No more monsters, I can breathe again.

[rogueslayer452]

++ Kesha's new song, "Praying", is honestly the most beautiful and emotionally raw songs I have heard lately, the lyrics are so powerful and the imagery in the music video so poignant and deep. Considering the struggle she's been dealing with for years, I am happy that she is able to write and sing something from the heart and show her creativity and just demonstrate how utterly talented she is. I know that her battle isn't over yet, but I'm hoping that this is the first step towards her having more creative and personal freedom. I cannot wait for the release of her album, Rainbow. And, because it needs to be repeated, I have and will always stand by Kesha. ❤

++ You can now buy the official Buffy the Vampire Slayer fashion collection over at Hot Topic. Some of it is also available at Boxlunch, as well. I bought myself Faith leather jacket because, well, obviously. I'm just happy there is something Faith related in the new merchandising.

++ The whole Photobucket situation is beyond fucked up, and downright criminal. Now I haven't used that site in years, but I know many people still used it for their graphics and such. And it's not just graphic makers/anyone that uploads their moodthemes/layouts who are being affected by this, everywhere across the Internet anyone who used PB as a main hosting site their images are being broken, too. Places like Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and countless others. I know the site itself had become basically barely functional anyway over the years, but this is probably the stupidest thing they could've ever done. Nobody is going to pay a ridiculous amount of money for something that has been free since the beginning. I know that there are other free image hosting sites out there that are probably way better, but it still sucks that this had to happen and that so many people are being affected by it. If anyone knows of any other comparable hosting site, please let me know.

++ Grace Park and Daniel Dae Kim are leaving Hawaii 5-0 due to inequality pay.

This whole thing is outrageous, but unfortunately hardly surprising since this seems to be a common occurrence with CBS for not paying or treating their actors fairly. I haven't watched H50 in a long time, but considering that Grace and Daniel, who have been with the show since the beginning, were of the main ensemble cast and hardly were supporting characters at all they should have been paid pretty much the same as Alex and Scott. They even shared the same amount of episodes, too. So seeking equal pay isn't an unreasonable request at all. But of course, CBS tried to claim that they offered a "significant amount" to them, but not only was this amount not enough it also further proves that Grace and Daniel were being paid significantly less for years. It's a sad situation, but I'm glad that they aren't settling for the lesser deal than they want. So now a show that is based in Hawaii has lost all its Asian actors. This makes me wonder if the show is going to be ending soon, because I cannot foresee this lasting very long now anyway.

Comments

[denorios.livejournal.com]

I love 'Praying', listening to it right now. Very powerful and moving. The video reminded me of Beyonce's 'Lemonade', I wonder if that was deliberate?

The Photobucket thing makes me kinda glad I left LJ (or left off blogging, I'm still sort of here, obviously!) b/c the thought of all the images and mood themes and layouts I had stored there just and trying to shift them somewhere else is just too much!

And yeah, H50. Hard to see how it's anything other than racism, for all they're talking about Alex and Scott as the 'main' cast. Given that Grace and Daniel have probably been in the show more than Scott in the last few seasons, I don't know how they can use that argument. I stopped watching the show a year or so back, and this doesn't give me much reason to catch up.

[erychan86.livejournal.com]

I didn't know photobucket was now asking for money.... Annoying! Unfortunately I can't help you because I don't use any of these sites, but I'm sure something better will pop out soon!

[maybe.livejournal.com]

This photobucket thing is absolutely ridiculous, I cannot believe they have cut off linking unless you pay them such an outrageous amount of money. The average person cannot afford to pay that. They are basically shooting themselves in the foot bc most people are just going to move elsewhere. Idiots, honestly.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_profiterole_/]

I'm catching up with H50 right now. Having lost some interest in it, I moved it to my emptier summer schedule a couple of years ago. I'll probably drop it entirely now, because the Asian rep was the best thing about this show. Since Marco Polo was cancelled, I think Fresh Off the Boat is the only show left with significant Asian rep (not that H50 was anywhere near the other two).

