Not enough has changed since the #OscarsSoWhite movement first disrupted Hollywood, calling for fair representation for people of color in the entertainment industry. Even with the record-breaking success of Marvel’s Black Panther and widely popular television shows like Empire, people of color are still not afforded equal access and opportunities in front and behind the camera. According to a new UCLA report titled “Five Years of Progress and Missed Opportunities,” only 8% of film writers of 2016’s top films were minorities, while just 7% were creators of broadcast scripted shows.

To help fill this gap, April Reign, the social media mastermind behind the viral #OscarsSoWhite hashtag, created an initiative that pairs Hollywood studios and media networks with talent of color. Just days before the 2018 Academy Awards, Reign announced the launch of Akuarel, an online database for people from underserved groups looking to work in creative spaces. Through the initiative, she aims to dispel the myth that studios can’t find nonwhite talent for hire.

In January 2015, I created #OscarsSoWhite, a clarion call to increase diversity and inclusion in the entertainment industry. We have seen some progress, but there’s much more work to be done. I’ve talked about the problem for 3 years. It’s time for a solution. Meet Akuarel™️. pic.twitter.com/OJGnb08Owk

— April (@ReignOfApril) March 1, 2018

“This answers one of the issues raised by #OscarsSoWhite of studios saying, ‘We want to work with people from marginalized communities, but we just don’t know where to find them,’” Reign told Mic. “This is going to drop them right in their lap.”

Akuarel, which derives from the French word for watercolors, “Aquarelle,” was developed in partnership with the Motion Picture Association of America. The program allows actors, creatives, and media professionals of color to search for open positions in film, television, and journalism – free of charge. To sign up, Akuarel users can also identify themselves by race, sexual orientation, and gender. In turn, studios, networks, media outlets, and theater companies can gain access to the database for a fee. Once they subscribe, they can search for candidates based on their identity and/or other criteria for an interview or audition.

#OscarsSoWhite illuminated the lack of inclusion in media industries and made clear the need to amplify voices from marginalized communities throughout news and entertainment. The challenge, in part, is to access qualified talent from within these communities. #Akuarel pic.twitter.com/Si6YOMpF1Z

— April (@ReignOfApril) March 1, 2018

David Morgan, president of the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association, which built and hosts the Akurel’s website, says their “main objective now is to get Akuarel populated by the talent and the stakeholders themselves. The value to the studios will be once it’s sufficiently populated. A lot of the studios were already partnering with us on sponsorship arrangements.”

Reign, who hosted an Akuarel launch party in Los Angeles Thursday night, called the project “the solution” to the #OscarsSoWhite epidemic. “#Akuarel is a gift to both the creators and the consumers of art and media,” she tweeted. “For those who are committed to issues of equity and inclusion based on race, gender, age, sexual orientation, and disability, Akuarel™ is the solution.”

#Akuarel is a gift to both the creators and the consumers of art and media. For those who are committed to issues of equity and inclusion based on race, gender, age, sexual orientation, and disability, Akuarel™ is the solution. #OscarsSoWhite pic.twitter.com/ENy5RRYThU

— April (@ReignOfApril) March 1, 2018

The post #OscarsSoWhite Creator April Reign Launches New Initiative to Diversify Hollywood appeared first on Black Enterprise.

Writer: Robert Venditti / Artist: Rafa Sandoval / DC Comics

Issue #39 was a bit of a mixed bag for me. It picks up with our hero, Hal Jordan as a guest of General Zod and the Family Zod (I’m working on a name). Zod’s motives are interesting and border on sympathetic as the conflict calls into question the role Lanterns play in universal security. After all, why didn’t the Corps intervene in the destruction of Krypton? Even with that in mind, the Guardians come across annoyingly bureaucratic even for their current tenuous relationship with John Stewart. If Venditti’s point was to convey that the Guardians are having a hard time coming to grips with being washed, then it was highly effective. If you hold those particular pages to your ear, you can almost hear you grandfather telling you to get off his lawn.

I also wish they would have spent a little more time diving into the effects of Kyle’s current predicament with Hal’s ring and why that’s happening. Other than that, it’s a lot of entertaining bromance and tough talk from the Four Corpsmen. And visually, Rafa Sandoval proves once again why he is second to none on this book.

The epic cover alone is enough to justify this book’s existence, but the enormous splash pages of the Corps charging in rings blazing are next level. With some of the cleanest linework in the game, I can already see a slew of young writers lining up to mimic Sandoval’s highly stylized sci-fi vibe for years to come.

Bottom Line: Although I wish Venditti would have been able to dig a little deeper into some of the stranger aspects of Kyle’s predicament, this was still a decent, gorgeous issue of a solid series. Good Green Lantern mythos at play here.

7.5 CGI’d Mark Strong foreheads out of 10

Reading Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps? Find BNP’s other reviews of the series here.

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The post Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #39 Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

WBTV have announced their presence at SXSW!  Check out the press release below for more information.  Will you be stopping by the Pop-up shop? Sound off below in the comments!

