deerstalker

https://blackgirlnerds.com/kevin-arkadie-co-creator-of-new-york-undercover-dies-at-68/

Kevin Arkadie, the influential television writer and producer best known as the co-creator of Fox’s groundbreaking cop drama New York Undercover, has died. He was 68. Arkadie passed away on December 17.

Arkadie leaves behind a legacy defined by bold storytelling, cultural impact, and an unwavering commitment to character-driven drama. As a creative force behind New York Undercover, which premiered in 1994, Arkadie helped reshape the television crime genre by centering stories around Black and Latino detectives in New York City an approach that was both radical and necessary for its time. The series starred Malik Yoba and Michael DeLorenzo as Detectives J.C. Williams and Eddie Torres, and it quickly became a cultural touchstone, celebrated for its authenticity, music-driven opening credits, and willingness to explore social issues through a distinctly urban lens.

New York Undercover was a reflection of a city and communities rarely given such visibility on network television. Arkadie’s work on the show helped open doors for more inclusive storytelling in primetime and paved the way for future series that centered marginalized voices without compromise.

Beyond New York Undercover, Arkadie’s career spanned some of the most respected dramas in television history. He contributed as a writer and producer on CBS’ Chicago Hope, ABC’s NYPD Blue, and FX’s The Shield each series known for pushing narrative boundaries and elevating the standards of TV drama. His involvement in these projects underscored his versatility and his ability to navigate complex moral terrain, whether in hospital corridors or gritty precinct houses.

In more recent years, Arkadie continued to invest in stories that reflected Black life and ambition on screen, working on BET series including The Quad and Sacrifice. These projects reaffirmed his ongoing commitment to creating layered, adult dramas that explored power, legacy, and identity within Black communities work that resonated with a new generation of viewers while maintaining the sharp storytelling instincts that defined his earlier career.

Colleagues and fans alike remember Arkadie as a writer who understood the importance of perspective and place. His stories were grounded, unflinching, and deeply human, often illuminating the gray areas where justice, loyalty, and survival collide. At a time when television is finally reckoning with representation and authenticity, Arkadie’s contributions feel especially enduring.

Kevin Arkadie’s impact on television cannot be overstated. Through his work, he helped change what audiences saw and who they saw on screen. His voice, vision, and dedication to meaningful storytelling will continue to echo through the genre he helped transform.

He is survived by his family, friends, and a body of work that remains influential decades after its debut.

The post Kevin Arkadie, Co-Creator of New York Undercover, Dies at 68 appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

https://blacknerdproblems.com/interview-with-rodney-barnes-on-his-latest-series-crownsville/

This transcript has been edited slightly for clarity and conciseness.

BlackNerdProblems: Hello, welcome to our first interview in a while. My name is Mikkel Snyder. I am a staff writer with Black Nerd Problems, and I’m here with Rodney Barnes. How are you doing today, Rodney?

Rodney Barnes: I’m doing well, thank you.

BNP: So, we’re big fans of your work over here. This is dating me a little bit, but I was the staff writer who did the reviews on Quincredible way back when you were with Lion Forge back in the day.

Rodney: Wow.

BNP: Ah, I loved your take on the genre. It was a lot of fun. We also loved Killadelphia a lot when it came out. It was a darling of ours. But we’re here today to talk about Crownsville. It’s coming out with ONI Press November 5th.

So, before we get into that, I guess my first question is, you’ve worn a lot of hats over the years between different mediums, genres, IP work, original stories. What keeps you coming back to comics? And what keeps you coming back to horror?

Rodney: I love comics. And, you know, there’s an idealism when it comes to comics. I work a lot in television and film. And a lot of times that’s business, you know, it’s work. But when I come to comics, it feels like the closest thing to idealism, like what I wanted writing to be in my head when I was a kid and I said I wanted to be a writer. Comics kind of give me that.

In regards to horror, I’ve loved horror my entire life. You know, the majority of my work in television and other mediums has been drama, sports drama, comedies, that type of thing. And being able to speak directly to horror in the way that I want to, comics kind of give me that.

BNP: Because comics is your first love, as you say, is it easier to write for it? Or have you sort of mastered like different parts of it? And it’s sort of like variable?

