Pop Media Cult Part Deux

Yes, I know, my Title for May is my worst metaphor yet!  I'm going to keep this month as brief as possible.  And it turns out that "brief" may be relative LOL:

Here is a recap of the recap to date:

Hiatus Direction 2016 - Preamble: Birth Love and Death
Hiatus Direction 2016 - January Part 1 - Freddie Reign
Hiatus Direction 2016 - January Part 2 - Into the Wilderness
Hiatus Direction 2016 - February Part 1 - Secret Love Song #1 Louelle
Hiatus Direction 2016 - February Part 2 - Secret Love Song #2 Cheriam 
Hiatus Direction 1016 - March & April - Silent Sprint

So let's begin:

Hiatus Direction 2016 - Come What May


Liam In Paris

One of the reasons that this May recap is lengthy is that I am starting out with Cheriam again. 

Liam and Cheryl did a number of gorgeous high profile red carpet appearances during the month of May,   They went to both Paris of The Global Gift Gala (in which Cheryl was an honoree) and an event in Cannes the Chopard Trophee, in association with Cheryl and L'Oreal.





<---5.9.16,  The Paris Global Gift Gala - I'm sorry, haters, but they are a very attractive couple.  And there is no debate about that.  And he looks at her like she's his world.


And again in Cannes

 <---  5.12.16, Again they are just plain smoking HOT!

But I'm sad to report a couple of things going on regarding this couple from the fandom's POV.

1.  The hate was fast and it was furious.  The 1D fandom hating on a 1D girlfriend isn't unusual, but the nastiness they unleashed on Cheryl's IG, and even on Liam's IG when he mentioned her - was rank vicious.  The two words that trolls liked to use against Cheryl were (and continue to be...)  Grandma and Ziam.  (Yes, people still ship Ziam as though it is real... ::eye roll::)

2.  Even as early as May, pregnancy rumours were very prevalent.  Of course she wasn't actually pregnant... yet.  (oops, Spoiler Alert!)

pssst - a couple of pictures were the basis for the original rumors:

 <--- People started speculating about the shape of her belly in this gorgeous but tight dress.  And about her hand on her belly at the Paris airport.  The people doing that speculation were of course wrong... at that particular time.  ;)

Finally on the subject of Cheriam...

  <--- That is the way he looks at her! ::::thunk:::  Haters can bite me.



Harry's Haircut

Another reason why this May post is relatively long is... Harry got a haircut.

Harry was MIA for most of May, and would generally remain so for the rest of the year.  But on May 6, the big, earth shattering news broke:  Harry Styles had cut his hair.   This shocking turn of events had been anticipated by the reality based portion of the fandom, the fans who understood the inevitability of the haircut.  Remember the news that broke in March that Harry had accepted a role in the Christopher Nolan movie Dunkirk - a war movie - playing a soldier in a WWII period movie.  And we understood that playing such a character is a historical drama would require much shorter hair.  

So RIP Long Haired Harry:

<--- RIP



Here is how this monster news story unfolded:


First, Harry posted a shot of just his hand... holding the erstwhile lock of hair on and Instagram post on May 7th 


 <--- He kindly donated the proceeds for the auctioned lock to a charity, Little Princess Trust, which provides wigs to children who suffer hair loss due to cancer treatment.

This story was covered high and low, such is the magnetism of Harry Style's hair.

Here are just a few examples:


GQ
Glamour UK
E News

The next anticipated step was for Harry to unveal his new look in public.  Alas, new glimpses would be painfully slow in coming.



But Harry didn't post a picture of himself with his shortened hair, leaving his fans waiting with baited breath.  Finally on May 9, the paps found him out and about.  Unfortunately, his hat kept the new hairstyle discretely covered.    The full reveal would have to wait for later in the month.

  <---  Much ado about this haircut.

When the hair cust was at last unvealed, it was indeed in conjuction with Harry's movie role.    In Mid May Dunkirk filming was ramping up on location in the town of Dunkerque France, and in Amsterdam.  And on May 18th, Harry was spotted in Dunkerque and that is where he would continue appear for most of the Summer.  You will see all of that Dunkirk filming goodness in the Summer round up post to follow this one.

