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writemarcus · 2 years

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Who’s Bringing The Fire This Time

6 writers, 10-minute plays, a 4-night run, the 13th season: how this eminent New York festival celebrating Black dramatists has multiplied its impact.

BY BRITTANI SAMUEL

The Fire This Time Festival has a thing for historical touchstones. Its name is a contemporary riff on James Baldwin’s searing Civil Rights-era nonfiction collection The Fire Next Time. It was founded by executive producing director Kelley Nicole Girod in 2009, the year President Barack Obama was inaugurated our first Black commander-in-chief. And this summer, after COVID-induced cancellations of theatre festivals across the nation, FTTF makes its triumphant return in another season rife with political strife.

Mounting a new-play festival in the midst of widespread illness, political dissent, human rights protests, anti-police movements, and more may seem burdensome for other 10-minute play festivals, but it falls right in line with the purpose and precedent set by The Fire. Throughout the pause of the last two years, Girod’s mission has remained the same: to provide a space for early-career theatre writers of African and African American descent to write and produce the evocative material that burned in their hearts but rarely ended up among their playwriting submissions. For more than a decade now, the festival has been a playground for writers like Antoinette Nwandu, Jocelyn Bioh, Jordan E. Cooper, and other outspoken artists who push our stories forward.

The legacy continues this year with six dramatists from all parts of the country and all cultural corners of the African diaspora: Agyeiwaa Asante, Rachel Herron, Fedna Jacquet, Marcus Scott, Phillip Christian Smith, and Lisa Rosetta Strum. At the helm are Zhailon Levingston (Chicken and Biscuits) and Tracey Coyner Lee (Sistas: The Musical!), who return as co-directors. This week, July 7 to 10, a program of 10-minute plays by these writers will be presented by FRIGID NYC at the Kraine Theater, both in person and via live stream.

Earlier this year, before an Omicron variant surge briefly re-shuttered productions in New York, I spoke with the six scribes about what it takes to write fearlessly and with fire.

BRITTANI SAMUEL: Let’s go around the room. Tell me a little about your play and when you brought it into the world.

RACHEL HERRON: My play is called Red Red Wine and I wrote it at the beginning of the pandemic. It’s set on two Black women in the very specific world of wine; one of them is rising to the top as a master sommelier. I used to work in fine dining and love everything food and beverage, but you never see Black women in that space on film, television, anywhere. I always like to make things that aren’t necessarily about race, but since we’re seeing Black people in the space, it is educating and equalizing. It takes a turn, though; I tend to have a very dark sense of humor and think I’m quite motivated by stories of revenge. I wanted to also touch on topics like assault and violence and what it looks like when Black women refuse to take it anymore.

PHILIP CHRISTIAN SMITH: My play is called Mt. Sinai. I actually have multiple myeloma. At one point, I was sitting in my chemotherapy chair during the pandemic (I had the corner, which is the best room), and they sat an older Black woman about 70 years old in one chair and another older Black woman about 70 years old in the other. The two of them hit it off like gangbusters and had a conversation in front of me for three hours. I just knew that might make a good play. It reminded me of listening to my mother’s aunts when I was a little boy, so I thought: I’m gonna write something for them.

AGYEIWAA ASANTE: My play is called Wildest Dreams. I was literally scrolling on the internet during the pandemic and came across what I think was a Buzzfeed post about people who were getting married on plantations. I became really interested and started asking questions like, what does it mean to do that? How do we acknowledge the land we are on and what has happened on it? How do we make it better?

LISA ROSETTA STRUM: My play is called By the Way. I was on this long-standing Zoom call (remember those?) every Friday night with friends, and we encroached on some incredible territory about our lives, vulnerabilities, everything. It was a wonderful time for reflection and people were telling stories about friends who evolved into lovers, married people that were getting divorced. I was fascinated, thinking about what happens when two people don’t have any other place to go; they have to just deal with each other in ways they’ve never had to before.

FEDNA JACQUET: My play is Gurlfriend (Black Is Black) and this is definitely a pandemic play. My fiancee moved into my apartment and built me an office in the coat closet because everything was shut down. I locked myself in, and this was one of the first things I created. I have a fascination with home: What is it? What version of you meets home? When does that change? The home you thought of when you were five—is it still real? Even though it’s not current? Who’s allowed in? Who’s not?

MARCUS SCOTT: My play is Wookies in the Wilderness. Everything began for me around the time George Floyd and countless other taken lives were in the news; there were protests outside of my window. So when I sat down, a couple of things were going through my head: One, I was getting a bunch of calls from white colleagues suddenly asking, Is there anything I can do for you? I got tired of that quickly, and a little resentful. But two, I was getting phone calls from friends telling me I should get survivalist books and prepare as if we were entering a mini apocalypse. And I did. Then I sat down and wrote a play about Boy Scouts, because I was basically in survival mode.

BRITTANI: It’s fascinating to hear how you all arrived here. Marcus, let’s roll back to you. You credit George Floyd’s murder and the resulting protests as being the impetus to create the work. But why was the work right for this festival?

MARCUS: In quarantine, I was freed of the mindset of writing stories other people will “like.” Similar to Rachel, I have a very dark sense of humor; a lot of it skews twisted. Wookies in the Wilderness is actually part of what I’m calling my rage plays, these very angry stories I wrote in the span of about two months. I wanted to share a piece about the trauma I was feeling, in the case that others in the audience of this Black festival were feeling it too.

LISA: The Fire This Time has always been a place that has nurtured Black playwrights of diverse thought and ideas. The variety of voices here is unmatched; we are not a monolith. This company has always protected us so we can feel safe about the stories we have to tell.

BRITTANI: I know you have not started rehearsals as yet, but hopefully they will be another taste of the long, creative, collaborative careers you will lead in this industry. What are you most looking forward to?

FEDNA: The audience. Full stop. I was an actor at this festival years ago; this and the Classical Theatre of Harlem were my introductions to New York. I remember the energy the audience gave, they were so here for it—laughing, crying, just on the edge of their seats. Sometimes people come to festival shows to morph your work or critique it; people have all different kinds of motivations. But this specific audience wanted to hear what was new and who was fresh. People in our community come to have a good time and they show it.

AGYEIWAA: If I could have any other job in the theatre, it’d be a professional audience member. I can’t wait to be loud in the audience—it’s so much a part of the experience!

BRITTANI: By now we’ve cycled through many waves of a global pandemic and, I’d argue, a new wave of Black revolutionary thought when it comes to the theatre industry. Have you all taken a moment to think about the historical context in which you are presenting this work?

MARCUS: When I first came to New York a lot of institutions were talking about this idea of “post-Blackness,” largely because of Obama’s presidency. I’m excited that the six of us are coming in and repositioning that mirror. We’re speaking to the reality of what we saw on Jan. 6, not a “post-Black” fantasy.

FEDNA: There’s something about having a moving vehicle; that’s what the festival is. We are not in the same movement from the ’60s, the ’70s, or even the 2000s. And The Fire This Time catches us by always staying fresh, by committing to new voices every year. That’s what keeps the work relevant and why audiences keep coming back.

BRITTANI: One of the many joys of reading these plays is discovering how many of them intersect with queerness, nationality, class disparity, etc. When you’re writing, how much are you thinking about identity, representation, responsibility—all of the things that weigh a little heavier on Black artists?

MARCUS: I never feel pressure until I’m submitting, to be honest. I’ve seen countless plays by white authors, where it’s just them being white sitting on a couch. This is the festival that Katori Hall came from, Dominique Morisseau, Jordan E. Cooper. The only pressure I feel is to live up to their great work.

AGYEIWAA: I’ve always overthought this. When I was 12, I was like, “I don’t know what boys think.” I don’t know how to write boys! They’re these weird other creatures.

BRITTANI: You weren’t wrong.

AGYEIWAA: Not at all. And when you grow up Black in America, you’re steeped in African American culture. But I’m speaking to you from Ghana right now. I’m in my grandparents’ home. I have this direct relationship with my personal history, but also acknowledge the privilege of growing up around African American culture, and when I do decide to write African American voices, I’m careful with it. I never feel that just because I’m Black, I can tell every story well. I still have to be specific; there are intersections to acknowledge.

RACHEL: I want to be a disrupter and change everything on its head. I grew up in a predominantly white community doing horseback riding, playing the violin, all this stuff where I was the only one, right? I had a great time, but there was always a feeling of, well, I really am the only one and am representing something so much larger than myself just by being here. I didn’t sign up for that. I didn’t want that. I just wanted to be there because it was fun! But that tension is always there, whether it’s internal or happening in conversations around you.