SXSWXDC! WHERE HEROES LIVE

DC’S EPIC COMIC BOOK POP-UP SHOP AND SUPER HERO EXPERIENCE

ARRIVES IN AUSTIN WITH UNFORGETTABLE ACTIVATIONS!

Located in the Heart of Austin, the Shop & Pop Culture Experience Will Be

Open from Noon–10:00 p.m. Daily March 9–18

BURBANK, Calif. (March 1, 2018) — Time to tap into your inner Super Hero! Warner Bros. Television Group (WBTVG) and DC Entertainment are inviting fans into their SXSWXDC Super Hero lair with an epic pop culture experience for the duration of SXSW (March 9–18). The DC/WBTV bunker will not only feature the House of El’s otherworldly origin story with the upcoming SYFY drama Krypton (premiering March 21), but also Gotham City’s coolest wheels, with a display of Batman’s iconic onscreen Batmobiles and Bat-cycles. DC fans can also stop by to celebrate Superman’s 80^th anniversary (click here to view the Action Comics #1000 poster video) and to meet legendary DC comic book writers and artists Jim Lee, Frank Miller and more. There will be free Jitters coffee direct from Central City; exclusive beer tastings from Supernatural star Jensen Ackles’ local brewery, Family Business Beer Company; a special look at how the Constantine comic has been resurrected as a digital series; photo-ops with Teen Titans Go! and the original creature from Critters; exclusive merchandise; cast and producer signings with WBTV’s Black Lightning and more!

Located just a few blocks from the Austin Convention Center, the DC/WBTV SXSW Experience is located at 717 Red River Street (a pedestrian-only area between 7^th and 8^th Streets). An official SXSW Event, the DC Experience will be open to SXSW Credential Holders (and the public) from Noon–10:00 p.m. daily for the duration of the Festival (March 9–18). In addition to the centerpiece DC Pop-Up Shop, fans will be able to interact with the worlds of comics and Super Heroes within the dedicated space. Highlights of the Pop-Up Shop and DC Experience include the following:

• The DC Pop-Up Shop: Measuring 40 feet by 10 feet, the high-tech DC merchandise shop features a free Jitters coffee bar by day/beer tasting station by night, but also interactive displays covering the history, art and influence of DC Heroes — from their earliest origins to the pop culture powerhouses that those Super Heroes represent today.

• Batmobiles: The Dark Knight will also have a presence in Austin with a display of Gotham City’s coolest wheels, including three of Batman’s iconic onscreen Batmobiles and two Bat-cycles. Fans can get up close and personal with Val Kilmer’s 1995 retro winged Batman Forever ride, The Dark Knight’s Tumbler and Bruce Wayne’s latest Batmobile from Justice League, in addition to Batgirl and Robin’s tricked out super cycles from 1997’s Batman & Robin.

• Superman’s 80^th Anniversary Exclusive SXSW Book & Poster: Featuring new art by Jim Lee, this limited-edition book celebrating Superman’s 80^th anniversary is only available at SXSW 2018. Comprising some of the best Superman stories, this latest edition includes new stories and custom artwork. Fans can also have the opportunity for legendary artist and DC Publisher Jim Lee sign the book at one of his appearances during SXSW. In addition, customers of the DC Pop-Up Shop who purchase $50 or more of merchandise will receive a limited-edition poster that highlights all 1000 Action Comics covers, featuring the Man of Steel. Click here to view the Action Comics #1000 poster video.

• Talent Appearances & Signings: Visiting talent from both WBTV and DC Entertainment will stop by to meet fans and sign autographs. The cast from WBTV’s Black Lightning is currently scheduled to attend, alongside noted DC writers and artists including DC Publisher Jim Lee (Batman: Hush), Frank Miller (The Dark Knight trilogy, Batman: Year One), Brian Michael Bendis (Action Comics #1000, Man of Steel) and Dan Jurgens (The Death of Superman, Action Comics). Tickets will be available on Eventbrite starting Friday, March 2.

• LED Megascreen & Giant Comic Panels:  On the back side of the Pop-Up Shop, facing the street, an enormous 15-by-9-foot LED screen will be running living art (motion graphics) of iconic comics and high-impact, super-powered video clips and trailers featuring DC Super Heroes from comics, film and television. Flanking either side will be a series of two dozen 7-by-4-foot flip panels featuring titan-sized reproductions of some of the most iconic comic book covers in history. There’s also behind-the-scenes looks at how comics are made and how the new animated digital series Constantine from Blue Ribbon Content and Warner Bros. Animation goes from script to screen. An amazing photo opportunity, SXSW fans can stand face-to-face with Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and more as they look out from life-sized comic books, providing a wealth of social media interaction with Instagram-able moments!

• Exclusive DC Merchandise: Available for purchase will be some of the greatest DC graphic novels and volumes of all-time, including fan-favorites and cult classics such as The Death of Superman, V for Vendetta, Watchmen, The Killing Joke, Crisis on Infinite Earths and more. Also available for purchase onsite will be a selection of exclusive DCXSXSW-themed T-shirts featuring DC’s greatest Super Heroes and more. In addition, DC fans will be able to purchase a curated selection of DC Funko Pop! Figures, including fan-favorites from the worlds of Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Teen Titans, Batman, Superman and more DC Super Heroes. Limited edition 10^th anniversary collections of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s DC Universe films will also be available.

