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https://www.thenerdelement.com/2023/11/20/the-nerd-elements-holiday-gift-guide-for-2023/

I know it seems like the Christmas holiday shopping season starts earlier and earlier every year, but let’s be honest: The sooner we can knock out getting those special items for our loved ones, the sooner we can go back to reading comics, or watching movies and TV, or whatever our preferred nerdy pursuits are.

We’re here to help you gear up for the holidays ahead of Black Friday to suggest some presents your fellow nerds may like. This list will grow as we get closer to the holidays, so check back periodically to see what else gets added!

Movies & TV on Blu-Ray/4KUltraHD/DVD

For the film and/or television buff in the family, Blu-Ray/4KUltraHD/DVDs are a good buy. In addition to never having to worry if your preferred streaming service removes the film/series you want to see from existence (because let’s face it–it’s happening far too often lately!), you get lots of extras, whether it’s director or cast commentary tracks, behind-the-scenes featurettes, or even exclusive posters! Okay, you also get a code for a digital copy, but that’s besides the point! Program your own festival in the comfort of your own home without having to worry if your wi-fi connection is strong! Here’s some ideas to get you gifting:

1. The Barbenheimer Bundle

Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)

Okay, this doesn’t actually exist, but there’s no stopping you from making your own! Treat yourself or a loved one to the best double feature of the summer. Our recommendation is to start with Oppenheimer, director Christopher Nolan’s triumphant film about the father of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer, played brilliantly by Cillian Murphy. The film traverses time as it shows a young Oppenheimer listening to the “music” in his head as he develops his theories, through the Manhattan Project and Trinity nuclear test and beyond. The implications for humanity were and continue to be devastating. Nolan doesn’t let anyone off the hook as he takes a deep dive into one of the most complex minds of our time.

Finish your Barbenheimer double feature with the bubbly Barbie, co-written and directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and America Ferrera as Barbie, Ken, and Gloria, respectively. Everything in Barbie Land is perfect until one day, Robbie’s Barbie starts thinking about death. One doll’s existential crisis leads to major changes and a journey of self-discovery. It’s fun, it’s weird, and it’s thoughtful. Beneath the shiny pink veneer beats a heart full of intelligence and emotion and horses. Yes, horses.

You can find Oppenheimer at the links here starting at $19.95 and up: https://watch.oppenheimermovie.com/ (click on “Disc” for physical media)  Bonus content includes: The Story of Our Time: The Making of Oppenheimer, Trailers, Innovations in Film: 65mm Black and White Film in Oppenheimer, 

Meet the Press Q&A Panel: Oppenheimer, and To End All War: Oppenheimer & the Atomic Bomb.

You can find Barbie at the links here starting at $19.95 and up: https://www.barbie-themovie.com/ownitnow/ (scroll down for retailers that carry physical media). Bonus content includes It’s a Weird World, All-Star Barbie Party, Musical Make-Believe, Becoming Barbie, Welcome to Barbie Land, and Playing Dress-Up: An Extended Look at the Costumes of Barbie.

Make it a true gift bundle and add an “I am Kenough” T-shirt to the mix: https://creations.mattel.com/products/barbie-the-movie-i-am-kenough-unisex-shirt (or check Etsy, Tee Public, or one of numerous shirt outlets with their own Barbenheimer designs), or even a copy of American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/american-prometheus-kai-bird/1008414292?ean=9780375726262

2. Blue Beetle

(DC/Warner Bros.)

Xolo Maridueña starts as Jaime Reyes, just your normal college graduate hoping to get a good job to help out his loving family. When an ancient scarab “chooses” him and transforms him into the Blue Beetle, Jaime’s life becomes chaotic and dangerous. Maridueña is completely charming as the reluctant superhero who has to navigate his new reality while protecting his family. The movie is big, brash, and full of humor and warmth. Plus some epic superhero fights! There’s also some very specific humor Latine audiences may love (especially if, like me, you had a Nana like Jaime’s). 

You can find Blue Beetle at the links here starting at $19.95 and up: https://www.dc.com/bluebeetle. Bonus content includes: Blue Beetle Generations: Origins, Blue Beetle Generations: Production Begins, Blue Beetle Generations: In Full Flight, Blue Beetle Generations: A Hero’s World, Scarab Vision: Episode 1: Initiation, Scarab Vision: Episode 2: Mastery, and Blue Beetle’s Nana Knows Best.

