Lil Bites

This week's lil bites is gonna be a little odd. First, I'm going to tell you to go read this piece over at Certified Forgotten about Seed of Chucky because it's damn good.

But next I wanna talk about some outlets that I appreciate and that I think you should be following because they employ teams of very smart people doing very smart things.

• /Film — Yes, they were recently purchased. Yes, that means they're no longer an independent site. What it also means is that they have been able to expand the voices involved more than ever before.
• Forever Young Adult — Just a joy of a site featuring, you guessed it, all things YA. Many smarties write there. Go give them your eyeballs.
• Certified Forgotten — You see their names round these parts all the time. If you're frustrated that there seem to be fewer and fewer indie sites, go give them a click or two (and maybe even a few bucks while you're around).
• POC Culture — exactly what it says on the tin! They're just bringing in more writers, but they're a great read.
• Nerds of Color — some of the smartest and most diverse voices around the web chill out here. Go follow them. Read them daily.

ICYMI...

• Lord of the Rings on Amazon Prime is definitely happening. And there's an image now.
• Thor's roommate Darryl could return to the MCU.
• Bruce Campbell is joining the cast of AP Bio.
• Paramount has pulled Clifford the Big Red Dog from its release calendar while COVID remains uncertain.
• Disney's requiring cast members get vaxxed. Walmart followed suit.

The Good News Is,

• Folks kept this orca alive until the tide came in.
• Granny's got gains.
• You look very cute today.

Get Loud

Forgive the California specific topic, but if you live in the state and are frustrated with Newsom — I get it. Even as a newcomer, I get it. But we cannot let Republicans control the largest state economy in the country. I know he sucks. The alternative sucks more.

Make sure you vote in the recall election, and make sure it's to keep Newsom around.

The Baby Step

Are you registered to vote? Please register to vote. No matter where you live. Get out there. Go. Go on. It's so, so, so easy.

I Want to do More

What's your plan for local elections? You don't have to be thinking about 2022 yet. But local politics matter, and are often the first elections to fall to the wayside when it comes to casual voters.

A true story that will annoy me until I am on my death bed:

Mike Coffman is a slime. The former Colorado state rep used his time in the house to promote birther conspiracies, to "speak out" against Trump while voting with him 96% of the time, and to rake in NRA cash. We finally got him out of office in 2018 by a huge margin.

By 2019, he was the mayor of Aurora, Colorado. My former city.

A demotion? Maybe. But Aurora is not small, and local politics help effect things on a national scale. A man who took boatloads of money from the NRA easily became mayor of a town where a murder walked into a theater and shot up a bunch of folks because no one pays attention to local elections. Aurora is less safe because no one pays attention to local elections.

They're even easier and often less mean — or at least mean on a much smaller scale — than national elections! Take a few moments and learn what's happening in your city. Find out when your local elections take place. Get invollllvvvvveeeedddd.

Whatcha Watchin?

There's a new Obama documentary hitting HBO Max. It's pretty swell. My biggest complaint is that it means to remind people what happens when we get involved, but only speaks to the folks already on board with that hope-y change-y thing. The series is 3 episodes and about 5 hours in total.

I'll have some details for you on Heels — Starz wrestling drama featuring former Green Arrow Stephen Amell and former viking Alexander Ludwig — coming soon!

A Free Guy review will be hitting the waves on Thursday, too. I've got some serious heart eyes for this one and I can't wait to spill why.

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