On May 26, we got the first official glimpse both of the haircut, and even more exciting, of Harry in costume as a WWII soldier...

 <---  So much more to come!


Sporty Niall



Niall spent May reminding us all of his love for golf.  On May 19, Niall partnered with good friend Rory McIlroy for an event associated with the Northern Ireland Open.  Golf Digest was all over it. Let's just say that the golfing industry seems to regard Niall's involvement in their sport as a very positive thing for attracting new young golfers. Some choice quotes from Golf Digest:





<--- Niall playing at one his May golfing events.


Later in the month he played in another Pro-Am in Surrey





And he closed the month with a charity event for Cancer that he co-hosted with Golfer Justin Rose:



<--- With Justin

But there was one more sporty event that Niall attended at the end of the month/beginning of the next...  But I'll save that for the end of the post.

Finally, Louis

Louis continued living with the complications of his life including being a new dad, and balancing girlfriend and babymama.  Although, we would later learn, that it was in May that Louis learned some truly terrible news that he would be carrying with him for the rest of the year.  A devastating  twist he held in secret from the fans for most of the rest of the year.  

Let's start with Louis and Danielle.  During May they took two rather glamerous trips together.  First they took a vacation to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico...


<--- Seen here taking what must have been a glorious selfie on a Yacht.*  May 12, 2016

*Ahahahaha, Poor Larries.  Another yacht!

Later during their stay in a resort, they were caught making out (and worse) by a long distance paparazzi.  Unfortunately, the Pap caught pictures of Louis taking off Danielle's bikini top, of her topless, as well as the two of them kissing.

 <-- Here are some of the makeout photos, but I won't repost the topless pics... Sorry.

Later in the month, they went on a trip to Monaco for the Grand Prix.  They looked very glam walking around the beach.

 <-- Surely few couples ever looked this glorious and perfect together.  At least for this moment in time.  If only Danielle had had a crystal ball.

Between those two trips, Louis was twice papped in Los Angeles with Freddie and Briana, apparently exchanging the baby in public places for Louis' visitation.

 <-- May 8

 <-- Here on May 19 with Briana.

 <--- Again with Briana on the 21st.
These pubic exchanges in parking lot are actually good practice for parents who are co-parenting.  It keeps the exchanges on neutral ground.  Of course most co-parenting couples are not so high profile.  And Boybander with a Baby is a pap magnet.  :(

Finally, on May 25th, just after the trip to Monaco, Louis and Danielle attended the wedding of James Vardy in London.

<--- Louis and Danielle at the Vardy Wedding.  Looking every inch the happy and in-love couple.

 But the fandom learned later that there was a dark side to this appearance.It was at this event, the fandom later learned, that Louis first learned that his mother's cancer was terminal.  

***
On that note, Louis had one more event for the end of the month.  A charity football match in London.  And Niall had agreed to come as well.  For the end of May, we were treated to lovely images of these two boys forming the new IT BROMANCE of 1D.  

Long live NOUIS

 <-- Louis and Niall on June 1.   They put on a fantastic event.

***
And the so the year wound on into the Summer.  Things would start to quiet down as the Hiatus settled in on the boys.  The star of the Summer will be Harry Styles.

 

And here we go!

Welcome to my first official One Direction Series in two years! 

I'm so excited!  It has been awhile, but I have finally been inspired  to write more of my adventures in One Direction fandom.  One Direction has been on Hiatus for the last two years, and so have I.   But my Hiatus ends today, even if theirs goes on for another ten years.  ;) (Or forever...)

The last series I wrote was my OTRA tour recap of 2015 which I titled Roadkill: A Love Story.   2015, and the OTRA tour feels like a long time ago now.  I remember being quite drained by the time that series was finally finished.  Perhaps that is why my hiatus has lasted this long.  

That being said, I give you a warning, I'm pretty sure this recap of 2016 will also be another opus.   A lot has happened these last two years.  Real life has happened to One Direction, including both the births of children and the deaths of parents.  This story isn't all fantasy this time, it's about babies and surprise romances and also about grievous loss.

