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With the upcoming premiere of X-Men ’97 on Disney+, there’s an all-time high appreciation for the Marvel mutants in their ’90s heyday. As much as we may love (some) of the live-action films, no media outside of comics has captured what people love about the students of Charles Xavier’s School more than X-Men: The Animated Series. Now, you can display your love for the ’90s era X-Men’s ultimate love triangle heroes, Wolverine, Cyclops, and Jean Grey, with a new series of figures from the folks at YouTooz. You can check out images and details for each one right here:

Cyclops (X-Men #1)

The first figure is of Scott Summers, a.k.a. Cyclops. The X-Men’s field leader, whose deadly optic blast can shatter a mountain. This figure captures Cyke in his Jim Lee-designed costume, featured prominently on the cover of 1991’s X-Men #1. Of course, it became world famous when X-Men: The Animated Series used it. This Limited Edition X-Men #1 Cyclops will set you back $39.99.

Jean Grey (Uncanny X-Men #281)

Where there is a Scott Summers, so too must there be a Jean Grey. The mutant with psychic abilities arrives wearing her signature ’90s look, as it appeared on the cover of Uncanny X-Men #281. This was the era when Jean joined the X-Men’s Gold Team, and Sentinels killed her (Don’t worry, she got better quickly again). No longer Marvel Girl or Phoenix, the Jean Grey of this era was the team’s most powerful member. This Limited Edition Jean Grey figure is also priced at $39.99.

Wolverine (Wolverine Omnibus Vol. 4)

Finally, it’s just not the X-Men without their most popular member, is it? This Wolverine figure is based on the cover of Wolverine Omnibus Volume 4. It shows Logan tearing through an alley with his adamantium claws. Like Cyclops and Jean Grey, he wears his signature ’90s costume. Also just like his teammates, the Wolverine YouTooz figure is $39.99.

To order these amazing X-Men YouTooz figures for yourself, head on over to their official site.

The post X-MEN YouTooz Figures Showcase Wolverine, Cyclops, and Jean Grey in ’90s Costumes appeared first on Nerdist.

Some people come along who make an indelible mark on the industry they work in and the people they come into contact with on their journey. Jackie Shane is one of those people.

Many have not been introduced to Jackie Shane, and that’s a shame, because not only is her story one of a person being steadfast in their morals and unafraid of standing their ground, but she’s also an example of what bigotry and forces queer people must overcome to reach their dreams. From executive producer Elliot Page, Any Other Way tells the story of Jackie Shane and her rise to stardom in the ’60s as a trans soul singer who’s forced to hide her gender identity in an industry plagued with rules about who is and who isn’t welcome. 

During the film, we follow Jackie’s story from a young child who grew up with her supportive mother Jessie Shane, who always knew that Jackie was a girl. Jackie Shane dared to dress in feminine clothing and wear makeup, even though she was living in the American South in the 1950s when it was hard enough being Black, let alone being a Black trans woman. According to Jackie, her mother’s support and words of wisdom gave Jackie the drive to be herself despite other’s feelings about it. It’s this mantra that she carries through the rest of her life, and it’s the running theme of this doc. 

After booking a gig in a traveling carnival, Jackie finds herself in Ontario, Canada, where she would settle for most of her life. It’s here that she releases her classic hit “Any Other Way,” a cover of a William Bell Stax original and the song she would be known for. Oddly enough, for a time it was very difficult to get your hands on any Jackie Shane music because it wasn’t widely released. So only the most dedicated collectors could say that they owned a Jackie Shane record. 

Throughout her career, Jackie was very flamboyant in her stage attire and the way she wore her makeup, though she was not able to be out as a trans woman at the time. Because of the treatment of queer entertainers at the time, it wasn’t something she could do. But that didn’t mean she didn’t challenge the status quo in her own way. Though Jackie was billed as a man and performed as a man, she still used her extravagant clothing and makeup to express herself. She took herself wherever she went, even if she couldn’t be as open about it. 

One of the things that viewers might find surprising is that not only was Jackie Shane a popular soul singer, but she also was beloved by many popular icons at the time, such as George Clinton and Little Richard, who also pushed the boundaries of gender presentation in those days. Cheetah Girls fans will also get a nice surprise as we get an appearance by a good friend of Jackie and fellow trans actress Sandra Caldwell (who played Drinka Champagne in the hit Disney Channel movie). Hearing how Jackie’s journey and Sandra’s journey compared and contrasted was a reminder of how far we’ve come but also how far we still have to go. And it’s a nice reminder that the ’60s were not that long ago in history. 

One of the things that sticks out about Jackie is that she was not someone who bent when it came to her morals. If a venue or a show would not accept her as a Black performer and treat the Black audience members with respect, she had no issue walking. She did as much on none other than The Ed Sullivan Show. She was told to cut her hair and not wear makeup, something that was not only part of her performance but also integral to who she was. She refused, making the point that the Beatles were not told to cut their hair, but both she and James Brown were.

