A great thing about television is how it may normalize people of color navigating their mental health or suicidality. However, one of the worst things for television is shoddy depictions of suicide for people of color. Here is my list of the top five worse depictions of suicide for people of color on television.
(This article will reveal a lot of spoilers.)
5. Curb Your Enthusiasm
In case absolutely no one has noticed Kramer’s crappy comments about suicide in Seinfield, or all of the crappy comments Larry David made about mental health all throughout Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David’s content especially wasn’t great at depicting a person of color’s attempted suicide.
In Episode 4 of Season 5, Larry meets a Japanese man named Yoshi (Greg Watanabe) who attempts suicide after Larry accuses his father of being a cowardly kamikaze pilot in World War II. While Larry and his friends are gambling at Yoshi’s sister’s house, when his sister (Elaine Kao) and brother in law (Kevin Nealon) get a call about his attempted suicide, Larry and his friends continue to play cards.
In the end, stereotypical Japanese music plays while Yoshi’s father (Ken Takemoto) crashes into Larry with his wheelchair shouting “Banzai” as the sound effect of a plane crash also plays.
I don’t feel comfortable with how Larry David always portrayed Asian people as caricatures who are victims of his antics throughout Curb.
4. Rick & Morty
I know some may not be surprised this is on the list considering the whole well-meaning white leftist animated comedy writing that just ends up making the situations worse, but it’s still worth bringing up. Out of all of the times Rick & Morty has made fun of suicide, flippantly and casually, only two episodes out of its entire run so far presented a content warning for depictions of suicide. I will talk about one of these episodes: Episode 4 of Season 7.
Rick (voiced by Ian Cardoni) gets spaghetti from an alternate universe that is tasty for the whole family to assign once a week “Spaghetti Night.” Unfortunately, his grandson Morty (voiced by Harry Beldon) finds out that Rick has been obtaining the spaghetti from a planet where if someone chooses to die by suicide, their body’s internal parts turn into spaghetti.
When Morty brings this to the planet’s government’s attention, they turn it into a conglomerate targeting dying people of color, formerly incarcerated people, and more who are considered disposable to die by suicide so spaghetti can be sold across the universe. They also use each person’s “story” as a marketing ploy. The first “test” before the pasta goes live as a product is a Black woman who dies by assisted suicide.
I would feel differently about this episode if we as viewers actually learned something about how to remind people that they’re not disposable and that although being alive is difficult, it’s worth it. But we don’t. Instead, it’s just another episode where Rick and Morty go the equal opportunity death route because Rick deems everything worthless.
3. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Copaganda screws up once again after attempting to make this a “teachable moment” kind of episode. Even if their intention was to encourage people in and out of law enforcement to seek help, the impact involved romanticizing suicide for law enforcement and just reminded viewers why law enforcement can’t be trusted to handle the topic in the first place.
In Episode 12, Season 21, of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, we see a total of three suicides in one forty-five minute episode. One by Rachel Wilson (Holly Robinson Peete), a Black former NYPD officer who ends her life with a gun publicly at Ed Tucker’s (Robert John Burke) retirement party because of a mishandling of a sexual assault complaint she filed during her career. Another by Ralphie Morris (Saul Stein), an officer who completed his suicide two hours after being interviewed by Olivia Benson (Mariska Hartgitay) and her team. The final suicide is completed by Ed Tucker within the final minutes of the episode.
What frustrated me about this episode was the piss-poor attempt of talking about what Rachel must have felt as a woman of color while on the force. Moreover, I don’t trust writers who believe a Black woman is capable of making her suicide a spectacle for her white ex-colleagues.
2. House
Kal Penn’s character’s exit deserved so much better.
In Episode 20 of Season 5, Lawrence Kutner doesn’t show up for work at the hospital one morning. House (Hugh Laurie) sends his team members Eric Foreman (Omar Epps) and Thirteen Hadley (Olivia Wilde) to discover why Lawrence didn’t show up. The two show up at his apartment and see Kutner’s dead body from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Although we as the viewer don’t see Kutner’s body, we do see Foreman and Hadley covered in his blood.
The leading cast of House already isn’t very racially diverse. To have one of its popular characters, and only Indian character, have such an abrupt and heavy exit from the show like that was totally unnecessary. Because Penn was leaving the show to work for President Obama, the show could have written a celebratory episode of him leaving for a better medical job.
But no, the show creators wanted to display how suicide can be an element of surprise, I guess? No one can ever predict when, how, or why someone chooses to die by suicide. But to do it like this and viewers are only seeing it treated like a mystery to be solved instead of a public health crisis on a doctor’s drama. Disappointing.
Episode 5 of Season 1 involved two Black brothers: one is younger and deaf (Keivonn Montreal Woodard) named Sam; another who is older (Lamar Johnson) named Henry. They are both on the run from a resistance group because their leader (Melanie Lynskey) blames Henry for her brother’s death.
Although the brothers were able to escape the group with the help of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), in the end Sam is bitten by a zombie. Because he puts Ellie in danger as a zombie, Henry shoots Sam, killing him. Completely distraught, Henry kills himself with the same gun.
I know the material is loyal to the plot in the video game, but this one downright broke my heart. I’m not asking for television that will never make me sad. I am only asking for television to be more intentional when it does. I will also say, in the original video game, Sam is not deaf. So although it’s wonderful to see a young disabled Black actor getting recognition, the deliberate choice of making a character disabled as a tool to get even more empathy from viewers when he dies feels gross. And to have a beautiful love story between Black brothers end because of a suicide knowing the suicide of Black youth continues to rise hurts too much.
What would it have been like to challenge the video game’s original narrative? What would it have been like to see Henry and Sam live and fight zombies along with Joel and Ellie? What would it have been like to invite more Black writers on The Last of Us team to make Henry and Sam’s story grow?
Remember, if you or a loved one is struggling with suicidality, contact the suicide warmline 988. For Deaf or hard of hearing folks, dial 711, then 988.
It’s hard to believe, but The Phantom Menace arrived in theaters 25 years ago. It premiered on May 19, 1999. As the first news Star Wars movie in nearly 20 years, the film had a lot to live up to, especially since it explored the origins of Darth Vader. The movie marks the in-universe beginning of the Skywalker saga. The Phantom Menace will be returning to theaters soon to celebrate the milestone anniversary on May 3. That’s right before May the 4th, a.k.a. Star Wars Day. Hasbro has several new items for that special day, including an absolutely perfect retro collection multipack of action figures for The Phantom Menace.
This multipack comes with action figures for Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Queen Amidala, Darth Maul, Jar Jar Binks, and a battle droid. In other words, it’s the ideal The Phantom Menace action figure sampler pack. It’s made all the cooler by the retro sculpt style. The lightsabers look like they’re from the ’70s and just look at Qui-Gon’s fabric cape! Take a closer gander at the figures in the gallery below.
Inspired by the design of 1970s Kenner Star Wars action figures, these 3.75 inch scale The Phantom Menace figures each have five points of articulation. Each figure is individually packaged on a cardboard back within the box. The packaging has classic Kenner branding and a weathered look. As usual with these figures, the cardboard backing also has a large “Retro collection” label that takes away some of the coolness. However, if you’re like me, you open your action figures so the packaging doesn’t matter anyway.
