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By Nandi Howard ·February 2, 2021February 2, 2021

In the spirit of fashion brands collaborating, Coach x Champion is the latest team to release a joint collection. The partnership brings together two iconic American brands combining Coach’s legacy of craftsmanship and Champion’s hold on the athletic market. Launching today, the collection is spearheaded by model Paloma Elsesser and TikTok stars Wisdom Kaye, Maha Gondal and Jeffrey Tung.

Coach x Champion features leather bags, leather jogger pants, sweaters and shearling jackets printed with new branding that unites Coach’s story patch, one of its house symbols, with Champion’s C-logo. The collection intends to reimagine the shared heritage of both brands with a mod lens. “I was inspired by the idea of elevating sportswear silhouettes in an unmistakably Coach way using leather, shearling and by combining our iconic symbols in a way that feels fresh, youthful and immediate,” said CoachCreative Director Stuart Vevers.

To celebrate the new link-up, Coach released a series of campaign images and “How to Coach a Champion”  TikTok challenges. The new wave on influencers invites Coach and Champion fans to participate in a series of fun challenges inspired by the new collection.

The Coach x Champion collection ranges in price from $225 -$2,300. Shop here.

The post Coach Partners With Champion For Exclusive Collection appeared first on Essence.

At first sight, Theo Anthony’s new artsy documentary film could be a conception on the history of the camera or homage to the human image; but go deeper and Anthony is saying something about the many ways pictures, images, video, or anything that can be framed, can tell a story. 

He is also asking whose story, from what point of view, and what happens outside that frame. 

However, in doing so, the filmmaker creates a complicated and sometimes confusing presentation that is in danger of limiting itself to camera buffs and surveillance aficionados. Instead of the wider audience of people who want to understand how much video has helped and hindered criminal investigations.

Anthony, a  Baltimore and New York-based director, photographer, and Sundance Film Festival fellowship recipient juxtaposes historical narrative on early camera inventions, a focus group monitoring attention span while watching videos,  with shots of footage from the 21st-century body cam, a visit to Axon headquarters, makers of body cams, drones, and tasers often used by police departments, to people staring at the 2017 Eclipse to the attaching of cameras on pigeons to make the case that all images are subjective. All perceptions are subjective. 

He turns to famed 19th Century French scientist and photographic inventor, Etienne  Marey whose multiple camera plates contributed to what later became motion pictures, and policeman Alphonse Bertillion who first used specially-angled pictures to thoroughly photograph a crime scene, as evidence that the eye is fickle and only sees “that of which it already has an idea.”

It shouldn’t be lost on any viewer of this documentary that Anthony, a white man,  is aware of the barely controlled frustrations between the Baltimore Police Department and the Black community after the 2016 death of Freddie Gray led to citywide rioting. 

And who can forget the 2018 headline-grabbing news of Dallas resident Botham Jean, an accountant, eating ice cream on his couch when he was fatally shot by a just off patrol, police officer Amber Guyger. 

Released video footage showed outside the apartment and the aftermath of Guyger making no attempt to help the victim and police arriving on the scene but none of the actual incident. 

Perhaps the best parts of the documentary are the look on Baltimore policemen and women’s faces as they are lectured on the new body cams they will wear in an effort to stop or control future tragedies or insurrections. The bemused, bored, both knowing and quizzical looks on the faces of the officers speak volumes, perhaps more than Anthony and crew realize. It’s very apparent that some do not think they need to be there and from the looks of it, not too happy to be on camera.  

One thing Anthony’s crew does seem to relish is the time spent at Axon headquarters, where a company spokesperson goes overboard trying to explain how high-tech the offices are and how amazing their products are. The big get is that in talking about surveillance equipment, the spokesperson seemingly, unknowingly gives away intel about the company’s in-house surveillance. 

There are no obvious segues in this documentary, only jumps to the next thing. In this case, it’s to a Baltimore public meeting where a police officer tries to sell the idea of body cam use in the community. 

Unlike the officers, the audience doesn’t sit quietly but argues why they are for or against, and in the end, there seems no real collective solution. Then there is another switch, to children in a Baltimore inner-city public school shooting a movie using all the latest technology.  The scene is a confusing array of shots, angles, and kids using their most adult selves to act, direct and produce. It goes on for some time before abruptly shutting off.

According to information received by Blackgirlnerds.com, Anthony spent months shooting this footage but eventually decided that all that he saw during this time did not go with the general theme. 

Anthony concludes with a quote from 19th-century abolitionist Frederick Douglass on images that sums up what he tried but failed to clearly convey: “We all feel that there is something more. That the curtain has not yet been lifted. There is a prophet with us forever whispering that behind the seen lies the immeasurable unseen.”

Credit given to composer Dan Deacon and sound designer Udit Duseja for giving the film suitably haunting music, especially during lead-ins to the historical narration.

All Light, Everywhere premiered at Sundance on Jan. 31. 