BRITTANI: Lisa and Fedna, you’ve acted in this festival before. Many of you are multidisciplinary artists. Do you notice your other skills showing up on the page, and do you think they will come up in the rehearsal room?

LISA: I notice it when I’m writing, which I’m fairly new to professionally. I always ask, if I was the actor, would I actually want to do this? I think of movement and try to write as conversational as possible. I also think about whether or not I would sit and watch the show, and take it from there.

PHILLIP: I’m in graduate school again, right now. So I’m out here, collecting MFAs. If you’ve got an MFA for me, just put it in the chat! I’m the only actor in my class, so it’s great to flex those muscles. I hear you, Lisa, about the actor brain kind of coming in. It makes it easier to talk to your cast, get into their emotions and speak their language.

BRITTANI: What do you make of The Fire This Time Festival’s legacy, especially now that you’re a part of it?

RACHEL: It’s so important to showcase that all of our plays are different. Like Lisa said earlier, we are not a monolith. There does not have to be one slot for us; we can create stories that are nuanced and varied so give us the entire season! It will be different, yes, but the festival proves people will come to see it. I’m just ready. It’s our time and I feel like we should take it.

Brittani Samuel (she/her) is a NY-based writer, critic, and the co-editor of 3Views on Theater. Bylines can be found at places like Observer, Glamour, OkayAfrica, and InStyle. She can be found at BrittaniSamuel.com or on Instagram at @brittaniidiannee.

#TFTTF #The Fire This Time Festival #Black Playwrights #black theatre #Black Theater #Lisa Rosetta Strum #Phillip Christian Smith #Fedna Jacquet #Rachel Herron #Agyeiwaa Asante #Marcus Scott #MarcusScott #Write Marcus #WriteMarcus

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vogueman · 1 year

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Austin Butler attends the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2023 at The Royal Festival Hall on February 19, 2023 in London. Austin wears double-breasted tailored tuxedo jacket in black wool barathea and shirt in white cotton poplin Alexander McQueen Autumn/Winter 2023 pre-collection. (Photo by John Phillips/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA)

#Austin Butler #celebrity style #fashion #aesthetic #menswear #style #alexander mcqueen

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the-rewatch-rewind · 7 months

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Here we go again, we're changing the scene.

Script below the break.

Hello and welcome back to The Rewatch Rewind! My name is Jane and this is the podcast where I count down my top 40 most frequently rewatched movies in a 20-year period. Today I will be discussing number six on my list: Shipwrecked Comedy and American Black Market’s 2017 film noir parody The Case of the Gilded Lily, directed by William J. Stribling, written by Sean Persaud and Sinéad Persaud, and starring Sean Persaud, Sinéad Persaud, Sarah Grace Hart, and Mary Kate Wiles.

It's 1939 in Los Angeles. Hardboiled private eye Ford Phillips (Sean Persaud) doesn’t touch Hollywood cases, until junior ace reporter Fig Wineshine (Sinéad Persaud) convinces him to help her childhood friend, starlet Wilhelmina Vanderjetski (Sarah Grace Hart) find out who is blackmailing her.

In my episode about Edgar Allan Poe’s Murder Mystery Dinner Party, which was number 13 on this list, I discussed how I found and fell in love with the work of Shipwrecked Comedy. If you haven’t listened to or don’t remember that episode, to summarize, I had incredibly high expectations for Edgar Allan Poe’s Murder Mystery Dinner Party, aka Poe Party, that were exceeded in every possible way, and in joining this small but enthusiastic fandom, I finally felt that I had found my people. I was very excited to learn what Shipwrecked’s next project would be, and I didn’t have long to wait. On May 30, 2017, just under seven months after the Poe Party finale, they shared a teaser poster for The Case of the Gilded Lily, which showed silhouettes of the Core Four (Sarah Grace Hart, Sinéad Persaud, Sean Persaud, and Mary Kate Wiles) in a style consistent with film noir. Since one of my favorite things about Poe Party had been the way it reminded me of classic movies, I was ecstatic to see them leaning even more directly into Old Hollywood.

The Kickstarter campaign launched a week later. Unlike Poe Party, which was an 11-episode series, Gilded Lily would be a short film, and they were only asking for $25,000. It didn’t even occur to me to be disappointed that this was going to be so much smaller; I was just excited that Shipwrecked was making another project so soon. In some ways, this Kickstarter experience was similar to the Poe Party one – the fun livestreams with backers’ names on the wall, the character reveals when milestones were reached – but in others, it was very different. For one thing, I had by this point met Shipwrecked and gotten to know many of their other fans, so instead of interacting with a bunch of pleasant strangers, these livestreams felt more like hanging out with friends. And for another, they reached their goal in less than a week, whereas Poe Party had taken almost a month, so it felt a lot less stressful, at least from a will-this-get-to-exist? perspective. They set a few stretch goals and ended up raising just over $43,000 by the time the campaign ended on June 25. I pledged a bit more to this project than I had to Poe Party, partly because I felt like I owed them for how much Poe Party had already changed my life, but also of course because of how thrilled I was that they were making something else that was related to my interests.

The main reason they were making Gilded Lily right then was because they had been invited to premiere a new project at Buffer Festival in Toronto, where they had screened all of Poe Party the year before when only the first 9 episodes were up on YouTube. I would have loved to have gone, both to see Poe Party and to see Gilded Lily, but it didn’t work out. However, Kickstarter backers at the $25 level and up would get access to watch The Case of the Gilded Lily soon after Buffer, before it was posted publicly, and that was good enough for me. Buffer Festival was only about three months after the Kickstarter ended, so Shipwrecked had a ridiculously short period of time to complete this video that they had originally intended to be about 20 minutes long but ended up with a runtime nearly twice that. I still don’t understand how they did it. I know, from talking to members of Shipwrecked at the time and from behind-the-scenes content they’ve released, that they were incredibly stressed about things like finding and locking locations, a cast member having to drop out last minute, and, of course, the budget, but still, they managed it. They successfully premiered their 38-minute long “short” film at Buffer Festival 2017 and emailed a link to backers a couple weeks later, on October 12.

I had a lot of trouble setting my expectations for The Case of the Gilded Lily. This group had just made Poe Party, so I knew they were capable of greatness, but I also knew I had no right to expect this to be on the same level as that, since it was always intended to be a much smaller project. I was sure I was going to enjoy it, but I was very curious to see how much. The first thing that struck me after I clicked the early access link was the music. The soundtrack was composed by Dylan Glatthorn, who had also composed the Poe Party soundtrack, which I absolutely should have mentioned in that episode because it is incredible. But the Gilded Lily soundtrack is somehow even better. Shipwrecked had released a video of a song from the short called “A Change of Scene” in September, written by Glatthorn and performed by Mary Kate Wiles as lounge singer Vivian Nightingale (a name that had been mentioned in Poe Party), so I already knew that was a bop, but it didn’t prepare me for how hard the opening credits music would slap. The theme is so delightfully jazzy that even after nearly six years, I can’t sit still when I hear it. That music over the black and white shots of the Hollywoodland sign and palm trees was the perfect way to set the scene. And then the opening credits finished and the film itself began.

So here’s the thing about film noir. In general, I enjoy it: I think it’s a fascinating filmmaking style and a very effective technique to tell a certain type of story, and two of my other top 40 most frequently rewatched films – Notorious and Gaslight – are fairly noir-esque, but also, film noir can get very dark. Every November, along with many film lovers on the internet, I celebrate Noirvember, a time to watch and appreciate film noir. In 2015, I actually managed to watch 30 noirs in Noirvember, and by the end of the month I noticed that it was really getting to me. I was starting to feel a constant vague sense of unease, dread, and despair. So in every November since then I’ve forced myself to consume noirs somewhat more moderately. I must have known that Gilded Lily was going to be more of a parody and not like one of the darker noirs. The group was called Shipwrecked Comedy, after all. But even Poe Party had had some pretty dark moments. I’m sure I expected jokes in The Case of the Gilded Lily, but I was utterly floored by just how laugh-out-loud funny the whole darn film was. It wasn’t dark at all, at least compared to most noirs or even to Poe Party. There wasn’t even any murder! The first time I watched it, I must have missed at least half the jokes because I was still laughing at prior gags. The plot was just as complicated and twisty as most noirs, but that first time I was barely paying attention because, again, too much laughing. Therefore, once I finished it, I naturally had to immediately rewatch it several times to pick up on the jokes and plot points I’d missed, and I was delighted but not at all surprised to find that it held up very well. I don’t recall exactly how many times I’d seen it before the link was made public on December 11, but by the end of 2017 I’d watched it nine times. I then watched it four times in 2018, six times in 2019, five times in 2020, three times in 2021, and four times in 2022. And I still think the jokes are funny. So if you haven’t watched it, you absolutely should, it’s still available for free on YouTube (link in the show notes) and it’s like the length of one episode of a TV show.