3. Rick and Morty – The Complete Seasons 1 – 6 

(Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment)

Seven seasons in and Adult Swim’s “Rick and Morty” is still going strong. In advance of the new season, the first six seasons are collected on a nice box set for your favorite Rick, Morty, Summer, Beth, or yes, even Jerry. The six-disc set includes all 61 episodes and an extensive and impressive set of extras, plus an exclusive poster. Animation nerds will especially appreciate the animatics (including deleted scene animatics). The total viewing time tops out at a whopping 1,342 minutes of OOH! WEE! and a little wubba-lubba-dub-dub. NOTE: The extra features include uncensored content with mature themes and explicit and vulgar language.

The set is pricey ($114.99 retail for DVD and $124.99 for Blu-Ray), so for nerds on a budget, we recommend checking out sites such as DeepDiscount.

4. Succession: The Complete Series

(HBO)

HBO’s original series, Succession, gets the box set treatment. The 12-disc set includes all four seasons of Roy Family treachery, power, and avarice, and over two hours of special features that have appeared on the individual season sets. The series stars Brian Cox as Logan Roy, whose health issues trigger his four children into jockeying for position as the heir apparent to the Roy media and entertainment conglomerate. Succession won several awards, including multiple Emmy® awards for Outstanding Drama Series.

The set retails for $89.99. You can find the set on sale at DeepDiscount.

5. Other ideas: We highly recommend the Blu-Ray/DVDs of Venture Bros: Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart and Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar (click the links to read our reviews of both films), as well as the DVD set of Adult Swim’s Smiling Friends.

Figures/Toys

For Godzilla fans, 2023 has brought many blessings, including the new Toho film, Godzilla: Minus One, and an Apple TV+ series, “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.” So what do you get the Godzilla fan who has everything? More Godzilla, of course! Head to the Godzilla store at https://godzilla.com/pages/store for your favorite kaiju collectibles. While there are plenty of items to choose from, we recommend shopping the exclusive collectibles straight from Japan (available for pickup in-store if you happen to live somewhere like Los Angeles where that’s possible, too). Our top picks:

1. The Movie Monster Series Hibiya Square Godzilla Statue ($20) from Bandai: https://godzilla.com/collections/exclusives/products/movie-monster-series-hibiya-godzilla-square-statue  Godzilla is fearsome and frozen and here to guard your square (until he thaws out!). Stands 170mm tall and comes with poseable arms and legs.

2. The Shin Godzilla Second Form Keychain ($8):

https://godzilla.com/collections/exclusives/products/godzilla-2016-second-form-key-ring  Known as Kamata-kun in Japan, Shin’s second form is a cute, viscera-spewing monstrosity with big soulful eyes. Made of PVC resin.

Themed Fun

Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans are also having a happy 2023, what with more MST3K in the Gizmoplex, MST3K and Rifftrax channels on Twitch, and 14th season of MST3K getting kickstarted. But wait, there’s more, and it’s at Dumb Industries, home of shows such as The Mads Strike Back, The Mary Jo Pehl Show, and new horror host Ichabod yelling at movies during The Witching Hour. Whether you’re signing up to watch live events with Q&As, or showing your pride with a swanky Dumb Industries t-shirt, you have plenty of choices for gifts. 

We recommend getting a Clubhouse subscription to The Mary Jo Pehl Show: 

https://dumb-industries.com/store/the-mary-jo-pehl-show  Known to many MSTies as Dr. Pearl Forrester and Magic Voice, Pehl is an accomplished writer, comedian, and actress. 

You can also pick up this awesome t-shirt and book bundle on sale for the Pehlie (Pehling? We fans have many names for ourselves!) in your life: https://dumb-industries.com/store/p/mary-jo-pehl-t-shirt-book-bundle The book, Dumb, Dumb, Dumb: My Mother’s Book Reviews, celebrates Mary Jo’s relationship with her mother and is a joy to read.

The post The Nerd Element’s Holiday Gift Guide for 2023 appeared first on The Nerd Element.

https://www.blackenterprise.com/rhonda-morrison-detroit-family-business/

Rhonda Morrison has developed the lessons she picked up from her father as a young woman and is carrying on with the family business. According to the Detroit Free Press, Morrison runs House of Morrison Shoe Repair, which was started by her father, the late Theodore Morrison in 1954. Morrison’s shop is part of the larger Avenue of Fashion, a section of Detroit encompassing the area between Clarita and 7 Mile Road.

As Morrison told the Detroit Free Press, “In this business corridor, we share a vision of being successful, and what we have figured out is that the best way for us all to be successful is to work together.”

Morrison’s vision includes her functioning as kind of a motherly figure, indicating her willingness to bring others together in times of conflict or confusion. Morrison says it comes from how she was raised, “Where there is confusion, I always try to find a solution. And sometimes all you have to do is just give a big ole hug,” Morrison continued, “That is what’s needed sometimes — just shut out all of that conflict and confusion and bring it to a hug. I do that because I was hugged all of my life growing up.”