[malicat.livejournal.com]

This whole H50 situation got worse with every new statement. I can't believe that CBS is painting DDK and Grace as greedy when they have every reason to demand equal payment! At least with Scott Caan who does less episodes than everyone else.

[sictransits.livejournal.com]

I absolutely love Praying. It's so different than any of her other music, but so moving. And her voice sounds amazing. Really looking forward to hearing the whole album!

I'm annoyed by the Photobucket thing, though I switched to Imgur when I got sick of all the pop-ups on PB. I'm pretty sure my moodtheme is still on PB so I'm sure I'll lose that soon.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure, but it wouldn't be surprising if there was some influence from that in the video.

I know there are many people trying to save/move all their stuff and I can imagine how time consuming it can be, especially if you have so much uploaded there. The sad thing is that LJ isn't the only thing being affected, which sucks so much. :/

Given that Grace and Daniel have probably been in the show more than Scott in the last few seasons, I don't know how they can use that argument.

For real, though. It's a combination of racism and sexism, since this isn't new for CBS to treat actresses like shit. I haven't caught up with the show for seasons now, but this whole debacle just makes me lose interest because as much as I love both actors and their characters, this does put a damper in any attempt of catching up.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Yeah, $400 a year for third party hosting, which is not just an outrageous demand but it's also pretty much criminal, showcasing just how greedy they are with this scam. Their "reasoning" is even worse, since they claim that "free image hosting is impossible and unsustainable in an ad block world", like??? That is beyond the dumbest excuse I've ever heard.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Apparently the CEO recently claimed that free image hosting is impossible and "unsustainable in a world of ad blockers" or something along those lines, which is beyond the stupidest explanation I've ever heard. I know that ads do bring the revenue for sites, but I know that PB has had issues with ads since it started bombarding the site with them and people were so annoyed to the point where they had to use ad blockers. So to quietly change their policy and say this is some fucked up bullshit.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Kesha's had other songs like this before, they just weren't popular or were unreleased because her label/her abuser wouldn't allow her to release the music she wanted to put out. Now, however, she's pretty much breaking free from that (as much as she can at the moment) to release the music she always wanted to without the restraints. And this one definitely has more emotion in it because she's singing about something very real to her, something she's going through, so you can actually hear the pain in her voice as she's belting out the words. It's heartbreaking, but at the same time uplifting and empowering. I honestly can't wait for what the rest of her new album will be like.

It honestly is the most fucked up situation with PB, and I'm just baffled that they have the audacity to demand such a high price that is unattainable by most just because they view free image hosting as obsolete. It's just them being greedy fucks, imho.

But it does put into question the future of free image hosting as a whole, if other places are going to follow suit or not.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Because of this debacle, it's brought back the discussion of not just proper Asian representation but also the mistreatment of Asians in the media and the constant fight against racism within the industry. It seems like this topic gets recycled every so often when things like this happen, but rarely anything is done about it after the fact. Which sucks.

[sictransits.livejournal.com]

I've heard a few of her ballads on albums, but not any of the unreleased things. I knew she could sing from seeing her live, and there was a slower version of Die Young released that she sounded great on. I'm really curious to see what the rest of her album is like.

I can understand wanting to charge people for it, but some notice would have been nice. And also an affordable price, $400 is ridiculous.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Seriously. It is not unreasonable to expect to be paid equally to the rest of their co-stars, especially if they are also leading actors, after seven freaking years of being on the show. Then again, CBS is notorious for being douches about these kinds of things.

[sakuraberries]

ugh, this photobucket thing! I just heard about it, and I realized my graphics journal on here is...a total mess. And of course my moodtheme images have all been replaced to. it's one heck of a cluster. and as a buzzfeed article i was reading said, this means that huge swaths of Ye Olde Internet have now been destroyed.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Seriously, the whole thing is ridiculous and the most fucked up. :/

[http://users.livejournal.com/_profiterole_/]

Not sure what can be done about Asian American representation. I've noticed that people often seem to be quick to mix it up with Asian (from actual Asia) representation, which is not something I see with other minorities, though I don't doubt it must happen occasionally. And yet there are a lot of Asians in the US, who also deserve to be treated with respect and to see themselves on screen. It's all very frustrating.