There are so many different types of humor in this film, and all of them are great. There’s the whole playing with and making fun of noir tropes aspect, including several instances of characters interrupting each other’s voiceovers, a camera rotation into a Dutch angle causing Ford to fall over, and Wilhelmina trying to smoke and drink to fit in but not quite understanding the concept. That last one serves the dual purpose of making fun of the excessive smoking and drinking common in noirs and further developing one of my favorite types of character: the confidently clueless. The Case of the Gilded Lily has two of these: Wilhelmina Vanderjetski, the starlet who’s being blackmailed, played by Sarah Grace Hart, and Dash Gunfire, Ford’s rival private eye, played by Joey Richter. Wilhelmina’s cluelessness mostly makes her happy and charming, whereas Dash’s makes him frustrated and annoying, and it’s very entertaining to see two such similar yet very different characters in the same project. Basically everything either of them says or does makes me laugh. There’s also some great physical comedy, mainly from Clayton Farris as the disgruntled Buster Keaton. Similarly, there’s humor with the set and props, like when Cliff Calloway (played by Tom DeTrinis) switches between smoking a cigar and a cigarette in the same scene depending on who he’s talking to, and when Officer Claudette Knickerbocker (played by Joanna Sotomura) is talking to Ford on the phone about how hot she finds Cliff, and it cuts away to Ford putting down the phone and pouring himself a drink and when we see Claudette again her office is in complete disarray. And then there are all the hilarious running gags. Like how whenever someone brings up that Wilhelmina’s real name is Lily THomas, Ford has to argue that it should be pronounced Thomas. And how every time the scene changes after Vivian sings “A Change of Scene” the first time, there’s a little reprise of her singing about how we’re changing the scene. And the way Fig is obsessed with cookies and keeps getting them – I am truly in awe of Sinéad Persaud’s brilliance in writing a character for herself that required her to eat lots of cookies. What an iconic move. And then there’s the running bit where Ford will pause and stare into the distance dramatically before mentioning The War, much to Fig’s confusion, until it’s finally revealed that The War was a movie he and Claudette acted in when they were children. Another running bit is the bartender Bixby Crane (played by Dante Swain) repeatedly saying his own name unnecessarily, and taking things very literally in unexpected ways. This bit was particularly funny to me because my high school band director’s name was Parker Bixby, and when we marched in the Tournament of Roses parade, one of the announcers commented, “I want to change my name to Parker Bixby.” Later somebody put that on t-shirts and Mr. Bixby ended up with one. So seeing a character named Bixby who was obsessed with his own name made me laugh even harder than it would have if they’d picked any other name for that character.

Like in Poe Party, the actors in The Case of the Gilded Lily were encouraged to play around, at least as much as their limited production time would allow, which once again resulted in an excellent blooper reel, and also some great moments in the film. One of the best is when Wilhelmina’s husband, producer Roger Haircremé, played by Gabe Greenspan, comes into the lobby from the Sufferin’ Safari premiere and says, “Sweetheart, it’s nearly giraffe time!” which was improvised. Also, major shout out to the Persauds for their incredible character names, and also to Gabe Greenspan, who filled in last minute when the original Roger had to drop out of the project. It’s kind of mind boggling that this was the first time Gabe worked with Shipwrecked and that he almost wasn’t even in this, since it’s hard to imagine their more recent projects without him. Another unscripted moment that I love is when Vivian is telling Fig about an underground gambling ring and says that they meet on Wednesday nights, adding, “Tonight. And next Wednesday. And the Wednesday after that…” That last part wasn’t in the script, but they brought it back again when Fig passes this information on to Claudette, saying, “Vivian only knew they meet tonight. And then next week. And the week after that. Basically, it’s a weekly thing.” And Joanna, not really knowing how to respond to that, just had Claudette go, “Oh, okay” and move on with her lines, and for some reason that just really tickles me.

I think the thing I appreciated the most about The Case of the Gilded Lily, once I stopped laughing long enough to analyze it, was that it felt like a typical Shipwrecked project while also feeling completely different from what they’d done before. The sense of humor felt the same as Poe Party, even though the Gilded Lily gags tended to be on the sillier side. The story was just as well thought out as Poe Party’s, but while Poe Party was being released I was constantly trying to figure out who the murderer was, whereas with Gilded Lily I didn’t even attempt to guess who the blackmailer was, I was too busy laughing. Also, being a short film rather than a series released over 11 weeks, there was much less time for speculation. Of course, the overlapping cast made the projects feel similar, and I particularly enjoyed seeing Ryan W. Garcia, who had played Eddie in Poe Party, show up as an extra in about half the Gilded Lily scenes. This ultimately inspired me to write a rather long and intense fan fiction tying a bunch of Shipwrecked projects together with the time traveling ghost of Eddie. Tom DeTrinis’s Cliff Calloway seemed about what you’d expect if Oscar Wilde was trying to pretend to be a straight film star. Joey Richter’s Dash Gunfire was similar to his Ernest Hemingway in that both were rivals with Sean’s character, although Dash is way sillier.

And then there’s the Core Four. Sean and Sinéad’s characters and dynamic were very similar in A Tell-Tale Vlog, Poe Party, and Gilded Lily: both Poe and Ford are loners who secretly desire friends, and both Lenore and Fig are outgoing and talkative and enjoy winding up Sean’s character, who begrudgingly appreciates them despite his best efforts to abhor them. But of course, they are unquestionably different characters, and I think they both did an excellent job of adjusting their mannerisms to make them feel distinct. Mary Kate and Sarah’s characters, on the other hand, are essentially the complete opposite of what they played in Poe Party. Annabel was sweet and naïve and wanted everyone to be happy, whereas Vivian is bitter and jaded and having affairs with four different men in five different states (another great line) and doesn’t seem to care about anyone besides herself. Going straight from an ingenue to a femme fatale and absolutely nailing both was an excellent way for Mary Kate Wiles to demonstrate her incredible acting range. I’d already been a huge fan of her work for over five years at that point, and I was still blown away. Vivian doesn’t even get that much screentime, but gah, what MK does with her voice, like, just, close your eyes and listen to Annabel and then listen to Vivian, you can’t even tell they’re the same person. I feel like this also helps distinguish Edgar and Ford from each other. It’s a running theme in most Shipwrecked projects that Sean’s character is super into Mary Kate’s character, although they rarely end up together, and I can’t really explain why, but I don’t feel like Poe would be particularly into Vivian, nor would Ford be interested in Annabel. But I could be wrong about that, I don’t really understand how sexual or romantic attraction works. Anyway, all that being said, if I had to pick one single favorite aspect of The Case of the Gilded Lily, it would have to be Sarah Grace Hart as Wilhelmina Vanderjetski, mostly because she is absolutely hilarious, but also because she is so different from Emily Dickinson in Poe Party. Emily is forgotten by everyone the second after she introduces herself, whereas Wilhelmina is one of the most famous stars in Hollywood. Emily seems to know what’s going on, and I have a theory that she could have figured out the whole thing if people would have just listened to her, whereas Wilhelmina, bless her, is paying blackmail while also telling everyone what she’s being blackmailed for. Also it’s literally just… having a stage name. Not really something worth paying $20,000 per week to keep secret, especially if you’re just going to tell everyone anyway. But Sarah commits to this character so hard that you never once doubt that Willie would absolutely fall prey to this ridiculous scheme. She’s so earnestly oblivious in the most endearing and hilarious way that she’s probably my favorite Shipwrecked character, and possibly my favorite character in anything ever.

What I didn’t know at the time was that originally, Shipwrecked had planned to follow Poe Party with a whole series featuring these characters, but when they got invited to Buffer they knew they wouldn’t have time for all that, so they made The Case of the Gilded Lily as kind of a pilot for the Fig and Ford series. They did make it clear that they had at least some intentions of continuing the story, with a question mark appearing after “The End” and a quick post-credits scene with Vivian bursting into Fig and Ford’s office and saying, “Mr. Phillips, something terrible has happened!” After years with no word of what this could be leading to, I had almost given up hope of more from this world, and then, in 2022, Shipwrecked launched a Kickstarter for an audio narrative called The Case of the Greater Gatsby, currently coming out weekly on all major podcast platforms, and we’re finally getting more, and it is so delightful. Once again, I don’t feel like I’m doing a very good job of trying to figure out what’s going on, but I am living for the jokes.