Other items in the Hasbro May the 4th release include an Epic Hero series stormtrooper, Epic Hero series Paz Vizsla, a Vintage Collection Jango Fett, a Black Series Droideka, a Black Series Darth Vader, and a Vintage Collection Mandalorian.
This multipack of The Phantom Menace action figures retails for $59.99 and is available in stores now.
The post Hasbro’s THE PHANTOM MENACE Retro Action Figures Could Not Be More Perfect appeared first on Nerdist.
It’s been almost a year since we lost Paul Reubens, the actor who brought the iconic Pee-wee Herman to life. But fans have ensured the memory of Pee-wee lives on, finding ways to keep him alive in memes and tribute videos. Thanks to the folks at Laughing Squid, we’ve learned about a YouTuber by the name of eli_handle_b․wav. They have edited scenes from the game Cyberpunk 2077 and included Pee-wee from his cinematic debut in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. Whether it’s Night City, California, or a 1980s shopping center, one truth remains: you just don’t separate a boy from his bike. There are consequences.
Pee-wee was always trying to look like a tough guy in Tim Burton’s classic 1985 movie. So he somehow fits right into the dystopian future world of Cyberpunk 2077. After all, this is the same Pee-wee who got inducted into the Satan’s Helpers biker gang by putting on an unforgettable dance number. The same Pee-wee who said “I’m a loner, Dottie. A rebel.” Ok, maybe his wardrobe doesn’t go, but nobody’s perfect. This is not the first time that eli_handle_b․wav has mixed classic comedies into video games. On their channel, they have videos showcasing Shrek in Fallout 4, and Austin Powers in Mass Effect. They even had Ace Ventura, also in Cyberpunk 2077.
Pee-wee somehow has a way of turning up in various other movies he originally wasn’t in. Well, in fan-made videos anyway. Some of our favorites include the time he was in Jurassic Park, or when he took the place of Kylo Ren in Star Wars. We don’t think anyone has put Pee-wee on board the Titanic yet, but we figure it’s only a matter of time. Especially now that he’s gone though, we appreciate seeing that face and hearing that distinctive laughter pop up anywhere.
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Alex Garland’s Civil War presents a near-future dystopian United States at a time when the United States exists, in reality, as an increasingly dystopian colonial empire at the precipice of collapse. It uses the presently divisive state of American politics to draw audiences in to watch a movie about how much more divisive it can be. It’s a very polished and well-designed movie that delivers a masterclass on neutrality during wartime at a time when, in reality, neutrality enables widescale oppression and terrorism. It talks about any number of things but doesn’t explain anything.
Civil War follows a crew of journalists documenting the potential final days of the United States as we know it. The United States is now divided into four factions. Texas and California have seceded from the country to form the Western Forces and are gathering troops to take on the US military. The journalists are heading to the last stronghold of the federal government, Washington, DC – as it is planned to be besieged by the Western Forces.
There aren’t too many plot holes in this movie, but the ones that exist are looming and overshadow any of the intensity, sentimentality, and emotion this movie wants to leave audiences with. Like, ‘Why is this conflict even happening?’ At no point in the movie does it become clear how these two states (which have no grounded explanation for a political allegiance or alliance) would agree to a coup. We’re given a little information from an interview with the President (played by Nick Offerman) with a quickfire session of questions about a third term and drone strikes on American soil (which already happened IRL). We can start and stop right there, but we’re not.
Civil War follows Lee, Joel, Sammy, and Jesse as a ragtag group of journalists en route to the last real news story left. Joel (played by Wagner Moura) and Sammy (acting legend Stephen McKinley Henderson) are reporters who explore the nature of asking the questions that make people think rather than coming to the door with their own biases. Lee (Kirsten Dunst) and Jesse (Cailee Spaeny) are photojournalists, looking to take the picture that makes people ask questions in place of asking the questions themselves.
The art of journalism lies in its integrity. That ‘integrity’ is achieved by leaving a bias behind and seeking ‘the’ truth. Not one truth. Not ‘your’ truth. A universal truth. That truth is missing from this movie. It’s a piece of fiction, so we shouldn’t go looking for the answers to life in it. However, the movie is grounded in and was marketed as (blame the trailers for that) a reality so close to our own that it comes as a slap in the face of the audience’s intelligence to be faced with the absence of that truth. Instead, we follow the inaction and neutrality of their profession. Through the lens of journalism, Civil War dodges every truth about the ties between politics and war. It treats them the way we would a natural disaster, without any real questioning as to why it ever came to pass. It gets chalked up to some phantom dictatorial event that led to a President’s third term (and the disbanding of the FBI) and never explored beyond that.
The performances are great, so many great actors in a small cast make it easy for them to play. Jesse Plemons as a nationalist xenophobe in rose-colored glasses makes the skin crawl in the best way. That man plays no games in any role. Another thing it does well is go hard for neutrality using the ‘intimate distance’ of photography. Lee digs for the shocking, impactful image that can define a moment while Jesse looks to capture the capturing of that same moment. Civil War does well with defining the distance some people have to the urgent issues they are facing. Some of the strongest scenes of the movie are punctuated by stills ‘taken’ by Lee and Jesse during climatic moments.
Parables around things like neutrality are damning as the film hit theaters while an active genocide, global collusion to empower the genociding forces, mass protests, increased police violence, and the least believed-in American political candidates in an election year are all front and center in the public consciousness. More damning still is that despite a theme exploring the relationship between the ‘intimate distance’ of photography and the neutrality of journalism throughout the movie, it still finds time to highlight Black characters being brutalized onscreen with greater detail than most.
Despite everything it pretended to bring to the table with the trailer, Civil War has no teeth. In its attempt to be a sounding board to the times, it ends up being kind of oblivious as a piece of media. There’s a scene early on where a Black man is being beaten, restrained, and set on fire with Lee standing a few feet away clicking pictures. It left me with a feeling in the pit of my stomach. An ache and pang I’ve felt when I’ve seen police violence enacted on civilians surrounded by throngs of people with phones who outnumber the police. The look in the eye of someone who knows they can get away with murder because of the inaction or neutrality of others brings me to this Max Eastman quote every time: “People who demand neutrality in any situation are usually not neutral but in favor of the status quo.” Civil War feels so much like a demand for neutrality, lest we lose our blessed, stable ‘normality’.
There was such an opportunity for this movie to talk about substantive and pervasive concerns. Instead, it sits like a status quo parable at a time when the status quo is so harmful. Maybe it came out at a bad time. Maybe it isn’t self-aware enough to know that. Maybe folks tried to capitalize on real-life pain and suffering to make a point they weren’t equipped to make. Either way, this movie comes across as a feckless attempt to say…something… and misses the mark.
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Ellen Shope-Whitley By Rayna Reid Rayford ·Updated April 24, 2024
How did a former hip-hop journalist without a bachelor’s degree land one of the most exclusive positions working for America’s first Black president?
The post Deesha Dyer Shares Journey From Community College To Coveted Career At The White House In New Book appeared first on Essence.