[mulder200.livejournal.com]

Like you said, the unequal pay with Daniel and Grace is messed up but also not surprising which is sad since they have been there since S1. And am I glad that DDK said something about it.

[erychan86.livejournal.com]

I noticed I had some images on my sidebar linked to there and I was not even able to retrieve them... luckily I still ha these gifs in some folder... That's very annoying!

[sarren.livejournal.com]

I was only watching for Chin Ho and Kono. They were great characters with their own epic storylines - not supporting characters at all. And more interesting than the two white dudes who just bickered all the time in between beating up suspects (I might be a bit biased).

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I'm glad he spoke out about it, as well. I'm wondering if Grace is going to add her piece to the situation as well, though I suspect she'll pretty much share DDK's sentiment's as well. Either way, it's a shitty thing that CBS is doing, but I like that they're standing their ground nonetheless.

Now if only their other co-stars would've said something/stuck up for them....

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Not sure what can be done about Asian American representation.

For starters, I think the first step would be to actually have opportunities available for Asian Americans. As it's been said time and time again, how can one be hired when there are no roles being offered? And by roles I mean ones that aren't written like racist caricatures or the stereotypical token character, or roles that are whitewashed and/or given the "color blind" treatment. There are plenty of Asian American actors, but very few actually get chances like this where they are front and center, being written as complex characters with their own stories and personalities. Also, if their heritage is to be featured at all, it should be done respectfully and not as a throwaway punchline. For example, in Agents of Shield Daisy Johnson is half-Chinese because the actress, Chloe Bennet, is half-Chinese and they managed to work that into the show to focus on her finding out who her parents were and where she came from. Not many Asian American actors are that lucky to come across a job like that though, which is a very sad and unfortunate truth that needs to be rectified.

And yet there are a lot of Asians in the US, who also deserve to be treated with respect and to see themselves on screen. It's all very frustrating.

As half-Asian myself, I rarely see anyone like me on television or in movies, which is frustratingly both a blessing (not seeing my culture being butchered) and a curse (not having that proper representation). I'm always excited when I see any Asian representation done right and Asian actors getting work that isn't offensive, but it happens so rarely and the mistreatment many have to go through within the industry in order to get just an ounce of recognition is painful and it shouldn't be happening. This is a long, tired issue that needs to be corrected, along with other minority groups that are suffering the same lack of representation within the entertainment industry as a whole.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I admit to really enjoyed the Steve/Danny dynamic on the show, their banter was fun and entertaining, but I also really loved Kono and Chin. They were not just an essential part of the team, they were part of that family and were their own characters in their own right. By not paying the actors equally as their white co-stars is blatant disrespect to the amount of hours and time they spent on the show for years now. And it's disappointing that nobody else on the show came to their defense/show support in regards to equal pay, either. They deserved better.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_profiterole_/]

Agents of SHIELD is not the best in terms of representation, but they did a good job with Daisy's backstory. And I forgot to mention Into the Badlands, which sometimes does a good job and sometimes doesn't, but it's definitely worth being mentioned.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

It's very frustrating to come across all of these ugly dead links on my LJ now, but there's still no way I'm paying $400 just to share my own images :( It's bizarre to me that they went to such a ridiculous sum for a site that was previously free to use, at least if they had tried for Idk $50 or something, they might have had a few takers.

And CBS do sound very greedy, I remember reading the actors on The Big Bang Theory had to actually offer to take a paycut from their own money, just so other members of the cast could be treated fairly. And that's a show that's making so much money for CBS

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

And even then, they should've warned people before this decision was to be made instead of silently changing the policy. Also, their explanation for the change is probably the bullshittiest one I've ever heard.

CBS is notorious for treating their actors like crap, especially women. Criminal Minds comes to mind when since they've continually done this to their actresses over the years (from firing and then rehiring to actresses threatening to quit over unequal pay, etc). CBS is also the network that passed on the Nancy Drew pilot because it featured "too many women." But this situation not only features that same level of sexism but also racism, too. It's just super shitty all around.

