patio doors to get inside the previous evening.

The man then spent the night in the garden and was confronted by Rio the next morning.

The ex-England and Manchester United star detained the prowler until the arrival of security guards on the private estate in Bromley, South East London.

Police were then called.

Rio was horrified to find the man outside his home on Friday.

A source said last night: This was a frightening incident which has left Rio and Kate pretty shaken up.

Its worrying that someone got into the grounds but Rio dealt with it and they both know it could have been a lot worse. But it caused a lot of concern.

Another source said: Rio was alarmed to see an intruder and was naturally concerned for the safety of his family.

He acted promptly and decisively and went outside to deal with any potential threat.

Rio alerted the estates security team and then went outside to confront the intruder and demand what he was doing there.

He kept him there until a security guard arrived soon afterwards and the man was led outside and detained until the police got there.

Rios heavily-pregnant wife, former Towie star Kate was inside the house with her son Cree, two, and stepchildren Lorenz, 16, Tate, 14, and Tia, 12, from Rios first marriage.

Police took the intruder to hospital after he complained of feeling unwell.

Despite the apparent attempt to get inside the Ferdinands home, the man was not arrested.

Ex-Met Police detective chief inspector Mick Neville said: Its good to see a TV celebrity and famous footballer taking action to defend his home and family.

There have been some horrendous stories about the homes of footballers being broken into.

Rio couldnt be sure what he was dealing with when he went outside to deal with the suspect.

He should be commended for dealing with it courageously.

The intruder turned out to be a homeless man who is suspected to have got on to the estate patrolled by guards via a public bridleway.

The matter was later dealt with by a community resolution with Rio and Kates consent.

The Met said: Police were called to a 70-year-old man detained by a private security guard having been found in the garden of a residential property.

He was dealt with by a community resolution for Being on Enclosed Premises for an Unlawful Purpose, an offence under the Vagrancy Act.

Kate made no mention of the drama when she posted stylish photos of herself and growing baby bump on Instagram later on Friday.

She wrote: A very busy but exciting week. Now get me home on the sofa in my pjs to my babies & hubby.

That night Kate made a surprise appearance on Mo Gilligans The Lateish Show, where Rio was a guest.

On the Channel 4 programme, Rio whose first wife Rebecca Ellison died of breast cancer aged 34 spoke of the night he first met Kate in Dubai.

He relayed a story of how he awkwardly tripped over as he escorted her to the loo.

It led to her nicknaming him The Peckham Crawler.

LATEST ACE TO BE HIT

By Thomas Godfrey

RIO Ferdinand is the latest in a spate of Premier League stars to be targeted by a robbery gang.

Raheem Sterling returned from the World Cup in Qatar last year when masked thugs stole 300,000 of jewellery from his home.

The dad of three, 28, missed Englands quarter-final to comfort fiance Paige Milian and his kids.

Ex-Man United midfielder Paul Pogbas mansion was raided while his kids slept last year as he played in a Europa League game.

The French ace, 29, called the ordeal his worst nightmare.

The homes of his ex-teammates Victor Lindelof, 28, Jesse Lingard, 30, and Hannibal Mejbri, 20, were also targeted during 2022.

Former England left-back Ashley Cole, 42, and partner Sharon Canu were tied up in their kitchen during an armed raid in January 2020.

Supt Carl Williams, ex-head of a UK intelligence unit focused on serious organised crime, said raiders scoured players social media for clues to their movements.

KATE WORRY

By Sophie King, of Tommys charity

FOR many, pregnancy can be an emotional and anxious time.

As midwives, we do our best to make sure women have the support they need to reduce stress so they can have the most positive experience possible and ultimately take home a healthy baby.

We at Tommys pregnancy charity are so sad to hear about this incident and can only imagine the worry and anxiety this created.

Everyone at Tommys sends the family our best wishes at this difficult time.

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Terrifying details emerge of raid at Rio Ferdinand and pregnant Kates house in front of shaken family... - The US Sun

Aside from their shared passion for heroes of the civil rights movement and unexplored music history, the thing Texas artists Tim Kerr and Robert Hodge have most in common is Russel Gonzalez. A gregarious music producer who also goes by the professional moniker the ARE, Gonzalez has orchestrated a collaboration between Hodge and Kerr in the vein of the Basquiat-Warhol partnership of the 1980s.

Gonzalez is hardwired to stay alert for promotable happenings, and the idea to pair up Hodge and Kerr came after he saw paintings by the two artists side by side. It wasnt just that the works used different techniques to speak to similar themes; Gonzalez also recognized that certain aspects of the artists perspectives mirrored the legendary Basquiat-Warhol collaboration. Most obviously, they were born a generation apartone white, one Black.

Hodge and Kerr have created about forty paintings together for No Kings But Us, a pair of pop-up exhibitions Gonzalez has promoted like one of the concert tours for the nineties hip-hop group K-Otix, which he cofounded and fronted. (He later produced songs for a slew of big-name talents, including Earth, Wind & Fire; Keyshia Cole; Lil Kim; LL Cool J; and Nicki Minaj.)

