Disclaimer: The title of this post is meant metaphorically. I am opposed to violence in all its forms (though I accept that there are times when the use of violence is justified), and I do not engage in, advocate for, or support violent actions. So no, I don’t want the actual, literal heads of MRAs to go kablooey. Sending them into fits of incoherent rage? I’m all about that.
If you don’t know what an MRA is, go read this and thisfirst.
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All done? Cool.
Regular blog readers know that I’m a feminist. That means I advocate for gender equality in the social, political, and economic arena (basically all areas of society). Over the years, I’ve encountered more than a few MRAs in my online travels and read more than enough comments from them to know that I find them vile. They like to claim their goal is to fight for men’s rights (hence the name), but I’ve yet to see them do anything other than harass women and feminists (while there is significant overlap between both groups, not all feminists are women). Feminists advocate for eliminating the gender wage gap, paid maternity leave, an end to restrictions on women’s reproductive rights, equal gender representation in allareas of society, an end to Rape Culture, and more. In addition, feminists have accomplished a great deal (not a comprehensive list by any means) in the fight for gender equality. Meanwhile, MRAs advocate for…well, I’m not quite sure what, if anything, they advocate for (and yes, I’ve looked); nor what, if anything, they’ve actually accomplished (and again, I’ve looked). They have grievances, some of which are legitimate, but the kicker is that feminism addresses those issues while MRAs don’t address the grievances of feminists. If they spent their time, energy, resources, and person-power working on those legitimate issues, their “movement” might actually have a r’aison d’etre. Instead, these rage-filled misogyny-bleeding douchebags spend their time spewing lies about feminists, co-opting campaigns aimed at ending violence against girls and women, and generally engage in vile behavior directed almost exclusively at women. Hell, these supposed activists for the rights of men are so disgustingly misogynistic that the Southern Poverty Law Center keeps tabs on them.
Given their misogyny and opposition to all things related to gender equality, I imagine MRAs will suffer from a case of exploding heads upon seeing the work of 18-year-old Hungarian blogger Agnes. In a series of gender-swapped portraits of various characters from the first Avengers movie, Agnes takes aim at the lack of gender diversity in superhero movies:
Shailene Woodley as Hawkeye
Kristen Stewart as Loki
Kate Beckinsale as Iron Man
Click the link for images of a gender-swapped Captain America, Bruce Banner, Thor, and yes, Black Widow.
While you’re doing that, MRAs will be doing this (warning: graphic imagery of exploding heads…ahead):
In true Scanners-style, the heads of MRAs go all KABLOOEY when gender equality and representation are discussed.
I have a fondness for Godzilla (thanks dad). A huge fondness (seriously, thanks dad). Toho Pictures’ 1954 film depicts the awakening-via nuclear testing-of a prehistoric creature that subsequently ravages Japan. Gojira (or Godzilla, as he is typically referred to in USAmerica) is a suspenseful film that invokes the horrors of nuclear testing, and serves as an allegory for the deadly forces that might be unleashed when humans tamper with forces beyond their control. Despite the mixed to negative reviews the movie garnered in Japan, the film was financially successful and paved the way for a host of sequels. All told, Godzilla has appeared in 28 Toho Co., Ltd films, as well as several USAmerican ones (including Godzilla 1985 which was a heavily re-edited version of an earlier Japanese Godzilla movie; the 1998 Roland Emmerich-directed abomination of which the less said the better, and last year’s Godzilla movie from Legendary Pictures). In 2004, following the release of Godzilla: Final Wars, Toho Co.,Ltd decided to put the Godzilla franchise on hiatus for 10 years. The box office success of 2014’s Godzilla convinced Toho that it was time to dust off everyone’s favorite King of the Monsters:
“Neon Genesis Evangelion’s” Hideaki Anno and “Attack on Titan’s” Shinji Higuchi will co-direct “Godzilla 2016,” the first Japanese film in the long-running franchise in 12 years.
Anno will also write the film’s script, while Higuchi will oversee special effects. Anime News Network notes the two have been close friends for decades, and previously collaborated on Studio Ghibli’s live-action short “Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo.”
