Uncategorized

http://www.afronerd.com/2019/09/better-late-than-never-daryll-bs.html

Saturday August 24th was AfroPunk and god, I had fun. Given my health problems and work pressures intruding on every part of my Blerdy life, this was my vacation. My one chance to rock out and Boy did I take advantage of that…

Took the LIRR to Atlantic Terminal and that walk to Commodore Barry Park is one of my great joys every year. Seeing beautiful people enjoying a beautiful day as I walk alongside LIU Brooklyn campus is awesome. Was literally the 10th person in line to get into the show, Did my usual tradition of walking around to get a sense of the layout and get early pics. As I did this, GabSoul was doing a great old tunes meets new age mix around the Green Stage. No better way to ease people that were on line into the party. From there I wandered over to the Red Stage and checked out Vibe World Order, whose sound is like Wu-Tang Clan meets Boys II Men. Made for an interesting sound.​
Headed over to the Gold Stage after that to get a taste of the party sounds of Boston Chery, which had an early 80’s chaotic house party feel. Met up with Afronerd around the Green Stage soon after to check out Hello Yello and their hip-hop meets grunge sound. From there, we did a little t-shirt shopping then took in Black Haus rocking the Gold Stage. Came back to the Green Stage to catch the R&B meets classical sound of Kelsey Lu followed by the thrash sound of Anahata on the Black Stage. What a combo!​
At this point, we caught a bit of Soulection over at the Red Stage which was a perfect setup for what was coming at the Green Stage: Tank & The Bangas. Southern styled R&B themed rock at its finest. The mosh pit started up again for Red Arkade at the Black Stage soon after making for a weird contrast for the smooth sounds of Ravyn Lenae after on the Green Stage.​
Took time after this to wander around a lil bit, and this is when the park got really crowded. Managed to get some Jamaican food into my system. Afronerd managed to get with Spike Lee for a brief talk and pictures. DJ Nativesun providing an electic background soundtrack which whet my whistle for the GREAT Gary Clark Jr. Wooo what a performance! He’s a must listen folks. After that, we had one last venture into the merchants area and entered the Tephlon Funk area. Had a great conversation with its creator Stephane Metayer as DJ Moma spun a set. This was followed by Leon Bridges’ smooth funk as day turned into night. DJ Moma returned after as the stage was being set up for MZ Jill Scott. She didn’t disappoint folks! Her rendition of Radiohead’s Creep to lead off her set is now firmly in my top 10 AfroPunk performances.​
Whew! What a day. I know folks will have their problems with the current nature of the event as opposed to past years BUT the music…goddamn the music that I caught was top notch. That is what I was there for and for 11+ hours, the rest of the world disappeared for me.​
There youhave it. Daryll B’s AfroPunk Saturday in a nice tidy blog. SO until next time faithful readers? Keep Fantasizing (and Rocking Out!!)!​

