Lil Bites

Anna Nordberg's piece on TV moms was a hugely refreshing read, even as someone who feels no connection to traditional motherhood in any sense. The incomparable Laura Sirikul was full of Shadow and Bone love this week. She broke down how the series embraces the Asian experience as well as how much it made her want to bone (respectfully). Princess Weekes explored how mainstream media fumbles revolutionary politics (with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's Karli used as a prime example.) The incomparable Emma Fraser helped break down how the unstoppable (and now glass-ceiling-shattering, Oscar winning) makeup team behind Ma Rainey's Black Bottom worked their magic. And finally, Bailey Herdé wrote an exceptional piece about Chadwick Boseman and why he deserved so much better than The Academy and their nonsense.

ICYMI...

• Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon started production on Monday.
• Patrick Dempsey will be singing in Disenchanted.
• Chloé Zhao made history as the first woman of color to win Best Director. She made history because the Oscars are fundamentally broken! But she made history all the same.
• Anthony Hopkins is a gem. He's not sure wtf The Academy was doing, either.

The Good News Is,

• Amoxicillin is saving the coral!
• This cat wasn't done with its nine lives yet.
• Frat bros paid off their former cook's mortgage so she could retire.
• This Philly restaurant is serving up food and social justice.
• People really are capable of magic, we just forget sometimes. These 4-year-old twins made a wish to Santa. They got an answer from someone else, and a puppy to boot. (This story legit made me cry. Good day.)
• Guillermo del Toro will announce something today at 9AM PST.

Get Loud

I'm going to contradict myself this week because I make the rules! This week's "get loud" is taking time to learn when to shut up.

As a pertinent example, let's take the Oscars controversy. Anthony Hopkins is a legend. His performance was incredible. And not one single person is trying to take that from him.

When we see folks affected by the situation — in the case of the Oscars, both the AAPI and Black communities had very legitimate complaints about what the Academy pulled in regards placing the Best Actor category last, splitting up Zhao's historic wins, and the hints at Boseman's win only to sputter out in confusion — explaining why they're frustrated, it's our job to shut up, listen, and help amplify their voices.

Even Anthony Hopkins knew it wasn't about Anthony Hopkins!

When things are systemically broken, sometimes the "smaller" things are the easiest ways to coach ourselves on how to behave. Teach yourself how to put away the angry fingers and instead amplify voices that have a better understanding of the situation than you do during The Oscars, and it might be easier to listen the next time the next injustice rolls around. Gods know it won't be long.

It can be a tough thing to balance, but it gets easier with time. (I still mess up.)

The Baby Step

Millions are skipping their 2nd dose of the COVID vaccine. This week's baby step is helping those around you get vaccinated. Did you already get yours? Help someone who's struggling to schedule with tips or a second set of eyes! You can also volunteer at vaccination sites, help educate a loved one on the safety of the vaccine, offer to help with transportation, etc. to ensure we can all go play outside again!

I Want to do More

We're trying something new this week. Click-through rates show that only one or two of the thinks in this section get any real attention, so I'm going to try and hone in on specific situations on weeks when I can!

Black journalists are asked to report on racial injustices for a myriad of reasons, but often with very little consideration on its toll on their mental health. The International Women's Media Foundation works with Sonia Weiser and the Black Journalists Therapy Relief Fund to help support them as while they are constantly asked to report their trauma for the education of others. (Learn more about IWMF.)

Whatcha Watchin?

Listen, it's no secret that the Oscars were a hot mess (or I guess it is, since they had a 58% drop in viewership). Anyway, here are all the things that come with all the praise in the world from me: Minari, One Night in Miami (Amazon Prime), Judas and the Black Messiah (HBO Max), Promising Young Woman. (Nomadland was decidedly not for me, but Chloè Zhao is an absolute force and she deserved everything she got and more last night.)

I also watched The Blob (1988) for the first time this weekend! The 1958 version was one of my favorite films when I was little, and remains perfect in its simplicity. The '88 remake's gore is high key great, but the changes to the story didn't really work for me. Highly recommend the double feature, though!

Books

Daniel Jose Ruiz's The Life of Jian Ciervo is available for pre-order over at Pegasus Publishers.

Synopsis: Jian, a Kindred, has managed to escape the clutches of the Keepers - a race of tentacled creatures that keep Kindred enslaved. Having almost perished in the freezing conditions on the wastelands, he's eventually rescued by a crew of salvage hunters.

Have you checked out the Merri Hour yet? The weekly YouTube show is hosted by Matt Donato and Perri Nemiroff. The two discuss all the goings on of the movie world, and then Perri destroys Matt at beer pong. (This is what happens when you pay for an ad but don't give me much content. I roast you. It's true though, poor bud's on a losing streak.)

As both a guest and a frequent watcher of the show (Fridays at 4PM PST/7PM EST), I can assure you it's well worth your time. It's one of the few good things to come out of quarantine. Watch their socials (tagged above) for the weekly link, or subscribe directly to Perri's YouTube channel so you get the notifications!

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