With so many X-Men characters from the Fox film franchise returning in Deadpool & Wolverine, can we expect to see Famke Janssen’s Jean Grey among them? Janssen previously stated she would not be back for the forthcoming film, but now she’s singing a more uncertain tune. Here’s what she had to say when speaking to the folks at Comic Book about a potential comeback as the host of the Phoenix Force in Deadpool & Wolverine:
I don’t know. I doubt it, but you never know. I mean, I didn’t expect to come back after dying as Jean Grey. I came back as the Phoenix [in 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand], and I came back in flashback scenes in The Wolverine, and then in Days of Future Past.
It’s now been a decade since the actress portrayed Jean in Days of Future Past, which came out in 2014. Her role was recast with Sophie Turner for the pair of X-Men prequel films, X-Men: Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix. Nevertheless, fans have wanted to see the original Jean return ever since the altered timeline undid her death at the end of X-Men: The Last Stand. Why bring her and other dead X-Men back if not to use them in something down the line?
So far, the non-Hugh Jackman actors confirmed as coming back for Deadpool & Wolverine are all relatively minor players. We’re talking characters like Deathstrike, Pyro, Sabretooth, and Toad. But what about the main X-Men cast themselves? Patrick Stewart keeps hinting there’s more Professor Charles Xavier in his future. James Marsden has made similar hints about returning as Cyclops. Last year, Halle Berry showed off a photograph of herself in Storm’s signature white hairdo. If all of them return, then we imagine Jean Grey is coming back to the fold as well. We’re crossing our fingers for this Phoenix to rise from the ashes.
The post Could X-MEN’s Famke Janssen Return as Jean Grey in DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE? appeared first on Nerdist.
Content warning: gun violence.
When Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse came out last year, one of the concepts that it “introduced” was this idea of canon events (introduced insofar as codifying as a narrative storytelling mechanisms within the universe, not so much the concept of a canon event itself). The death of a loved one. The death of a cop figure. Certain fights with certain villains. Universal constants. Things that even across reality were steadfast and true.
And it got me thinking about my canon events. The incidents that shaped me as a person, that ingrained so deep into my being that they became a touchpoint for every action, whether consciously or unconsciously. And specifically, it brought up a particular incident, back in the late 2000’s (by which I mean 2007ish).
It was relayed to me that the boyfriend of my friend thought I was “the type of kid who’d shoot up a school.” This person had never met me before. This person who I would never meet in any capacity. And yet this person somehow managed to lodge a sentence that has been stuck in the back of my skull cap for several years to come.
You know the stereotypes I’m sure. The quiet, unassuming kid. Kept to himself. We talked about it in media all the time back then. It’s Pearl Jam’s Jeremy, a blending of a suicide and school shooting. It’s Warren from Empire Records in the final act. It’s Jimmy in one of the heavier episodes of Static Shock. It’s Jonathan in Buffy the Vampire Slayer in Earshot.
It was a time where we lived in the shadow of Columbine and Virginia Tech. Or rather the immediate shadow of Columbine and Virginia Tech. Twenty-five years later, we are still living in the shadow of Columbine. Fourteen years, still haunted by Virginia Tech. And those are just the two that happened to happen in April and the two that got me thinking about that single sentence fragment.
“The type of kid who’d shoot up a school.”
And somehow, the worst part of all of this is not the fact that it was said to me, but that it was said so casually and also by more than one person throughout the years.
I am in fact an introvert. I get overwhelmed by crowds of people, and I know that I am not inclined to violence, but not everyone knows me and nor do I expect everyone to know me, but that assumption is a wild one. The image painted, a terrifying one.
Hearing this dark future projection changed something in me. It did not break me, it steeled me in a way. I fashioned a resolve, a determination. I’m going to be undeniably better than the shadowy outline you see of me. I’m going to rise above this nonsense accusation. I’m going to be a better person out of sheer spite that someone would ever say that to me.
Now the public image of a shooter has certainly changed over the years. The conversation has become intertwined with talks of mental health. And I remember that shift well. I remember going to a 3AM showing of The Dark Knight Rises, getting home at 6AM, and then waking up a couple hours later to see that there was a shooting in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. Claims of being “The Joker.”
In 1988, Alan Moore penned The Killing Joke, one of the most iconic Batman stories for better or for worse, that detailed the sequences of events that broke the man who became the Joker. It was just one bad day. And maybe that is true in the world of comic books, where everything is in a heightened state of everything, where your name has an undue influence on whether you end up a villain or a hero.
But it’s just never one bad day. I can’t believe that a person can break that easily. Although, I can believe that the actions taken on a day can have a ripple effect. I can believe the actions have consequences that are permanent and heartbreaking. And I choose to believe that we can still choose to be better even when faced with horrors, both internal and external.
The mass shooting is both a trope and a dark reality we still reckon with. It’s the school shooting in the season 1 finale of The OA. It’s every cop and other type procedural as a kid or adult rages against a system, or a group, or an individual. It’s incels and MRAs and anti-establishment types.
It’s the news headlines. It’s the perpetrated violence of bullying. It’s the misconception that all of this could be mitigated with one good person at the right place at the right time with the right tool (in some cases, a gun. In some cases, proper deescalation training). It’s the sadness of knowing someone thinks you could be something awful. It’s the grit of trying to prove them wrong even though they never met you…and probably never will.
I have a bookmark buried somewhere with a quote from Edith Wharton: “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” And most days, I chose to be a beacon, a lighthouse, a stalwart source of maybe a foolish ideology that ‘it didn’t have to be like this.’ But there are also days where I choose conflagration, a cacophony of “how dare you place me anywhere in the vicinity of those people” and “what possessed you to say such a terrible thing to a person.”
When people think of that “that type of person” it has changed in some ways and in some ways it hasn’t at all. I can’t speak to the conditions of what it takes to break bad. I can only say that back in the late 2000s, someone said something so cruel and so callous that I haven’t forgotten and have made it a point to be a better person to spite them, specifically.
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Lama Rod Owens, a 44-year-old Black Buddhist educated at the Harvard School of Divinity, blends teachings from Buddhism and Judeo-Christian religions to nurture what he terms “New Saints” among his students. Raised in the Black Baptist and Methodist traditions, Owens departed due to unwelcoming attitudes toward gender and sexuality, seeking personal religious autonomy and a more inclusive spiritual path.
As the Associated Press reports, Owens credits much of his spirituality to his mother, Rev. Wendy Owens, whose path as a United Methodist minister inspired his spiritual journey. “Like a lot of Black women, she embodied wisdom and resiliency and vision.” Owens told the outlet, “She taught me how to work. And she taught me how to change because I saw her changing,” he shared.
After graduating from Berry College, a non-denominational Christian school, Owens redoubled his commitment to service, which he told the AP was his new religion. Owens trained as an advocate for sexual assault survivors and also volunteered for projects focusing on HIV/AIDS education, homelessness, teenage pregnancy, and substance abuse. “Even though I wasn’t doing this theology anymore, what I was definitely doing was following the path of Jesus: feeding people, sheltering people,” Owens told the AP.
Shortly after graduating from Berry College, Owens joined Haley House, located in Boston, where he would meet people from all walks of faith: Christianity, Buddhism, Wicca, Islam, and even Monasticism. He credits a friend who gave him a copy of “Cave in the Snow,” written by Vicki McKenzie, which tells the story of Tibetan Buddhist nun Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo’s search for enlightenment that set Owens on his spiritual path.
