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https://nerdist.com/article/the-lost-boys-musical-broadway-2026/

Some twenty years after a string of vampire musicals flopped on Broadway, the singing undead are ready to make a comeback. Via The Hollywood Reporter, we’ve learned that a musical based on the cult classic horror comedy The Lost Boys officially debuts on Broadway at the Palace Theater in early 2026. The musical will feature a score by The Rescues and direction by Tony Award winner Michael Arden (Parade, Maybe Happy Ending). The book is by Chris Hoch and David Hornsby, a writer/producer on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The announcement comes with an official title logo reveal for The Lost Boys: A New Musical.

The Lost Boys remains one of the most iconic vampire movies ever. It successfully crossed the teen comedy genre with vampires, during the summer of 1987. It’s all about two teen boys who move to a California beach town, which just happens to be overrun with vampires. The Joel Schumacher film became even more successful on video and endless TV airings. A few years back, reports about a prequel musical to The Lost Boys hit the internet. The title for that one was A Lost Boys Story. It had a score written by musician G Tom Mac who wrote the movie’s memorable opening track, “Cry Little Sister.” They announced that musical prequel back in 2020. But it seems Warner Bros., who owns the rights to the property, decided to go in a different direction.

This musical doesn’t seem to be a prequel story at all, just a straight-up adaptation of the 1987 film. The producers even said in a statement, “David Hornsby and Chris Hoch have done a remarkable job of honoring this classic film and its beloved characters, creating something new and unique for the stage that will excite the die-hard fans of the movie as well as those being introduced to this timeless story for the first time.” That doesn’t sound like they are straying too far from the source material. Hopefully, this fares better than notorious vampire musical flops like Dance of the Vampires, Dracula: The Musical, and Lestat. Honestly, if the teenage vampire-hunting Frog Brothers get a killer number, how can they go wrong?

The post THE LOST BOYS Officially Coming to Broadway as a Musical in 2026 appeared first on Nerdist.

https://blacknerdproblems.com/common-side-effects-review/

The title should speak for itself, but before I go off on what I promise is a completely relevant tangent, let me be very clear.

The latest Adult Swim series, Common Side Effects, brought to you by Joe Bennett of Scavengers Reign (one of the best animated series on MAX and Netflix both foolishly didn’t review) and Steve Hely of Veep fame (a series that needs no introduction) and executively produced by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, who you recognize as the team behind King of the Hill, is really, really good. Within the first four episodes that were made available for review, it cemented itself as a brilliant piece of timely speculative fiction that had me utterly enthralled.

And the modifier “timely” is super important, so it’s now time for that completely relevant tangent before I continue gushing about the series.

My first job after I finished undergrad was in Healthcare Information Technology. You know what? It’s been eleven years. I’m a very easy person to find on the internet. I worked for Epic Healthcare Systems. If you need a primer on what exactly Epic is, may I offer the following curated short from Dr. Glaucomflecken.

The point stands, in order to work in the healthcare sector, you have to learn about how healthcare works. And oh my god! I can tell you that when I learned about surgical price markup tables in 2013 I changed as a person. Then when I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2020 and learned about the production costs of insulin versus the going market price, I changed even more.

My mother was a pediatrician, so naturally I grew up with a reverence towards doctors, towards people who endeavor to help people get better. As an adult, looking at the healthcare industry under the capitalist lens, between pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, and increasing drive to private equity, I can’t help but want to scream constantly.

So perhaps, I was naturally predisposed to like Common Side Effects, a story about the strange series of events that occur after a miraculous mushroom that serves as a catch-all panacea is discovered. And almost certainly, when I took a note after the first episode that the most distressing part of the show was not any of the ailments shown, not the surrealist elements with clear DNA for Scavengers Reign, but the regular humans participating in the capitalist framework I knew that I was going to love this show.

The series opens with your stock pharmaceutical conference where our protagonist Marshall chastises the CEO (brilliantly voiced by Mike Judge) for illegal medical waste dumping, and by chance the CEO’s assistant Francine happens to be Marshall’s old high school lab partner. And whether you call it fate, kismet, or destiny, Marshall and Frances’ paths become intertwined the moment Marshall demonstrates the power of a blue mushroom and asks a simple question: “what if there was a medicine that could heal like almost anything?”

What follows in the next four episodes is an absolutely enthralling thriller series with a deep reverence for science and science fiction and a deft understanding of satire, which comes as no surprise given the show’s pedigree. The animation is clean, fluid, and super expressive. The voice acting is phenomenal. Dave King anchors the series with his performance of Marshall, a person who just wants the world to just be a modicum better, and plays brilliantly off of Emily Pendergast’s Frances. I already alluded to the fact that Mike Judge as Rick Kruger, a pharmaceutical CEO works scarily well. Rounding out the main cast is Joseph Lee Anderson as Copano and Martha Kelly (who I adored in Carol & the End of the World) as Harrington, two DEA agents in charge of tracking down Dave.