Gonzalez likened his Hodge-Kerr project to creating an album. All three of us have a music background, so were kind of speaking the same language, he said. They kicked things off with a small preview show the first weekend in May at the Marfa Open Gallery, and the main event is May 20June 4 at the University of Houstons Blaffer Art Museum.

Scoring the Blaffer space was a coup for a show organized by a guy with no curatorial credentials. But Hodges name carries weight, and Gonzalezs enthusiasm is infectious. When Gonzalez pitched the idea to Blaffer director Steven Matijcio, he coaxed, Were the artists. We need you to be our Sony.

Can we be Def Jam? Matijcio joked.

You can be whatever you want! Gonzalez said. We want to make this show spectacular, like an event, not just a quiet thing. We want a line around the building. Matijcio saw No Kings But Us as a harmless experiment that could bring a whole new demographic into the museum. Gonzalez envisioned it as a one-weekend deal; Matijcio granted him two.

Gonzalez gave me a sneak preview in April at Houstons Dakota Lofts, first leading me through the lobby he turned into an informal gallery since becoming the buildings manager a few years ago. Hodge was the first artist he invited to show work there. A tenant who knew Kerr suggested adding him to the mix, and after Gonzalez met Kerr, the wheels began turning. Paintings made individually by both artists are still on display in the lobby, but an art explosion, as Gonzalez called it, filled his 1,400-square-foot apartment.

Gonzalezs place is neatly furnished with midcentury furniture, and his walls are densely hung with art he has collected. But on this day, dozens of colorful, chaotic paintings also crowded the open living-dining-kitchen area. We picked our way across the floor through piles of big, unframed pieces, also avoiding framed works that leaned against the sofa and walls. Small canvases hung from a couple of rolling racks near the patio doors. Manila envelopes stuffed with exhibition posters, many destined to be wheat-pasted on building facades and utility polesan unusual bit of analog marketing for an art exhibitionwere stacked on the dining table. About the only clear surface was the kitchen island, which Gonzalez said has been his temporary workshop for mounting and framing the paintings, which he taught himself to do. Ive really put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into it, he said, cheerfully.

Hodge and Kerr knew of each other but didnt meet until Gonzalez brought them together. Unlike Basquiat and Warhol, who both circulated in New Yorks eighties art world, Hodge and Kerr live 165 miles aparta distance thats even further culturally, considering the two types of Texans they represent. Kerr clings to a grungy, Keep Austin Weird spirit he helped create, while Hodge is a hip-hop-influenced Houston sophisticate.

Stylistically, Kerrs work is loose and improvisational, of the moment. He doesnt want to be categorized as anything other than a self-expressionist, but for folks who want to know, hes both an indie music legend and a visual artist who earned his photography degree at UT in the seventies, studying with the great American street photographer Gary Winogrand. Hes in the Austin Music Hall of Fame as the cofounder and leader of several influential eighties Texas DIY punk bands, including Bad Mutha Goose, the Big Boys, and Poison 13. Hes done funk, too. Now he has an all-acoustic folk duo (with Jerry Hagins) called Up Around the Sun. Theyre calling us Windham hillbilly, which I think is pretty hilarious, he told me in his deep drawl during a phone interview.

Kerr always created his own visuals for album covers and posters, and he has painted skateboards and murals around the world for the past twenty years or so, by popular demandnot because he planned it that way. If you know his Unsung Pioneers of Austin Music mural at the corner of East Ninth and Red River Streets in Austin, you also know he adds a lot of text to introduce the heroes he paints, and he often signs his works Your Name Here, hoping the signature inspires viewers to create whatever moves them too. Art shouldnt just be about visual stimulation, he said. You need to educate people a little bit.

Hodge has a similarly broad practice, but he uses the formal name for it: multidisciplinary. His work is meticulously planned and detailed, and he has built his career just as purposefully, starting as a teenager at Houstons High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, then studying at Pratt and the Atlanta College of Art. He found his best mojo back home as a member of the lively community of artists and curators at Project Row Houses. His mixed-media works, many of which consider history from an African American perspective, often hang now in big museums. (One of his large painted assemblages is up currently in The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century at the Baltimore Museum of Art.) Hes produced vinyl albums in conjunction with some of his shows; thats how he met Gonzalez. He mentors young muralists. He is jamming this month to finish a new suite of paintings exploring critical race theory for his next solo show at Houstons David Shelton Gallery, which opens May 26.

Hodge and Kerr began sharing canvases long-distance last August, with Gonzalez ferrying the work between Austin and Houston. The artists got a better rhythm going early this year when Gonzalez set them up for two weeks at Houstons Hardy & Nance Studios, although they still had some learning to do about each other, starting with their personal symbols. For example, Kerr initially scratched his head over Hodges frequent use of a collaged, vintage Stereo label, because he had long related that word to a skateboard brand. For Hodge its about diverse voices coming from different places. Then there were questions about what they could paint over, cut up, or otherwise deface in the shared work. The good thing was that were not that precious about what were doing, Kerr told me. Im not artiste about it, and hes not really, either.

