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Cats! The Tom Hooper-directed movie adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s infamous musical has been getting such wildly terrible (and yet somehow wonderful in their horror) reviews that it almost makes me want to see what Hooper has wrought. Westworld actress Evan Rachel Wood had quite the reaction to watching the Jellicle cats in action.

As Pajiba helpfully compiles for our viewing pleasure, Wood put several of her reactions on social media, some of which have since been deleted. But Wood did not, at first, mince her words. Nor was she afraid to step on any paws.

“Maybe the worst thing I have ever seen. Ever.” Am I a glutton for punishment? Why does this make me want to head to the theater post-haste so that I, too, might suffer?

Totally! Like my life is not in danger, but I feel like I’m going to die.

— #EvanRachelWould (@evanrachelwood) December 26, 2019

Head on over to Pajiba for the full gamut of Wood’s reaction, including her later Instagram clarifications that she doesn’t blame the cast at all for what occurred with Cats. As a big fan of Les Miserables who still just wants to meet Tom Hooper behind the schoolhouse for a chat, I could’ve told you we were headed toward disaster. And yet. And yet. I know it’s only a matter of time before Cats becomes inevitable for me.

(via Pajiba, image: Universal Pictures)

• Legendary composer Jerry Herman, who composed Mame, Hello Dolly, and Les Cage aux Folles has passed at 88. (via Variety)
• Breakout Batwoman star Rachel Skarsten on the show and how her life has changed. (via THR)

• Actually they went down significantly. $100 in 1869 is roughly equivalent to $1900 now. Jo could have bought a piece of land & started building her own home on it depending on location with $100. It would have been enough to pay her rent for a couple of years in a nice area. https://t.co/x5e0pPNS9k

  — ❄Mikki Kendall❄ (@Karnythia) December 27, 2019

• Cruella de Vil cosplayer Betsy DeVos is a billionaire who is actively destroying our public education. (via The Guardian)
• Trump is obsessing over his rage regarding Nancy Pelosi and impeachment, behavior that would be totally tolerated and brushed under the rug if it came from a female president. (via CNN)

What memories did you make out there today, O Mary Sue denizens?

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—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson flexes his producing muscles once again! According to Variety, the rapper is set to executive produce an animated black superhero series named Trill League.

In an era of social injustice and internet trolls, a league of black superheroes, ‘Trill League’ is tasked with saving the world from monsters, super villains, and haters of all kinds. Get ready for this remixed rendition of your favorite superheroes as the series satirizes modern American society.

Trill League, an animated series based on Anthony Piper’s graphic novel, is a combination of superheroes, anime, and hip-hop culture. Piper is co-creating, writing, and executively producing the series with Jameel Saleem (Disenchantment, Whiskey Cavalier). The executive producers are 50 Cent and Jermaine Johnson of 3 Arts Entertainment, which is producing the series with 50’s G-Unit Film & Television in association with Lionsgate TV.

“I am excited to bring G-Unit Film & Television to an innovative platform like Quibi with my partners at Lionsgate and 3 Arts. Anthony Piper and Jameel Saleem have created a world we haven’t seen before in Trill League, looking forward to sharing it soon,” said Jackson in a statement to Variety.

Quibi, which launches April 6, 2020, is a short-form mobile video platform founded in 2018 by Jeffrey Katzenberg and will carry Trill League on its platform.

Piper took to his Instagram account to bring the news to his followers.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Ant Piper (@ant_piper) on Dec 17, 2019 at 2:33pm PST

“It’s been a long journey man. I don’t even really need to say much. My people who been rocking with me since I created this thing know I ain’t never let up. Those the ones I care about — just wanted to show y’all I was committed to reciprocating the love y’all shown me, and that I’m appreciative to everyone who’s helped me on this journey. We gonna put in that work and try to pry these doors open for black artists who put in that work with these pencils and Cintiq pens. And yea…we gonna be reckless with the comedy too! Me and my co-writer Jameel Saleem @germantownjam got some heat. And you know the ill shit me and Chase @saintchase build when we collab. Much thanks to my manager Jermaine for making this happen, alongside @50cent and Anil heading up G-Unit Films, Lionsgate, 3Arts Entertainment, and my man CJ, Colin, Doug and the Quibi team for bringing this series to life! #trillleague #animation #hiphop #blackartists“

Voter ID laws seemingly won’t be coming to North Carolina just yet after a federal judge announced her intentions to issue a temporary injunction as the lawsuit against the state continues to unfold.

According to the News & Observer, Judge Loretta Biggs announced her intentions on Thursday, although her official ruling is scheduled to come next week. Biggs said that as state election officials had been planning “a very large statewide mailing” next week to inform voters of the changes to the ID law, she wanted officials to know that the update will not be necessary after all.

As with any voter ID law that has tried to make its way through the system, there are opponents who argue that the intention is not really to protect votes, but instead to make it harder for Black people and other people of color to cast their votes.

In fact, a previous voter ID law championed by North Carolina Republicans was ruled unconstitutional by a panel of judges for its “discriminatory intent” to “target African-Americans with almost surgical precision,” as the News & Observer notes.

Republicans have since written a new version of the law, which is the one up for question now, adjusting it to be much less restrictive, and leaving out some of the provisions that were identified as being particularly discriminatory.

“To issue an injunction against one of the nation’s most lenient voter ID laws – which 34 states already have – without providing an opinion is an outrageous affront to due process, the rights of North Carolina voters, and the rule of law,” North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore, a supporter of the new law, said, taking issue with Biggs’ announcement.

Moore has called on state leaders to appeal Biggs’ decision, but it is still unclear how Attorney General Josh Stein, who is a Democrat, will react, with his office signaling that they will wait for the official ruling before making a move.

The post Judge To Temporarily Block NC Voter ID Law appeared first on Essence.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year on The Middle Geeks! Star Wars time! But is it really though, with the latest release of The Rise of Skywalker? Swara and Mae discuss, getting into what they liked about the film, as well as the issues they had with it and the Sequel Trilogy as […]