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https://nerdist.com/article/neil-newbon-ify-nwadiwe-jack-lepiarz-join-dungeons-and-dragons-twenty-sided-tavern-in-january/

We at Nerdist personally adore DUNGEONS & DRAGONS The Twenty-Sided Tavern; we gave it five stars and two nat 20s up. The immersive theatrical experience really captures everything we love about Dungeons & Dragons and combines it with everything we adore about live theater. There’s honestly no energy in a room quite like the energy that comes when you and a group of strangers, who are now your quest party, which is basically like being your best friends, combine your powers to take down a monster of your own creation. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS The Twenty-Sided Tavern is an epic thrill on a random Tuesday… but it’s about to get even more exciting. Three new Featured Players will join the production in January, and they are Ify Nwadiwe (Dimension 20, Workaholics, and Grand Crew), Jack Lepiarz (known as “Jacques Ze Whipper”) and Neil Newbon (Baldur’s Gate 3, Final Fantasy XVI, Resident Evil Village). Excuse us while we attempt to contain our glee.

Nerdist readers might be familiar with Ify Nwadiwe because he recently guest-starred on Geek & Sundry‘s Sagas of Sundry: Goblin Mode show, to the great delight of our viewers. If you haven’t watched him in action yet, you’re surely missing out. Neil Newbon, of course, likely needs no introduction after his incredible turn as Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3. We assume he won’t be playing Asatrion (darling) in The Twenty-Sided Tavern, but we have no doubt he’ll have something incredible up his sleeves. Meanwhile, we can also only imagine the frenzy Jack Lepiarz (otherwise, as mentioned, known as “Jacques Ze Whipper”) will whip the audience into. If you’ve been waiting to attend DUNGEONS & DRAGONS The Twenty-Sided Tavern, this feels like your sign to roll for initiative and go check it out.

The official description of The Twenty-Sided Tavern shares that it is “an immersive theatrical experience that combines the magic of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS with the excitement of live performance. Audience members are not just spectators but active participants, guiding the story and determining the fate of the characters. Whether you’re a seasoned adventurer or new to the world of role-playing games, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS The Twenty-Sided Tavern promises an unforgettable journey.” And that basically sums it up, but it cannot begin to capture the hilarity, wonder, and sense of kinship, love, and unity that is at The Twenty-Sided Tavern will engender in you.

But when should you attend to see your favorite Featured Players in action, well Ify Nwadiwe (a professional nerd, known for his roles in Dimension 20, Workaholics, and Grand Crew) will portray the ‘Warrior’ from January 3 through January 21.

Meanwhile, Jack Lepiarz (a celebrated circus performer and social media personality, renowned for his whip-cracking stage shows at Renaissance festivals) will play the role of ‘Trickster’ from January 9 through January 19.

Finally, Neil Newbon (who has credits in more than 100 games, TV shows, and films) will portray the ‘Mage’ from January 23 through February 4.

Tickets for these shows and others are available now through April 29, 2025 at thetwentysidedtavern.com, telecharge.com, or by calling 800-447-7400. You can also become a part of the adventuring community on Discord.

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The post Neil Newbon, Ify Nwadiwe, and Jack Lepiarz Roll Into THE TWENTY-SIDED TAVERN for a Ton of D&D Fun appeared first on Nerdist.

https://www.blackenterprise.com/milwaukee-forest-home-cemetery-stories-black-trailblazers/

Milwaukee’s Forest Home Cemetery is the oldest operating cemetery in the city and holds a lot of history on its grounds, a history that storytellers like Sara Wong are eager to pass on to those who embark on the tours the cemetery offers.

According to Fox 6 Now, Wong has made it her mission to uncover the stories of figures in Milwaukee whose contributions to history often go overlooked, using a tour titled “Stories of Strength: Honoring Black Milwaukeeans.”

“This is the oldest operating cemetery in Milwaukee,” Wong told the outlet.

“I want to give voice to the stories of the people who might not be as well known.”

The tour travels approximately 1.5 miles and features a story about the Watson family, whose patriarch, Sully, purchased his freedom. Wong traces the family’s roots in Milwaukee to the mid-1800s.

William Watson, the son of Sully and Susanna, was a stonemason who helped build Milwaukee’s Iron Block Building. Another of Sully’s descendants, Mabel Watson Raimey, became the first Black woman to be admitted to the Wisconsin Bar.