First I have a few points of order.  

*This is essentially a combo of the shipping series I did in 2014 and 15, with a Recap similar to the Roadkill series.

*I considered including Zay, but I decided I had my hands full just covering the recaps of OT4.  I will include a Zayn in a follow up post attached to the next series I'm going to do... Speaking of which:

And yes, another warning because I am a glutton for punishment, I'm also planning a followup series to this one which will be called Solo Direction 2017.  But that is down the road.  First comes:


Hiatus Direction 2016: Birth, Love and Death

****

The story of One Direction 2016 was a journey. It literally begins with the birth of a baby boy, and ends with the death of his grandmother. I suppose that was a spoiler alert.


Lets set the stage for 2016 with these images in our minds from the X-Factor in London on December 13, 2015.    This was the last appearance of One Direction together before the Hiatus began.  Remember these. They are important.

 <--- The boys together on the X-Factor stage where it all began for them five years earlier.  Perhaps for the last time.  Perhaps not.  Only time will tell if we will ever see them together again.




<--- There are some great pictures from that night, though I have an unpopular opinion about Harry's suit...



<--- The last group hug  ::sniffle::



This last picture is especially... entertaining... Hindsight being 20/20 and all, but you'll see ;).

 <--- The boys with the X-Factor judges at the end of the evening.



After that last X-Factor performance, as that December moved towards the New Year, each boy prepared to go his own way.  Here's what we knew about where they were headed.

***

Niall

I don't think that anyone had high exceptions regarding Niall starting a solo career.  Towards the end of 2015 he had formed a company in partnership with 1D's Management team called Modest Golf.  Niall's interest in golf and participation in various golfing events made everyone assume that his future lay on the course, and perhaps with this new Golf Management company it would.

 <--- One of Niall's many Golf Outings in 2015

***

Liam


Liam had spoken several times in interviews that he was planning to write and produce music for others, but not necessarily for himself during the upcoming break.  Believe me, lots of Liam girls were heartbroken about the prospect of no Solo Liam.   But because of his statements there were few expectations for a solo career.  He had also recently broken up with his long time girlfriend, Sophia Smith so it seemed that he was in a lonely place.  He was posting a lot of pictures of quality time with his enormous Great Dane.  Oh how little we knew...  LOL  


<--- Liam with his Great Dane, Watson



 <--- Hint Hint



***

Harry


Because Harry is everyone's Media Darling, there was a rumored bidding war going on to sign Harry's solo record deal, which everyone other than the willfully blind* knew was going to happen.  Harry did nothing to dissuade those rumors when he made an extremely public appearance on New Years weekend, in Saint Barts, on a Yacht, with Kendall Jenner and his music management company owning best friend Jeff Azoff.  The paparazzi were all over it.


 
<---Harry & Kendall on the infamous St. Barts New Years Yacht excursion.


There was even what appeared to be a contract signing ceremony on New Years Day for Jeff to officially become Harry's new manager.  The theory is that New Years day, 2016 was the first possible day that Harry was free to sign a new contract.

 <--- signing ceremony photographed by Kendall herself...

* The Willfully Blind = the fandom's plague of tinhats...  I'll probably address them in this series in one way or another.



***

Louis

Finally, Louis prepared for the upcoming birth of his child with his Ex Briana Jungwirth by revealing that he had a NEW girlfriend, Danielle Campbell (known for playing Davina on The Originals).  In late December, she took him to meet her parents in Chicago, and fans spotted them all over various places in and around the Chicagoland area for a solid week.  And then he took her to the UK for the Holidays with his family in Doncaster. 



<--- Louis hugging Danielle from behind at an Oberwies, a local Ice Cream parlor.


 <--- One of Louis and Danielle's stops was a tattoo parlor, where Louis apparently had a penguin tattooed on his ass.

Meanwhile Briana waited in Los Angeles for 2016 to come.

 <--- Briana chilled out in L.A... Waiting.  Tick Tick Tick Tick Tick.


***

And so began 2016, Year One Of Hiatus Direction.