“Ever since Hollywood announced that ‘Godzilla’ was to be resurrected, the expectation for another Japanese Godzilla grew,” Toho said in a statement. “And if we were to newly produce, we looked into Japanese creators who were the most knowledgeable and who had the most passion for Godzilla.”
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Janusz Grünspek is an artist who uses little more than glue and tiny wooden dowels to create scale replicas of everyday objects such as a laptop, chandelier, or power tools. Hmmm, I wonder if he could construct a scale replica of Godzilla (and how many dowels would that take). Check out more of his work here.
#4 The Real Housewives of New York City: Aviva vs Everyone
#3 Game of Thrones: The Mountain vs The Viper
I won’t spoil which fight scenes made the top two (you’ll have to click the link to find out) other than to say neither one of them is King Kong vs. Godzilla.
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As a kid, the idea of being a superhero greatly appealed to me. Actually, it wasn’t so much being a superhero as having super powers. Being able to walk on walls like Spider-Man seemed like a really cool idea to me. Or being able to create any object I wanted with Green Lantern’s power ring. And being able to run like the Flash or lift one of the Great Pyramids like Superman? Can’t beat those powers. Unlike many kids, I didn’t have much appreciation for Batman growing up. To me, he was just a normal guy. Yeah he was the world’s greatest detective, was mega rich, had lots of cool gadgets, and could fight really well, but at the end of the day, I wanted to be one of those heroes who had cool powers. I do know that many people love Bruce Wayne. This next link is for all the kids and adults who wish they could be the Dark Knight (and for anyone else who simply thinks this is rather cool). A real-life Batman suit has been created:
Made from Kevlar, quarter inch Kydex plating and impact resistant foam, Armatus Designs created a real life version of the Batman suit. It won’t stop bullets or make you Bruce Wayne but it is stab and slash resistant while still being pretty lightweight and flexible. I wouldn’t recommend you putting it on and becoming a vigilante or anything.
I must stress that last part. Don’t become a Batman-like vigilante. Everyone knows the police don’t like vigilantes (and for heaven’s sake, definitely don’t become one if you’re a Person of Color). They don’t like anyone using brutal or excessive force unless they have the sanction of the government.
That suit is pretty nifty though. I bet it wouldn’t offer much protection from Godzilla’s atomic breath (now I want to see a Batman/Godzilla battle).
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Speaking of Godzilla (oh, wait, I have been already)…have you ever wanted to stay in a King of the Monsters-themed hotel room? Come April 24, you’ll be able to, provided you live in (or have the money to visit) Tokyo, Japan.
Opening April 24, the 30-story Hotel Gracery, which sits atop the Toho Cinema in Shinjuku, boasts three themed rooms: two Godzilla View Rooms, which overlook the 39-foot head of the King of the Monsters that erupts from the roof of the theater below; and the Godzilla Room, which, as the video shows, boasts its own statue, a gallery of movie posters and an enormous claw that looms over the beds. The hotel of course also offers Godzilla memorabilia and special sweets.
The Godzilla Room costs between $334 to $417, depending on the night, while the Godzilla View Rooms go for a more reasonable $125.
Sylvester Stallone has revealed his upcoming slate of projects, beginning with traveling to Philadelphia to begin filming the Rocky spinoff Creed.
The Expendables star tweeted about his plans for Creed, as well as potentially confirmed the rumored title for Rambo 5, aka Last Blood: Rambo (or Rambo: Last Blood, as was reported recently).
In 1995, the Hubble Space Telescope took a photo of columns of celestial dust and gas in the Eagle Nebula. Originating 6,500 light-years from Earth, these columns, known as the ‘Pillars of Creation’, became one of NASA’s most iconic images. The Pillars of Creation said “cheese” once more in 2009, when the Hubble, using a newly installed high-definition camera, took another image. An image recently released by NASA:
Click on the link to see a more detailed image (as well as an infrared one).
