The String of Pearls – The original tale of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street -by Thomas Preskett Prest

The String of Pearls by Thomas Preskett Prest is a dark book you’ll love so badly.

It is in fact the story of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Strange street Fleet Street.

Once, as also written in the London’s biography by Peter Ackroyd Fleet Street was an insane little river, but because of sanitary problems and illness that the river brought to the people, during the time the administration transformed it in a street, although a touch if insanity it is still going on.

No one knows if this one is a legend or not.
Surely London is not just the capital of UK but also a city avid for blood and so it seems that once upon a time there was a weird weird strange barber called Sweeney Todd in Fleet Street.

This book, The String of Pearls inspired the legendary musical by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler created and launched in 1979 and winners of eight Tony Awards.

Later Johnny Depp would have created, based on the musical by Sondheim with Tim Burton as director Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. It was 2007.

The story of Sweeney Todd told in this book, is pretty different from the musical and the movie.

The horror, I wouldn’t never read it differently, in different ways is left to the imagination of us, readers, but the book is written with great linguistic property and class. The writing style of 1800 is adorable because punctual, precise, can I add: perfect?

Anyway the lovely partner of Sweeney Todd, a barber of Fleet Street has a store with mr Jarvis Williams and there they sell wonderful delicious sweet meat pis. They are loved by everyone. They’re the sweetest ones you can find around and who knows if attracted by mrs. Lovett or simply because the meat is so delicious, the store is always plenty of people.

Mrs. Lovett in love with Sweeney Todd, a good criminal pair this one.

Sweeney Todd has a good work as barber, although strangely not all the men who enter in his shop for making their beard go out after the work. Who knows why. A dog is still waiting for his owner…
Through a trap door Sweeney after the service, in general he cut the throat at his victims, would send them to Mrs Lovett for being “prepared” to becoming delicious meat for the customers of her delicious reality…

Sure something starts to go bad for Sweeney Todd. Killing means also someone who start to search for some missing people. Johanna is searching for her fiance, and at the same time also Colonel Jeffrey is searching for his friend Thornhill strangely missing. Where are them all?
Maybe in the stomach of some very satisfied people, who knows? but no one still know this horrific reality. Surely all of them spotted the last time close to Sweeney Todd’s barber’s shop. So later, where did they go?

Great relevance in the story also at the poor boy Tobias Ragg, one of the most interesting characters of the book, the young apprentice of Sweeney Todd…

Go for this book if you search for pure horror but also a horror told with great respect and without to go into details that could scare people. It’s a classic, It says all the word: classics.The String of Pearls like all the classics has the characteristic of eternity and immortality.

I thank Endeavour Press for this book.

Anna Maria Polidori

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UTA cancels the Oscar Party protesting against Donald Trump’s immigration ban

UTA deletes the event

 

The United Talent Agency, the one joined just few days ago by Johnny Depp after his decision of interrupting his long-term (from 1989) collaboration with Tracey Jacobs is in first line against President Trump and the incredible aggressive policy against immigration in a place, the America made and built by immigrants of all the world who have believed at the big potentialities of that land.

The only population Cristoforo Colombo found in America were the Native Americans and I would want to remember that the treatment reserved to them by white people hasn’t been one of the best ones.

Said that, past can’t be re-written unfortunately, the American Dream has always been the biggest dream for generations of people who believed that leaving their lands and affording to the USA in particular made the difference.

There is not a French Dream, there is not an Italian Dream: there has always been an American Dream because thanks to a system in grade to give support and at the hard work of the various immigrants, each person could find a good corner of the world where building a good existence.

The UTA at the moment announced that in sign of protest will cancel the pre-Oscar party replacing it hosting a rally in support of refugees.

They will also donate $250,000 at the American Civil Liberties Union and International Rescue Committee because this union will fight against the ban wanted by President Trump. The mission of this union: to preserve the Constitutional liberties promised to all the American Citizens.

That Hollywood is in tension is more than true and it’s not excluded that similar initiative will involve other companies or other pre-Oscar parties.

At the moment the ban wanted recently by Trump prevented the entrance in the USA of  people from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen. All of it, for avoiding terrorist attacks.