— Lama Rod Owens (@LamaRod1) February 17, 2024
“When I started exploring Buddhism, I never thought, ’Oh, Black people don’t do this, or maybe this is in conflict with my Christian upbringing,’” Owens said. “What I thought was: ’Here’s something that can help me to suffer less… I was only interested in how to reduce harm against myself and others.”
His exposure to various religions only deepened at Harvard Divinity School, where Owens met a member of the Satanist faith. According to La Carmina, the author of the “Little Book of Satanism,” despite the moniker, most Satanists are non-theists.
“There are many different kinds of Satanists, but most don’t actually believe in Satan and don’t worship him as either a god or as a force of evil. For the most part, Satanists are non-theists and view Satanism as a personal liberation from traditional theistic beliefs.” La Carmina told Columbia Magazine. “We value nonconformity and revolt against the ideas of superstition and arbitrary authority. Modern Satanists are nonviolent and interested in the pursuit of reason, justice, and truth.”
Owens has gone from “breaking up with God” in college to reconciling with God and refining his image of God, as he told the AP, “God isn’t some old man sitting on a throne in the clouds, who’s, like, very temperamental. God is space and emptiness and energy. God is always this experience, inviting us back through our most divine, sacred souls. God is love.”
Owens continues to find inspiration from figures as varied as James Baldwin, Harriet Tubman, Alvin Ailey, Andre Leon Talley, Toni Morrison, Tony Kushner, and Beyoncé. This wide-ranging group of influences motivates him to continue to be fluid, as he told the AP, “I want people to feel the same way when they experience something that I talk about or write about.”
Owens added, “That’s part of the work of the artist — to help us to feel and to not be afraid to feel. To help us dream differently, inspire us and shake us out of our rigidity to get more fluid.”
RELATED CONTENT: Faith Is Key To Making Black Lives Matter, Says Religion Award Winner
Delaware Public Media By Melissa Noel ·Updated April 22, 2024
A tragic shooting incident at Delaware State University has left the campus community in mourning. Camay Mitchell DeSilva, an 18-year-old from Wilmington, Delaware, lost her life after sustaining a gunshot wound to her upper body on Sunday. Despite efforts to treat her injuries, she passed away at a local hospital.
The HBCU campus remained closed on Monday, and counseling services are being provided to support students and staff. Authorities are actively investigating the incident.
A news release from the Dover Police Department reports that shots were fired in the area of Warren-Franklin Hall shortly before 2 a.m. on Sunday. According to the university’s website, Warren-Franklin is a primary campus residence hall housing more than 300 first-year students.
“At this time, no suspect description is available,” police said in the release. Both university police and Dover police are investigating the incident. The shooting, which occurred in a residence hall, has prompted increased police patrols on campus as both university police and Dover police work to gather information and identify suspects.
DeSilva was not registered as a student at Delaware State University but was said to be visiting the campus at the time of the incident. As investigations continue, authorities urge anyone with information about the shooting to come forward and assist in the ongoing efforts to aprehend the suspect.
TOPICS: HBCU shooting deathThe post Delaware State University Cancels Classes As Police Search For Suspect That Shot And Killed 18-Year-Old appeared first on Essence.
The 1960s was a wild time for Black folks in the US. While the needle was starting to bend toward justice and equality in courtrooms across the country, that progress was paid for with the lives of many. History always recalls Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., assassinated four years apart and in the wake of the passing of the Voting Rights Act. These United States were anything but, with racist segregationists beefing on all fronts to keep things separate. During this tumultuous cultural upheaval, a teacher living in suburban Los Angeles writes a letter to one Mr. Charles Schultz. She suggested Schultz add a Black character to his hit comic Peanuts to address the tension subtly. Comic strips were forever changed as Franklin Armstrong entered the funny pages on July 29th, 1968.
After many more ‘firsts’ but not much justice, Apple TV+ debuts a short film that provides the first-ever filling out of Franklin’s character. Ever. Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin marks the only time we learn anything about this character in their sixty-year publication history. The short wastes no time putting viewers squarely into Franklin’s shoes (voiced by Caleb Bellavance) and looking at the world through his eyes.
Franklin has been Black in a white town for sixty years and has never uttered a Black word. Right out the gate, we learn that Franklin comes from a military family that moves so often he has grown accustomed to living out of a suitcase. So accustomed to living out of a suitcase that he rarely unpacks it. It’s here, early on in the story that we are shown the core of this story, the adaptive capability of Black resilience. The moment Franklin moves into this new town, he makes a mental note about the lack of diversity, and we are treated to a slew of childish microaggressions (entirely from Lucy). It was like experiencing a condensed microcosm of what Franklin’s life would have been had he existed as a real Black boy in the 60s.
Hijinks ensue as the kids ramp up to a soapbox derby, but the film’s most impactful moments are the simple, cultural expositions. Charlie Brown and Franklin pair up for the derby and are in the Armstrong garage where a conversation around music sparks up. Franklin shows Charlie some of his favorite vinyls. James Brown and John Coltrane (his fave!) have now entered the chat in the Peanuts universe. Just like that, Black history is intertwined with the mainstream 60s zeitgeist. Do you remember the amorphous ‘womp-womp-womp’ sound associated with adult speech in Peanuts? Well, Franklins’ folks have a slightly different, deeper horn to display their speech pattern. More jazzy. But it’s those little changes that bring the fact that Franklin is different from the rest of the cast but still just a kid making his way.
Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin is a wholesome and well-designed short film that centers the celebration of our differences by focusing on the moments we all share. As we fall headfirst into an election year that looks to split the country into more and more pieces, I’m glad Charles Schultz left us with a piece of this allyship behind. Even a few of Schultz’s friends make up the writing and producing team. You can find Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin on Apple TV+.
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Courtesy of birthFUND By Victoria Uwumarogie ·
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COACHELLA, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 19: <> on April 19, 2024 in Coachella, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Heineken) By Rivea Ruff ·Updated April 21, 2024
Victoria Monét is having her moment.
Hot on the heels of picking up multiple Grammys, the songstress hit yet another solo career milestone by shutting down the Coachella stage. Her Weekend 1 performance delighted her hardcore fans and won the hearts of many more in the crowd and across the livestream as she performed her hits.
ESSENCE caught up with Monét as she prepared to hit the iconic Heineken House and take the Mojave stage by storm once again for the festival’s second weekend to chat through jitters, tweaks, and remaining present in this magical moment.
Congratulations on your first Coachella performance, first and foremost! What was it like for you to hit the Coachella stage for the first time last weekend? You’re a veteran performer, of course, but were there any jitters hitting a stage of this size?
I was definitely pretty nervous. I know how big Coachella is, and you actually find out about being a part of the lineup during the summer, so I’ve been anticipating the performance for quite some time.
So there’s a lot of emotional buildup and it was very exciting to do, even just knowing who’s done it before. Being in the audience from previous Coachellas and how I felt watching other people, I just wanted to make sure that I delivered that same feeling. So overall the feelings were excited and nervous, but it was really fun.
It’s like the festival of all festivals. So it was definitely a dream come true.
COACHELLA, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 19: Victoria Monét attends Heineken House at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 19, 2024 in Coachella, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Heineken) Now, are you a “Coachella mom?” We’ve seen over the years it’s become more standard for people to bring their small kids along. Did you bring Baby Hazel along so she could see the performance, or did she stay home for this one?