The result is an exuberant mash-up of images and text. Some of the paintings are done on vintage schoolroom maps, and some have hand-stitched elements. Its cohesive enough to look like the work of one artist, which is more than you could say about the Basquiat-Warhol collaborations. Kerrs minimal but expressive line drawings, which he fills in with flat acrylic colors, mingle effortlessly with Hodges layers of paint and collaged, screen printed images. Their bright palettes are compatible, too.

Hodge stopped by Gonzalezs apartment while I was there. Ive collaborated before, but on single piecesnever a show this big, he said. I had to figure out how to add value without taking over.

That thought apparently didnt stick with Hodge and Kerrs painting of Rahsaan Roland Kirk, a blind musical genius active from the 1950s to the 1970s. As we examined it, Hodge explained that Kirk played multiple saxophones and flutes at once. Kerr had started the painting, sending Hodge a simple composition on paper that showed Kirk against a red background, alongside text that read Celebrate Your Time Here. Gonzalez had a picture of that version on his phone. The written sentiment struck me as Hallmarkish; was it a joke or a prompt Kerr knew Hodge would paint over? It doesnt matter now. Hodge, who dove into research about Kirk, indeed turned up the volume. He ended up covering Kerrs initial text and most of the red background with a thick layer of black and busying up the composition to mimic a Superman comic cover. He added smaller figures of Charles Mingus on bass and Roy Haynes on drums to commemorate a landmark performance on The Ed Sullivan Show in which Kirk promised listeners true Black music.

The artists didnt pass a lot of their canvases back and forth more than once, but it looks to me like Kerr couldnt resist adding some final, scribbly touches to the Kirk piece. Either that or Hodge was trying to loosen up, Kerr-style. Either way, Hodges crisp painting has been defaced with an acrylic pen. At the top it reads, It aint Superman (self). Other comments have been scrawled on, too, along with the musicians names, which is something Hodge typically doesnt do in his work. I found a clip of the Sullivan Show performance on YouTube. That cacophonous, joyful free jazz must have blown some minds in 1971. Looking at the painting, you can almost hear it.

See the article here:
In Houston, a Basquiat and WarholStyle Collab With a Texas Twist - Texas Monthly

The property in Caldwell Road also comes with four bedrooms, two bathrooms and beautiful views over the Firth of Clyde.

The split-level home is described as giving "seaside living a luxury design edge worthy of its unrivalled position."

The description states: "The accommodation comprises a lounge, a family/dining room, a kitchen, a games room, a utility room, four bedrooms with master and dressing room, a family bathroom/ shower room, a WC/cloakroom. The property has an integral double garage, driveway parking, professional landscaped gardens and is well placed for ease of access to the town centre, seafront and mainline station.

"An entrance foyer opens to a bright, spacious lounge with a set of full height windows and patio doors which open to a broad external balcony. Both the lounge and balcony have fantastic panoramic views over Seamill to the Firth of Clyde and Arran in the south and south west.

"A set of stairs leads to a family/ dining room with a set of French doors which open to a terrace also with excellent views. The open plan kitchen is located to the rear of the family/dining room and is fitted with an island.A doorway to the rear of the family room opens to an inner hall with an office/study/bedroom 4 and a WC/cloakroom. A set of stairs from the family room leads to the lower level which has a spacious games room with French doorway access to the gardens. There is a utility room on this level which is plumbed for a washing machine also with doorway access to the gardens.

"On the upper level there are three double bedrooms and the family bathroom/shower room with four piece suite to include WC, wash hand basin, walk in shower and a bath. The master bedroom has fabulous elevated views to the south west and enjoys a spacious dressing area, built in wardrobe storage and a three piece en-suite shower room. The property is surrounded on all sides by professionally landscaped gardens."

The property is being marketed by Corum in Largs for offers over 550,000.

More information can be found here.

Read more here:
PROPERTY: Stunning West Kilbride villa with games room and sauna - Largs and Millport Weekly News

File - Drone shot of downtown Asheville, North Carolina (Credit: Michael Fredericks)

Here's some things happening around the mountains on Sunday.

Looking for some laughs? Head over to Catawba Brewing Company on the south slope.

Bo Johnson will be on stage from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.

Johnson is a comedian from Seattle, Washington.

What's Happening 5/14

If you're looking for some good music while taking in some fresh air, the patio at the Grey Eagle may be your spot on Sunday

Doors open at 11 a.m. and at 12 p.m. Julia Sanders takes the stage for Country Brunch.

Tickets are $12 and seating is limited on the patio.

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Asheville's Amadeus Festival continues Sunday with 'Fire in her Soul' at First Baptist Church of Asheville.

The show is from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m.

Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for youth.

Follow this link:
Events happening across the mountains Sunday, May 14 - WLOS