Sevyn Jones, who owns Skin Bar VII, one of the establishments in the Avenue of Fashion, says that Morrison’s hugs often have the desired effect that Morrison intends for them, telling the Free Press, “Her (Morrison’s) hugs are infectious,” Jones said. “And if there is a problem, once that hug goes down, the problem is solved because the hug came from the Queen Mother.” 

Jones, who was instrumental in pushing for the activation of the Avenue of Fashion, told the Free Press in 2022 that she sees Morrison as a mentor in their tight-knit community, “I feel that a lot of time people use the word ‘mentor’ loosely, but the Queen Mother has demonstrated a long-term drive and spirit, along with a reality that hard work is required and that there are no shortcuts.”

Theodore Morrison also remains an important part of the fabric of House of Morrison Shoe Repair, according to his daughter Claudia Helton. Helton told the Free Press, “We talk about dad every day. He taught us that there is nothing too good for the customer and that you always give the customer the ultimate respect, and that concept has carried us through all different lines of life that we have been in.”

Helton added, “We keep all of our ancestors very close to us and we have shared what we have learned, which has helped to create a spirit of community in the Avenue of Fashion.” 

RELATED CONTENT: Detroit Black Business Alliance Speaks Out Against City Ordinance That May Affect Black Contractors

https://www.blackenterprise.com/unwrp-grand-marnier-hip-hop/

During this holiday season, the tradition of gift-giving embraces a whole new rhythm as UNWRP, a Black-owned gifting company, comes together with Grand Marnier. This collaboration is a celebration that resonates with the 50-year legacy of hip-hop. It marks a groundbreaking union, spearheaded by the creative fusion of artist Teezo Touchdown’s distinctive style and Grand Marnier’s tribute to the rhythmic spirit of hip-hop.

BLACK ENTERPRISE discovered the inspiration behind UNWRP.

Grand Marnier with UNWRP has designed a limited-edition line of (w)rapping paper, paying tribute to hip-hop’s half-century mark. Drawing inspiration from Touchdown’s artistic versatility, this paper becomes a canvas, chronicling the evolution of hip-hop through musical elements.

“UNWRP’s collaboration with Grand Marnier draws inspiration by the unique opportunity to celebrate 50 years of hip hop, the holiday season, and of course, Grand Marnier cocktails,” founder Ashley L. Fouyolle told BE.

The limited edition (w)rapping paper design draws inspiration from Teezo Touchdown’s style and the evolution of hip-hop over the decades.

“It features music listening devices and players that chronicle how music lovers have listened to hip-hop throughout its history and aims to capture the essence of hip-hop’s journey and the joy of gift giviing during the holiday season. The concept of the ‘Grand Encounter’”’ is reflected in the collaboration, echoing Grand Marnier’s history of blending unexpected elements, such as fine cognac and bitter orange liqueur, to create something extraordinary,” says Fouyolle.

Beyond visuals, Teezo curates the Grand Margarita holiday cocktail kit for Grand Marnier. 

Andrea Sengara, vice president of marketing for Campari U.S., noted in a press release, “Grand Marnier honors blending unexpected elements to create something extraordinary. Grand Marnier is once again honoring our storied history of blending unexpected elements to create something extraordinary.”

The Grand Margarita holiday cocktail kit is not merely a drink; it’s an experience that embodies the fusion of tastes and culture.

“Just like the unexpected encounter of orange liqueur and cognac coming together to create something grand, this collaboration with UNWRP and Teezo Touchdown to create an item that blends hip-hop, the holidays, and cocktails demonstrates the fun you can have when you bring together the unexpected,” shared Sengara. “Grand Marnier’s Grand Encounter speaks to me on many levels. As a former bartender, this collaboration is extra special to me.”

Committed to commemorate the history of hip-hop, Grand Marnier is donating to The Hip Hop Museum, set to open its doors within a housing community in the Bronx in 2025. Funds from Grand Marnier will support the museum’s research and curation of exhibits and collections.

The limited-edition UNWRP (W)rapping Paper + Cocktail Kit is available here. 

https://blacknerdproblems.com/shoresy-season-2-review/

Shoresy is such a good show that I, who doesn’t normally rewatch shows, will put it on whenever a friend says they haven’t seen it. Not only will I rewatch Shoresy with them, I’ll watch my friend to make sure they aren’t on their phone missing any of this greatness. I love this show so much and was relieved to see that they got renewed for a second season. I did worry if the Shoresy season 2 would live up to the first season. Now that it’s out, it’s safe to say that Shoresy season 2 is not only a different feel from the first season but a different journey all together.