Wong, a school social worker by trade, has a passion for researching and sharing Black history, which she indulges in through leading tours that trace the lives of early Black settlers in Milwaukee, whose forgotten contributions to the city include building landmarks that still stand today.

Yvonne Thomas was one of the people who took the tour and briefly reflected on what those early Black settlers endured.

“If they went through what they went through, then I can walk these few blocks for them,” Thomas told Fox 6.” I think of all the things they went through that we can’t even imagine. They didn’t give up; they were persistent, they were committed. That is the reason why we’re here.”

The tour also tells the story of Louis Hughes, the author of a slave narrative, 30 Years A Slave. Hughes is buried near his wife, Matilda, and the couple’s daughters in the cemetery.

Ezekiel Gillespie, the founder of Milwaukee’s St. Mark A.M.E. Church and an early Black suffragist who sued the Wisconsin Board of Elections and later won a landmark case in the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which secured voting rights for Black voters in Wisconsin, becoming the first Black voter in Wisconsin, is buried near the Hughes family.

The tour also tells the story of George Marshall Clark, the only known victim of a lynching in Milwaukee, who was honored in 2021 with a dedication at his gravesite.

According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Clark’s grave had gone unmarked for years. Thanks to the efforts of Kamila Ahmed and others, his grave was marked, and his story was commemorated by a historical marker near the spot where he was placed on a piledriver and hung.

Ahmed was overcome with emotion at the ceremony but told the outlet that Clark’s acknowledgment was a victory for the Black community of Milwaukee.

“We don’t always see change (the gravestone of Clark) happen so quickly. This is victory for the entire community. Just to be part of this is a joy,” Ahmed said.

According to the Milwaukee Independent, when the historical marker was unveiled in 2023 in Milwaukee’s Third Ward, Randy Bryant, the Milwaukee County Landmarks Committee chairman, called for a commitment to change in Milwaukee.

“As we unveil this plaque, let us also unveil a commitment to change. Let us remember not only the pain but also the strength that brought us together today. Let us remember the importance of unity, understanding, and the fight against racism,” Bryant said.

“We have come to understand that we do not want to live with racism. Now, let us learn how to live in harmony, in respect of one another. Let this plaque not only be a symbol of a dark past, but also a beacon of hope for a brighter and more equitable future.”

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley echoed Bryant’s call, remarking that marking events like the lynching of Clark is a necessary part of communal healing.

“We cannot just choose to remember the pieces of our community’s history that shine in a positive light. It is only by recognizing the deep societal impacts of these events, and remembering where we come from, can we begin to heal and honestly look to the future,” Crowley said. “My vision for Milwaukee County is that by achieving racial equity we will become the healthiest county in the state of Wisconsin. In 2019, Milwaukee County was the first jurisdiction to declare racism as a public health crisis. And while we have taken incredible strides in advancing racial equity and health equity, we know that our work is far from over.”

RELATED CONTENT: Temple’s Charles L. Blockson Collection Celebrates 40th Anniversary, Preserving Black History

https://blackgirlnerds.com/review-goosebumps-returns-with-next-chapter-of-ya-horror-in-goosebumps-the-vanishing/

When Disney+’s R.L. Stine adaptation Goosebumps debuted in October 2023, it was only a 10-episode limited series. But with its Season 2 renewal, the series has become a serialized anthology that tells a new story every season. Co-creators Rob Letterman (2015’s Goosebumps) and Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) return this season with Letterman and Hilary Winston (Community) serving as co-showrunners again. 

While we won’t be following our characters from the previous, the second installment, subtitled Goosebumps: The Vanishing, follows another group of high-schoolers trying to solve a decades-old supernatural mystery.

To the tune of the Beastie Boys’ “Pass the Mic,” the series opens in 1994 Brooklyn, New York, with a group of teens — Matty (Christopher Paul Richards), Hannah (Eloise Payet), Sameer (Arjun Athalye), and Nicole (Kyra Tantao). As in every horror show, their boredom and curiosity have fatal consequences.

In honor of the traditional “senior dare,” they make an idiotic plan to spend the night in the allegedly haunted old fort by the water. Local lore claims it’s where the military conducted medical experiments on humans. Their spooky adventure ends as expected: all four vanish without a trace and are presumed dead. 