[mfirefly10.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's ridiculous about photobucket. I haven't used it in years (though I may still have images hosted there, who knows) but it sucks for people who still use it and have now lost all their stuff. At least if they'd started at a reasonable price but come on, no one is going to pay that much money for a service that was completely free up 'til now.


CBS is trash. It sucks that DDK and GP are out of a job but I'm so glad they stood up for themselves. If they were offered "significant" raises and STILL weren't close to pay parity, that just shows how underpaid they've been for all these years. Good for them for moving on. I hope they both get new projects soon and that those projects are things I'm actually interested in :) I'd really like to see them both return to scifi/genre work.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

At least if they'd started at a reasonable price but come on, no one is going to pay that much money for a service that was completely free up 'til now.

I know, right? I get wanting revenue, which is why ads were featured on the site years ago (annoying as they are), but apparently their excuse for this silent and sudden shift is because "ad block" is ruining their "business". Then don't bombard the site with so many ads that it becomes barely functional? Also, if you want people to start paying for their service, at least start with an affordable price and not something is absurdly expensive. I don't see PB lasting long after this though, they pretty much shot themselves in the foot with this ridiculously fucked up decision and will lose business anyway.

I hope they both get new projects soon and that those projects are things I'm actually interested in :) I'd really like to see them both return to scifi/genre work.

So much agreed! I would love for them to be featured in something like The Expanse or Dark Matter, that would be amazing.

[batmarg.livejournal.com]

Yikes. I couldve ignored this when the closest hot topic was 2+ hours away, but now theres one just a little over an hour from me....

The photobucket situation is bullshit. The Hawaii Five-0 one too. Ive gottrn super behind on that show, but those 2 have been main characters from the start & deserve equal pay. Also, what i really love about it is the ohana aspect, and they're fucking thay up.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

It's really hard to resist sometimes when they have so many fandomy things there. ;)

They truly are fucking that up. I really liked the family dynamic of the team since the beginning. Granted I haven't watched the show for who knows how many seasons, but I really loved not just them all as a team but also the familial relationship between Chin and Kono. But the fact that they've been paid significantly lesser than everyone else, despite being main characters, and CBS refuses to pay them what they deserve, is definitely some bullshit. I'm sad it happened this way, but I think it's for the better for both of them. They stood their ground, never backed down or gave into a lesser deal than what they placed on the table. Grace and DDK were great on H50 and will be missed, but they definitely deserve better and I hope they get more work after this.

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

The Photobucket thing is ridiculous. They've pretty much just wiped out their customer base I think at this point.

Also ridiculous the Hawaii 5-0 thing. CBS does this on the regular and it's always the POC or a woman who's getting screwed. It seems white men just magically deserve more pay on that network.

LOVE Kesha's new song. She's such a fighter and I'm so glad she didn't give in.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

It's sadder when you think that there are even some people who are actually willing to pay that absurd amount. But regardless, they basically just destroyed the site entirely.

I just read that they recently hired new "regulars" for H50 to take their place, and it's just so disrespectful and rude, to be honest. The entire situation could have very well been avoided had CBS paid them fairly, but because they are greedy racist/sexist assholes they just didn't. The show just needs to be cancelled at this point, to be honest.

Kesha is so strong, I am so proud of her. I am loving the stuff she's been releasing lately. From "Praying" to "Woman", she is coming back with a vengeance and I love it. ♥

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

I'm mostly disappointed in the rest of the H50 cast. Not the new hires, but the ones who worked for years with the actors who are now out of work. I really think they should have stood up for their cast mates more.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Yeah, especially after hearing about other cases of casts being supportive when their co-stars were fighting for equal pay, it's disappointing that we haven't heard anything from Alex or Scott. It's not like this was a sudden thing that occurred, as I'm sure Grace and DDK have been fighting for equal pay for a while before they reached the decision to leave. But a little support from their rest of their co-stars, the ones they've been with since the very beginning of the show, would've been nice.

[sarren.livejournal.com]

I wonder if Kim and/or Park approached Caan and O'Loughlin to support them, or if they thought they couldn't or shouldn't?