• Batman X Superman:  The Man of Steel and the Dark Knight come together at SXSW with an epic billboard display using artwork from legendary artist (and DC Publisher) Jim Lee. Epic by day, the 60-by-12-foot mural also come alive at night with Batman’s Bat Signal and Superman’s S-Shield. Plus, fans can stand next to the monumental 16-foot statue of Superman seen in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

• Free Jitters Coffee: Any fan of WBTV’s The Flash (Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW) will be familiar with CC Jitters, the go-to coffeehouse of the extended Arrow-verse. Free coffee will be offered from Noon–6:00 p.m. daily. But when, darkness comes, this carefree coffee bar will become…

• Oswald’s (with Free Beer!): The bar and nightclub featured on WBTV’s Gotham (Thursdays at 8/7c on FOX) is owned and operated by Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penguin. From 6:00–10:00 p.m. nightly, Oswald’s will be offering free beer tastings directly from local Austin brewery Family Business Beer Company, which was recently opened by Supernatural star — and local resident — Jensen Ackles!

• Evening Performances with Laserman: On Friday and Saturday nights, the SXSWXDC Experience comes alive with the out-of-this-world performance art of Laserman! The Italian dancer and his partner will each inhabit a pair of massive 12-foot crystal spheres and engage in a choreographed laser-enhanced performance to the epic Justice League soundtrack music from Danny Elfman. Justice League will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 29, 2018.

• Teen Titans GO! to SXSW and More: Warner Bros. Pictures’ Teen Titans GO! to the Movies will be released on July 27, 2018. But before the Teen Titans go to the movies, they’re coming to SXSW! Teen Ti-fans can capture a photo opp by joining the Jump City animated heroes in action. In addition, fans can vocally contribute to the upcoming Teen Titans GO! to the Movies by entering the “Scream Booth” and recording their best screams. These will, in turn, be used in the July release of the animated feature. Finally, if you haven’t had the chance to get up close to a Critter, now’s your chance. One of the cute and creepy alien Krites from the New Line sci-fi horror comedy franchise will be on hand to take pictures with brave fans (before they’re later eaten, of course!).

• Interactive Sidewalks and Holograms: When fans enter the space, they’ll be surprised to learn that the ground they’re walking upon will come alive with an interactive sidewalk and holograms that activate with three-dimensional Super Hero logos from all six members of the Justice League.

• Blue Ribbon Content:  In addition to highlighting their new digital animated series Constantine (streaming on CWSeed March 24), Warner Bros. Television Group’s digital studio Blue Ribbon Content will have its own space to highlight upcoming projects and foster creative development in the SXSW community.

• Hours & Location: The DCXSXSW Pop-Up Shop and Experience will be open March 9–18, from 12:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m. daily and can be found at 717 Red River Street, Austin, Texas.

For additional info on DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television at SXSW, please follow us on Twitter at @warnerbrostv and @DCComics, hashtag #DCSXSW18

The post WBTV and DC Announce SXSW Super Hero Experience & Pop-Up Shop #DCSXSW18 appeared first on The Nerd Element.

Spoilers for Star Wars Rebels in this article! You’ve been warned!

Star Wars: Rebels is nearly over, with its final episodes airing next week. But before it comes to an end, the series had one big bombshell to drop on Star Wars fans. In the most recent episode, “A World Between Worlds,” young Jedi Ezra Bridger discovered something that changed the way we see the Star Wars universe forever. On his home planet Lothal, Bridger was able to gain access to an other dimensional nexus point of the universe, one which had many portals…portals which allowed for a form of time travel. Time travel which he used to save fan favorite character Ahsoka Tano from her former master, Darth Vader. And while in that nexus of space, many familiar audio clips were heard.



Thanks to Comic Book, we’ve learned that the Star Wars Explained YouTube account has now added the visual components to all those audio clips used in this sequence, just in case you weren’t 100% sure where each moment came from. We heard moments from not only the original trilogy films, but also the prequels, The Clone Wars, older episodes of Rebels, and even Rogue One, The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. This clip not only shows how the animated shows are connected to the live-action films, but how the Star Wars saga is really one grand connected story across several mediums.

While the Star Wars saga has elements of almost every major sci-fi trope, from robots to spaceships to aliens, this is the first time that time travel has been introduced into the canon. The portals in “A World Between Worlds” are very similar to one from another famous franchise, the Guardian of Forever from Star Trek. And in this ultimate Easter egg, almost every part of the saga is celebrated, a true treat for longtime fans.

What do you think of this new element added to the Star Wars mythology? Let us know your thoughts down below in the comments.

Images: Lucasfilm

More from a galaxy far, far away!

• New The Last Jedi Funko POPs let you recreate the Reylo throne room scene!
• Dan Han Solo is the cutest in this Star Wars book excerpt!
• Star Wars fan favorite Jaxxon, the green rabbit, is canon again!