October 15, 2019

Better Late Than Never! Daryll B’s Afropunk ’19 Breakdown

http://www.afronerd.com/2019/09/better-late-than-never-daryll-bs.html






Saturday August 24th was AfroPunk and god, I had fun. Given my health problems and work pressures intruding on every part of my Blerdy life, this was my vacation. My one chance to rock out and Boy did I take advantage of that...
Took the LIRR to Atlantic Terminal and that walk to Commodore Barry Park is one of my great joys every year. Seeing beautiful people enjoying a beautiful day as I walk alongside LIU Brooklyn campus is awesome. Was literally the 10th person in line to get into the show, Did my usual tradition of walking around to get a sense of the layout and get early pics. As I did this, GabSoul was doing a great old tunes meets new age mix around the Green Stage. No better way to ease people that were on line into the party. From there I wandered over to the Red Stage and checked out Vibe World Order, whose sound is like Wu-Tang Clan meets Boys II Men. Made for an interesting sound.​
Headed over to the Gold Stage after that to get a taste of the party sounds of Boston Chery, which had an early 80's chaotic house party feel. Met up with Afronerd around the Green Stage soon after to check out Hello Yello and their hip-hop meets grunge sound. From there, we did a little t-shirt shopping then took in Black Haus rocking the Gold Stage. Came back to the Green Stage to catch the R&B meets classical sound of Kelsey Lu followed by the thrash sound of Anahata on the Black Stage. What a combo!​
At this point, we caught a bit of Soulection over at the Red Stage which was a perfect setup for what was coming at the Green Stage: Tank & The Bangas. Southern styled R&B themed rock at its finest. The mosh pit started up again for Red Arkade at the Black Stage soon after making for a weird contrast for the smooth sounds of Ravyn Lenae after on the Green Stage.​
Took time after this to wander around a lil bit, and this is when the park got really crowded. Managed to get some Jamaican food into my system. Afronerd managed to get with Spike Lee for a brief talk and pictures. DJ Nativesun providing an electic background soundtrack which whet my whistle for the GREAT Gary Clark Jr. Wooo what a performance! He's a must listen folks. After that, we had one last venture into the merchants area and entered the Tephlon Funk area. Had a great conversation with its creator Stephane Metayer as DJ Moma spun a set. This was followed by Leon Bridges' smooth funk as day turned into night. DJ Moma returned after as the stage was being set up for MZ Jill Scott. She didn't disappoint folks! Her rendition of Radiohead's Creep to lead off her set is now firmly in my top 10 AfroPunk performances.​
Whew! What a day. I know folks will have their problems with the current nature of the event as opposed to past years BUT the music...goddamn the music that I caught was top notch. That is what I was there for and for 11+ hours, the rest of the world disappeared for me.​
There youhave it. Daryll B's AfroPunk Saturday in a nice tidy blog. SO until next time faithful readers? Keep Fantasizing (and Rocking Out!!)!​


October 15, 2019

Teyana Taylor Says Being Slim Is Not All It’s Cracked Up To Be: “I Have Certain Insecurities”

https://madamenoire.com/1106647/teyana-taylor-body/

Teyana Taylor body

Source: Paras Griffin / Getty

There are plenty of people who would love to have a body like Teyana Taylor’s. The 28-year-old singer, dancer and actress is slim, but also strong and busty (and bootylicious, too) at the same time. But before you run off thinking that her body is perfection, she says that’s not true. There are things about being very lean that she struggles with just like we all have issues with our own figures. In fact, she says there have been opportunities she’s wanted that she’s needed to put weight on for and hasn’t necessarily been able to.

“People may say I have a perfect body, but I have certain insecurities too,” she told Us Weekly recently. “You know what’s crazy? A lot of people think, ‘Yeah your body is cool,’ but, like, there’s been plenty of roles where it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, you have to gain weight’ and it’s very hard for me to gain weight, you know what I’m saying?”

In fact, Teyana says she sometimes loses weight unexpectedly and at her already small size, it’s not something she’s comfortable with.

“It’s not easy, or I lose weight for any little thing and I’m already small,” she said, “I can’t afford to lose any more weight, but that’s just my personal thing.”

The star likely finds herself smaller than expected on the scale sometimes because of her intense performances and even more strenuous practice schedule, which she told the publication can last for quite a few hours.

“I love to dance, I love to rehearse, I love to practice period,” she said. “I can rehearse for 12 hours.”

She also loves her Fade2Fit dance workout, which she says is for people who want to get moving but don’t want to go to the gym. She can relate to such an aversion due to what people might assume she’s capable of because of her body type.

“Especially me, if I walk into a gym, people think I’m gonna do backflips, lift 100-pound weights,” she said. “Like, that’s still a pre-judgement of, ‘Oh she’s got a 20-pack, so I know she’s about do some work,’. And I’m really just shy, so you never know. Never judge a book by its cover.”

Hit the flip to check out more photos of Teyana’s slim frame in action, and her embracing it — insecurities be damned.