Dean Eaton (a.k.a. lava_lump), the owner of an appliance sales, service, and parts business in Rochester, NY, recently took on the challenge of converting a front-loading washing machine into a fully functioning, well-lit aquarium to house several GloFish. Working with a friend, he stripped and cleaned the washer, installed LED lights, and suspended a tank inside the machine. Viewed through the convex surface of the washer door, the magnified interior presents a cool look at an aquarium lit up by color-changing LEDs and fluorescent fish.
Overall, the project took about 50 hours of work and less than $400 to buy all of the supplies and equipment. Not bad for an incredibly unique, one-of-a-kind aquarium! The DIY fish tank now sits in the showroom at Rochester Appliance, where it attracts its fair share of attention and awe from customers and their kids.
To learn more about the building process and the final product, check out Eaton’s posts on Imgur and Rochester Appliance’s blog.
Despite what many make think, as creators and fans, women have been part of the comic book world from the beginning. A new documentary, She Makes Comics, interviews several industry creators as it traces the history of women in the world of comic books.
The Miami Herald reports that Justin Robert Muoio forced his 23-year-old girlfriend to advertise herself as a sex worker for “fetish clientele” and demanded that she have sex with them for two months while she was pregnant in 2013.
Prior to that, the woman alleges that since 2009, Muoio had “physically forced her” to work as a sex worker for an agency called VIP Escort Services, where “she would average 8 to 10 dates a day,” six days a week, according to court documents.
Muoio was arrested back in August during a domestic dispute with the woman, which the police reported as a “heated altercation … related to infidelity.” When the woman tried to escape, Muoio tried to escape, Muoio dead-bolted the door and refused to allow her to leave. She eventually escaped by climbing out of a window while Muoio was talking to his mother.
It gets even worse: Muoio’s mother, Louise Henig-Muoio, 66, an “independent real estate professional” in Miami/Fort Lauderdale, was allegedly also involved, with cops saying she threatened the woman and refused to allow her to leave. Henig-Muoio has been arrested and charged with false imprisonment.
[Fr]aternities wanting to throw parties at the University of Virginia will have to get three members to stay “sober and lucid” to monitor behavior and bedrooms, under new rules imposed after a media report of a gang rape at one of the gatherings.
The student houses will also have to post a guard at the front door and ban pre-mixed drinks, according to the safety regulations the university announced on Tuesday.
At least one of the sober monitors will have to be posted on the staircase leading to bedrooms and have access to every room in the house, the university said.
UVA banned all social events at fraternities and sororities after Rolling Stone magazine published an article in November detailing an alleged rape at a party in September 2012, and accusations that the university failed to respond.
Rolling Stone later said there were editorial mistakes in its story and asked Columbia University’s journalism school to review the coverage.
UVA President Teresa Sullivan said the ban would be lifted, as long as the organizations signed onto the new regulations meant to guard against excessive drinking and the risk of sexual violence.
“I believe the new safety measures recommended by the student leaders in the Greek community (the fraternities and sororities) will help provide a safer environment for their members and guests,” Sullivan said.
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Pay transparency.
That’s one of the positive aspects of the recent Sony hack.
Leaked documents showed that Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence were getting a smaller cut of the profits than their male costars for appearing in American Hustle. And that has led movie studios to take a hard look at how they compensate women.
So when Charlize Theron signed on to film a sequel to the 2012 blockbuster Snow White and the Huntsman, she apparently wouldn’t settle until she got what she was worth. According to Page Six, she insisted she be paid as much as costar, Chris Hemsworth, and her persistence paid off. She’ll reportedly be making more than $10 million – just as much as Thor himself.
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Take a good look at this picture:
Now look at this one:
The first image was taken at a Charlie Hebdo photo-op of various world leaders and you’ll notice the presence of several female heads of state. The second image however? An ultra-orthodox Jewish newspaper photoshopped the female leaders out of the image.
[Th]e march was to express solidarity between nations and included leaders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, and Anne Hidalgo, the current Mayor of Paris, among a majority of male leaders from around the world. Later in the day all the world leaders posed for a picture together.
