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https://blackgirlnerds.com/catharsis-is-gut-wrenching-drama-about-revenge-on-state-sanctioned-violence/

Police brutality and state sanctioned violence have not eased up on Black Americans in 2020. In fact, it feels like it has gotten a lot worse.  

In the summer of 2018, Lawrence “Law” Watford wrapped up filming on his short Flipped.  In that story, the shoe is on the other foot when overt racism is experienced by a white high school student. White people live in an America where white boys wear hooded sweatshirts at their own risk, and white mothers pray that their sons make it home unharmed each night. 

Watford brings back a sobering reality in his latest short film Catharsis. When a Black woman mourns the death of her child at the hands of an NYPD officer, she confronts an ambitious District Attorney. The same DA who refused to bring charges against the officer who murdered her son.

What Catharsis does is reel you in the moment you start you begin watching, clearly, you know this DA has demons his battling, and although there could be a guilty conscience somewhere in there, it’s clear his motives are for blue lives above Black ones. However, what comes next in this story is the Black woman in mourning who needs to confront the man who committed a severe injustice against her son.  It is this in Catharsis that keeps you focused and slowly builds into an intense climactic ending that is gut-wrenching.

“In an era where police killings of Black people earn 10 million YouTube views, this film is about jolting people out of their comfort zone, out of their bubble and into the unfamiliar, uneasy and perhaps frightening territory,” said Watford. 

He also adds, “I want to start a war between the person we are and the person we want to be. And in the chaos of that internal conflict is where I hope the message of this movie will  have the power to at least shift the mindset, even in the slightest degree for the shortest of moments.”

You can view the entire short film for free here:

Lawrence “Law” Watford is an avid political junkie.  Law received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Hampton University (an HBCU) and a Masters of Arts in Communications as a directing student at Regent University. Since then, he has honed his craft in varied posts on numerous feature films and television shows such as I am Legend and Law & Order SVU. As the founder of Divine Write Pictures, he is constantly seeking innovative ways to tell stories that challenge and excite audiences as he expands his body of work as a content creator, screenwriter and filmmaker. 

Watford’s last film Flipped was produced along with his partners at Tyler Street Films and received critical praise for its bold approach to addressing race in America. For more information on Law, visit www.divinewritepictures.com or www.divinewritedigital.com

December 27, 2020

‘Catharsis’ is Gut-Wrenching Drama About Revenge on State-Sanctioned Violence

https://blackgirlnerds.com/catharsis-is-gut-wrenching-drama-about-revenge-on-state-sanctioned-violence/

Police brutality and state sanctioned violence have not eased up on Black Americans in 2020. In fact, it feels like it has gotten a lot worse.  

In the summer of 2018, Lawrence “Law” Watford wrapped up filming on his short Flipped.  In that story, the shoe is on the other foot when overt racism is experienced by a white high school student. White people live in an America where white boys wear hooded sweatshirts at their own risk, and white mothers pray that their sons make it home unharmed each night. 

Watford brings back a sobering reality in his latest short film Catharsis. When a Black woman mourns the death of her child at the hands of an NYPD officer, she confronts an ambitious District Attorney. The same DA who refused to bring charges against the officer who murdered her son.

What Catharsis does is reel you in the moment you start you begin watching, clearly, you know this DA has demons his battling, and although there could be a guilty conscience somewhere in there, it’s clear his motives are for blue lives above Black ones. However, what comes next in this story is the Black woman in mourning who needs to confront the man who committed a severe injustice against her son.  It is this in Catharsis that keeps you focused and slowly builds into an intense climactic ending that is gut-wrenching.

“In an era where police killings of Black people earn 10 million YouTube views, this film is about jolting people out of their comfort zone, out of their bubble and into the unfamiliar, uneasy and perhaps frightening territory,” said Watford. 

He also adds, “I want to start a war between the person we are and the person we want to be. And in the chaos of that internal conflict is where I hope the message of this movie will  have the power to at least shift the mindset, even in the slightest degree for the shortest of moments.”

You can view the entire short film for free here:

Lawrence “Law” Watford is an avid political junkie.  Law received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Hampton University (an HBCU) and a Masters of Arts in Communications as a directing student at Regent University. Since then, he has honed his craft in varied posts on numerous feature films and television shows such as I am Legend and Law & Order SVU. As the founder of Divine Write Pictures, he is constantly seeking innovative ways to tell stories that challenge and excite audiences as he expands his body of work as a content creator, screenwriter and filmmaker. 