Rodney: It’s variable, because, you know, in comics, as we were talking earlier, I’ve done superhero comics. I’ve done a lot of Star Wars stuff. I’ve learned a lot of different things. So it’s not like, you know, it’s just horror when it comes to comics. But a lot of my indie work in comics has been horror. So in that regards, yes. But, you know, comics, I just love the medium in general.

Horror, I just love it, you know, as well.

BNP: So let’s talk about Crownsville. How long have you been working on this particular story?

Rodney: On and off for like five years, you know, it was one of those things where I, when I was a kid, I knew about Crownsville, because my grandmother was a nurse there for a while. And, you know, I always looked at it as like the haunted hospital and had a lot of spooky stories around it and all of that. So on and off, different ideas. I didn’t know what my entry point was going to be. I tried a bunch of different things and then ultimately fell into the story that you have now.

BNP: Could you, for our viewers who will eventually see this, could you sort of give like what your logline for what this Crownsville comic is about?

Rodney: In short, there’s a mental asylum that is haunted and the secrets of its past, how it became haunted and, you know, the circumstances that brought it to the place that it is now in my story have come to light.

And a homicide cop and a newspaper man decide to investigate the strange happenings that are going on at the hospital.

It’s closed at the time, like now in reality and in the story as well. It’s condemned. But the events of the past are drawing in circumstances in the present.

BNP: Having read the first couple issues of it, it’s clearly a story that comes from a place of reverence. It’s set in your home state. It revolves around what is an unfortunately American history staple of unethical medical research. How does this feel writing about all of that during a time where we still have a lot of these issues just manifesting in different ways?

Rodney: It was very, very personal. I mean, I didn’t, when I started working on the book, I wasn’t thinking about it in a political sense. I just wanted to tell a really great story.

And circumstances, you know, started to move in that direction as far as what’s going on in the country and how we look at history and how history is going to be taught, disseminated in school, etc., etc. But I wasn’t thinking about that at the time. I just wanted to tell a really good story that I thought was respectful of the place and the people and what they went through.

But it’s almost like everything dovetailed together to where now I get that question a lot was like, was this in response to what’s going on? And, you know, honestly, none of that was in my head. I just always saw the place. And a lot of the stories that I tell Indie-wise are just stories I always wanted to tell.

BNP: How much research goes into a project like this? Because you clearly have like a history with it already. So there was some background knowledge. How much additional effort do you sort of have to like pull in to like give an authentic version of the story in your mind?

Rodney: A good amount. Shout out to Antonia Hylton, who wrote a book called Madness about Crownsville. Probably about a year ago, it came out. Excellent research. And she allowed me to be a little part of it as well. And there are a lot of historians in Annapolis as well who I was able to speak to and a lot of research online. And I actually spent a good amount of time at Crownsville.

First, I almost got kicked off and almost arrested because you’re not supposed to go up there and walk around the place. But there’s a picture you see in some of the press packets of me standing in front of it. Well, that day we almost got locked up for being out there.

Alan Amato, my photographer, shout out to him as well. But a good amount of research and a lot of things that I didn’t know about the place, you know, what it was originally intended for and what it ultimately became.

BNP: Did you have any specific inspirations for Eloise, Todd, and Paul?

Rodney: There were all sorts of composites of characters that I found along the way.

Todd sort of spoke to who I was, you know, when I was coming up and working jobs in the area and all of that. All of these were people who were just like amalgams of a bunch of people who came together, and I needed to make people up along the way. But the sentiments under all of them were real people and real places and real things.

I just, of course, couldn’t use real people that I knew.

BNP: That would be adding a whole other layer to the story.

Rodney: Yeah, exactly, exactly, exactly.

BNP: So we’ve talked a lot about research. How about the other inspirations? So Crownsville clearly has a lot of supernatural elements to it, has a lot of film noir elements to it. What were some of your like benchmarks and your reference works for like the vibe that you wanted to convey with the tone?

BNP: Obviously, The Shining. And ironically, The Exorcist 3. I was a PA for a couple of days on The Exorcist 3 when I worked at Georgetown Law Center in Georgetown, the area where they shot the movie, I was able to work. And if you saw The Exorcist 3 starring the late great George C. Scott, a lot of that was in a hospital. And, you know, I loved haunted houses.