If there’s two things you shouldn’t doubt about this show, it’s that Jared Keeso knows how to write a banger episode and director Jacob Tieranny is going get the best shots possible. What I love about this show is the anticipation of what’s to come. I may not know what’s coming but I know there will be the right amount of humor and wholesome waiting for me.

Although the feel is different from the first season, Shoresy Season 2 presents a new perspective for the Sudbury Bulldogs and their quest to never lose again. We step back into the show seeing that the team has been working their asses off this season. They boys put on muscle, their more aggressive on the ice, the NOSHO is no longer whale shit senior hockey, because this team is four games away from being undefeated for the season. Something that’s never been done ever. This quest towards the perfect record becomes one of the driving narratives for the series.

If you thought Sudbury Bulldogs’ captain Shoresy (Jared Keeso) was a on one last season, with a perfect record on the line, this man is an entirely different animal this season when it comes to keeping the team on track. What I like about this season is that there are issues with success. This season we see obstacles that come from team winning. There are multiple fires that need to be put out with this team. Whenever I talk about Shoresy as a show, it’s so easy to compare it to Ted Lasso. As characters Shoresy and Ted Lasso are at opposite ends of the spectrum in their approaches to winning. Ted Lasso wants to make you a better person and then a better player. Shoresy wants to bring that dog out of you and see you give it everything you got. Two different approaches, but the goals are somewhat similar.

Spoilers ahead folks!

Shoresy Season 2 and the Excellence of Execution

Remember in the Dark Knight Rises, Bane fights Batman and notices that the years away from crime fighting has made Batman’s fighting skills soft. Bane then tells him, “Victory has defeated you.” Oooof. We see that Shoresy’s team the Sudbury Bulldogs now faces the same issue. They got the best record in the league, they are on top, but you gotta stay on top. The team owner Nat (Tasya Teles) and her proteges, Miigwan (Keilani Rose) and Ziigwan (Blair Lamora) bring up these concerns up to Shoresy (Jared Keeso) and Sanguinet (Harlan Blayne Kytwayhat). The concerns are that they got teams wanting to take out their record and players smashing too much ass, specifically Goody (Andrew Antsanen) and Dolo (Jonathan-Ismaël Diaby). Goody and Dolo already playing a round in the sheets, so they got no legs in the 3rd round of the games. The Jims (Jon Mirasty, Brandon Nolan, and Jordan Nolan) are always late leaving right after games, and their goalie, Michaels (Ryan McDonell) is acting weird (even tho “goalies are always weird”).

What I truly love about this season is how Shoresy and Sanguinet have to make sure the team is still a well-oiled machine. They win a game, but that shit ain’t enough; Shoresy goes off on how everyone played. My man slapping sticks (ice cream cones) out folks hands that ain’t play, or in Fish’s (Jacob Smith) case, who used to score a goal a game, hasn’t score at all in four games. When Fish asks, “What happened to do they don’t ask how, they ask how many,” Sanguinet and Shoresy get in his face and tell’em “I’M (HE’s) ASKING HOW!”. What I love about this is that we see Sanguinet and Shoresy working hand in hand keeping the team in shape. Yet, when the team is getting rocked, and the team is stanking, It’s Fish that Sanguinet bets his chips on.

Fish is told it’s on him, and that if he doesn’t score he’s cut. He thinks they’re messing with him, but Shoresy is burning a hole through him, deathly serious. I love this scene as Fish is hearing the news, then we see him on the ice taking a knee in front of his team as if this is his trial by fire. When he comes through, he tells Shoresy and Sanguinet how that wasn’t cool and not to fuck with him like that again. When Nat asks about the situation, she says that was going too far. Sanguinet informs her that he wasn’t joking. Yeah, that’s how serious shit is. I love this scene, because Shoresy tells Nat, just as he tells Fish who is rightfully upset, “Didn’t see you complaining making the game winning shot. Didn’t see you complaining when the team was cheering you. Won’t see you complaining when you getting your dink sucked later…. Or a maybe I will. Fuck it, I’ll watch if he wants me to.”

Ironically, up until this episode, Shoresy kept asking Fish if he was ever going to score again. He was riding them hard. Then when it came time for him to step up and Fish calls him out on it, Shoresy says, I know what I said. Now it’s time for you to score us that goal. Where some may see this as putting on too much pressure for results, I see it as just right. Fish needed something to bring him back to scoring goals, sometimes when it’s crunch time, you gotta put someone’s feet to the fire in hopes of getting the results you need. Shoresy and Sanguinet understand this and are willing to bet the farm on implementing this on the team.