But you wouldn’t know that any women were in attendance according to an ultra-Orthodox Jewish newspaper, The Announcer, which removed the ladies from the photo and ran the shopped picture on the front page of the publication.
Ever have the thought, while waiting in line to board a plane, that the process could be revamped to make it more efficient? Vox has the answer: the outside-in method.
Having everyone with window seats board first, regardless of row, then all people with middle seats, then all people with aisle seats is much faster.
United Airlines switched to this method in June 2013 (although they make an exception for families, allowing them to board together).
This method cuts down on the total amount of congestionbecause each time a passenger sits down, no one is already sitting in their row, so they don’t have to wait for someone to get up to allow them in. Because everyone isn’t trying to get in the same few rows at the same time, many different passengers can access the overhead bins and enter their seats simultaneously.
The small downside is that people who are sitting together can’t board together, a problem for families with children and couples who inexplicably require continuous physical contact.
Bristol-based photographer Peter Thorpe has a great little tradition that he started 20 years ago. For his annual holiday card, he transforms Raggle, his dog, into various animals. He started this tradition with Paddy, and now continues with Raggle.
Other photographers would often turn to Photoshop, but Peter uses real props instead. When the photos are finished, he sends these cards to his family, friends and clients.
Sadly, this awesome tradition is coming to an end as Raggle is growing older and weaker every day. This year’s card is going to be the last one before her retirement.
2014
2012
2007
2007 is my favorite. Click the link to see other years.
Humans are not the only animals to get drunk, and the symptoms can be remarkably similar in other species. The latest example is that zebra finches, after hitting the bottle too hard, can’t stick to their melody any more than the karaoke enthusiast who had a few too many waiting their turn for the mike.
“Speech impairment is one of the most intriguing and least understood effects of alcohol on cognitive function, largely due to the lack of data on alcohol effects on vocalizations in the context of an appropriate experimental model organism,” write a team led by Dr Claudio Mello of Oregon Health and Science University in PloS ONE. The authors decided to see if zebra finches could fill the gap. While not capable human sounds lile parrots, or lyrebird level mimicry, male zebra finches are enthusiastic singers
Being native to the central Australian deserts, zebra finches like a drink and the researchers found that this applies to alcohol as much as water. Once drunk, their song takes on an “altered acoustic structure.” The authors note, “The most pronounced effects were decreased amplitude and increased entropy, the latter likely reflecting a disruption in the birds’ ability to maintain the spectral structure of song under alcohol.” So while the notes became more random, they also became softer – something many of us might have wished for when the neighbors got into Bohemian Rhapsody towards the end of a well lubricated party.
Mello and colleagues add, ”Furthermore, specific syllables, which have distinct acoustic structures, were differentially influenced by alcohol, likely reflecting a diversity in the neural mechanisms required for their production.” Yep shlurring those esshes ish not jusht for humansh.
Viola Davis has been all-but cast as Amanda Waller in the upcoming big-screen adaptation of DC Comics’ Suicide Squad. Along with Oprah Winfrey and Octavia Spencer, the star of How To Get Away With Murder was on the short list of actresses up for the role of Waller.
According to sources, the lovely Viola Davis (How To Get Away With Murder) has bagged the role of major DC Comics villain and Prison Warden Amanda Waller in David Ayer’s upcoming Suicide Squad. In the comics, Amanda Waller is a former congressional aide and government agent often placed in charge of the Suicide Squad, a semi-secret government-run group of former supervillains working in return for amnesty.
Now, the key here is that the role is hers provided that the filmmakers can work out her TV schedule, which will be no small feat considering how big of a hit How To Get Away With Murder is. If it works out she will be joining Jared Leto as the Joker, Will Smith as Deadshot, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Tom Hardy as Rick Flag, Jai Courtney as Boomerang (or Captain Boomerang), and Cara Delevingne as Enchantress.