I love that idea of places that still hold spirits and have secrets and all of that stuff. So a lot of it was just kind of mined from movies I’d loved over time and stories that I read that still sort of resonated. There was a great book, Night Stalks the Mansion, when I was a kid that I loved. Amityville Horror, those types of things. And trying to build a sense of mystery and intrigue along with supernatural paranormal events as well.

I wanted to tell a story that wasn’t just a ghost story, but also had a mystery attached to it so that as readers go, they would get to a place where what’s happening? How did we get here? And then the practical problem of how do you solve the problem that’s, you know, that needs solving in the end without giving it away?

BNP: I won’t speak too much about the plot because I don’t want to spoil anything for the viewers, but I think I can talk about the fact that you do a lot of cool things with the timeline and going back and forth between events. And it was really interesting seeing that unfold over the first couple of issues.

Rodney: Thank you. Yeah, there’s a lot of historical stuff around Annapolis just with what it is.

Annapolis and Crownsville are sort of adjacent to one another. So I wanted to get a lot of the history in of how a place like Crownsville could exist culturally as much as practically, you know, how you could have a sense of dread that comes from the people themselves. Like each a cop, a newspaper man, they have histories as well.

And their histories, albeit not directly, are linked culturally to this place as well. So there’s a personal sense of it, even though they’re not necessarily both directly connected to it as people, the background, the environment, the history, they’re connected to that stuff.

BNP: I am also from Maryland. I wasn’t born there. I was a military brat, but I spent most of my middle school and high school there. And I think I’ve driven by the area a couple of times. So it felt very much like this feels familiar in a way that I couldn’t quite place. And part of that…

Rodney: Fort Meade, that Fort Meade area, the Naval Academy, all of that stuff, the military in there. Yep, exactly.

BNP: But part of that, I think, is contributed by your artist, Elia Bonetti, who is absolutely fantastic. What was the collaboration process like with them?

Rodney: I met him through Jason Sean Alexander, who works with me. He did Blacula and he did Killadelphia.

And a lot of times when I’m pitching ideas, I pitch them to Jason and he’ll say, this person would be great artist for it, or that person if it’s not him. And he just felt like Elia would be great as his tone, which is sort of a painted book that feels kind of ethereal and atmospheric. And it adds an element of mystery to it that takes the story beyond the words. There’s a story there within how he decides to create the visuals that words can’t elevate sometimes.

BNP: How different was it collaborating with Elia as opposed to Jason, and a new collaborator versus an older collaborator, essentially?

Rodney: Jason I know like a brother. Jason lives a mile and a half away from me. So I see Jason all the time. I talk to Jason all the time. We argue with each other all the time. So there’s a certain level of familiarity to where Jason and I can have knockdown drag out fights and you see what you see in the end. When you’re dealing with someone via email, who you’re not able to talk to on a regular basis, which is probably 90% of the people I work with in comics, because they’re from all over the world. Like when you were mentioning Quincredible, Selia was from the Philippines.

And I think we spoke one time over the three years and the three volumes of that book. So here was a similar dynamic as well, even though I think we met in New York, at New York Comic Con, maybe two years ago, we met and he gave me some great original art that I got framed and all of that. But as far as in the process of making the book, there wasn’t a whole lot of communication, but immediately he grabbed the work, grabbed the way the script went.

We had a couple of emails between the two of us, but he did a lot of research with the buildings and the things that are online as far as to get the architecture right and the environment right. And just hats off to him. I think he did a fantastic job.

BNP: Do you give that same level of feedback to your letterer? Because there was lots of cool things in the dialogue box.

Rodney; Yes, yes, as well. I mean, I think all aspects of the visual, I think heightened anything that I did with the words.

Like I think the way the book came to life and we’re on the sixth, actually, as we speak right now, I’m due to get the last chapter in. But everything that they did, the visual from the colors to the actual art itself to the lettering, everything sort of just fell into place perfectly. I’m very, very proud of the book.

BNP: How many pages is a typical script that you produce for a project like this?