Everyone’s performance is deeply… human. These are familiar faces and familiar voices. You likely went to school with a Marshall and Frances. You worked with a Copano or Harrington. You had a boss like Kruger. Common Side Effects prides itself in being a series about regular people trying to survive in the current system and there just so happens to be a mushroom that threatens the very foundation of the healthcare industry.

There is not a single wasted beat in each of the episodes 20-some minute run time. It tugs at your heartstrings, it makes you laugh, it makes you clench your fist in anger. The show works because on a fundamental level it is a show that understands the current landscape of American healthcare and has engineered a brilliant story on top of it. It is going to be my obsession for the first quarter of 2025, and I hope you will join me. 

Common Side Effects is a prime example of why animation is a capable storytelling medium. It is riveting, it is relevant, and I hope you tune in when it premieres on February 2nd.

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The post Start Your 2025 Media Regime Knowing that ‘Common Side Effects’ is Incredible appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

https://nerdist.com/article/critical-role-live-charity-one-shot-la-wildfire-relief/

Critical Role’s founding cast is getting back together for one night of fun, all for a very good cause. And Critical Role is inviting you to be a part of this special tabletop role-playing campaign. The group announced it’s hosting a live one-shot charity event to raise funds for wildfire relief in Los Angeles.

On January 30 “Critters” everywhere are encouraged to tune into Critical Role’s “Freaky Thursday” event, “a chaotic and interactive one-shot charity livestream.” This special (non-canon) one-shot ad venture will feature Bells Hells, the characters from Critical Role’s third RPG. Ashley Johnson, Marisha Ray, Taliesin Jaffe, Travis Willingham, Sam Riegel, Laura Bailey, and Liam O’Brien will sit down for Game Master Matthew Mercer’s campaign. Here’s what awaits Bells Hells when they do:

Two Elemental Royals have made a wager: Are modern mortal “heroes” as resilient and courageous as those of legend? Hearing of the recent, wild exploits of Bells Hells, these two entities pluck the troupe from Exandria and force a series of challenges to test their skills, wit, and ability… all while the Elementals subtly manipulate the odds between Order and Chaos to serve their bet. Weird magics weave throughout the realm, as onlookers from across the realms alter the dangers mid-contest, rending the battlefield or even swapping souls between the players! Can Bells Hells survive this series of clashes, and does either Order or Chaos truly carve the path of a hero?

Fans who tune into either Critical Role’s Beacon membership service, or its Twitch and YouTube channels, will get to do more than just watch. “Freaky Thursday” is the group’s latest fundraising effort to help the recovery from the Los Angeles wildfires. Viewers can shape the one-shot’s story via Critical Role’s Tiltify page. There fans can “donate or purchase rewards” that will directly influence the campaign. As of this writing more than $19,000 has already been donated. From Critical Role:

Story elements with the most donations will take center stage in the adventure. Each fundraising milestone reached will unlock unique surprises, including new allies, unexpected adversaries, or even character sheet swaps, ensuring an unpredictable and exciting adventure shaped entirely by the community’s contributions.

Your contributions will fund grants to the California Community Foundation Wildfire Recovery Fund, the Latino Community Foundation, and the LA Fire Department Foundation. In addition, 10% of every donation will go into Critical Role’s emergency fund. It allows them “to send help quickly in the event of a future unforeseen natural emergency.”

The company, its Critical Role Foundation, and fans have already done a lot to help Southern California. They’ve donated $30,000 to the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund. And that was without getting the founding cast back together for an adventure. This event, especially with how you can literally be a part of it, should raise way more. You can how exactly at the show at the event’s official page.

If you want to get in on both the fun and the funds tune into “Freaky Thursday” live at 7 pm PT on January 30.

The post Critical Role Founding Cast Reuniting for Live Charity One-Shot To Support LA Wildfire Relief appeared first on Nerdist.

https://blackgirlnerds.com/join-the-fun-at-disneyland-with-tiana-and-gospel-performances/

At Walt Disney World Resort, Emmy award-winning journalist and TV host Tamron Hall will kick off the celebration as the Grand Marshall during the magical parade at Magic Kingdom Park on February 1! Guests can also experience:

• Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the newest attraction where guests can enjoy a musical adventure and the thrills of a 50-foot drop!
• Meet and greet moments with Princess Tiana and live-action character, Ariel
• Disney on Broadway special performances at Epcot
• Delicious dishes featuring Blackened Salmon

At Disneyland Resort, sing your praises and lift your hands for showstopping performances featuring Gospel artists DOE on February 8 and Melvin Crispell, III on February 15. Guests can also experience:

• New Orleans square for all things Princess Tiana where guests can shop at Eudora’s Chic Boutique and dine at Tiana’s Palace Restaurant
• Meet and greet moments with superheroes such as the Wakanda Warriors
• Enjoy smooth Jazz tunes featuring Joe Gardner from Pixar Animation Studios’ Soul on select days
• Delicious dishes featuring the Catfish Po’Boy

The post Join the Fun at Disneyland with Tiana and Gospel Performances appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.