I wrote previously that I really wanted a plus-sized black woman cast in the role bc Waller’s size is an important part of her character (I just had a nightmare flash of the role going to a white woman…shudder). At least it was prior to the 2011 reboot when DC decided to make the Wall slimmer and sexier (which was at odds with the intent of her creator, John Ostrander). Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that a black woman has been cast in such an important role (remember, Waller is one of the most badass characters in the DC Universe), especially since Hollywood is nowhere near as diverse as it ought to be. But still…
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USA Today has revealed that after 37 years, Jessica Drew will finally receive a costume overhaul (she’s tweaked her costume a little over the years, but nothing significant). Debuting today in the playable mobile game ‘Spider-Man Unlimited’, the new Kris Anka-designed costume will debut in Spider-Woman’s ongoing book in March.
“As much as I’m a fan of spandex and it has its time and place, I felt Jess as a character could move away from that for a good long while,” says Spider-Woman editor Nick Lowe.
And series writer Dennis Hopeless hopes both changes cement her as one of Marvel’s A-list personalities. “You’ve seen her as a superspy and Avenger and soldier. Now let’s see this person as an old-school hero.”
Spider-Woman, Spider-Man and other various Spider-centric characters are currently embroiled in dimension-hopping battles in Marvel’s Spider-Verse crossover, and in a bit of synergy between the publishing and game sides, the expansive story is a part of Spider-Man Unlimited, an “endless runner” game published by Gameloft for iOS, Android and Windows platforms with more than 30 million downloads since its September launch.
Spider-Woman’s appearance also arrives with an in-game event that features her new wardrobe in action for the first time.
Instead of head-to-toe spandex, Jessica Drew’s do-gooder couture now includes a lot more leather, black pants, two-toned gloves and a jacket that goes from streetwear to spider-bedecked superhero gear in just a few snaps.
“As a woman myself who loves games and comics, I love to see that functional, cool stylish look. It’s like a jacket I would want to wear daily,” says Tatiana Nahai, product manager for Gameloft.
“She’s sexy but not in a spandex way — in a modern, unique way.”
There are a few throwbacks to the old costume she first wore in 1977 — the familiar triangles are there as well as large spider-eyes, though now they’re yellow-lens glasses that become a facemask when one click. Spider-Woman also has the same type of web gliders that spread out under her arms — to slow a fall or swoop in on a bad guy — though the new ones are engaged from the back of her jacket.
Since Lowe took over the Spider-Man titles as group editor in February, he says he had been planning a new Spider-Woman solo series — her first was in 1978 and ran 50 issues — and also a more contemporary outfit since “frankly I don’t love the classic one.” (The new design was already well underway when Marvel came under fire in August for a variant Spider-Woman cover by artist Milo Manarathat was deemed too hyper-sexualized by many in the comic community.)
Working with Hopeless and Anka, Lowe wanted a costume that walked the line between superhero-ready and something a woman would wear in the real world. “But for the most part,” he says, “they’re clothes to kick ass in.”
They also make sense for Hopeless’ plans for Jessica Drew in the comic, according to the writer.
In recent years, she’s led a notably insane life, even for a Marvel superhero — Secret Invasion revealed that she’d been replaced for years by a shape-shifting alien Skrull, she’s gone through a number of crazy superspy missions, Infinity threw her and the rest of the Avengers into an intergalactic battle to save Earth, and in Spider-Verse, the character’s been tasked with keeping various newbies safe in the middle of a conflict involving several parallel universes.
However, Hopeless says, “she’s just fed up with it: ‘I have nothing normal and I’m risking my life all the time to do stuff that’s so crazy I can’t even explain it to people.’ “
I’m quickly warming to the new costume (which will see an in-story reason for its debut). Here is Anka’s redesigned Spider-Woman costume:
I like that creators are making an attempt to create unique, functional costumes for comic book characters (as seen in the new designs for DC’s Batgirl and Marvel’s Captain Marvel). I grew up on superheroes. I’ve loved the spandex set all my life, but I have no problem with the idea of redesigning superhero costumes. The idea seems to be to retain the superhero elements while creating a costume that’s practical for a person to wear. Oh, and boy oh boy is this new Spider-Woman costume perfect for cosplaying (for men and women-this isn’t a gendered costume)! Fan art featuring Jessica Drew’s new costume is sure to be forthcoming, and in fact, has already begun:
In the comic book world, sexual objectification and sexualization of women is common. It’s a rare day when fictional male characters are sexualized, so it’s noteworthy that DC Comics has produced an alternate Justice League cover featuring the (all-white) guys in a Magic Mike inspired image (apparently DC is releasing a swath of movie inspired cover variants on their March shipping titles).