She was in a lot of the rehearsals, but for this Coachella weekend, I just thought it would be better for her to stay home because it was like a three-hour drive, and then I wouldn’t bring her to the festival so she would basically go to Palm Springs to be in the house. My mom came down to watch her, so she had some grandma time, but she did watch the show, apparently, and was locked in all for 45 minutes of my set on the live stream. So she was still a part of it. She was also in the show because we used her vocals as a countdown, and then there’s a visualizer of her on the screen too. So it was like she was there.
Which was too cute, by the way! What song were you most excited to perform last weekend and what did you get the best crowd reaction from? What was the most fun and what are you looking forward to performing this weekend?
I think the dance breaks are always really fun because I bring in other people’s music and just kind of vibe with the crowd and have fun and dance really quick. But I definitely enjoy performing “On My Mama,” just because I think it’s the song that people are most familiar with and I can see their faces light up. They’re doing the choreography in the crowd and it’s just a good time. And I’m really excited to do the show all over again. The 45 minutes kind of flies by, so I’m going to try to remain present within this set as well.
COACHELLA, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 19: Victoria Monét attends Heineken House at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 19, 2024 in Coachella, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Heineken) So going into your second weekend, do you feel like some of the pressure’s off, or do you think it’s going to be a different feeling hitting the stage this time doing it again? What’s the feeling of gearing up to retread the steps of this performance?
The feeling really is…I have notes. I have things I want to fix. There were a lot of little things, and I think it’s normal for a festival performance just because it’s not your environment and there are lots of changeovers and performers in one space. So I have some things that I want to fix, and then I have more rehearsals just to fine-tune certain things and troubleshoot things from set design mishaps and wardrobe things that we can tweak. Just fine-tuning the set, so I’m hoping that this weekend is even better than last. The pressure is really just to come back and do better than the first weekend.
Now, you’ll be stopping by the iconic Heineken House on the festival grounds this year. Who are you looking forward to seeing perform?
I really wish I was seeing BIA! I love BIA. I love Channel Trés, and I love Lupe [Fiasco] also, but during Lupe’s performance, I’ll be on the Mojave stage. So I’m excited for Friday to be introduced to performers that I haven’t seen yet, so it’s going to be a treat. I get to just observe and be a part of the exciting environment and see other performers do their thing, which sounds really, really fun.
COACHELLA, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 19: Victoria Monét attends Heineken House at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 19, 2024 in Coachella, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Heineken) Coachella is following a long line of successes for you in just the first quarter of the year. You’ve been working hard toward solo superstardom for years, and it all seems to be finally happening, and in quick succession. What does it feel like to have so much coming to fruition at once, and what do you have coming next?
It definitely feels like a big whirlwind of great things happening. And so my main focus is really just to try and stay present. Because there’s so many things to celebrate, but also so many things to do and work on. So it’s kind of this balance of realizing that I’ve gotten to where I want to be, but also knowing that there’s more that I want to do and just kind of having that duality and making sure that I’m grateful always, but also hungry still, and working towards more things.
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Getty Images By Kia Turner ·
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Soon, the world will meet a new Clark Kent in Superman. (Formerly titled Superman: Legacy). DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran are rebooting the most famous superhero in the world as they transition the franchise from the DCEU to the DCU. Who will play the Man of Steel on the big screen this time around? What kind of story will we see him in? And who will bring it to life? We’re keeping track of all these answers and more. Here’s everything we know about Superman so far.
Title
The DCU’s first official movie (though not its first official release) is now titled simply Superman. Of course, the movie began its life as Superman: Legacy. It will kick off the film side of what James Gunn has called the franchise’s first chapter, “Gods and Monsters.” He has also called this movie “the true beginning” of the DCU.
Superman‘s Plot
While the film still has no official synopsis, Warner Bros. did provide a description of what we can expect from the story, which James Gunn says is not an origin tale.
Superman tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.
Gunn announced the film with art from the cover of All-Star Superman by writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely. Whether or not that means the story is influenced, inspired by, or adapted from the 12-issue comic series in any way is unclear. What Gunn has said is the movie will focus on “an earlier part of Superman’s life,” where he is still old enough to already be working for the Daily Planet.
Superman‘s Cast
David Corenswet will play Superman, while Rachel Brosnahan will play Lois Lane.
In addition, four more actors have joined the cast of Superman. Isabela Merced will play Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi will play Mister Terrific, Nathan Fillion will play Green Lantern Guy Gardner, and Anthony Carrigan will play Metamorpho. María Gabriela de Faría will play the villain The Engineer in the movie. Also known as Angela Spica, the character has nanotechnology built into her body. Additionally, Sara Sampaio will play Eve Teschmacher, Skyler Gisondo will play Jimmy Olsen, and Wendell Pierce will play The Daily Planet boss Perry White. James Gunn has also confirmed that Nicholas Hoult will play Lex Luthor.
Pruitt Taylor Vince (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) will play Jonathan Kent, a.k.a. Pa Kent.
Behind the Scenes
James Gunn wrote the (definitely completed) script and is directing.
Superman‘s Release Date
Superman will soar into theaters faster than a speeding bullet on July 11, 2025.
Originally published on April 11, 2023.
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Originally Published May. 17, 2022
Junior Wallstreeters, Inc. a nonprofit, is excited to provide an online youth summer camp. The camp is great for preventing learning loss and offers a fun environment for students to learn financial and investing concepts.
The camps will teach students lifelong financial education skills and discipline, with an emphasis on African American history and culture, according to a press release. Kevon Chisolm, executive director of Junior Wallstreeters, Inc. said, “In addition to topics like budgeting, banking, and investing in the stock market, our camp goes beyond others by exploring community wealth building through investment clubs.”
“Simply put,” Chisolm says, “our goal is to teach financial knowledge to eliminate the wealth gap by showing young people how to properly use money as a tool.”
The program will also offer an Introduction to Cryptocurrency course and an Introduction To Real Estate Investment course.
“In conjunction with Financial Literacy Month, Junior Wallstreeters, Inc. launched our new website, which provides a better overview of our mission, impact and programs.”
Junior Wallstreeters has secured several scholarships for underserved students to attend the camp. Chisolm asserts, “We want to give as many students the opportunity to obtain a financial education regardless of their family’s financial situation.” Scholarships are only available to students who attend for the length of the course, either one or two weeks.
Families interested in obtaining a scholarship to attend the camp should visit its website for an application. Those interested in supporting Junior Wallstreeters can sponsor a camper or make a donation here.
You can register for all the sessions at: https://www.thejrwallstreeter.com.
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The final studio presentation at CinemaCon ended with Walt Disney Pictures. The studio allowed press to take photos of talent inside of the auditorium which was not allowed by studios in the previous presentations — proving that Disney elects to set themselves apart from the rest.
Jed Harmsen, of Dolby started with opening remarks about the work and legacy of Dolby’s technology in the theatrical space.
Alan Bergman, Co-Chariman of Walt Disney Entertainment started the event stating that their slate will begin the presentation with 7 studios.