Classic film noir tended to be relatively sexually explicit for its time – at least, as much as it was allowed to be under production codes. In particular, the male protagonist was often led astray by his attraction to the sexy but dangerous femme fatale. The Persauds had said that they were inspired by Who Framed Roger Rabbit, another noir parody, which turns these sexy expectations around with a femme fatale type character who is, if not overtly asexual, certainly ace-coded – she’s married to a rabbit, and when asked what the attraction is, she says, and I quote, “He makes me laugh.” The Case of the Gilded Lily finds a different way to put a twist on the femme fatale trope with Vivian Nightingale, who is certainly not ace-coded, but also doesn’t seem to be particularly dangerous – at least in the Gilded Lily plot, I don’t know where Greater Gatsby is going yet. Vivian is a possible suspect, and Ford is very attracted to her, but she’s innocent and nothing bad really comes of her involvement in this story. She has an attitude of, “I have no clue how I got mixed up with you clowns, but I’ll be fabulous while I’m here" that you have to admire. Really the only romance in The Case of the Gilded Lily is the one between Wilhelmina Vanderjetski and Roger Haircremé, and that one is… questionable, to put it mildly. For one thing, Willie lied to Roger about her background to get him to marry her. For another, Roger saw through her ridiculous story but pretended not to, instead blackmailing her to pay off his gambling debts. When Fig and Ford uncover this, instead of being furious with her husband, Wilhelmina is delighted that the blackmailer was just her kind, loving husband who’d never do anything to hurt her. Typically I’m very much in favor of forgiveness, but in this case I really don’t think Roger deserves it. In a way, this could be seen as illustrating the harms of amatonormativity, showing that Wilhelmina thinks staying with a blackmailer is preferable to having no husband, but it definitely comes across as her genuinely believing that Roger has done nothing wrong. It’s weird, but I love the way this shifts the noir trope of sexy-romance-gone-wrong to be about a couple who was married at the start and has no intention of getting divorced at the end, and involves a woman who bears zero resemblance to a typical femme fatale.

Like pretty much every other Shipwrecked project (besides Kissing in the Rain), The Case of the Gilded Lily is way more focused on platonic relationships than romantic or sexual ones. Even though the crime is related to Roger and Wilhelmina’s relationship, it’s solved mainly because of Fig’s friendship with Wilhelmina, Fig’s attempts to befriend Ford, and Ford’s friendship with Claudette. I didn’t know I was aroace when this came out, but I certainly appreciated all the non-romantic storylines. And I would argue that Gilded Lily does have at least one ace-coded character, although it’s not the one who reminds us of Jessica Rabbit: it’s Fig Wineshine. She wants to be friends with everyone but doesn’t show any signs of attraction to any of them. And she has this great line in Greater Gatsby when she’s describing how Cliff Calloway is a Hollywood heartthrob: “He didn't really do it for me. But then again he wasn't circular with crispy edges and a gooey middle.” She’s saying that her type is a literal cookie. There’s no allosexual explanation for that.

My main takeaway from The Case of the Gilded Lily back in 2017 was that Poe Party was not a fluke. I had truly stumbled upon an underappreciated group of talented, hardworking geniuses when I found Shipwrecked Comedy, and I was going to keep following and supporting their work from then on no matter what. And I have never regretted doing that for a second. Most of the projects they’ve made in the years since The Case of the Gilded Lily have been too short to count as movies, but they have all been incredibly delightful. I would highly recommend everything on their YouTube channel, in addition to the Greater Gatsby podcast they’re currently releasing, especially if you enjoy Old Hollywood; I am thoroughly enjoying all the references to actual movies and actors that I love by the fictional characters from the world of Fig and Ford that I also love. Shipwrecked keeps telling the exact stories I want to see and hear, and I cannot even begin to adequately express how much joy they have brought to my life. I truly hope everyone out there has found or will find a group of artists whose work means as much to them as Shipwrecked’s does to me.

Thank you for listening to me discuss another of my most frequently rewatched movies. Next week I will enter my top 5 with the oldest movie on this list, which I also watched 31 times. As always, I will leave you with a quote from that next movie: “Always remember that the truth has never hurt any man! …And anyway, if it does, I’ll go to the hospital with you.”

#the case of the gilded lily #fig and ford #shipwrecked comedy #the rewatch rewind #please watch this short

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andie-cake · 2 years

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Hatchetfield OC emoji ask game!! (redux)

Hey folks, I polished up this old ask game of mine bc I wanted to do it again! Feel free to rb if you'd like to do this yourself! Remember to list out your ocs in the tags if you're playing, and specify which oc the question's about if you're sending in asks! I, personally, will be taking asks for my four ocs, Jasper Mckenzie, Ramona "Mo" Phillips, Neferata, and Nicolas Agresta-Chaput.

⭐ - Does your HF oc have a Touch of the Gift? If so, what's their power, and does anyone else know about it? If not, do they know anybody with a Touch of the Gift?

👪 - Does your HF oc have any relations to any canon HF characters, be it familial, platonic, romantic, or what have you?

🎵 - How would your HF oc have been infected during the events of TGWDLM?

🍯 - What does your HF oc do to celebrate the Honey Festival? If applicable, would they ever enter the Honey Queen pageant?

😈 - Which Lord in Black would be most likely to target your HF oc?

⛺ - Did your HF oc ever go to Camp Idonwannabang? If so, what was that like for them?

🪓 - On a scale of 1-10, how much does your HF oc enjoy living in Hatchetfield?

🤢 - What are your HF oc's thoughts on Clivesdale? Do they hate it as passionately as the rest of the town seems to, or are they just kind of ambivalent? Or- god forbid, do they actually feel positively towards the town on the other side of the Nantucket?

🎭 - If your HF oc were to appear in Hatchetfield canon, which cast member would you want to play them?

📝 - Did your HF oc go to Hatchetfield High or Sycamore?

🤓 - What is/was your HF oc like during high school? Were they considered cool, or just another nerdy prude? Did/do they have any teachers they were particularly fond of? Any notable clubs they were in?

👻 - Does your HF oc believe in any of the local Witchwood legends?

💰 - How would your HF oc have handled the events of Black Friday? How hard would they have fallen into Wiggly mania? Would they have survived?

💀 - How privy is your HF oc to the darker goings-on around town, like the shady work of CCRP or the Church of the Starry Children?

🌁 - Does your HF oc have any kind of reputation around town? Have they ever been the subject of townie gossip, or the center of a well-known town story, ala "Becky Barnes climbed a tree and stayed there for two days"?

✍️ - Have you written or are you planning to write any fics about your HF oc?

❗- Just name a random fun fact about your HF oc! It can be anything!

#hatchetfield #tgwdlm #black friday #nightmare time #ask game

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ashtrayfloors · 6 months

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Declaration

City of wind and glass dressed in frozen lace, of the wide-stone tower that would not burn, of Lake Michigan and the poor who never see the sun drop lines of light across the cold ache of water, of televised faces spitting water on children in a park obliterated of its pigeons. City of pigeons on train platforms where trains say the names of approaching destinations like prophets: you know me as your restless child. I creep through dimensions of snow-scythed wind and ruthless summers looking for my semblance in neighborhoods gentrified into dull disasters of coffee and scones. I have loved you like darkness loves the base of a throat yet songs I could sing for you won’t come. City of Lou Malnati’s and Giordano’s, of segregation and gang wars, of bus drivers who seem to hate me and so I hate them back, the blade of their impatience, the phantom dark beneath their abrasive eyes, until I meet the one who says “good morning” back and it sounds like “I love you” and “I’m sorry” and I needed to hear that this morning because traffic’s slow as a corroded vein and the Red Line changes races halfway through and that feels wrong and beyond explanation like the parking meters eating our tired bodies down to their good bones. At night, Michigan Ave. slips on its suit of lights and tourists while Madison and Central Park roll restless with Shark’s fried fish and barbershops where a boy sits with the buzz of clippers carving something beautiful from the black curls on his head. You’ve been on my mind, City of African music festivals and Bud Billiken parades, City of name changes I refuse to honor. Sears to Willis, the ghost of a Marshall Field’s relief oxidized into obscurity. Here is my face, City. Here is my face and my hands are open for you. Here is the body that has rejected your violence, that has been missed by your bullets, City. Here is the scimitar of my tongue to cut you down to your particulars, in hope to find something in you to love that will love me back.

