2018

https://madamenoire.com/1043225/the-hate-u-give-screenwriter-audrey-wells-died/

The screenwriter for The Hate U Give sadly passed away a day before her film debuted in theaters. Audrey Well lost her battle with cancer last Thursday (Oct. 4) at 58-years-old.

“Over the last five and a half years, Audrey …

https://www.blackenterprise.com/janet-jackson-30-year-legacy/

The year was 1989. Janet Jackson, the youngest member of the multi-platinum selling, globally known, Jackson tribe, was on her way to attaining the legendary status of her brother, and releasing her now-classic fourth album Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814. It was a year ripe with many other albums that would go on to become classics. Madonna’s Like A Prayer album was burning up the charts alongside the likes of George Michael’s Faith, Bobby Brown’s Don’t Be Cruel, Milli Vanilli’s All or Nothing (pre lip-sync scandal), Soul II Soul’s Keep on Moving, and Prince’s contributions to the soundtrack of Tim Burton’s Batman film, among others. But in August of 1989, a month before Rhythm Nation was released, Janet released the lead single to the album, “Miss You Much.” The track quickly ascended the charts, becoming her second No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and sitting at the throne for four weeks—longer than any other single that year. The song also has the distinction of being the second-biggest selling song of 1989. 

In Brooklyn, during 1989, I was a very precocious boy. Though, still a child at the time, I lived and breathed pop culture in all of it 80’s loveliness. I watched the teenagers in my neighborhood dance in the streets to Janet’s music, doing their best to mimic her precise movements; often falling far short of her grace. Nonetheless, there we were, black and brown boys and girls, men and women, dancing to “Miss Jackson, if ya nasty.” We spent so many days trying to emulate her dance moves, and nearly breaking our teeth in the process. At the end of the “Miss You Much” video, when Janet calls “That’s the end?” followed by a deep and throaty collective, “No!” Janet does a chair routine, leading two other male dancers, with the ease and skills of the pro she is. We were riveted by her every move, in awe that she moved as well as Michael; possessing an energy, conviction, and fluidity that was distinctly her own.

The Background

Janet’s “Miss You Much” video was the first of three songs that made up the Rhythm Nation long-form video. The other two were “The Knowledge” and another of Janet’s classic songs and videos, “Rhythm Nation,” the single. With this album, Janet continued to prove to her naysayers— the critics and some of her jealous and insecure rivals who insisted she was a studio star and didn’t have the talents of her brother— they were wrong and that she was a bona fide star here to stay.

Rhythm Nation proved to be an excellent follow up to her breakthrough album, Control. Control is a black “womanist” manifesto that not only put Janet on the map, but it also gave young black women an assertive voice in music that many of Janet’s peers—Anita Baker, Sade, Whitney Houston, to name a few—weren’t doing at the time. She was a tough-talking, streetwise sistah who wasn’t asking for respect from men, she was demanding it. It was early in her career as a songwriter, but the elements of who Janet was showed through perfectly. 

In Billboard’s Hottest Hot 100 Hits (2002), Jimmy Jam explained that the label desperately wanted a Control II. They wanted Janet, Jimmy, and Terry (the creative hive mind) to repeat the same concept a second time while also throwing in some salacious gossip about her family. Jackson vehemently opposed the idea of a direct sequel to Control, stating in a Jet magazine interview in 1989: “That’s what I didn’t want to do. I wanted to do something that I really believed in and that I really felt strong about.” And that’s exactly what she did.

Rhythm Nation took on a slightly different narrative. It was Janet still taking control, but it was her way of also talking about things prevalent at the time like drugs, crime, and violence in the inner city that deeply affected young black and brown youth. However, never once did she forsake her sexuality or the need for a person to have fun. The album cohesively contains it all: The feel-good tracks (“Escapade,” “Alright”), the socio-political songs (“State of the World,” “Living in A World,” “The Knowledge”) and what Janet album would be complete without her sexy songs (“Waiting For Tonight”).

The Stats and Legacy

Rhythm Nation proved to be a global smash, reaching the top five, or top 10 of many worldwide charts. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 in America and stayed there for four weeks. It also reached No. 1 in Australia, the top five in Canada and the UK, and the top 10 in Japan and New Zealand. All seven of the released singles charted in all of the major markets of the world with the massive success in Japan, Australia, and the UK. But it was in America that the singles had their greatest successes. All seven reached the top five of the Billboard charts, with the lowest charting song, “Alright” charting at No. 4. Four of the singles reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts: “Miss You Much,” “Escapade,” “Black Cat,” and “Love Will Never Do (Without You).”