When progressives talk about how women are sexualized in comics, this is what they’re talking about. On a regular basis, readers are invited to view female characters in a sexual light (the cisgender, heterosexual male gaze), but so rarely are male characters presented in a similar manner. This is a welcome sight bc it is clearly marketed to women and gay men. An added plus is that the image presents the heroes in a sexualized manner that makes sense (i.e. the JLAers are stand-ins for the Magic Mike strippers-they’re supposed to be sexualized).
Super Heroes Book of Opposites is a kids book aimed at teaching kids about opposites such as right/left, up/down, and over/under. Important concepts for kids to learn of course. There’s another lesson the book imparts and it ain’t pretty.
Notice anything?
The male characters are portrayed heroically while feminist icon Wonder Woman is presented in a maternal role…a role that is gender essentialist as all get out. Because obviously there were no other images they could use to show Wonder Woman pushing something. Hell, they could have flipped Superman and Wonder Woman. This is one of the insidious ways that socially approved gender roles are reinforced on children. On his Facebook page, writer Micah Ian Wright expresses his displeasure:
Wonder Woman doing that heroic stuff that the Patriarchy allows female heroes to do. Ever wonder why we’ve never seen a Wonder Woman film? You’re looking at what this company thinks of their own character.
If I’m not mistaken, the art is by José Luis García-López. The characters look like images DC used back in the 70s and 80s for licensing purposes. There’s nothing wrong with repurposing those images, but it looks like DC didn’t stop to think about what message this sends to kids.
In a deal with Marvel Comics, Netflix is bringing the Defenders to the small screen in a few years. Before that however, they will produce four series highlighting the members of this upcoming team. With production on the Daredevil series having begun, the hunt was on to find an actor to portray Luke Cage. Lo and behold, they’ve found one:
Mike Colter will be Luke Cage in Netflix’s upcoming miniseries.
I have fond memories of playing Super Mario Brothers, Super Mario 2, and even Super Mario 3 (though I never beat that game; wish I still had it). In my Internet wandering today, I stumbled upon this site by illustrator and designer Christopher Lee. Lee has created a 5-print series based on the world of the Mario Brothers as seen in aforementioned games, as well as Super Mario World and Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins (neither of which have I ever played). The prints look really nifty:
In comic book movie news, DC Comics’ Suicide Squad will be getting the live-action treatment in 2016 as part of Warner Brothers’ efforts to expand its cinematic universe.
Variety is reporting that the cast for Warner Bros / DC Entertainment film Suicide Squad has been set. Jared Leto will play the Joker, Will Smith as Deadshot, Tom Hardy as Rick Flagg, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Boomerang and Cara Delevingne as Enchantress.
The film will be directed by David Ayer, produced by Charles Roven and will begin shooting next April in Toronto. The film is set to open August 5, 2016.
The role of Amanda Waller has yet to be cast but it’s said the studio is considering Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Oprah Winfrey for the part. Also, speculation is that Jesse Eisenbergwill reprise his role as Lex Luthor from Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice but that has yet to be confirmed.
To the best of my knowledge, the Joker was never a member of the Squad in the comics (not that the movies have to follow the history of the comics), and he seems really out-of-place here bc he’s such a wild card. Perhaps that will lead to some movie magic. We’ll see.