McDonald's Event In NYC

Source: Dave Kotinsky / Getty


October 14, 2019

The Uncanny Daryll B’s September Picks-Part One

http://www.afronerd.com/2019/09/the-uncanny-daryll-bs-september-picks.html





Dial H For Hero 6 by Sam Humphries, Joe Quinones, Scott Hanna, Jordan Gibson & Dave Sharpe - Metropolis. City of Heroes. City of Chaos. And Summer is trapped in the midst of it. Meanwhile, Miguel learns some hard truths from the most unlikely of sources. But what is Thunderbolt’s master plan?
Justice League 30 by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Jorge Jimenez, Alejandro Sanchez & VC’s Tom Napolitano - The League begins to enact its counter attack to Luthor’s machinations. However, Starman gives the team a history lesson and Hawkgirl is, well, not in a good place regarding the missing J’Onn​
Terrifics 19 by Gene Luen Yang, Max Raynor, Stephen Downer & Tom Napolitano -Luthor makes his offer to Bizarro who then proceeds to create his own team to “uphold justice”. Yeah this will cause no headaches for our team...​
Wonder Woman 77 by G Willow Wilson, Jesus Merino, Vicente Cifuentes, Romulo Fajardo Jr & Pat Brosseau - Aphrodite struck down by the GodKiller Sword. But who has Grail’s sword and why is that very bad news for Diana? Three guesses and ALL of them are bad for the Princess. ​
Star Trek Year Five 5 Jody Houser, Silvia Califano, Thomas Deer & Neil Uyetake - An archeological expedition to a long dead planet. Lt. Uhura attempts to communicate with the Enterprise’s “guest”. Nothing wrong here right? Are you new to Star Trek??!?!?​
Absolute Carnage Lethal Protectors 1 by Frank Tieri, Flaviano, Federico Blee & VC’s Joe Caramagna - The Cult Of Carnage has made its presence known to the Marvel Universe. This one is centered are Ravencroft as a hero is imprisoned, betrayed by a confidant who was bent to Carnage’s will. Street level heroics vs cosmic horror. Speaking of which...​
Absolute Carnage Miles Morales 1 by Saladin Ahmed, Federico Vicentini, Erick Arciniega & VC’s Cory Petit - A day off interrupted by the Scorpion. A usual day in the life of Miles Morales right? Not if the Cult Of Carnage says so... and he REMEMBERS Miles! *Gulp!*​
Avengers 23 by Jason Aaron, Stefano Caselli, Jason Keith & VC’s Cory Petit - Robbie hasn’t a good time of it recently and now he’s face to face with the “King” of Hell, Johnny Blaze. Meanwhile, an exorcism has gone awry and Avengers Mountain is now possessed by a fiery demon. Yeah. A dead Celestial is taken over by an evil force with the Avengers inside it. This can’t be much worse...Right...​
Black Panther 15 by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Daniel Acuña & VC’s Joe Sabino - A King’s return. A nation rejoicing. However, there are two things that need to happen: readjustment to the new normal AND insuring nothing followed you back. Unfortunately T’Challa has major potential problems on both fronts. And what about the God in the corner?​
Captain America 13 by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Jason Masters, Sean Izaakse, Matt Milla & VC’s Joe Caramagna - On the lam, Steve Rodgers is hiding out with the Daughters of Liberty. If you think he’s just going to lay low, then you don’t know Captain America. New situation, recycled look, redemption begins here....​
House of X 3 by Jonathan Hickman, Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia & VC’s Clayton Cowles - Preparations being made for the longest of long shots as the X-Men need to take out the secret alliance and Mother Mold before it comes online. Easy right? Well the base is circling the sun so...​
Marvel Comics 1000 by 80 FREAKING CREATIVE TEAMS - A mystery spanning all the years of Marvel U. A strange yet familiar mask goes from host to host. Al Ewing and an army of creative teams pay tribute to yesterday while laying the foundations for tomorrow here...​
Marvel Team Up 5 by Clint McElroy, Ig Guara, Felipe Sobreiro & VC’s Clayton Cowles - A “hero” returns and both Marvels aren’t buying it one second. A great way to bone up on Captain Marvel’s “new” origin/situation as well as getting a sense as to who Kamala Khan is. ​
Moon Girl Devil Dinosaur 46 by Brandon Montclare, Alitha E. Martinez, Tamra Bonvillain & VC’s Travis Lanham - A meeting long desired by me takes place this issue as Lunella finally draws the attention of Reed Richards. And what else can you expect? Calamity. ​
Power Pack Grow Up by Louise Simonson (Story 1) June Bridgman, Roy Richardson, Tamra Bonvillain (Story 2) Gurihiru & VC’s Joe Caramagna - A Power turns 13. A Lila Cheney concert in the park. A new girlfriend? What could go wrong? Well how about one of the most terrifying X-enemies EVER. Then in the second story, wait. It doesn’t matter. Why? We get Simonson with Gurihiru on it. That’s all we Packers need. ​
Spider-Man Life Story 6 by Chip Zdarsky, Mark Bagley, Drew Hennessy, Frank D’Armata & VC’s Travis Lanham - One of the most recent Spidey stories is used to bring this story to a close as Peter and Miles Morales go into space followed by enemies...exterior and interior. Great story. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. ​
Star Wars Age Of Resistance General Hux by Tom Taylor, Leonard Kirk, Cory Hamscher, GURU-eFX & VC’s Travis Lanham - This is the story of the man behind Kylo Ren and if you think you know how devious and cruel the Empire could be? Say hello to General Hux. Dude definitely isn’t “loveable”. ​
Star Wars Age Of Resistance Poe Dameron by Tom Taylor, Ramon Rosanas, GURU-eFX & VC’s Travis Lanham - So you think you know the ace pilot huh? An unwinnable mission. Lives on the line and the beginning of a rivalry that is legendary to some Jedi fans. ​
Angel 4 by Bryan Edward Hill, Glen Melnikov, Roman Titov & Ed Dukeshire - Final Battle in Hell! Angel has to face his past and future to save the gal and LA. Lilith with some ominous foreshadowing and a beloved character returns. ​
Barack Panther Barack In Black by Kelsey Shannon - Another weird politics/pop culture mashup by Antarctic Press sees Barack and Biden as Earth’s foremost Men In Black Team. Let the alien insanity begin. ​