—Phillip B. Williams (x)

#poetry #phillip b. williams #chicago #never a lovely so real

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k1ssmeinmydreams · 4 months

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❄️Drabblecember Day 7 + 10❄️

❄️Snowed In/Stuck Inside + Sleeping In☃️

(Prompts by @eternally-smitten)

Pairing: Sara X Pam B.eesly

Word Count: 724

A/N: Went with a more ‘loose’ interpretation of the prompt(s) for this one 😅

Sara heard the whistling of wind through the windows and slowly opened her eyes.

The miniature television was on in the kitchen playing the news. Sara stretched, yawning and looking around her makeshift ‘room’ that also functioned as the living room most of the time.

Pam walked in humming and carrying a novelty Christmas mug of what Sara assumed to be tea. “Hey there sleepyhead.” she chuckled. Sara gave a sheepish grin and yawned again, still only half awake.

Sara suddenly heard Cece run into the living room, crawling up on her bed. “No school!” she shouted. She bounced on the bed a little until Pam shot her the ‘don’t’ look. Sara laughed and fixed her bed head as best as she could with just her hands.

“So I’m guessing the blizzard hit pretty hard last night?” Sara asked. Pam nodded “8 inches. They’ve cancelled school and work for most people.”

Sara was delighted she wouldn’t have to work, even if the day did mostly just consist of shoveling snow, keeping the kids properly entertained and sleeping.

Jim walked in with Phillip in his arm, carrying his own festive cup of coffee in the other. “I see everyone’s up and at ‘em.” He smiled and sipped.

The wind whipped around them and snowflakes stuck to their hair as the Halpeesly family entered back indoors from a decent length snowball fight and snowman building session. Sara had brought out her Polaroid to take a few photos and was currently cradling a snapshot of the snowman in question in her mittened hands.

As they entered the toasty house, Pam let out a big yawn. “That snowball fight tired me out more than I thought it would.” She shut the door behind them and yawned again.

Jim grabbed Philip from Pam as Cece trailed behind him. “Why don’t I lay the kids down for a nap and you and Sara can chill for a minute.” He smiled and leaned over to give Pam a kiss on the cheek.

She smiled back and nodded, her eyes appearing to be a bit heavy. Sara felt her own mouth form into a yawn, the warm air making a nap sound that much better.

“Oh no, you’ve caught my sleepiness.” Pam said to her, chuckling quietly. Sara laughed back as Pam pulled her in for a quick embrace. “How did the photo turn out?” she asked, wrapping her arms around Sara’s waist and placing her head on her shoulder. “As good as possible I hope.” She handed the square photo to Pam, who held it so they could both look.

Peering back at them was a moderately sized, lumpy snowman with black button eyes and an Eagles ball cap. Sara let the kids use some of her old accessories to decorate as well. His black and red gingham scarf, green heart earring nose and ‘stylish but work appropriate’ cardigan had all belonged to her in the past.

“It’s like our collective little snow baby.” Pam replied. Sara chuckled, squeezing Pam slightly.

They entered the main bedroom, aka Pam & Jim’s room. Pam took off her winter wear, as did Sara. They both helped each other get their boots off.

Pam sat on the bed and sighed tiredly. Sara looked over and smiled. Pam looked at her and smiled back, laying down and getting comfortable. She patted the space next to her.

“Are you sure?” Sara asked quietly, eyebrows raised.

Pam nodded “Of course, come on.” She patted again, this time more eagerly.

Sara gingerly walked over, awkwardly placing herself onto the bed. Pam laughed and pulled her in for a cuddle.

Their foreheads touched and Sara felt her face flush.

“I’m really glad you’re back.” Pam said, placing her hand on Sara’s face. She rubbed her thumb gently. Sara nodded and placed her own hand on top of Pam’s. “Me too.” She responded quietly.

“Merry Christmas, Mrs. Beesly.” Pam shut her eyes and hugged. Sara laughed and shut her own eyes. “Merry Christmas Mrs. Halpeesly.” she whispered back.

Before she knew it they were both asleep. When she awoke a few hours later she noticed the lamps had been turned off and a quilt now laid on top of them. Sara smiled, knowing it was Jim’s doing. She curled close to Pam and let them sleep for just a few moments more.

Taglist 🏷 (if you’d like to be added or removed please don’t hesitate to ask): @gideongrovel @deadlock

#Drabblecember #Horse Girl Next Door 🐴💜#S/I x Canon #self insert #self ship #self shipping #self ship community

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enkisstories · 7 months

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Connor put a heap of documents on the table for the Lieutanent to study. The papers summarized everything known about the case of the cursed chickens and included a list of primary suspects, courtesy of Fort Detroit’s commander.

Hank: "Let's see! Ah... so. So that's everyone with red hair and everyone black and everyone who came as a convict with the Remorse. Criminal energy, red hair and black heritage, that leaves only one resident: Morgan Fyres. Case closed!"

The lieutenant snorted, then ordered Connor to fetch him a beer. He claimed he needed it to think.

Hank: "Although in one thing the governor isn't wrong: If we knew whether the oddities started before or after the Remorse arrived with her hold full of deviants, that would narrow it down immensely."

Connor: "I know that! The unnaturally colored eggs appeared not just after the Remorse dropped off the convicts, but even later, only after the spring festival."

Hank: "A-ha! We should inquire whether something was taken from the curio tent. And also talk to the Manfred siblings, they definitely left the festival grounds ready to cause some serious mischief."

Hank: *gulp, gulp*

Hank proceeded to fill his notebook's pages with names, places, longer phrases and many lines and arrows connecting everything. Connor got the feeling that he couldn't have followed this science even if he had been able to read and write more than his name and a few common strings.

Occasionally Hank shot Connor a question, that the assistant was able to answer quickly and to the lieutenant’s satisfaction every time. It was a very different experience from their previous encounters, almost like family time, the first Hank and Connor were having since thirteen years.

Hank (writing): “Furthermore should get taken into consideration as potential culprits:

Monsieur Manfred's staff (takes a drink) John Phillips (bc crazy) (takes a drink) Sixten/Connor (witch!) (takes a drink) Gavin Reed (bc shifty) (takes a drink) Myself (everything's always my fault).”

Hank: "So that concludes the preliminary considerations. Go to bed now, lad. Tomorrow we'll start pestering people!"

Connor took his time to hit the hay, not because he'd been a dedicated servant who wouldn't sleep before his master, but because he was impressed with how thoroughly the former bounty hunter had went at the task at hand. Well, except for the last three, booze fueled entries in the list of suspects.

#detroit become human #dbh #dbh au #sims4 detroit1760 #sims4 #sims 4 #simblr

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wvsteria · 1 year

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hey there!! going to put this out to keep track of the plots i have going for the winterfest! if anyone would like to plot w my muse just like this and i’ll dm you!

bolded = starter i owe

strike through = completed

aj campos / crush / 19 / aware

she’ll be trying to enjoy the festivities. she’s just a very lowkey person though so moreso just browsing stands and being an observer.

plotting w: yuri plisetsky, cyrus goodman, gabriela campos

alaric saltzman / vampire diaries / 34 / aware

he’s chaperoning a class trip to the winterfest. but he’ll also be getting gifts for his family. and hopefully making memories with them as well!

plotting w: sabina palpatine, five hargreeves, elena gilbert, hope mikaelson, katherine pierce

antonia dreykov / marvel / 25 / aware

this is all completely new to her. she has no idea what any of this is and might be a little cranky to those trying to engage with her here. but she’s also curious and wants to do more normal things.

plotting w: pj halliwell, jade west, natasha romanoff

audrey rose / descendants / 22 / aware

audrey is all for the holidays and will be looking to make any moment a selfie moment. you’ll catch her pretty much everywhere but the snowball fight and sledding unless someone can convince her....

plotting w: achilles, cj hook, ziggy berman, prince phillip

beth washington / until dawn / 21 / not aware

beth enjoys the holidays fairly enough. she’ll want to get a little bit of everything so you might see her quite literally any and everywhere.

plotting w: hallie parker, sam giddings, mike munroe, josh washington, hannah washington, jessica riley, ashley brown

bruce wayne / dc / 43 / aware

he is only here to do shopping and because he sponsored some of the booths feels like he should make an appearance. but he will be in and out and not in the mood for festivities. someone please drag him into something he can’t get out of.

plotting w: clark kent

dani powell / prodigal son / 32 / aware

dani is not so excited. i mean the holidays are not but it’s nothing to phone home about. it really just reminds her that her work family isn’t here to celebrate with her.

plotting w: seth gecko, faye chamberlain, nie huaisang, malcolm bright

dominic toretto / fast & furious / 40 / aware

dom is all about family. he’ll be gathering some items to gift his family. and you might find him in the snow fight and sledding competition.