Rodney. Twenty pages. I do it a lot like, you know, in screenwriting, a page is a minute. So if I’m doing a drama script, typically it’s 50 pages for an hour show.

And if it’s a movie, it’s one hundred and twenty page- anywhere from one ten to one twenty. So my comic scripts really go relatively, you know, 20 pages, 20 pages of script.

BNP: Did you develop your own template that somebody else help you out with that? Did you rely on your screenwriting stuff? Like how did this process sort of like hone over the years?

Rodney: Well, I remember the first script, the first project I ever wrote in comics was for Falcon.

That was my first book in Marvel. And I remember when I turned my first script in, my editor at the time said the script is ponderous. And I knew what the word ponderous meant. And I knew it wasn’t a compliment. And basically what he was saying was it was too many words. And I was writing like a screenwriter for something that really you have to work with.

You know, graphic art is different than the moving image. I didn’t know I’d never considered that before. I just looked at it like I would tell a story like I’m telling any other story.

And it wasn’t until the fourth issue of Falcon that I realized that I have to work with the artist and less is more. And over time, you know, by the time I got to Killadelphia, I started to feel like, OK, I kind of had my own voice and I had my own thing. And I did that both in how I wrote scripts, how I communicated with artists, and ultimately had a better idea of how words and art work together for me in the way that I do it.

And so you’ll find that if you look at those first Falcon books all the way through Quincredible. There’s a lot, a lot of words. And over time, I was able to call it down and say, OK, what’s really necessary? How much do I really need? And leaning on the artist more to really make their choices.

And they know more about this than I do. Jason certainly has been doing this a lot longer than me and really just building a relationship with my artists and trust with the artists, and I’m just trying to say more with less.

BNP: As someone who is naturally very perverse, that is an enviable skill.

Rodney: Yeah, it takes time. It really does take time because you feel like you want to dot every I and cross every T and you want to make sure all the information is there. And then at a certain point, if you do it long enough, and we did 36 issues of Killadelphia and we may do some more in the future, you get to a place where you just develop a rhythm and a confidence that I didn’t have in my earlier stuff.

And now it’s gotten to a place where. I have enough confidence to be able to know how long it’s going to take to write a script, what needs to be said, how I want to say it, you know, I figured out my head before I put pen to paper, and it takes time. But if you do anything long enough, you get better at it, good or bad.

BNP: So that’s a lot of the questions I had about Crownsville and your process. I want to like zoom out a bit, have a little bit fun with this interview. So my next question is: what haunts you these days?

Rodney: Oh, my God. So we don’t have enough time to talk about what haunts me.

You know, primarily. Trying to get to a place career wise where I’m getting everything out of my system. I read an article by Stephen King and he was talking about winding down now because he’s getting to an age where he’s starting to feel old, I guess, where, you know, not so much. I think there’s some mental stuff there the way he doesn’t have the same level of clarity that he had when he was younger, which is understandable. And I have so many stories that I want to tell and so many projects and film and television and comics and just everything, novels across the board.

I don’t know if I’m going to have enough time to get all that stuff out of my system. And now I’m at an age where I’m starting to feel that even though there’s nothing wrong, you know, there’s nothing that I’m aware of that’s going on. But it’s like time has become a lot more valuable and I’m a lot more aware of it than I was when I was young.

BNP: We’ll pivot to a fun question after that existential one. But one of my favorite questions I ask everyone, no matter where I’m interviewing, no matter who they are, I want to know what’s a piece of media you wish more people knew about. Not necessarily your favorite, just something you had more exposure was more in the public consciousness.

Rodney: I think two television shows stand out more than anything else. Homicide: Life on the Street was one of my favorite TV shows in the late 90s. It was the reason that I wanted to become a screenwriter.

It was set in Baltimore. It was about homicide detectives. So, you know, you had death, but you also had mystery there.

And that’s my favorite of any genre to write or, you know, consume. And what else? Night Gallery, Rod Serling’s Night Gallery. You know, Night Gallery didn’t get the same amount of love as the Twilight Zone did.

And I’m a huge Rod Serling fan. And I think, you know, those two pieces of work, I wish had more of a life right now, even though Homicide just got picked up on Peacock, but they changed the music because I guess the licensing and all of that stuff.