Writers: Vita Ayala / Artist: Rod Reis / Marvel Comics

Issue #16 of New Mutants is filled with heartache, mistrust, deception and intrigue. We start off with Shadow King working with this rag tag group of C-List mutants; Rain Boy, Cosmar, No-Girl and Anole. It’s all written pretty plainly on the wall. Shadow King stay schemin’, and this time he’s got his shadowy claws pointed at one of the newest and unpredictable mutants; Cosmar.

I really enjoyed the angle they took with welcoming in Cosmar and building up the complications that she comes with. Being a mutant who has had their body deformed, eye enlarged, face disfigured, and body purplized because of their initial lack of control of their powers would make someone want to be their old self again. Being denied this venture would lead the most level-headed down a path of resent and malice, which is why Hurricane Cosmar is a brewing, and Shadow King is sitting pretty in the eye of the storm.

Scout has been a cool character for me to learn about and appreciate. She’s also been the mutant I’ve felt for the most lately, cuz clone girl been goin through it. Last issue she was going hard on the perceived stance on a certain kind of mutant being brought back and received some soft reassurance then kind of got dismissed.

Now she’s being told to learn to think beyond what the humans who indoctrinated her allowed her to know about herself. There are two big takeaways for me here. The use of the word indoctrinate is so perfect and does a really good job of explaining why a teacher like Warpath would want her to learn about herself before trying to support as an instructor. The other thing is these doubtful recurring Scout responses of “For now” and “I guess.”

Alsoooo, if she keeps getting deaded by Daken for makeout sessions, something will be going down real soon.

Last but not least, Wolfsbane is going through it. She’s finally at the point in her life where the child she lost is weighing on her more heavily than she can bare. Eventually, her and Moonstar hit the Lagoon for Doug’s wedding reception, which led to one of the more incredible conversations that have gone down in all of the X-Books lately. I hope all the children reading this book take something away from this scene. Dani explains to Rahne that it’s ok to be conflicted at a function or gathering of friends when something like that is on your mind. You’re allowed to feel sad and to hurt, and it doesn’t take away from the love you have for someone else.

Beautifully written issue by Vita Ayala. Rod Reis does his dope watercolor like artistic thing, as expected. I’m a particularly big fan of the nearly devoid of color white that Reis bestows on Shadow King and can’t wait to see more of this potential threat. This was another good go with the New Mutants, and I’m intrigued where all of these threads are leading.

8 Cheers to “Our great future” out of 10

Reading New Mutants? Find our other reviews here.

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The post New Mutants #15 Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

Saturday Night Live returned last night, with the very first episode of 2021. The cold open featured Kate McKinnon, as herself, asking the question that’s plagued all our minds for a year now: what still works? Kate then interviews several characters as she dissects their respective failings. First, there’s Cecily Strong playing QAnon congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who offers Kate a handgun from her purse. After going through Taylor Greene’s laundry list of hideous beliefs and behavior, McKinnon surmises that “government doesn’t work.”

She moves on to interview Pete Davidson, who played a man who made millions off of GameStop stocks, leading her to remark that the stock market also doesn’t work. This was followed by social media not working, with Mikey Day and Alex Moffat as Twitter’s Jack Dorsey and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg. Finally, Kenan Thompson rolls through as O.J. Simpson, who recently tweeted video of himself getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

Finally, host John Krasinski comes out as the only thing in America that functions: Tom Brady. And yet despite Brady’s indomitable football skills, most of the country hates him and he’s “a weird Trump guy.” The best part of the skit was clearly McKinnon herself, who cycled through her world weary questions with an all too familiar exhausted disbelief. Yes, everything is bad now. Yes, things are getting better … kind of? Yes, we’re all still unraveling under the overwhelming stress that is simply existing right now.

In the words of another McKinnon creation, Wenowdis. But it’s still nice to see our anxiety reflected with humor and pathos. “I’m “slowly losing my mind along with all of you,” McKinnon intones, before opening the show.

We’re right there with you, Kate.

(image: screencap/NBC)

• Here’s a definitive ranking of the films in the Wrong Turn franchise. (via io9)
• Hailee Steinfeld talks about Emily’s journey in season 2 of Dickinson. (via THR)
• Here’s a look at Studio Ghibli’s upcoming film Earwig and the Witch. (via Collider)
• Tag yourself, I’m “The deep state created COVID in the pantry of a Marxist pizzeria.”

Anderson Cooper trained crows to unionize for the ghost of Hugo Chavez 😂 pic.twitter.com/ccn0f7yuRN

— Mrs. S (@eatteachmama) January 31, 2021

• Grab your popcorn and gird your loins: The Snyder cut is coming in March. (via comicbook.com)
• Here’s everything from the Star Wars Holiday Special that is now canon. (via CBR)
• We’re getting a movie version of the hit Broadway play Dear Evan Hansen this year. (via /Film)
• Pushing Daisies is on HBO Max? We know what we’re doing tonight!

Several years ago I produced a TV series called Pushing Daisies. It only ran for two years, but has collected many fans in the interim. I just learned it’s on HBO Max. Check it out if you’ve never seen it. @BryanFuller @KChenoweth pic.twitter.com/TerH43U0nm

— Dan Jinks (@JinksDan) January 31, 2021

Hope you’re having a restful and restorative Sunday, Sue Believers!

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