This part of my One Direction Weed Scandal Aftermath series will discuss the role played by Harry Styles. In the initial, dark days of the scandal, it was apparently important to make sure that the world knew that Harry was furious with his wayward bandmates. Very furious.

Put before we get to Harry's fury, first, he needed to be comforted. Believe it or not, and I'm not kidding: there was a puppy.



 

The article was actually kind of blatant about the whole thing:

Yup, while the whole world was busy entering a minor breakdown over Zayn and Louis having a grand old time in the car, Harry was taking his mind off things by snuggling up with a teeny tiny fluffy pooch, and the pictures are so cute that our heads might explode.

Puppy not enough? Another article was circulating the same day which revealed how Harry spends his free time on tour. In contrast to wayward Zayn and Louis, No smoking weed for Harry. Nope! Believe it or not it was revealed that... Harry knits.

But sadly, it was inevitable that the negative articles were going to hit. And no puppy, no matter how fluffy, could stop them.

On came the stories about how the band was shamed, disgraced, and divided. Most of these articles focused on Harry, because he has been designated as the chosen one by the media and as the member who is ultimately going to Beyoncé out of the group. Therefore, any article about the band breaking up, centers on Harry.

Many of the articles focused on an alleged confrontation that occurred the day after the scandal broke between Harry and Zayn.

According to these stories the band was hardly talking, and worse:

"It's Zayn and Louis against the others - Harry, Liam and Niall are furious. They had a dramatic meeting last week and Harry was the first to lash out, telling them they'd messed everything up," the source added. "But Zayn turned it around on Harry and accused him of only being interested in himself. Poor Niall has been in tears - he's worried this could be the end of the band."

So, the inevitable slant was that the band is breaking up, and Harry wants out! Oh, noes!

Other articles focused on the divide, with a lot of analysis regarding the boys travel arrangements while on tour. One Direction uses two private planes when they travel. It is generally known, at least among the fandom, that Zayn, Louis and Liam typically travelled in one plane because they are smokers, while Harry and Niall travelled in the other because they are non-smokers. However, the articles painted this as a sign that Harry is Too Good for the rest, and was separating himself from them in preparation for his ultimate departure. (They tend to ignore the part where Niall and Harry travel together, in order to paint it as Harry against all the others... Yay journalism!)

In any case, they make it clear that since the scandal hit, Harry and Niall are now joined by Liam on one plane, and Louis and Zayn are on the other. And airport photos seem to back this up.






 <-- Narriam do seem to be flying together now, separately from Zouis... Hmmm. These photos are actually from yesterday, June 13, showing the three boys arriving for the start of the European leg of their current tour in Stockholm, Sweden.

Whatever is actually going on behind the scenes, most of it is rumor and conjecture. Harry has not addressed the matter publicly, nor has any other member of the band, or management, with the exception of Liam's tweets on May 31. Those tweets remain as the sole official response.

Well, what's there to do? More distraction seems in order.

As time passed, distraction appeared in the form of a fanfic author named Anna Todd, who scored a book/movie deal over her mega-opus Harry Styles fan fiction. This story, called After is is regarded as the potential next 50 Shades of Grey. LOL. (I've skimmed through parts of it, and can safely say that it has much in common with 50 Shades ;) In any case, it has been quite the buzz. The story has over 300 MILLION hits.

So, it that wasn't enough distraction, is Harry Styles NAKED in this photo????



Well is he or isn't he! The world wants to know! (This photo of Harry chilling with his cousins appeared on June 3.) And still no answer. ;)

So, that should about cover Harry's role in the Weed Aftermath. I suppose his role could be defined as the Aggrieved Victim, but he has also been successful at distancing himself from the scandal overall. And those stories about One Direction's inevitable breakup are going to continue to circulate, regardless of the scandal, until they finally come true. But the Scandal was a convenient catalyst for their appearance, what with the obvious division it has created. Oh, and did you see how cute that puppy was?

I'm going to quickly touch on Niall in my next post. Did you know that Niall is a living ray of sunshine? And then FINALLY I will get to Zayn and Louis...

Here's a 5x5.