Watford’s last film Flipped was produced along with his partners at Tyler Street Films and received critical praise for its bold approach to addressing race in America. For more information on Law, visit www.divinewritepictures.com or www.divinewritedigital.com


December 27, 2020

Week 15 Prediction Updates and Week 16 Picks!

http://www.thenerdelement.com/2020/12/24/week-15-prediction-updates-and-week-16-picks/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=week-15-prediction-updates-and-week-16-picks

So last week, I got some of the picks correct and some of them wrong. For instance, I predicted that the Colts would beat the Texans 36-27, but the actual score was 27-20 Colts over the Texans in a close game. I predicted that the Titans would beat the Lions 40-21, but the actual score was 46-25 Titans over the Lions. My prediction there was almost on the money and I also knew that the Titans would be too hard for the Lions to beat!! I predicted that the Seahawks would beat the Washington Football Team 26-17, but the actual score was 20-15 Seahawks over the Football Team in a really close game. My prediction there was almost on the money as well! I predicted that the Dolphins would beat the Patriots 27-20, but the actual score was 22-12 Dolphins over the Patriots. I predicted that the Ravens would beat the Jaguars pretty easily 41-20, but the actual score was 40-14 Ravens over the Jags. My prediction there was almost on the money! I predicted that the Buccaneers would beat the Falcons 31-10, but the actual score was 31-27 Bucs over the Falcons. The Falcons have blown away another game that they should have won. Got to finish the games without blowing leads. I predicted that the Cardinals would beat the Eagles 36-20, but the actual score was 33-26 Cardinals over the Eagles. The Cardinals offense did just enough to beat the Eagles, but the offense just needs to be better in the red zone without turning the ball over like they did 3 times. You can’t really just win games with so many turnovers. Luckily, the Cardinals were able to get the dub over the Eagles. You also can’t just shoot yourselves in the foot especially when you have the playoffs on the line. I predicted that the Chiefs would beat the Saints 36-33 in a shootout, but the actual score was 32-29 Chiefs over the Saints. I predicted that the Browns would beat the Giants 36-20, but the actual score was 20-6 Browns over the Giants. The Giants offense did not even score a touchdown because the Browns defense were outstanding all game long.

I predicted that the 49ers would beat the Cowboys 24-13, but the actual score was 41-33 Cowboys over the 49ers in a really close game and that score was a shootout. I predicted that the Vikings would beat the Bears in a close game 26-23, but the actual score was 33-27 Bears over the Vikings. I predicted that the Steelers would beat the Bengals easily 24-7, but the actual score was 27-17 Bengals over the Steelers. The Bengals win over the Steelers was a big upset and it also helps the other teams that are playoff contenders such as the Colts, Browns, Bills, Ravens, and Dolphins. I predicted that the Rams would easily beat the Jets 40-6, but the actual score was 23-20 Jets over the Rams!! That game to me was the biggest upset in NFL history and the Jets have finally won their first game of the season, however, this kind of screws up their chances a little to get the quarterback Trevor Lawrence from Clemson. The Jets are racing the Jags to get the quarterback out of Clemson. So, I got 9 out of 13 picks correct!

Now let’s move on to week 16 picks, shall we?! The first game I will predict is tomorrow’s game between the Vikings @Saints on Christmas Day! The last time these 2 teams played each other, the Vikings shocked them with the win 26-20 in overtime. Well, I don’t think the Vikings will shock the Saints because the Saints will probably remember what happened last year in the playoffs. So, I think the Saints will beat the Vikings 27-20 in a rematch. Next, there are 3 games on Saturday. The first one I will predict is the Buccaneers @Lions game. I think the Bucs will beat the Lions 34-24. The next game I will predict is the 49ers @Cardinals game. This game will be on Amazon Prime Time. The Cardinals just need to win this game and don’t shoot yourselves in the foot again because this should be a winnable game. The 49ers have brought in a former quarterback of the Cardinals Josh Rosen, but CJ Beathard will likely get the start for the 49ers as a backup quarterback. So, I think the Cardinals can beat the 49ers in a must win situation to get into the playoffs 34-23. The Cardinals offense must show me that they are the most dangerous offense of all time and they cannot turn the ball over more than 3 times because you are likely to lose the game if they do. So, do not shoot yourselves in the foot. The next game I will predict is the Dolphins @Raiders game. I think the Dolphins will beat the Raiders 35-10 because the Raiders are really imploding. They were 6-3, but now they are 7-7 and if they lose this game, then they are likely to be out of the playoff picture which is a possibility.