plotting w: han solo, jim hopper, letty ortiz, scott lang

emily fields / pretty little lairs / 25 / aware

emily will most likely be taking carriage rides around and doing all the crafting events during the winter fest. she might also try karoke so don’t laugh at her please.

plotting w: wen kexing, hanna marin, blaine anderson

gwendolyn blake / the black phone / 20 / aware

gwen might possibly be all over the place with all the updated tech she’s excited to see what’s out there and what’s next. and you’ll definitely see her taking a photo w hot santa and in the snowball fight.

plotting w: mj jones, daniela dimitrescu, jinx, piper milano, vex'ahlia de rolo

hayley marshall / vampire diaries / 33 / not aware

hayley saw all this going on and just decided to stroll through. she might not participate in much though.

plotting w: klaus mikaelson, waver velvet

jacen solo / star wars / 27 / aware

jacen just wants to do whatever would make his family happy. so he’s probably following them around or trying to figure out presents.

plotting w: han solo, leia organa, winter celchu, josie saltzman, kira yukimura

james buchanan barnes / marvel / 32 / not aware

he does not want to go. at all. someone will need to literally drag him there. against his will.

plotting w: emmeline vance, steve rogers, peggy carter, sharon carter, mark sloan, peter parker

joey jeremiah / degrassi / 21 / not aware

this isn’t really his thing but he’s going for the snowball fight and sledding.

plotting w: cirilla “ciri” fiona elen riannon, emmett cullen

justin russo / wizards of waverly place / 26 / aware

justin loves the holidays. he’s buying gifts for the friends and family he has here. and he may be gathering gifts for the family that’s not here either just in case they show up. he’ll be doing ornaments, making gingerbread houses, and visiting the nutcracker ballet

plotting w: arcueid brunestud, alex russo

kate bishop / marvel / 23 / aware

kate loves this time of year. well now she does anyways. now that there’s no more family drama to ruin it so yeah she’s decorating she’s building a snowman she’s having the time of her life.

plotting w: cassie lang, yelena belova, ciri riannon, daisy johnson

kiara carrera / outerbanks / 22 / aware

catch her at every live music show. she lives for that kind of thing. and doing the polar plunge because why not

plotting w: katie gardner, eddie munson

lola / star wars / 24 / aware

while the holidays aren’t exactly new to lola, it’ll be the first time they felt like they could actually participate in things like these. so they will be buzzing around excitedly, trying out everything they can get into.

plotting w: rue bennett, leia organa, satine kryze, silco

lorenzo st. john / vampire diaries / 140 / aware

enzo is doing whatever bonnie is doing. lol someone drag him away so she can get presents.

plotting w: victor nikiforov, auden west, eric northman, caroline forbes-salvatore

lucrecia montesinos hendrich / elite / 20 / aware

she’s feeling a little festive, happy that some friends have come back especially ones she thought she’d never see again. also she’s going to make one hell of a gingerbread house so sorry to anyone next to her.

plotting w: mob, carla roson

missandei / game of thrones / 33 / aware

missandei doesn’t have much experience celebrating this holiday. but she does like to walk through and buy the cute hats and scarves and make her own hot chocolate. she certainly would love to see the ballet with someone.

plotting w: blathers, drogon, daenerys targaryen

mouse honrada / pretty little liars: original sin / 18 / not aware

big events like this kind of scare her, something ingrained in her since she was little. but if someone can help give her courage and won’t leave her side! (or if someone does leave her unattended someone is welcome to help comfort her as she freaks out)

plotting w: noa olivar, rosemary winters

padme amidala / star wars / 27 / not aware

padme absolutely adores events like this. you’ll find her all over the winterfest. buying to support the vendors, participating in the events, attending the music nights and the nutcracker play of course. you might even find her out by the plunge if she’s feeling daring enough

plotting w: bail organa, leia organa, anakin skywalker, satine kryze, luke skywalker

penelope park / vampire diaries: legacies / 18 / not aware

honestly, penelope is kind of in the festive spirit. she’s going to make the heck out of some hot chocolate and ornaments. she’ll also be at the concerts of course and taking a pic with hot santa.

plotting w: hope mikaelson, josie saltzman

rachel green / friends / 27 / not aware

rach wants a pic w hot santa pls and she’s going to the ice bar and making ornaments that will look like crap but who cares because she made it. she’s also buying gifts for the friends she’s made while here.

plotting w: bela dimitrescu, abigail mckinnon

rosita espinosa / the walking dead / 31 / not aware

rosita probably isn’t going unless someone asks her to go lol

plotting w:

roxanne weasley / harry potter / 21 / aware

roxy wants to stir up some trouble so catch her ruining snowman building, snowball fights and the sled races whoops. but she’s also doing family shopping bcs my god there’s so many of them.

plotting w: rose weasley, fred weasley, victoire weasley, george weasley

rue / the hunger games / 20 / aware

rue is very happily exploring the fest. they want hats they want the drinks, they might be a little timid about it but they also want to participate in the snowball fight and sled racing. they honestly want to do any and everything here.

plotting w: stitch pelekai, jeremiah fisher, cato hadley

tara carpenter / scream / 19 / not aware

after the ball she’s a little nervous about going out to places but since it’s open and not in a building she’s going. she’s buying gifts and doing crafts. also might participate in some of the competitions.

plotting w: renesmee cullen, esme cullen, elijah mikaelson, samantha carpenter

willa lykensen / disney’s zombies / 20 / aware

this is all so completely foreign to her. but she’s oddly into it?

plotting w: addison wells

zack martin / disney’s suite life of zack & cody / 25 / aware

as cool as he tries to act, he’s actually feeling festive. he buys presents for his friends but he’s mostly into the competition and proving that he’s talented and tough.

plotting w: maddie fitzpatrick, akie menzies, london tipton, josh washington, alex russo

#hw: plot call

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kickmag · 1 year

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Big Joanie Is Going On A Tour Of North America

Big Joanie is going on a tour of North America in support of their 2022 Back Home album. The Black woman trio punk band will perform in more than 10 American cities when the tour starts in March. Stephanie Phillips, Estella Adeyeri and Chardine Taylor-Stone have been making music as Big Joanie from their base in London since 2013. Their haunting sophomore album was a critical success and to give a preview of the tour they have released the live performance video filmed at Hermitage Works Studios for "Cactus Tree." Tickets for the tour are on sale now.

youtube

Tour Dates

3/19: Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge

3/20: Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court

3/22: Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Festival

3/25: Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern

3/26: Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall

3/28: San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop

3/30: Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo

3/31: Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room

5/19: Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade - Purgatory

5/20: Nashville, TN @ Third Man Records

5/22: Washington, DC @ Songbyrd Music House

5/23: Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's

5/25: Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool - SOLD OUT

5/26: Brooklyn, NY @ Baby's All Right

5/29: Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz

5/30: Toronto, ON @ The Garrison

6/1: Columbus, OH @ Natalie's Grandview

6/2: Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle

#big joanie #Youtube

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blackboxoffice · 1 year

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Resounding success of ‘Black Panther’ franchise says little about the dubious state of Black film

by Phillip Lamarr Cunningham, Assistant Professor, Media Studies, Wake Forest University

When Marvel Studios released “Black Panther” in February 2018, it marked the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film to feature a Black superhero and star a predominantly Black cast.

Its estimated production budget was US$200 million, making it the first Black film – conventionally defined as a film that is directed by a Black director, features a Black cast, and focuses on some aspect of the Black experience – ever to receive that level of financial support.

As a scholar of media and Black popular culture, I was often asked to respond to the resounding success of that first “Black Panther” film, which had shattered expectations of its box office performance.

Would it lead to more big-budget Black films? Was its popularity an indication that the global marketplace – the real source of trepidation about the film’s potential – was finally ready to embrace Black-cast films?

With the release of the massively successful “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” in November 2022, I expect those questions to reemerge.

Yet as I review the cinematic landscape between the original and its sequel, I am inclined to restate the answer I gave back in 2018: Assumptions should not be made about the state of Black film based on the success of the “Black Panther” franchise.

Reason for optimism

Prior to its release, the producers of “Black Panther” faced questions about whether there was a market for a Black blockbuster film, even one ensconced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

After all, since the Wesley Snipes-led “Blade” trilogy, which came out in the late-1990s and early 2000s, Black superhero films had experienced diminishing returns. There was one notable exception: the commercially successful, though heavily panned “Hancock” (2008), starring Will Smith.