So many episodes don’t come off exactly the same as they did when I watched them, but it’s still great stuff. And the late, great Andre Brouwer, who played Pembleton on the show, was actually attached to play Killadelphia in the live action TV show before he passed away. And, you know, but that said, still, Homicide is an incredible piece of work.

And I highly recommend it to anybody who loves dramas, mysteries, Law and Order, Dateline, all of that kind of stuff.

BNP: When it originally premiered on Peacock, I consumed all of it in pretty short order. And it is actively incredible how well it holds up and how well you can see like the foundations for every other cop procedural that followed it after.

Rodney: And yeah, it’s a lot like Kolshak the Night Stalker. It’s a lot like Kolshak the Night Stalker with The X-Files. And you see all the other things that came after it, how one thing inspired a bunch of other things.

BNP: So, yes, I agree a hundred percent. Cool. Well, that’s all of the questions I had for this interview. Is there anything you would like to share for viewers and the audience at home?

Rodney: No, just, you know, if you get an opportunity, check out Crownsville, November 5th. I’m really excited about it, really proud of it. And, you know, it’s got that hometown flavor. So I’m anxious for people to give it a read and hopefully they enjoy it.

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The post What haunts you? – An Interview With Rodney Barnes on His Latest Series, ‘CROWNSVILLE’ appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

https://blackgirlnerds.com/7-gifts-every-black-women-should-gift-themselves-this-christmas/

Your Christmas shopping has begun, but there’s one person not yet on your shopping list. It’s the person who works the hardest, sacrifices the most, and constantly puts others before themselves. The person that you’re probably not shopping for is yourself. 

In the season of gift-giving, it’s easy to get caught up in buying gifts for everyone else but yourself. However, buying yourself something special can be a powerful act of self-care. 

Why Black women in particular should buy gifts for themselves

According to the American Heart Association, around 50,000 African American women die annually from cardiovascular disease. In addition to higher levels of stress due to racial injustice, Black women endure too much to not be celebrated and spoiled from time to time. 

So instead of waiting for someone else to give you a gift you may or may not want, buy yourself the gift you want and deserve. Keep in mind that gift-giving is a celebratory act, and you have so much to honor. Celebrate every time you got out of bed and started the day when you didn’t want to. Celebrate reaching your goals. Giving yourself a gift is a way to recognize your personal accomplishments. 

Even if you choose to acknowledge your accomplishment in a different way, buy yourself a Christmas gift because it feels good and you deserve to be happy.

If you’re ready to spend some money on yourself, here are some gifts you’ll want to consider. 

7 gifts your should gift yourself

1. A solo trip

Although many gifts come in finely wrapped boxes, one of the best gifts you can give yourself won’t fit under the tree. This holiday season, gift yourself a plane, bus, or train ticket to an unfamiliar place for a solo adventure.

Solo travel gives you the opportunity to disconnect from the stressors of life, discover new cultures, and learn something new about yourself. 

If you decide to gift yourself a solo trip, you don’t have to go somewhere far. You can simply visit a neighboring city or the next state over. Putting yourself in a new environment can help uplift your spirits and nurture your soul. 

2. Boudoir photoshoot

If you haven’t tried a Boudoir photoshoot, this is your time to do so. These sexy and intimate style photoshoots are a fun and unconventional way to celebrate the beauty of your body.

With this type of photoshoot, you’re encouraged to wear lingerie or any type of clothing you feel sexy in. Although posing in provocative attire may be a little out of your comfort zone, the results of your photoshoot will have you feeling empowered and free.

The bonus aspect of doing a photoshoot near the holidays is that you can print the photos and use them as a gift for yourself or a loved one. 

3. A house plant

You may think that a house plant is a simple gift, yet it can produce lasting benefits all year long. According to an article on Healthline.com, some of the various benefits of house plants include increasing productivity, improving air quality, and reducing stress levels.

If you’re new to plant ownership, it’s best to start with a low-maintenance plant such as Aloe Vera, Sansevieria (Snake Plant), or Monstera. All of these plants require occasional watering and can survive in low light. 