Jackie also took a stand against American Bandstand for the racism that the show perpetuated, mainly with their segregated audience. Black audience members were rarely, if ever, allowed on the show. When they were, the Black kids were not allowed to dance with the white kids; this was something that Jackie would have no part in. 

Something that jumps out to the viewer immediately is the style displayed in the editing. The documentary has a style to it. It switches to stylized animated/rotoscoped scenes to visualize direct quotes from Jackie throughout the movie, as though giving her a voice to speak for herself. These pop up throughout the film, and it’s a nice way to bookend stories or interview portions without doing a hard cut to the next topic. 

Any Other Way made its world premiere at SXSW on March 12, 2024.

Ai technology has had quite the push in the last 5 years. In addition to the rise of applications like ChatGPT and Dall-e, the digital afterlife industry has taken a front seat in Ai technologies. Eternal You is a documentary from Hans Block and Mortiz Riesewieck that explores the Afterlife industry and the ethical implications it poses.   

Grief is an emotion that ever human being has to experience at some point in their life. The argument for Afterlife Ai is to help lesson the burden of this grief. But does it do more harm than good? Eternal You takes an objective look at the Ai Afterlife industry speaking to both CEOs and clients of Ai products to help the viewer answer this question.

Over the course of the documentary we see all types of technology including text chatbots that mimic your loved ones, voice simulated interactions, to full VR recreations. We hear from the CEOs of these companies on what they are trying to create and their sense of responsibility (or lack thereof)  in creating such a technology.

Additionally, Enteral You also sits with customers of such technology.  We get to witnesses the interaction of two different people using a chatbot to simulate their dead partners. This type of demonstration goes a long way in the viewer assessing whether or not this could be detrimental to the mental health of someone, or help them significantly.

There are so many alarming parts to this type of technology as well as much potential for good. It appears that some of the CEOs don’t completely understand how their Ai is learning. This poses the question to whether or not they are carrying enough responsibility in releasing this technology into the world. The amount of personal data a company would have to have to create such an effective program brings into questions privacy ethics. Who owns this data, also do the companies keep a copy? These are all questions you will be asking yourself after watching this documentary.

Still to piggyback on what a professor at MIT mentioned in the documentary, if this could be used to help move through grief effectively there is potential. But it is important that people can move on versus pretending their loved ones are still here.

Eternal You does a good job at giving the audience a peek into all these industries while bringing up the ethical questions surrounding it.

Credits

• DIRECTOR(S)HANS BLOCK MORITZ RIESEWIECK
• PRODUCERSCHRISTIAN BEETZGEORG TSCHURTSCHENTHALER
• EXECUTIVE PRODUCERSKATHRIN ISBERNERANNA GODASOLI HARBOTTLECHRISTOPHER CLEMENTSJULIE GOLDMANJENNY RASKINKELSEY KOENIGLIZZIE FOXDAVIS GUGGENHEIM
• CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCERMERYL METNI
• CO-PRODUCERPATRICK M. MÜLLER
• EDITINGANNE JÜNEMANNLISA ZOE GERETSCHLÄGER
• DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHYTOM BERGMANNKONRAD WALDMANN
• MUSICGREGOR KEIENBURGRAFFAEL SEYFRIED

• YEAR2023
• CATEGORYFEATURE
• COUNTRYGERMANY/UNITED STATES
• LANGUAGEENGLISH, KOREAN
• RUN TIME87 MIN

The post Eternal You Sundance Review appeared first on The Nerd Element.

The joint venture between CBS Studios and the NAACP is developing a new daytime drama for the CBS Television Network.

The series, titled The Gates, follows the lives of a wealthy Black family in a posh, gated community. Michele Val Jean, who has written more than 2,000 episodes of daytime dramas and won multiple Daytime Emmy and WGA Awards for her work on The Bold & The Beautiful and General Hospital, will serve as writer and showrunner. Val Jean will also be an executive producer alongside Sheila Ducksworth (pictured in the image above), Leon Russell, Derrick Johnson and Kimberly Doebereiner. The Gates will be produced by the CBS Studios/NAACP production venture in partnership with P&G Studios, a division of Procter & Gamble.

“The Gates will be everything we love about daytime drama, from a new and fresh perspective,” said Sheila Ducksworth, president of the CBS Studios NAACP venture. “This series will salute an audience that has been traditionally underserved, with the potential to be a groundbreaking moment for broadcast television. With multi-dimensional characters, juicy storylines and Black culture front and center, THE GATES will have impactful representation, one of the key touchstones of the venture.”

Continued Ducksworth, “I’m excited to develop this project with CBS and P&G, two of the longest and most passionate champions of broadcast and daytime television, and the NAACP, whose enduring commitment to Black voices and artists is both powerful and inspiring. I also want to thank CBS’ George Cheeks, NAACP’s Derrick Johnson and P&G’s Marc Pritchard for their personal involvement and support to take our next step forward with THE GATES.”

The CBS Studios’ production venture and development deal with the NAACP was established to help elevate a diverse range of voices as well as increase the visibility of Black artists on broadcast and streaming platforms in an ever-evolving media landscape.