Otherwise, Black superhero films such as “Catwoman” (2004) and “Sleight” (2016) either flopped or had a limited release.

Furthermore, until “Black Panther,” no Black film exceeded a $100 million budget, the average benchmark for modern Hollywood blockbusters.

Nonetheless, despite these early concerns, “Black Panther” earned the highest domestic gross, $700 million, of all films released in 2018, while earning $1.3 billion in worldwide gross, second only to “Avengers: Infinity War.”

“Black Panther” emerged at the tail end of what many industry experts considered to be a surprisingly successful run of Black films, which included the biopic “Hidden Figures” (2016) and the raunchy comedy “Girls Trip” (2017). Despite their modest budgets, they earned over $100 million apiece at the box office – $235 million and $140 million, respectively.

However, both films were mostly reliant on the domestic box office, especially the R-rated “Girls Trip,” which was only released in a handful of foreign markets. Conventional wisdom has long held that Black films will fail abroad. International distributors and studios typically ignore them during the presale process or at film festivals and markets, reasoning that Black films are too culturally specific – not only in terms of their Blackness, but also their Americanness.

Films like “Black Panther” and the Oscar winning “Moonlight” (2016), which earned more on the international market than the domestic market, certainly challenged those assumptions. It has yet to upend them.

Black films after ‘Black Panther’

What do those Black films released in theaters in the nearly five years between “Black Panther” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” tell us about the former’s impact?

The simple answer is that the original “Black Panther” has had no discernible influence on industry practices whatsoever.

Since 2018, no other Black blockbuster has emerged, save for the sequel itself. Granted, Black filmmaker Ava DuVernay’s remake of “A Wrinkle in Time” (2018) reportedly cost an estimated $100 million; however, while Black actors portrayed the protagonist and a few other characters, the film features a multicultural ensemble cast – which, as scholars such as Mary Beltran have pointed out, has become the primary strategy for achieving diversity in film.

Even if one were to include “A Wrinkle in Time,” the grand total of Black films with budgets exceeding $100 million is three, with the two “Black Panther” films being the others – all during an era in which there have been hundreds of mainstream films with budgets exceeding $100 million.

Otherwise, most of the Black films released in theaters between 2018 and 2022 typically were low budget by Hollywood standards – $3 million to $20 million in most cases – with only a handful, such as the 2021 Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect,” costing $50 million to 60 million.

Perhaps the most notable change has been the medium. Many Black films now appear on either cable networks that cater to a Black audience – namely Black Entertainment Television and, more recently, Lifetime – or on streaming services such as Netflix. Tyler Perry, the most popular and prolific Black filmmaker of the modern era, has released his latest films – “A Jazzman’s Blues” (2022), “A Madea Homecoming” (2022) and “A Fall from Grace” (2020) – directly to Netflix.

Furthermore, no other Black film has approached the financial success of “Black Panther.” Granted, several Black films have fared well at the box office, especially relative to their production costs. Foremost among them is Jordan Peele’s “Us” (2019), which cost an estimated $20 million, yet earned approximately $256 million worldwide despite its R rating and the fact that it was never released in China.

Whither Black film

Without question, large budgets and commercial success are not the only measures of a film’s value and significance.

As has historically been the case, Black film has managed to do more with less. The critical acclaim afforded to films such as “BlackKlansman” (2018), “If Beale Street Could Talk” (2019) and “King Richard” (2021) reflect this fact. All reflect trends in contemporary Black filmmaking – comedies, historical dramas and biopics abound, for instance – and were made for a fraction of the cost of both “Black Panther” films.

In truth, the zeal with which some cast “Black Panther” as a bellwether for Black films is part of continued haranguing over their viability, particularly after the #OscarsSoWhite movement that drew attention to the lack of diversity at the 2016 Academy Awards.

However, its positioning as a Disney property within Marvel’s transmedia storytelling effort makes it so atypical that its success — and that of its sequel — portends little about Black film.

#wakanda forever #marvel cinematic universe #Black Panther #oscars so white #Hollywood #Marvel #Diversity #filmmaking #featured #representation

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vogueman · 1 year

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#Austin Butler #celebrity style #fashion #aesthetic #menswear #style #alexander mcqueen

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micro-expressions · 19 hours

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Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Frye Phillip Ring Black Leather Knee High Boots.

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phillipschevrolet · 13 days

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Fleet of Silverados Ready to Promote Indy 500

Spring is here and that means that the 108th Indianapolis 500, scheduled for Sunday, May 26, is right around the corner. A sure sign that the Indy 500 is coming soon is the arrival festival event vehicles which will help promote the event, and this year the honor goes to the Chevy Silverado 1500 RST. This fleet of Silverados sports Radiant Red Tintcoat exteriors, Jet Black leather interiors, 22-inch high-gloss Black-painted aluminum wheels and custom Indianapolis 500 graphics. “The tradition of providing Festival Event Vehicles is a hallmark in the countdown to the Month of May and the Indianapolis 500,” said Mike Quinn, Chevrolet Indianapolis district sales manager. “Seeing these Silverados on the road throughout Central Indiana will embody the passion Chevrolet, IMS and the 500 Festival have for the Indianapolis 500.” Phillips Chevrolet of Frankfort, Lansing, and Bradley has Illinois’ Largest Chevy Inventory including a great selection of affordable, dependable Silverados in stock!

105 Chevrolet Silverado 1500s currently in stock at Phillips Chevrolet

2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Work Truck Regular Cab - #41078

Internet Price: $37,192 - $3,758 off MSRP

Click here to view our complete Silverado Inventory

#chevy #chevrolet #phillips #phillips chevrolet #phillips chevy #phillipschevy #phillipschevrolet #silverado

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softrobotcritics · 25 days

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Nicolas Schöffer - Cyspe - 1959

youtube

The title of CYSP 1, created by the French-Hungarian artist Nicholas Schöffer, is an abbreviation of "Cybernetics" and "Spatiodynamics". Designed in conjunction with the Phillips electronics company, CYSP 1 was a construction of black steel and polychrome aluminum plates mounted on a base with four rollers. In this base was set an 'electronic brain' which used photo-electric cells and a microphone to record variations in the light intensity, color, and sound levels in the sculpture's surrounding environment. Variations in these atmospheric factors triggered different types of movement: when the sculpture recognized the color blue, for example, it would move forwards, retreat, or turn quickly. Designed partly for use on the stage, CYSP 1 was incorporated into a performance given by Maurice Béjart's ballet company at the Festival of the Avant-Garde in Marseilles in 1956. Many of the earliest works of Kinetic art had utilized mechanical movement as the basis of their time-bound element, and since the late 1940s Schöffer himself had been creating what he called "spatiodynamic" sculptures, equipped with electric motors allowing remotely-controlled movement. But the integration of an environmentally responsive, unpredictable element into that movement was a major step forward for Kinetic art. Schöffer was familiar with the new field of "Cybernetics" defined in Norbert Weiner's 1948 book of that name, which proposed that the behavior of both humans and machines was based on "feedback loops" established with external environments. Not only did this theory provide a model for artificial intelligence, but it also proposed that the intelligence of humans was no different from that of machines, and that, theoretically, thinking life-forms could therefore be constructed. CYSP 1 represents perhaps the first concerted application of this theory to modern art, and thus signifies a radical advancement in the conceptual and technical scope of Kinetic art. If Kinetic art was split between those who saw the machine as humankind's potential savior and those who saw it as the potential source of its ruin, Schöffer's work from the 1950s onwards presents the more radical proposition that there is no clear distinction to draw between human and mechanical life in the first place. Through works such as CYSP 1, and more ambitious projects such as his Cybernetic Tower, installed in 1961 outside Liège Conference Centre, he used Kinetic art as the springboard for projects which blurred the boundaries between art and AI, ensuring the longevity and significance of the Kinetic art movement itself.