October 14, 2019

THE WALKING DEAD Explored The Whisperers’ Bizarre Backstory

https://nerdist.com/article/the-walking-dead-whisperers-backstory/

This post will contain spoilers for The Walking Dead Season 10, Episode 2.

“We Are the End of the World” focused on the Whisperers from several perspectives – the past, the present, and their potential future. The nomadic group came into play last season but this is the first time that The Walking Dead has taken a more extensive look at the group’s origins as well as the lingering bits of their humanity despite a pack mentality. It turns out that walker skins and a lawless way of life doesn’t stop a group of people from having the same issues that established communities have – particularly, inner conflict and lies.

The fandom finally got some answers about this group, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t missing pieces of the puzzle. Season ten may continue to do flashbacks and explain more things in detail, but this is what we learned (and still want to know) about the Whisperers.

They were formed seven years ago

This episode reveals that Alpha and Beta’s first encounter was seven years ago. This would have been around the time that Rick and the others were rebuilding post All-Out War, which means the apocalypse had already been going on for a few years. This is interesting considering Morgan’s claim back in season three about people wearing dead people’s faces. Perhaps there’s another group out there somewhere who lived among the walkers first? But it’s clear that whatever Morgan saw had nothing to do with Alpha’s group.

Beta’s face and shirt came from a loved one

Before Alpha, Beta (whom she originally called B) was living alone in an abandoned building for addiction treatment. He quickly built a strange connection to Alpha (then A), even though he refused to let her see his face. Alpha eventually discovered a picture of two people standing in front of the same building with the faces scratched out. The taller person was Beta but there was a guy with long hair and a smiley face shirt.