There were some development in the while and a judge of the West Coast affirmed that the ban unconstitutional, so at the moment people from these country can enter in the USA. Children with big problems who couldn’t be cured in their countries are in the USA for receiving medical cures and being operated. People working in many big corporate can continue to do their work.

At the same time the suspension of the ban created another big fight between the judge, the administration Trump, the same President, very upset with the judge who declared unconstitutional his ban and at the moment he is trying to re-affirm  that the USA is under big peril if muslin immigrants are admitted in the USA and that the ban is legitimate by problems of security. Another sentence is waited in a few days.

Most of the clients of the UTA have unsupported during the Presidential Campaign Donald Trump telling vibrantly to common people of not voting for him. The spiral of the populism strongest than many appeals.

Let’s remember Johnny Depp with his parody of the same Trump. Johnny also added that if Trump would have been elected he would have been the latest President elected with this modality.

Another actor involved in many humanitarian causes Angelina Jolie.
In the list of actors represented by UTA Gwyneth Paltrow Barbra Streisand and Benedict Cumberbatch.

The Pre-Oscars parties are the most beautiful event of this circus called Academy Awards in which stars and people of the movie industry can socialize all together. They’re beautiful and exclusive events.

The party of the UTA organized on the Friday night before the Oscars.

The UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer declared: “This is a moment that demands our generosity, awareness and restlessness. Our world is a better place for the free exchange of artists, ideas and creative expression. If our nation ceases to be the place where artists the world over can come to express themselves freely, then we cease, in my opinion, to be America.”

We can just hope that President Trump will understand that the so-called other is not an enemy but someone we can learn  and grow up with and that terrorism can be won using other strategies not blocking an entire culture because of few cruel individuals.

Some Muslims one day while I was reporting an event created in a city close to me, Umbertide, one of the most multi-cultural city in Umbria, after the horrible terrorist attack in Paris at the Bataclan more than a year ago said me: “Please write this. That these people are terrorist, not that there is Islamic Terrorism but that this one is just terrorism. These people could also have close to their beds our Bible, but trust me they’re not Muslims to us and we don’t recognize them as Muslims because our religion is pacific. They just use religion for killing innocent people.”

We all know that history repeat itself.

Maybe it would be great to start a fight against the indoctrination of these teenagers or young adults created by these leaders of terror, trying to understand why it is possible this brain-washing able to create terrorists and how to interrupt this spiral. I would surely start from there.

 

Anna Maria Polidori

 

Source: The Inquisitr

Johnny Depp ends his collaboration with Tracey Jacobs his historic agent

Tracey Jacobs and Johnny Depp.

A long and successful team, the two have decided to ending up their mutual collaboration and Johnny Depp joined the C.A.A.

When discovered the news someone said to Page Six: “Yes it’s true this split from U.T.A. and Jacobs. Their relationship had run its course.”

Anna Maria Polidori

source: VF USA

The Flying Dutchman

As we know this one will be one of the ships protagonists of Pirates 5 and so let’s try to see what there is behind this legend.

Sometimes it’s destiny.

And it was what happened to the captain of The Flying Dutchman when on 1641 he was cursed by a supernatural creature. Captain Van Der Decken was at Cape of Good Hope. He had left from Holland with his ship, he worked for the Dutch East India Company for affording and bringing to Holland a lot of things and foods from the distant Indies. Spices at that time a rarity able to make rich a sailor who would have stolen two or three nutmegs and sold them to some important and rich man once returned home as remembers Giles Milton in Nathaniels Nutmeg.

During a night of torments, in which captain Van Der Decken was drunk and there was also a tempest and crazy wind and big and dangerous waves, he decided to pass through the Cape of Good Hope although crew and passengers admonished him: “Please, don’t continue. Please choose another route. Use your compass wisely, captain.”

But the captain was firm in the purpose to continue although waves always more tall and conditions always more scaring and precarious.
He returned once in his cabin and once again out he discovered that the various sailors had decided to boycott him taking the complete control of the ship.
Mutiny.
If the captain was insane someone had to do something thought the rest of the scared people in that ship.

But captain van der Decken didn’t accept any sorta of dialogue and killed without thinking twice the leader of the rebellion.

He threw from the ship the body of the unfortunate leader man and sailor without too many compliments, giving it to the Ocean for resting in peace, but… when the body of this man touched the cold sea of the Ocean, a voice of a supernatural creature told him that, because of his behavior he would have been cursed forever, and his crew would have been composed not anymore by men but by dead men, ghosts because of what he did and because he tried to be a God.