Painted steel and polychrome aluminum, rollers, electronic sensors and motor

#Youtube

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brookston · 2 months

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Holidays 2.26

Holidays

Bill Hicks Day

Black Lives Matter Day

Buffalo Bill Day

Carnival Day

Carpe Diem Day

Cheongwoldaeboreum (Korean Folk Festival; North Korea)

Cooperatives Day (Thailand)

Day of Remembrance for Victims of Khojaly Massacre (Azerbaijan)

Day of Resistance to Occupation of Crimea & Sevastopol (Ukraine)

Fats Domino Day

For Goodness’ Sake Day

For Pete's Sake Day

Grand Canyon Day

Grand Teton Day

Happy Burp Day

Hazrat Alis Day (Uttar Pradesh, India)

Hoodies All Day

Jazz Record Day

Johnny Cash Day

Lesser Periwinkle Day

Letter to an Elder Day

Levi Strauss Day

Liberation Day (Kuwait)

Llama Dress Day

Man in Black Day

Michael Somare Remembrance Day (Papua New Guinea)

National Customized Wheel and Tire Day

National Firefox Day

National Personal Chef Day [also 7.16]

National Ranboo Day

National Remembrance Day (Papua New Guinea)

National Saul Day

National Set a Good Example Day

New York City Subway Day

Patrick Star Day

Pound Notes Day.(UK)

Read Me Day

Rooks Nesting Day

Sourdough Rendezvous

Tell a Fairy Tale Day

Thanks Day (Myanmar)

Thermos Bottle Day

Thriller Day

Tournament of Hearts (Scotland)

Trayvon Martin Day

Violet Day (French Republic)

World Leisure Day

World Trade Center Bombing Anniversary Day

Zamboanga Day (Philippines)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Bacon Day (Iowa)

National Pistachio Day (a.k.a. World Pistachio Day)

4th & Last Monday in February

International Corporate Philanthropy Day [4th Monday]

Museums Advocacy Day [4th Monday]

National Cupcake Day (Canada) [Last Monday]

Play More Cards Day [Last Monday; also 2.22]

Study Abroad Day [4th Monday]

Weekly Holidays beginning February 26

America Saves Week [Last Monday]

Fairtrade Fortnight [Last Monday]

International Petroleum Week

Museum Advocacy Day [Last Monday] (thru 2.27)

National Eating Disorder Awareness Week [Last Monday]

National Invasive Species Week [Last Monday]

National Justice for Animals Week

National Nothing Week

National Pasty Week [Ends closest Sunday to St. Piran’s Day: 3.5] (thru 3.3]

Real Bread Week

Independence & Related Days

Annexation of Poland (by Russia; 1832)

French Republic declared (1848)

Texas Independence Day Celebration, Day 2 (of 2; Texas)

Festivals Beginning February 26, 2024

Geneva International Motor Show (Geneva, Switzerland) [thru 3.3]

HAI (Helicopter Association International) Heli-Expo (Anaheim, California)v[thru 2.29]

Kosher Food and Wine Experience (East Rutherford, New York)

National Potato Council Washington Summit) [Washington, DC) [thru 3.1]

RCI Chocolate Boot Camp (Waterbury, Connecticut) [thru 2.29]

Snow Machine Festival (Nagano, Japan) [thru 3.3]

Feast Days

Alexander of Alexandria (Christian; Saint)

Anaximander (Positivist; Saint)

Animal Transformation Day (Celtic Book of Days)

Big Hugs Candle Spell Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Christopher Marlowe (Writerism)

Dance of the Known Places (Shamanism)

Day of Nuit (Thelema)

Emily Malbone Morgan (Episcopal Church (USA))

Emo Phillips Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Festival of Ayyám-i-Há (Baha'i)

Festival of Mihr (God of Fire; Armenia)

Forgiveness Sunday (Orthodox Christian) [Last Sunday before Lent]

Honore Daumier (Artology)

Hopalong Hamster (Muppetism)

Hygeia’s Day (Pagan Hygiene Goddess)

Isabelle of France (Christian; Saint)

Kasimir Malevich (Artology)

Li Tim-Oi (Anglican Church of Canada)

Lost Pen Day (Pastafarian)

Mourn Lost Socks Day (Pastafarian)

Nestor (Christian; Martyr)

Nuit’s Day (Pagan)

Pentagram Night (Everyday Wicca)

Porphyry of Gaza (a.k.a. Parphyrius; Christian; Saint)

Saviours' Day (Nation of Islam)

Shan e-Barat (Night of Records; Bangladesh; West Bengal, India)

Victor Hugo (Writerism)

Victor of Champagne (a.k.a. Victor the Hermit; Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Dismal Day (Unlucky or Evil Day; Medieval Europe; 4 of 24)

Egyptian Day (Unlucky Day; Middle Ages Europe) [4 of 24]

Fortunate Day (Pagan) [10 of 53]

Lucky Day (Philippines) [11 of 71]

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Unlucky Day (Grafton’s Manual of 1565) [12 of 60]

Premieres

The Abyss (Film; 1993)

Booty Call (Film; 1997)

Bullwinkle Bellows Again or Moonin’ Low (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S2, Ep. 102; 1961)

Come Away With Me, by Norah Jones (Album; 2002)

Cop Out (Film; 2010)

The Crepe Hangers or Brighten the Coroner Where You Are (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S4, Ep. 207; 1963)

Discovery, by Daft Punk (Album; 2001)

Dixieland Jass Band One-Step, by The Original Dixieland Jass Band (Jazz Song; 1917)

Double Trouble or Two’s a Crowd (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S4, Ep. 208; 1963)

Dragon Ball (Animated TV Series; 1986)

Eddie the Eagle (Film; 2016)

El Mariachi (Film; 1993)

Falling Down (Film; 1993)

Fiddle Saddle (Modern Madcaps Cartoon; 1960)

Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, by Philip K. Dick (Novel; 1974)

Frantic (Film; 1988)

Fright Flight or A Rocky to the Moon (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S2, Ep. 101; 1961)

From Here to Eternity, by James Jones (Noel; 1951)

Hairspray (Film; 1988)

Heebie Jeebies, recorded by Louis Armstrong (Song; 1926) [1st Recorded Scat Singing]

Howard’s End (Film; 1993)

Jack and the Beanstalk (Hanna-Berbera Animated Special; 1967)

Java, recorded by Al Hirt (Song; 1962)

Justice League: The New Frontier (WB Animated Film; 2008)

Livery Stable Blues, recorded by the Original Dixie Jass Band (Song; 1917) [1st Recorded Jazz Song]

Lonesome Ranger (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1966)

Loose Boots, by Honeyhoney (EP; 2008)

Lotsa Luck (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1968)

Mexican Mousepice (WB MM Cartoon; 1966)

Mirror Image (Twilight Zone TV Episode; 1960)

Pierre and Cottage Cheese (The Inspector Cartoon; 1969)

Polka-Dot Puss (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1949)

Rich Man, Poor Man, by Irwin Shaw (Novel; 1968)

Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon (WB Animated Film; 2013)

Six Characters in Search of an Author, by Luigi Pirandello (Play; 1922)

Spitting Image (UK TV Series; 1984)

Stork Naked (WB MM Cartoon; 1955)

Symphony No. 5, by Frank Harris (Symphony; 1943)

There’s Something About a Soldier (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1943)

200 Cigarettes (Film; 1999)

Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps (UK TV Series; 2001)

The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Film; 2021)

What Price Porky (WB LT Cartoon; 1938)

The Zoo Cat (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1944)

Today’s Name Days

Edigna, Gerlinde, Ottokar (Austria)

Aleksandar, Branimir, Robert, Viktor (Croatia)

Dorota (Czech Republic)

Inger (Denmark)

Ingmar, Ingo, Ingvar, Selmar (Estonia)

Nestori (Finland)

Nestor (France)

Denis, Edigna, Gerlinde, Mechthild, Ottokar (Germany)

Anatoli, Fotine, Fotini, Photini, Porfirios, Porfyrios, Sebastianos (Greece)

Géza (Hungary)

Arnoldo, Nestore, Romeo (Italy)

Evelīna, Eveline, Mētra (Latvia)

Aleksandras, Aurimė, Izabelė, Jogintas (Lithuania)

Inger, Ingjerd (Norway)

Aleksander, Bogumił, Cezariusz, Dionizy, Mirosław, Nestor (Poland)

Porfirie (Romania)

Svetlana (Russia)

Viktor (Slovakia)

Alejandro, Néstor (Spain)

Torgny, Torkel (Sweden)

Sebastian (Ukraine)

Levi, Nestor, Savana, Savanna, Savannah (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 57 of 2024; 309 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 1 of week 9 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Nuin (Ash) [Day 9 of 28]

Chinese: Month 1 (Bing-Yin), Day 17 (Geng-Shen)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025)

Hebrew: 17 Adair I 5784

Islamic: 16 Sha’ban 1445

J Cal: 27 Grey; Sixday [27 of 30]

Julian: 12 February 2024

Moon: 96%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 1 Aristotle (3rd Month) [Anaximander]

Runic Half Month: Tyr (Cosmic Pillar) [Day 3 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 68 of 89)

Week: 4th Week of February

Zodiac: Pisces (Day 8 of 30)

Calendar Changes

Aristotle (Ancient Philosophy) [Month 3 of 13; Positivist]

#calendar #Holidays

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