In the present day, we meet Matty’s younger brother, Anthony Brewer (David Schwimmer), a divorced botanist now living in his childhood home. His kids, teenage twins Cece (Jayden Bartels) and Devin (Sam McCarthy) come to stay with him in the Gravesend neighborhood of Brooklyn for the summer. His only rule is to “stay out of the basement,” where he’s set up a lab filled with sensitive research and fragile equipment.

The twins reconnect with childhood friend and next-door neighbor Frankie (Galilea La Salvia) and meet charismatic delivery driver CJ (Elijah M. Cooper), post-juvie rebel Alex (Francesca Noel), and Frankie’s douchey college boyfriend Trey (Stony Blyden). Due to the series of strange happenings, they all get to know Alex’s mom Jen (Ana Ortiz), a police detective who went to school with the four kids who vanished in 1994. 

Trying to impress his longtime crush Frankie, Devin stupidly follows in his uncle’s footsteps and goes into the tunnel on a dare. He makes it out alive but not unscathed and whatever latched onto him is the source of weird things happening in the community. Meanwhile, Anthony has his own bizarre encounter with equally disastrous outcomes. 

While the scariness is kept tame for a YA audience, the special effects and creature creation by Peter Jackson’s Wētā FX produce some skin-crawling body horror. Anthony gets infected by the mystery spores, which grow into squirming tendrils protruding from his arm. The visuals are fantastically disgusting; a lot of goo pouring out of eyes, noses, and mouths, along with vicious vines trying to pull and suffocate whatever they can. 

Like Season 1, it’s hard to connect with the characters right away. Since The Vanishing takes place during summer break, we don’t see the high school dynamics among the group. However, there’s still anxiety around the upcoming senior year, messy love triangles, fighting with parents, living under the pressure of high expectations, and getting into trouble on the regular. 

David Schwimmer, best known for his tenure as Ross on Friends, does a great job juggling the show’s blend of comedy, drama, and horror. And when his character takes a darker turn, he delivers a chilling performance. One noticeable, comical aspect about Anthony and every character is that they frequently talk to themselves out loud, not even whispering. 

The Vanishing adapts a number of Stine’s beloved books, including Stay Out of the Basement, The Haunted Car, Monster Blood, The Girl Who Cried Monster, The Ghost Next Door, and Welcome to Camp Nightmare. Each story is about a different type of supernatural threat (plant monsters, ghosts, blobs), but Winston and Co. still made everything work together in one mostly cohesive narrative. 

In the first six episodes available for review, there’s one that stands out for its increase in suspense. Much of Episode 6, “The Girl Next Door,” sees the group looking for clues while watching a VHS tape recorded by the 1994 missing teens. The episode, filmed on a hand-held camera, owes the eeriness to its director and found footage extraordinaire Eduardo Sanchéz (The Blair Witch Project). 

The show has an interesting mix of music genres, including Sabrina Carpenter, 21 Savage, St. Vincent, Thundercat, Childish Gambino, and more than one diegetic play of System of a Down’s 2001 nu-metal hit “Chop Suey!” Rap and hip-hop don’t always work in some scenes but the overall eclectic needle drops are appreciated.

Goosebumps: The Vanishing is a solid next chapter in the anthology series, delivering just as much mystery, creepy creatures, and coming-of-age angst. While fall would’ve been a more on-brand time for the release, or even summer when the series is set, The Vanishing still holds up as an entertaining binge for new and old Goosebumps fans alike. 

All eight episodes of Goosebumps: The Vanishing premiere January 10, 2025, on Disney+ and Hulu. 

The post Review: ‘Goosebumps’ Returns with Next Chapter of YA Horror in ‘Goosebumps: The Vanishing’ appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

https://www.themarysue.com/there-are-no-election-deniers-on-our-side-of-the-aisle-the-speaker-of-the-house-plays-into-the-election-fraud-hoax-during-acceptance-speech/

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries—who looks more and more like a potential presidential candidate with each opportunity to speak—delivered a masterclass in political jiu-jitsu Friday, using Republicans’ own enthusiasm to highlight their past election denialism while marking the stark power dynamics that will define the 119th Congress.

Jeffries: Two months ago the American people elected Donald Trump as the 47th president 

Republicans: *cheer*

Jeffries: Thank you for that very generous applause. It's ok. There are no election deniers on our side of the aisle. pic.twitter.com/JyqBKuQmds

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