The theatrical slate is below:
Disney elected to share 75 minutes of content with the audience.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes from 20th Century Studios. Disney shared 13 minutes of footage.
Young Woman and the Sea is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and starring Daisy Ridley in theaters May 31st. The trailer was just released today.
Inside Out 2 takes us deeper into the mind of Riley and comes out June 14th. Disney allowed 30 minutes of footage to be screened for the audience. We really get an opportunity to see a coming-of-age story develop with Riley’s journey in this sequel.
Kevin Feige went on to present his slate of films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This included Fantastic Four as well as Thunderbolts. Here’s a quick video of him discussing the films below:
Anthony Mackie came to the stage to talk about Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Brave New World. Mackie offered up a little behind-the-scenes insight before introducing a first look at the film, which hits theaters on February 14, 2025.
Directed by Julius Onah, produced by Feige and Nate Moore, and executive produced by Louis D’Esposito, Charles Newirth, and Mackie, Captain America: Brave New World also stars Danny Ramirez, Carl Lumbly, Shira Haas, with Tim Blake Nelson, and Harrison Ford.
Shawn Levy also made an appearance to talk about Deadpool & Wolverine and made some quick remarks:
20th Century Studios’ Alien: Romulus takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
Award-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins gave a riveting speech about his movie Mufasa: The Lion King, delivering a convincing argument to theater owners why this film should be screened in the theater.
Dwayne Johnson made a surprise appearance to campaign for the upcoming sequel to the animated film Moana 2 which included a live interpretive dance which he quickly participated in. He was also honored with the NATO Spirit of the Industry Award.
The first footage from 20th Century Studios’ The Amateur was then screened exclusively in the room. The film, an action-packed espionage thriller directed by James Hawes and starring Oscar-winner Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, Caitriona Balfe, Michael Stuhlbarg, Holt McCallany, Julianne Nicholson, Adrian Martinez, and Laurence Fishburne, opens in theaters nationwide on April 11, 2025.
Additional titles mentioned:
A Real Pain
Nightbitch
Ella McCay
Kinds of Kindness
April 11th wraps CinemaCon 2024.
In March of last year, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) dropped some diversity facts about the boom in tennis participation in the U.S. since 2019. The study revealed that this boom included a 90% increase in the number of tennis players of Hispanic/Latino descent, a 46% increase in Black tennis players, and a 37% increase in tennis players of Asian and Pacific Islander descent. In 2021, amidst the boom, we got a brilliant film about Richard Williams and his determination for his two daughters, Venus and Serena, to make a name for themselves in the tennis world: King Richard.
Three years later, we are given the fantastic film that is Challengers. The new movie is a blast with excellent tennis matches and a torrid love triangle for the ages. As a film lover, I find this film sexy. As an athlete, I find this film sexy! If “for the love of the game” were a person, Zendaya’s rendition of Tashi Duncan would be it. Her first love is and always will be tennis. I’m here for it.
From Academy Award and BAFTA nominated filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, whose films are characterized by their emotional complexity, sensuality, and magnificent visuals, comes his latest film, Challengers. The film stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach after a devastating injury sidelines her. But Tashi has game on and off the court and transforms her husband Art Donaldson (Mike Faist, West Side Story) from a mediocre player into a world-famous grand slam champion. She makes him play a challenger event to jolt him out of his recent losing streak. Tashi wants her husband to be the best. To do that, he must face off against the washed-up Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor, The Crown) — his former best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend. Tensions soon run high as their pasts and presents collide, and they wrestle with the cost of winning and what each is willing to give up.
There is a magnetic and beautiful intensity that flows through Challengers. We see that intensity through the tennis matches and relationships. We see it in how these characters focus on their passion and goals. It draws us in and keeps our attention. We also see it in the way these characters approach love and desire. The way Zendaya, Faist, and O’Connor can say so much through their facial expressions is a gift from the highest power. Just as the volley between tennis players can be mesmerizing, watching these characters go through the battles of life and competition is somewhat enticing. They are all so unhinged, and it’s fascinating to see how their choices unfold.
Tashi can no longer do the one thing she loves. She has to find a way to redefine herself. She’s doing her best to control everything, control her emotions, and get what she wants and needs out of life. There are a lot of women that will see themselves in Tashi. I know I do. Tashi Duncan is a mighty, fierce, uncompromising, competitive, ambitious woman, and Zendaya did her thing and brought her to life. Not only does she give an incredible performance, but Zendaya is also credited as a producer on the film.
The theme of competition (friendly or not) runs through Challengers. Tashi has the physicality, self-confidence, and power that brings the competitive side out of everyone she meets. Patrick and Art have known each other since they were pre-teen roommates at a tennis academy, but still, competition kicks in. The two best friends are entranced. As any athlete knows, healthy competition is good for us. It encourages us to work harder, push ourselves, and strive to be the best version of ourselves. It motivates us by giving us a target or goal. Losing is also part of that learning. This theme is so powerful because we don’t just see it play out on the court but in the bedroom, the locker room, and everywhere in between.
Challengers is just as fun to hear as it is to watch. The dialogue is slick and modern. It hosts some of the best comebacks and jabs from a character in a film I’ve heard in a while. Zendaya nails the delivery every time. The cinematography is just as exciting, with a clean, stylized look courtesy of cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (Call Me By Your Name, Suspiria). In addition to exciting performances, the capture of the tennis matches is incredible. The choices Mukdeeprom and Guadagnino made to capture everything from the racket in the hand to the tennis ball on the court and the longing glances to the windstorm that echoes the scene’s emotions were spot on. The triangle love story is complete with a charged score by two-time Oscar winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Social Network, Pixar’s Soul). It energizes and electrifies the scenes even more.
Another thing that makes Challengers so good is its interweaving storyline that travels back and forth in these characters’ lives — framed around the revelatory tennis match between Art and Patrick that takes place 13 years after they meet Tashi. Through a narrative that tracks past to present, we see the paths they took, the games they played, and the passions they followed. Tashi’s emotional and romantic power both pivots and anchors their connection. The chemistry between all three is fantastic. Using nonlinear storytelling helps build the intensity of everything, from the relationships to the final tennis match. That connection between the characters is clear and compelling.
As kids, we all have ideas about what we want to be when we grow up. I was sure I wanted to be a doctor and play soccer in college. But life happens, and I adjusted. That’s what makes Challengers so fantastic and relatable, with themes of uncertainty and branching possibility that people can gravitate to. From one volley to the next, Challengers will keep you entertained. The question is: are you team Art or team Patrick?
Challengers slides into theaters on April 26, 2024.
The latest collaboration between Adidas and CLICK founder Eric “Shake” James is an exclusive Rivalry Low sneaker release in commemoration of Milwaukee’s 414 Day.
Shake, a philanthropist and proud Milwaukee native, has infused the 414 Rivalry Low with the essence of the city. “414 Day is a special time dedicated to celebrating the essence of Milwaukee,” Shake said in a press release. “The upcoming sneaker launch holds particular significance as it marks the first of its kind for this occasion.”
The 414 Rivalry Low foundation features a cream upper as the base and a textured “Cream City Brick” tongue design. The sneaker’s signature Three Stripes arrive in green with red accents, evoking the iconic color scheme of the Milwaukee Bucks.