For those unfamiliar with the Suicide Squad, here’s some backstory:
The title was resurrected by writer John Ostrander following the success of DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths event and subsequent soft-relaunch (The new Squad made their debut in a mini-series titled Legends, which also introduced new takes on the Flash, Wonder Woman and the Justice League). Keeping the name and little else, Ostrander introduced the concept of “Task Force X,” a secret government agency headed by Amanda Waller, a character who remains almost unique in superhero comics: a black woman in a position of authority whose morality is murky at best, but whose ability to get things done is unparalleled (Following her introduction, Waller quickly assumed a position of power throughout the entire DC line, and was often portrayed as an equal to Batman in the badass stakes, to give you an impression of how powerful she was).
Task Force X was a program that worked on the simple understanding that there are some missions that are too dangerous for even the most capable spies or soldiers — and so they should be carried out by convicted supervillains instead, because (a) they have superpowers, and (b) it’s not a big deal if they end up getting killed in the process. Even if they get captured, Waller figured, it wouldn’t be a problem because in the unlikely possibility that someone would believe anything a supervillain had to say, all of them were fitted with remote control explosive devices that could kill them at the flick of a switch. Win-win, surely…?
I’m sure the racist bigots of the Internet have already gotten into a tizzy over the casting of Will Smith as Deadshot (he’s white in the comics, but as with so many characters in comic books, his race is not so innately tied to his character that it can’t be changed). My only issue with that casting bit? So not a fan of Will Smith.
One thing I really, really hope they get right is Amanda Waller. She is a bad-ass black woman. She’s also one of the few female characters in comics who has traditionally been plus-sized (her nickname ‘The Wall’ stems from that somewhat, but also the fact that she’s tough and unyielding–you pretty much have to be to stand up to Batman). I say traditionally because Amanda Waller used to look like this:
In 2011, the DC Universe was rebooted (you may have read of my disdain for the reboot more than once). One of the changes they made was to Amanda Waller. She looks like this now:
See anything different? When it comes to representation in comics, plus-sized people are among those groups who are least represented. The world is not made up of thin super models. Comic book readers have been demanding better representation of minority groups, and the comics industry has been making strides. While I think Marvel is doing better than DC, the latter has made a few good moves. Since the reboot, DC has introduced Cree superhero Equinox, Arab-American Simon Baz (Earth’s newest Green Lantern), and Brazilian ally of Aquaman, Ya’Wara. Despite this welcome influx of diversity, it saddens me that DC decided to change Amanda Waller from short and stout to tall, thin, and sexy. We see enough of the latter in comics already. For those of us interested in more diverse comic book characters, characters who represent the diversity inherent in the human race, the change to a sexualized Amanda Waller is a huge step backwards (along with eliminating Barbara Gordon as Oracle, this was one of the biggest alterations that I, and other readers, disliked). Here’s hoping the Suicide Squad movie sticks to the original intent of her creator, John Ostrander.
(speaking of Ostrander, he penned a column in which he expressed his disappointment at the changes to Amanda Waller)
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6/23/17
And now the Gal Gadot starring Wonder Woman movie has a director–Michelle MacLaren:
According to insiders, MacLaren will work with the project’s writers, who remain unnamed at this stage, to lasso together a script for the movie, which would star Gal Gadot. The actress will make her debut as the heroine in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Charles Roven, Zack Snyder and Deborah Snyder are among those producing the Wonder Woman movie, which is set for a 2017 release.
MacLaren was a top choice for the project due to her muscular work on Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead, although she is perhaps most associated with her directing and executive producing work on the much-loved Breaking Bad.
MacLaren’s signing caps off a director search that began in the summer, and her deal culminates an on-and-off-again dance with the Amazonian princess.
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I think this would be the perfect Xmas present for Two-Face
I can’t seem to copy/paste the article, so click the above link for more info on this two-faced phone.
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I’m sure I was the only person who, as a kid was curious about fire. Yep. Only men. Seriously though, I liked doing so, though I wasn’t a pyro. It was stuff like lighting napkins or straws on fire using the stove top burner. As I got older sometimes I’d burn two straws together in a restaurant while waiting for my food to arrive (this was in the days when smoking was allowed in restaurants; I’d burn straws over an ashtray). Burning stuff is just cool you know (I ain’t talking about people, animals, private property or anything like that though). In light of that (see what I did there), the following is just beyond bad-ass:
From balloon-popping lasers to Wolverine-style claws, there are numerous concept and protoype weapons designed by wannabe superhero inventors.