Beta went ballistic after Alpha killed the person’s zombified remains but she convinced him that this person could always be with him. So, Beta cut off his face, took his shirt, and moved on with Alpha. Yes, he’s been wearing this stuff for seven years. Gross.

Beta never outright says who this person is but the scene was juxtaposed with Alpha losing her grip over Lydia, so it was probably Beta’s son. This would also explain why he gives Alpha grace when she shows emotions over Lydia.

The Walking Dead Whisperers beta

Jace Downs/AMC

Alpha shows mercy…or does she?

Last season, one of the Whisperers coldly left her baby to die among walkers. Connie saved the baby, but the woman never truly moved past sacrificing her daughter. Her sister warned her that showing emotion and daydreaming would lead to her death but it was to no avail. Surprisingly, Alpha showed mercy after the woman’s emotional breakdown.

But, her rare grace backfired when the woman later attacked her in the middle of a walker herding session. The walkers killed her and Alpha dubbed her loyal sister Gamma for putting the needs of the pack over flesh and blood. Alpha may have shown the woman mercy because of her own complicated feelings about Lydia.

Or perhaps she allowed the sister to stay alive knowing that she might try something ominous. Alpha was likely eyeing Gamma for something greater so this might have been the ultimate test to deem her worthy of promotion.

Alpha lied to the group about Lydia’s whereabouts

Alpha demands unquestioning dedication and zero emotion from her pack, but she’s not following her own rules. She told Beta and the others that she killed Lydia, which we all know is a big lie.

She likely said this to assert that she’s still in control and will kill anyone for disobedience, but it’s only a matter of time before Lydia is spotted by someone. And, who knows what will go down when that happens? Beta knows the truth but he’s far too intertwined with Alpha to ever spill the beans.

The Walking Dead Whisperers Alpha Lydia

Jace Downs/AMC

The Whisperers have issues getting along

There are a few people in the Whisperer camp who are envious of what the Hilltop has to offer. Their way of life is supposed to reject anything that looks like civilization, but who can honestly blame them for being jealous?

There are lots of whispers and side conversations happening behind Alpha’s back, which may lead to some people breaking away from the pack.

Beta and Alpha may eventually have a showdown

The pair is super tight but this new leader might change things. Beta was clearly not happy about Gamma’s induction into leadership. He also high-key thinks Alpha is losing her grip. Gamma doesn’t exist in The Walking Dead comics so no one knows what the show is setting up here.

Will Beta fight Alpha to gain control of the group? It doesn’t seem possible considering his deep brainwashing but anything could happen this season. A Beta/Alpha fight for leadership could be an interesting twist to kick off another war.

The Walking Dead Whisperers

Jace Downs/AMC

Where did “Alpha” and “Beta” come from? 

The flashback showed the pair calling each other A and B. So, when did they settle on using Greek letters replace their names? Did they give each other new names or did the pack start calling them Alpha and Beta? We will probably never know the answer.

How did they get others to follow them?

There are a ton of terrible people in the world. But, even the worst ones probably wouldn’t want to dress up in walker skins and roam the woods. This episode only showed Alpha, Beta, and Lydia together but it didn’t explain how they recruited others into the fold.

Maybe they were able to find extremely desperate solo survivors who were willing to latch onto anything that seemed like a community. Daryl did this back in season four when he joined the ridiculous Claimers. There are Whisperers who look at Alpha like a savior or god, so this might be true.

But, Alpha and Beta probably strong armed anyone who crossed their paths into either joining them or facing immediate death. The Whisperers way of life isn’t appealing to the average person so becoming one by force is possible.

The curtains are finally opened on the Whisperers and their potential inner war. Let’s see how it all plays out as they restart their reign of terror on Michonne, Daryl, Carol, and the other community survivors.

Feature Image: Jace Downs/AMC

The post THE WALKING DEAD Explored The Whisperers’ Bizarre Backstory appeared first on Nerdist.


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