The Rhythm Nation tour was a trek for nine months that made stops in North America, Europe, and Asia and is still the highest grossing debut tour of all time. The Telegram and Gazette reported that over 2 million patrons attended the tour with many of the dates becoming instant sell outs. No artist has yet to beat her touring record. It was the only tour from a female artist in 1990 that made the top 10 of Pollstars touring numbers, eclipsing her rival Madonna’s Blond Ambition tour.  When numbers are adjusted for inflation, there is still no debut tour that has toppled Rhythm Nation from this long-standing record

Rhythm Nation stands the test of time. Without Rhythm Nation and what has come forth from it—the songs, videos, choreography, tour—many of today’s artist wouldn’t have anything to inspire them. Watch any music video from male and female artist and you will see how they incorporate moves, rhythms, and even themes into their work that Janet mastered decades before, and in most cases—better. So the next time you want to know why Janet is so lauded, listen to the Rhythm Nation album and find out. Tune into her videos. Watch the precise choreography that she and her dancers expertly execute.

 

 

 

The post The Business of Entertainment: Reflecting on Janet Jackson’s Almost 30-Year Legacy appeared first on Black Enterprise.

http://blacknerdproblems.com/new-york-comic-con-fall-2018-anime-preview/

On Thursday, October 4, 2018, nerds of all flavors gathered in the Jacob Javits Center in New York City for the start of the annual fanfest that is New York Comic Con. Among the usual offerings of screenings, photo ops, artwork and endless booths full of comics were the anime industry panels, offering previews of what fans can expect this fall in the world of subbed and dubbed new anime on the big and small screens. Courtesy of Viz Media, Funimation and Crunchyroll, here are my picks of most notable anime due to drop this season.

Black Clover : Season Two

If you missed the first season of this fantasy series, it stars two orphans, one of whom lacks the ability to use magic in a world where everyone does, and the other of whom is a magical prodigy. Both boys become rivals in their journey to achieve their dream of being the Wizard King. Sound familiar? Well, if you’re a fan of Naruto or My Hero Academia (and let’s be honest here, who isn’t?), then this kind of setup is going to sound very familiar. Another product of the popular Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, Black Clover hits all the notes we’d expect it to as a shonen — but there’s a good reason why that’s got so much appeal.

Radiant

Another one to satisfy your shonen needs, this anime is adapted from a French comic about a young wizard-in-training who is one of a few “infected” individuals who has survived contact with the toxic monsters that inhabit his world. The hero, Seth, aims to hunt the monsters, called Nemesis, but even more, he aims to find their home, Radiant, and defeat them on their turf.

Sword Art Online Alicization

Sword Art Online has come to be known for its crisp, vivid animation; its action sequences; its central protagonist-couple, Kirito and Asuna; and its examinations of what happens when the virtual world coincides with the real. It seems the show will return with all of the above in the form of its next arc, in which Kirito makes a full dive into the virtual world, where he experiences strange memories and encounters a virtual boy named Eugeo, who may be more than he seems. Though at first look it seems like Asuna might take the backseat in this story (which would be unfortunate, as throughout the series, Asuna has proven to have more personality, sense and skills than Kirito, don’t @ me), let’s hope for another well-executed story — and hope that it can at least measure up to Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale.

Attack on Titan : Season Three

For those of you who claim your place as a proud member of the survey corps, you should receive your due praise for your bravery, fortitude and endurance in tackling this intense yet still wildly popular anime in which a walled-in society deals with the threat of giant, people-munching humanoid creatures called titans. Things get a lot more complicated from there, with conspiracies and betrayals and reveals and also a whole ton of traumatic deaths, but Titan fans should be sure to tune in this fall when season three premieres.

Dragon Ball Super : Broly

The fact that Dragon Ball has remained popular for all of these years and through all of its incarnations (read: black saiyan hair to gold saiyan hair to pink and blue) proves that saiyans are eternal — though I suppose, after Goku’s many resurrections, we already knew that. In this movie, which will have a theatrical North American release in January 2019, Goku and Vegeta face the legendary, super beefhouse saiyan warrior Broly in several rounds of fisticuffs that will undoubtedly feature lots of yelling and powering up and changed hairdos.

Fairy Tail : Final Season

If you’re like me, you had given up on this series, assuming it would be doomed to the same fate of so many others: the anime ended abruptly, its fans forever left in limbo waiting for any sense of closure. Alas, this adorable and lighthearted fantasy shonen about a guild of mages in a magical world of dragons and giants and god-like figures is back with its final season.

There’s more NYCC18 coverage to come as the weekend progresses. Follow us on Twitter, or Instagram for pictures and up to the minute updates.

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The post New York Comic Con Fall 2018 Anime Preview appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

https://blackgirlnerds.com/bgn-film-review-venom/

This addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is entertaining, but it still has a lot of problems. A story of a snarky alien symbiote who bonds with the human body of a loser reporter (who could use a little backbone) is supposed to be entertaining. It’s just not supposed to take half a film to get there. Additionally, the two star leads Tom Hardy as that loser reporter Eddy Brock and Michelle Williams as his lawyer girlfriend Anne Weying are wasted in this film due to a few issues including a meandering first act and poor character development. And those are just a few of the problems I had with this film.