The Best There is, Best There was, Best There Ever will Be

Outside of the team we get to see a portion of Nat’s love life, how Sanguinet and Miigwan interact now that they’re dating, JJ Frankie JJ (Max Bouffard) being messy once again, Hitchcock (Terry Ryan) looking for love, and of course Shoresy pining after Laura Mohr (Camille Sullivan). Communication takes center focus as Shoresy has to figure out what’s going on with the Jims and Michaels. The dope part of this part is how they address the issue facing the players as a team in order to find solutions. There is no big bad to face this time around as the team stepped their game up; however, the Soo have an American team as well: the Soo Hunt. This team isn’t bad, they just Americans that wanna be the best at Hockey because American’s always wanna be the best at everything. However, the Sudbury Bulldogs are en route achieving Bret Hart status. Being the best there is, was, or ever will be. All they have to do is choose that greatness and work towards it.

There is one scene in Shoresy where they are up against a team and a player hits Michaels in the face with his stick. Shroesy warns the player if he does it again, he’s dead. That motherfucker did it again, and what happens is probably the most violent scene we see in the season. When I say there was blood on the ice, I mean it looked like someone spilled a bloody margarita on the ice. It was that bad but also an incredible scene about self-governing that hockey players do. We’ve seen Shoresy chirp (insult) everyone he’s against, get under their skin, sucker punch, do nut shots, slice an ankle, and more. This man has done really dirty shit, but he never did that to a team’s goalie. Ther are some things even Shoresy won’t do. So seeing a player do this to his goalie is a huge fucking no. Shoresy warned him, and when mans didn’t take heed, not only did he get dropped but he got dragged to the team’s box for everyone to get licks in.

A Whole lot of Wholesome

Shoresy does a lot to focus on the action on the ice, but they do an incredibly balanced job of showing the action off the ice. We see this backstory behind why Shoresy stays in hockey even tho he’s got a decade on most players. “It’s the only place I can really be me.” There’s the return of the Shoresy’s family, which was an incredible surprise. His niece brings her boyfriend over, Shoresy is kindly grilling him (especially hearing he’s an e-sports player) and we see here when his sister starts telling embarrassing stories of him in his youth, Shoresy can take it just as much as he dishes it. The man smiles as his sister talks about him kissing a woman that was actually a man (“What can I say, she was handsome”) and him running away from a girl crying. In the end, we see the family proud of what his team is on the verge of doing.

My favorite part comes when we see exactly how the sexy calendar for the team came about. Shoresy arrives, spray tanned (mans is orange), and ready to get oiled up. He’s going the extra mile for this photo shoot, expected everyone else to do the same, and is surprised when he sees the players with their shirts on. Everyone is laughing at him, and he’s defending his case until told by Nat why he’s going this far when he’s already put on muscle, had the team do the same, and is doing everything in his power to keep this winning streak going. To which Shoresy says, “Because you kept the team going and didn’t give up on us. So I’m going to go above and beyond for you.” That part got me, I was choked up as Nat tells the team to go and get tans, then tells Shoresy, “you’re up first, captain.”

I love this show me, no show (no pun) has fucking heart and grit like this. I mentioned that season one feels different from season 2. Yes, they’ve achieved the impossible and turned things around, but once again, there’s another peak on the mountain they can achieve as they head for championships and facing off against even better teams. The Sudbury Bulldogs were fucking jokes, Shoresy said, they would never lose again, then they lost. Nat said she’d fold the team, but the team finally hated to lose, the town was behind them, so she couldn’t pull the trigger, and now they’re on top of their game… with a chance to be legendary. Nat put her faith in Shoresy and this team, and because of that he has gone above and beyond.

Shoresy Season 2 is must-watch television. That’s all I can really say man. Jared Keeso’s pen game never stopped being flames. I love how there’s running gags through the series. How he’ll have a character mention something just for another person to say an episode later (to hammer home that point). Jacob Tierney’s long shots are my favorite part of the series, the way he captures teams and individuals throughout the show is amazing. I found myself slapping the table when watching games, hoping the Bulldogs pull out a win. The way he pulls in close ups, like when Nat saw a slut (hockey player), she was ready to take down.

Shoresy is a show that goes above and beyond, just like the players on the ice. They’ve been confirmed for a third season, which means this show is one season away from a hat trick. You can check out Shoresy season 2 streaming on Hulu, right now.

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The post ‘Shoresy’ Season 2 Sets The F***** Tone, Boys appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.