Most famous artists interested at  the Flying Dutchman with the time.
Richard Wagner with The Flying Dutchman, but also Coleridge, Walter Scott and on July 11 1881 the future King George V with his brother Albert Victor of Wales saw this ship in Australia.

Yes: it’s possible to seeing this cursed ship in various part of the world, not just at Cape of Good Hope.

Scientists will insist that this one is just a vision and that like mermaids there is nothing, but I want to believe that somewhere exists the Flying Dutchman and that the captain of this ship is still angry with the world, that he can’t touch any land for any reason, that he is heartless and that he is surrounded by a group of peaceless dead men as a crew. Because dreaming sometimes is more than necessary and the dimension of dream the only one able to keep us alive in a too materialistic and sad world.

Anna Maria Polidori

sources: ancient-origins.net, Occultopedia.com

At the Superbowl another trailer of Pirates. With Jack!

During the Superbowl Disney launched a new trailer of Pirates Dead Men Tell No Tales. And Jack is back!
The movie directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg written by Jeff Nathanson.

Visible and real, Johnny Depp is not disappeared as in the past said.
As I always think: slowly but things will be back at the normality.

The story should be this one: Jack this time will be persecuted by the ghost of Captain Salazar. this ghost, Salazar is very furious for many reasons although confined in the Devil’s Triangle so he can’t do any damage. Sadly he will run away with a special crew all composed by ghosts and with the purpose of a special mission: killing Jack Sparrow.

At the same time legendary Jack Sparrow can only pray to find the Trident of Poseidon for escaping the horror of Salazar. Along his road he will meet the astronomer Kaya Scodelario and a young new sailor called Henry -Brenton Thwaites – the probable son of Will Turner, Orlando Bloom.

The song in the trailer the one of Johnny Cash “Ain’t No Grave.”

Anna Maria Polidori

 

 

source: Collider.com

But Johnny wasn’t stingy?

What I know for sure of Johnny Depp thanks to my connections, is that he does pay attention to his money and this being “stingy” a characteristic in the good sense of the word in the old times.
Considering that most of the media are treating the story of the duel between Johnny Depp and his old managers – and so here we are let’s hope that soon or late these stories will be over and we will be back writing of movies – let’s report the latest news, or better, Johnny’s passions.

Yes, OK they’re expensive passions at first sight but you mustn’t never think that Johnny lives in our system. When you become as famous as Johnny is, buying a painting of a very famous painter is like to buy an ice-cream for us, common mortals.

So at first it was Johnny Depp who, the day of the end of his divorce from Amber Heard decided to move a legal action against his old managers. This, because of the parcels he paid to them during the years.

I haven’t known Johnny in the first part of his life, when he wasn’t so rich, but he was a WOW! enthusiastic, charismatic actor for a niche of viewers and his movies dreaming because plenty of healthy poetry and a profound existential sense.

 

When I arrived I found that Johnny had bought an island and was the famous Jack Sparrow of the franchise Pirates of the Carribean. And, it must be add, a very intelligent man, with a vivid perception of th reality and his self.

To me Johnny could also lose all his money, my devotion wouldn’t cease at all because what I appreciate of this man is his intelligence. I admit that maybe fame sometimes is not as healthy as it can appears, but the consolation is that if it wouldn’t exist we wouldn’t grow up in every sense.

Johnny’s expenses according to the managers?

14 mansions in various part of the world for a total of $75 million.
A yacht now sold at J.K.Rowling (the mom of Harry Potter) for $18 million.

Johnny paid entirely the funeral of Hunter S.Thompson. His beloved friend killed himself and Johnny paid (I remember it vividly!) $3 million for a canon who would have fire our the ashes of the gonzo reporter and writer.

Art: we all know that Johnny loves art (and books) and he loves to buying it wherever he goes.

Johnny posses 200 collectible pieces and works of Andy Warhol, Klimt, Basquiat, (some of them auctioned recently) and Modigliani. Very expensive jewelry. Seventy guitars plus a lot of rare Hollywood collectibles.  John Dilinger, Marlon Brando some of them.

 

Anna Maria Polidori