4. A dance or movement class

Like most, you probably have a New Year’s resolution related to fitness or health. Whether you want to adjust your weight or your muscle tone, you don’t have to herd yourself into the gym like a majority of people will do in the new year. 

Instead, you can take a fitness class. There are a variety of different movement classes that involve cardio and strength training to help you reach your fitness goals. If you’re looking for a place to start you can check out ballroom, salsa, or Latin dance classes, Buti Yoga, or even burlesque dance classes.

Taking unconventional movement classes allows you to have more fun while getting into shape. 

5. A journal

Journaling is a self-care practice that is recommended by therapists, teachers, coaches, and friends. It provides a safe space for you to release your thoughts and decompress from the stressors of life. 

If you’re looking to start journaling, you can check out the journals and stationery from Be Rooted. Founded by Jasmin Foster, this company has products that give women of color the opportunity to explore who they are and celebrate themselves. There are a variety of different journals to choose from, including gratitude and mindfulness journals. 

6. Therapy

Similar to journaling, therapy is a self-care gift that can help you improve your quality of life. Therapy gives Black women the opportunity to be seen, heard, and validated, especially if working with a Black therapist. 

Starting therapy can feel different, unfamiliar, and scary, but it gives you a way to heal your trauma and other emotional damage. Working with a professional can help set you up for success in the new year.

7. Buy the thing you’ve been telling yourself you don’t deserve

Whether you choose to buy something from the above-mentioned items or not, the most important thing is to buy yourself what you want. 

If you desire something that is currently out of your price range, make a plan to put money aside to make that purchase. Instead of talking yourself out of it, start convincing yourself that you deserve whatever it is that you want.

As Christmas time draws closer so does the pressure of buying gifts. Giving gifts, although rooted in capitalism, is about showing people that you care and making them feel good. So in the holiday season remember that you too are worthy and special of giving yourself a gift. Remember, it’s not selfish to want something and let yourself have it. 

The post 7 Gifts Every Black Woman Should Gift Themselves This Christmas appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

https://blacknerdproblems.com/oshi-no-ko-season-3-coming/

Not me looking at the calendar, feeling shocked! Was it only last summer that season two dropped on an entirely different anime streaming platform?!

SEASON 3 SYNOPSIS:

It’s been six months since “POP IN 2” was released. Thanks to MEMcho’s hard work, B-Komachi is about to get their big break. Aqua is a multi-talented entertainer, and Akane’s career as a talented actress is going well. Meanwhile, Kana lost the cheerfulness she once had. To track down the truth behind Ai and Goro’s deaths, Ruby keeps rising in the entertainment world… using lies as a weapon.

ABOUT【OSHI NO KO】:

When pregnant young starlet Ai Hoshino appears at Dr. Gorou Amemiya’s clinic, he takes it upon himself to safely (and secretly) deliver her child so Ai can make a scandal-free return to the stage. But on the eve of her delivery, Gorou is slain at the hands of Ai’s deluded stalker — and is subsequently reborn as Ai’s child, Aquamarine Hoshino! The glitz and glamor of showbiz hide the dark underbelly of the entertainment industry. Can he help his new mother rise to the top of the charts? 

【OSHI NO KO】is based on the award-winning manga written by Aka Akasaka (Kaguya-sama: Love is War) and illustrated by Mengo Yokoyari (Scrum’s Wish). 

Season 3 is directed by Daisuke Hiramaki (Asteroid in Love), and the series composition is written by Jin Tanaka (The Misfit of Demon King Academy), who both previously worked on Season 1 and 2. The animation is produced by DOGA KOBO (Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian).

【OSHI NO KO】Season 3 stars Takeo Otsuka as Aqua Hoshino, Yurie Igoma as Ruby Hoshino, Megumi Han as Kana Arima, Manaka Iwami as Akane Kurokawa, Rumi Okubo as MEMcho, and Rie Takahashi as Ai Hoshino. Additional cast new to Season 3 includes Yuto Takenaka as Shun Yoshizumi and Yoji Ueda as Tetsu Urushibara.

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The post ‘【OSHI NO KO】’ Season 3 is coming to Crunchyroll this January! appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.