But, again, I must reiterate that it is entertaining. Despite its issues, Venom did hold my attention until the end. You definitely won’t sleep through this one. However, Director Ruben Fleischer’s depiction of the Marvel antihero is a broken and sometimes confusing mesh until Venom’s second act begins. That’s when the audience gets its superhero film. It’s just a matter of “too little, too late.”

A Waste of a Good Tom Hardy

Yet again, audiences are faced with a misappropriation of acting talents possessed by the swarthy and studly Tom Hardy (see any review of his misuse Legends). The entire first half of the film, the story tries very hard to build his character Eddie up to be a great reporter. But, Hardy looks uncomfortable and ill-suited to this Clark-Kentian treatment. He works with the role, keeping the audience’s attention as he pretends to play a grumbling ace reporter. Meanwhile, the audience is trying to figure out just what is going on with an Eddie who looks more at home in a biker bar than holding a microphone to report on metro desk pieces.

A Little Venom Makes the Movie Work Better

It gets weird after Eddie loses his jobs and stumbles around trying to find himself. We are also lost on what to think of this guy, at first. Hardy handles it all well, though. The mumbling, fumbling, pity party is convincing enough to hold our attention. But only just enough to get to the good parts—the parts that he was chosen for—to play the host to the alien symbiote.

Venom hits its stride when Hardy and Venom are bonded. The fight for the body is hilarious at times and does dip into the sympathetic as we see this man losing more and more of himself to the “parasite”. In fact, Hardy’s explanation of the weird behaviors as, “I have a parasite,” actually stirred ripples of laughter in the theater. Even his mumbling vocals that fans had a problem with during The Dark Knight Rises and Bane seem to work here on a character struggling to rest his body from an alien. Of course, his voice will be grossly affected. Hardy and Venom’s back and forth are also entertaining as the snarky body snatcher scares the hell out of the man he is inhabiting. The fact that Venom sees Eddie as a stupid meat suit only adds another layer of humor. I am just not sure if that humor is intentional. 

Where was this while they were putting Eddie’s backstory together though? Anne is equally ignored, leaving award-winning actress Michelle Williams to scramble like Hardy to pull the usable story out of a bad script. She too succeeds, which is also a credit to her talent as well. Like Hardy, Williams and her character seem mismatched (down to the bad blonde wig they placed her in) until Venom takes over their lives. Then, she gives Lois Lane a run for her money as a heroine who is anything but a damsel in distress. The point when Anne takes in Venom is a scene that she worked very well. Until that point, however, her character and the storyline she inhabits is undeveloped and seems a bit “thrown together.”

Other Issues—Do We Always have to Abuse the Stereotypes

I was disappointed to see that the film leaned on some stereotypes that could be dangerous in today’s political climate. At one point, a symbiote inhabited elderly Asian woman preys upon a “prim and proper” little blonde girl inside a public bathroom. Yes, the “crazed foreigner” preying upon a “wholesome White child” is part of the road Riot travels to his ultimate host. It’s also a centuries-old trope that still fuels White America’s fear of immigrants, POCs, and Black people.

That ultimate host is the villain Carlton Drake—a brown-skinned megalomaniac played by Riz Ahmed, who would fit in nicely at Armitage garden party in Get Out. As a post-surgical guest, of course. His progressive politics run so far left that Drake values the symbiote and his project over the poor people he claims to be helping. He is a very curious play on the character, but in Drake’s backstory, we see that the writers leaned on the “genius Indian kid with Tiger mom-like upbringing.” It seems that when people of color appear in Venom, they are connected to the story by a stereotypical trait. Surely the MCU knows that is not the only way to relate to an audience these days?

Unexpected Pros/Praise

I must say that I expected a lot of very bad CGI but got the opposite. Despite a few glimpses of obvious cartoonish work, Venom looked amazing in all the action scenes. Hardy’s disbelief and surprise at the use of his body only added to the entertainment in these scenes. When he really got used to the voices, the snark, and the symbiote’s taste for human heads, the antihero Venom really came to the surface.

The fight scenes were also intriguing, as was the humor that came out through the banter between Venom and Eddie. By the end of the film, the two characters are as good a fit together as the actor and the role.

Maybe Venom could be one of the first films that’s better in the sequel than many others before it. The MCU will have to tighten up that script work first.

Stay for not one, but two reveals in the credits. And don’t hold your breath for a Tom Holland cameo in the film.

Venom is playing in theaters everywhere now.

The post BGN Film Review: ‘Venom’ appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.