Moving on to Sunday games as usual. The first game I will predict is the Giants @Ravens game. I think the Ravens win this game easily over the Giants 46-13. The next game I will predict is the Falcons @Chiefs game. I think the Chiefs win this game easily over the Falcons 42-19. The next game I will predict is the Browns @Jets game. I think the Browns will easily beat the Jets 38-13 because the Jets are just trying to lose out to get the number one pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The next game I will predict is the Bears @Jags game. I think the Bears will beat the Jags 30-17 because the Jags are trying to lose this game and they want to get the number one overall draft as well. The next game I will predict is the Colts @Steelers game. The Steelers are slipping a little bit because the offense is starting to struggle after they were really good in 11 straight games. So, I think the Colts could actually beat the Steelers 36-29. The next game I will predict is the Panthers @Washington Team. I think the Washington Team will beat the Panthers in a close game 26-19. The next game I will predict is the Eagles @Cowboys a big divisional rivalry game. Both of these teams are still pretty much alive in the NFC East title and the playoffs as well. So, who do you think has a little better shot at making the playoffs now?! Well, I would say that the Eagles might be actually because their quarterback Jalan Hurts is playing really well right now. So, with that being said, I think the Eagles can beat the Cowboys 28-21 in a close game. The next game I will predict is the bigger NFC divisional rivalry for the title, the Rams @Seahawks game. I think the Seahawks have a better shot to win and possibly win the NFC West than the Rams as the Seahawks beat the Rams 30-27 in a really close game. The next game I will predict is the Titans @Packers game on Sunday Night football. This should be a really good game because both of these teams are playing really good football this year. I actually think the Titans can beat the Packers in a really close game 39-33 in a shootout! The last game I will predict is the Bills @Patriots game on Monday Night football. I think the Bills win this game easily over the Patriots 35-13.

So, what do you guys think about the week 15 NFL picks?!

I would like to hear some comments, thoughts, opinions, or concerns down below!

Feel free to ask me questions if you have questions!

Stay tuned for week 15 prediction updates!

The post Week 15 Prediction Updates and Week 16 Picks! appeared first on The Nerd Element.


December 27, 2020

Things We Saw Today: Scotty Was Beamed Up After All

https://www.themarysue.com/things-we-saw-today-scotty-was-beamed-up-after-all/

Richard Garriott revealed in an interview today that he smuggled the remains of James Doohan (Scotty from Star Trek: The Original Series) along with a photo of Doohan aboard the International Space Station back in 2008 when he went on a twelve day mission as a private astronaut. It was, according to Garriott and Doohan’s son, Doohan’s final wish. A wish that had been denied officially two previous times, which is why Garriott resorted to more clandestine means to get the remains aboard. It’s comforting to know that our beloved Scotty got his beam-up!

In other news:

    • The remains of an ancient snack bar were unearthed in Pompeii, because loving snacks is a universal human truth. – CBS News
    • The Exorcist is celebrating it’s 47th anniversary today, so here is a video of audience reactions to it in 1973.
    • Arnold Schwarzenegger had a zoom reunion with the cast of Kindergarten Cop. Yahoo News
    • Wholesome Alert: Watch this cat interrupt a morning prayer:

 

(Photo: CBS)

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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.—

The post Things We Saw Today: Scotty Was Beamed Up After All first appeared on The Mary Sue.


December 27, 2020

Taraji P. Henson Is Slaying With Her New Curly Haircut!

https://www.essence.com/beauty/taraji-p-henson-haircut-curly/

Taraji P. Henson Is Slaying With Her New Curly Haircut! By Brooklyn White ·December 26, 2020December 26, 2020

Purple reign! On December 26, actress Taraji P. Henson debuted a new hair color that we absolutely adore. She’s now rocking a mix of violet and hibiscus in the form of a curly cut with cropped sides.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by taraji p henson (@tarajiphenson)

“Ooooops I did it again,” the former ESSENCE cover star wrote on Instagram in the unveiling post. Celebrities and fans alike are loving the new look from the What Men Want star and are singing Henson’s praises in the comments. “Ur literally so beautiful,” singer SZA said. “Love the shape and color .. perfection!”

Tracie Jade also weighed in, writing, “PRINCE is looking down with a BIG OLE SMILE on his face!!”

This year has been full of stunning looks from Henson—most memorably her

The post Taraji P. Henson Is Slaying With Her New Curly Haircut! appeared first on Essence.


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