CELEBRATE 414 DAY: Clicks Kicks and adidas are teaming up to celebrate Miluakee's 414 Day.
— Sole Retriever (@SoleRetriever) April 8, 2024
A love letter to the city and statepic.twitter.com/wFudnkK6ir
As a nod to Wisconsin’s beloved culinary tradition, cheese blocks grace the heels and right tongue, while the left tongue features a pint glass decal, a symbol of the city’s rich brewing heritage. Carrying on his signature touch from the release of the DAY ONE Forum Low, Shake has adorned the sneakers with microphone keychains, a homage to his hip-hop roots and the sneaker culture that has inspired his journey.
Shake has partnered with the adidas Cornerstone Community to uplift underserved communities in Milwaukee. Since 2020, in partnership with Shake’s J.A.Y. Academy nonprofit, they have hosted over 15 events. Initiatives like wellness workshops, professional development programming, a dedicated community space, and youth scholarships are in the works for 2024 and 2025. “I’m deeply appreciative of adidas Cornerstone Community for their continued support, and I eagerly anticipate the opening of the physical home for J.A.Y. Academy in August, which promises exciting opportunities ahead,” Shake said.
Shake and Adidas are celebrating the new collaboration with several events ahead of 414 Day. On April 12, they will host an electrifying release party featuring performances by Lil Kim, Brooklyn Queen and a live DJ set by Mr. New York. A collaboration event with Wood U on April 11, welcomed local students at Siefert Middle School to customize gifted sneakers during the day of free footwear design workshops.
“It was truly heartwarming to share this memorable experience with the students of Siefert Middle School, and it was really special to see all the sneaker designs they created,” the CLICK owner said.
The 414 Rivalry Low, priced at $130, will be available on April 13 at CLICK stores and online, with the first 414 pairs numbered to honor the day that inspired this unique creation.
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As March was winding down, I was in a discord call with some friends and the conversation drifted towards our writing habits. How often we did, in what capacity, and when it came time to talk about my addiction, the only words I could really manage were “I just write. I don’t think about whether it’s good or bad, I just put something on the page and figure out the rest later.” I spent the next two weeks thinking about that in excruciating detail, and here we are in the throes of April.
During seventh grade, I had transferred to a new school midway through the semester and hadn’t gone through a lot of their county specific testing for class placements in their Gifted and Talented program. (At some point, we will find time to unpack the history and current state of the American education system as it relates to nerd media, but one topic at a time.) I had a handful of weeks of classes before said assessment occurred, and during that intervening time, I had this distinct memory of my English teacher pulling me aside after class and telling me, “Hey, have you thought about doing more creative writing?” I was then promptly handing a middle school appropriate version of Antigone saying, “You’re gonna be reading this next week when you switch classes, so you might as well get a jump on it.”
And with that simple nudge, I did end up doing more creative writing. I wrote short stories and treatments. I made a portfolio that I have somehow kept over the better part of a decade and a half, and I look back at it and go, “Wow, I really thought I was cooking huh.” But those hastily printed, poorly proofed docs are evidence of an honest love of writing that was fostered because someone said, “You seem to be having fun.”
In high school, sophomore year, my English teacher then noticed that I had free energy and introduced me to NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month for the handful of you on this site that might not be familiar). Every November, aspiring writers aim to write 50,000 words in the span of 30 days. It ends up being an average of 1667 words a day, and the length is probably more akin to the novella; however, the point stands that it is a game that we play to get us to write. The goal is not to make anything good; the goal is to make, the goal is to push past any mental barriers and just get something on the page.
Given the narrative structure, you can now predictably predict that in undergrad I was introduced to other mass production exercise that last for thirty days. This time it was in the form of April’s 30/30 (thirty poems) for National Poetry Month and Script Frenzy (100 pages). At one point, I fashioned my own MicroFiction version where I attempted to write 1,000 words of fiction each day. This ended up being a different vector of difficulty than any of the other challenges up to the point.
The point was never “winning” or finishing. The point was just trying.
And as it turns out, you become a thing by doing a thing. You become a thing by becoming obsessed, absorbed with a thing. And sometimes, we get lucky and find that thing early on before we have a proper understanding of what it means to be *good* at something. And sometimes we don’t, and we put up mental walls and inhibitions, saying that we could never do the thing.
At the tail end of 2023, Netflix released Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, a reimagination of the original story. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend it highly. One of the best scenes is when Knives and Kim are just chilling, and Kim invites Knives to play.
That line: “That’s why they call it play.” It’s been stuck in my head, a motto, a reminder, a vibe for months. And as I see the occasional 30/30 on my social media this April, I keep thinking about it. I would argue it should be the default gif for getting people into a hobby instead of the Jake the Dog one from Adventure Time (which is still a good message, but my personal pedagogy doesn’t start a conversation by highlighting difficulty).
And ultimately, that actually comes around to one of my favorite quotes from Haikyu!! (out of context spoilers for the anime-onlys. Eventually, the movies will be released stateside).
It doesn’t matter the genre or the medium. Whether it is fiction, poetry, nonfiction. Whether it’s crossword construction, game design, or streaming. Whether it is drawing, painting, photography, or comics. Whether it’s sports, swordplay, or art and crafts. The fundamentals do not change. The foundation is shockingly similar.
If you want to do something, you gotta do it. You gotta try and experiment. You gotta be unafraid to be at it for a while and be willing to unlearn bad habits. But it all starts with trying.
It starts with play.
I think there’s an unspoken notion that childlike wonder fades with age, but I don’t think that’s actually true. I feel like humanity is a naturally curious species and societal conventions stymie that. But I encourage this National Poetry Month, that if you want to write poetry, just start writing poems. Don’t worry about being good. That will come with practice. Imitation will teach you convention, which you will fashion into something you could do, and that’s the dream. That’s the goal we’re always chasing.
And if you’re an aspiring person in any other field of your choice, the advice applies to you. Go make things. Go listen to Neil Gaiman talk about this a little more eloquently than I do. Prepare for NaNoWriMo. Take out your phone and take all the pictures. Go outside and play.
And maybe fun will not be enough to sustain it. And maybe there will be hurdles later down the line, but I think you owe it to yourself to at least start.
I don’t do NaNos or 30/30s these days, because I got what I needed from the genre and exercising, but I have continued a tradition of arbitrary rules in experimentation as I’m currently working on making one-page RPGs at a pace of once per month. I don’t do these any particular reason other than I think it’s interesting. I have no aspiration of becoming a game designer, but there’s something fun about toying with something new. About realizing how different skills manifest in different spaces. About writing for the sake of writing.
In seventh grade, an English teacher told me, “You seem to be having fun when you write,” and (a number of years later that I refuse to calculate because that would be directly acknowledging the passage of time and require some arithmetic I don’t want to do right now) to write every day. Sometimes tech manuals, sometimes non-fiction, sometimes poems. It’s still fun. And sometimes it’s even good. But even when it’s not, I write, and that’s something I continue to be thankful for.
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One beloved series in the Star Trek franchise is set to continue boldly going, while one is coming to an end. Paramount+ revealed that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, currently in production for its third season, will return for season four. The streamer also announced that the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks will conclude its run with the upcoming season five. Season five, the final season of Lower Decks, premieres this fall. This means two Trek series are ending this year, as Star Trek: Discovery is also wrapping up at the end of the current season.
In a statement, CBS Studios President David Staff said the following:
Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds are integral to the Star Trek franchise, expanding the boundaries of the universe and exploring new and exciting worlds. We are extraordinarily proud of both series as they honor the legacy of what Gene Roddenberry created almost 60 years ago. We are so grateful to work with Secret Hideout, Alex Kurtzman, Mike McMahan, Akiva Goldsman, Henry Alonso Myers and the cast, crews and artists who craft these important and entertaining stories for fans around the world.
Right now, it feels like the Star Trek franchise is contracting and not expanding. Both Discovery and Lower Decks are ending after five seasons. In the modern streaming era though, most view five seasons as a decent run. Paramount+ canceled Prodigy, but its second season found a home on Netflix. A third season remains in doubt. Section 31 went from series to film. Picard ended on a high note with season three. Yet there has been no news about a proposed follow-up series, Star Trek: Legacy. The only other live-action Star Trek series going into production soon is Starfleet Academy. All of this may have more to do with Paramount’s financial uncertainty than anything else. However, if Star Trek has proven to be anything over nearly 58 years, it’s that it will survive any studio downturn.
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It’s A Wonderful World
We live in a wild time. Artificial Intelligence is (alive) and well, real-life geopolitics is as close to fiction as it’s ever been, cars are self-driving (and self-crashing) and we got to witness the largest bag fumble in recent Black history, the ousting of Jonathan Majors as Kang The Conqueror. Not only is Majors as phenomenally talented as he is troubled, but it is also genuinely sad to not see him do this character justice; this should do nothing to undermine just how important Kang is to the Marvel Universe at large and the MCU itself.
To put this whole thing in perspective, please know that there’s a huge gap between the publication history of Marvel Comics and the media inspired by them. What we’ll need to do is scale the impact of Kang’s legacy so y’all see what we might miss out on if Kang is ripped out of the MCU.
The Wonder Years
An entire generation of self-professed geeks, nerds, Blerds, and everyone in between have had the experience of a decade of bangers that redefined genre as it exists and cinema itself. From 2008’s Iron Man through to 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, the ‘Infinity Saga’ had its foot on our collective necks from scene one. The whole world rallied behind it, and for a time, it was good. What made the ‘Infinity Saga’ so compelling was the consistent and shadowy presence of some villain behind the scenes, pulling the strings. That…Was Thanos. He was the ‘big bad’ for so long in the MCU that the character was thoroughly elevated in the zeitgeist. Thanos and ‘the snap’ became household names everywhere because of it. All of the fanfare, the prestige, the memes, and the merch – all of it, exists because those movies (and Josh Brolin’s performance) made him out to be one of the best villains ever.
The Supergoat
Kang is who people think Thanos is. On the other side of the pop culture strata, readers of comics know that Thanos is legitimately formidable in every way. Strong, tactical, scientifically minded, and arrogant as a Wall Street trader in the 80s, but he ain’t anywhere near as insidious, calculating, or omnipresent as Kang The(e) Conqueror.
Kang is really him. Kang is who people think Batman is. In the last twenty years or so, whenever the DC fandom cooks up a hypothetical involving Batman, it comes down to the same thing, “How much prep time does he get?” So, Batman’s defining trait is that given enough time he can prepare for ANYTHING. Add to that Batman’s deep-seated paranoia and trauma-based insomnia, and he’s got unlimited ‘time’. Meanwhile, Kang has ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD. Literally. So, in comparison, the question for Kang’s potential becomes, “What can’t he do with all that time?” Sway ain’t got the answers for this one either.
Valley of the Kangs
What folks don’t know is that Kang is time. With nothing but his brain and an insatiable need to be right, this man is one of the most diabolical, paradoxical, and fully realized characters in the Marvel Universe. For clarity, Kang is both the descendant of and is Nathaniel Richards. He’s if ‘the chicken or the egg’ was a person. Hailing from the 30th century, he finds the instruction manual for a time machine and travels throughout the boundless multiverse out of sheer boredom. He is the embodiment of two (million) things happening at once. He’s ‘the dude playing the dude, disguised as another dude.’ Kang’s whole deal is that he has gone back and forth through time so much that he’s created thousands of divergent timelines that then branched into thousands more. There are so many versions of him out there that he actually exists EVERYWHERE. [See almost every version below]
Let’s say you find a reality where Peter Parker is Black, lives in The Bronx, and has Timbs as a part of his costume. Kang is there somewhere, making a chopped cheese that tastes exactly like a bacon, egg, and cheese – and this sandwich will help him, somehow, rule the timeline.
Forever? Or Fornever?
Kang always has an agenda. As time goes on and writers design more and more lore – we find that Kang is the Kevin Bacon of this shit. Better yet, that Kang is the Kevin Bacon of his own existence. In 2021, the comics had him retcon [to change a previously established narrative ] his publication history, by having the oldest version of himself send the youngest version of himself through every major divergent version of his many identities. So now, he doesn’t only exist everywhere and everywhen – but all these versions know each other and can communicate! That’s game, set, match on anything. No one can honestly step to this man, because he cannot play fair. You know how the X-Men might (definitely will) jump you in a fight? Kang will jump you with different versions of himself at the designated time, at the designated place, and designate yo ass. And each version will leave you on the floor leaking on their way to the next scheme like nothing happened.
If Marvel Studios chooses not to recast Kang for the foreseeable future, we will have missed out on exploring one of the greatest literary villains in cinematic history. Here’s to hoping they recast and keep the legacy of Kang going.
(Shoutout to whoever can name the artist’s album titles I used for the headings!)
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L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz got turned on its head with Gregory Maguire’s Wicked. The 1995 book put the spotlight on Elphaba and her life, often one full of hardship, until Dorothy kills her. Wicked became a Broadway musical in 2003 and has since become the fourth longest-running Broadway series. And this journey through Oz doesn’t stop with a musical: we’re getting a two-part film adaptation from director Jon M. Chu. The first Wicked trailer is here, showing off a beautifully cinematic version of Oz and the beginning of Elphaba and Glinda’s fateful and witchy friendship.
Cynthia Erivo plays Elphaba and Ariana Grande plays Glinda. They meet as students at Shiz University and become close friends. Elphaba and Glinda could not have more different backgrounds. Those backgrounds definitely put a thorn in the side of the friendship. As Wicked‘s synopsis explains:
The two meet as students at Shiz University in the fantastical Land of Oz and forge an unlikely but profound friendship. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths. Glinda’s unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power, while Elphaba’s determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, will have unexpected and shocking consequences on her future. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfill their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Wicked is an epic and long story. Is it a story that needs two movies? Only time will tell.
In addition to Erivo and Grande, the cast for Wicked includes: Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible; Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero; Ethan Slater as Boq; Marissa Bode as Nessarose; and Jeff Goldblum as the legendary Wizard of Oz. Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, and Keala Settle also star. Most recently we learned that Peter Dinklage would Dr. Dillamond, a goat with the ability to speak. You can see more first-looks from the movie, below.
Wicked arrives in theaters on November 27, 2024. Wicked Part Two will follow on November 26, 2025.
Originally published on February 12, 2024.
Featured Image: Universal
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