But, a magician has not only created a wristband that turns the wearer into Pyro from the Marvel comics, he is selling it for $174 (£111) online.
Named after the comic book mutant, the Pyro band features four chambers that fires four fireballs, and it can be controlled from the wrist or remotely.
Its inventor, Adam Wilber explained: ‘Fire. Since the dawn of time it has been the reward at the end of man’s quest. Both creator and destroyer, it has historically been the element hardest to control.
‘Until now. Your quest is over. The power of fire in the palm of your hand. That’s the power of Pyro.’
It is available from the Ellusionist site, and ships internationally.
The band resembles a watch and can be concealed under a sleeve.
Pressing a button on the device shoots the fireballs, or a remote control can be used to fire them from a distance of up to 30ft (nine metres) away.
It uses so-called Flash Cotton, or Flash Paper that fits inside the barrels.
A heater coil then ignites the material when the button is pressed, forcing the flame to fire from the chambers.
The pack contains enough of this material for up to 50 uses.
Refills then start at $8 (£4).
Flash material is used by magicians to create fast burning flames for tricks.
Mr Wilber describes Pryo as a ‘badass professional device’, and as a result only over 18s are allowed to purchase or use the fire shooter.
The site ships internationally, but a disclaimer stresses that the device ‘contains dangerous elements’ that are governed by the laws of the country in which is it bought.
Buyers have to agree to the terms and conditions, and watch an instructional safety video by Adam Wilber, before buying the device.
It is recommended, and has been built for, magicians.
I have more than 1.9 million ‘likes’ on Facebook and more than 45K followers on Twitter
My wife’s name is Chelsea Noble
I starred in an old sitcom you probably won’t remember by the name of ‘Growing Pains’
I have a new movie billed as family friendly fare that seeks to put the “Christ” back in Christmas
Best of all, that new family friend fare movie? It now has the honor of being the worst reviewed movie on IMDB’s ‘Bottom 100’ list of movies
If you guessed this guy:
Kirk Cameron, former child actor, former atheist, now evangelical Christian and creator of really crappy movies
go to the head of the class.
Oh and that movie that’s #1 of the Bottom 100? It’s Cameron’s ‘Saving Christmas” (as if Christmas needed saving, or was ever about Jesus Christ).
It is being called “The Room of Christmas movies”. “Jezebel” says it is “another reason to kill Christmas.” And the “Chicago Sun-Times” says “this may be one of the least artful holiday films ever made. Even devout born-again Christians will find this hard to stomach.”
Despite the harsh reviews, Cameron attempted to save his own movie by begging peopleon Facebook to upvote the disaster on Rotten Tomatoes. he said it worked temporarily with the score rising to 94%, but soon the plan backfired and the rest of the Internet dragged it back down adding a whole new onslaught of hilariously bad reviews to rub it in.
Looks like someone needs to save Kirk Cameron from making horrible movies.
The long-discussed “Gambit” film starring Channing Tatum in the lead role is officially a go at 20th Century Fox, Deadline reports Friday.
Tatum will also be a producer on the film, along with Reid Carolin (his partner in production company Free Association) plus long-time X-Men movie producer Lauren Shuler Donner and genre veteran Simon Kinberg. Josh Zetumer, who wrote this year’s “Robocop” reboot, has been hired to write the screenplay. In an unexpected move, Zetumer’s script is reportedly based on a treatment by prolific X-Men writer Chris Claremont, the character’s co-creator.
As one of the most popular (and polarizing) X-Men characters, a solo “Gambit” movie has been a source of speculation for years. Tatum has long publicly expressed his appreciation of the character and desire to play Gambit on screen, and Donner discussed wanting to make the film happen on the promotional trail for this year’s “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” For months, reports have surfaced that Tatum as Gambit was virtually a done deal, but Friday’s report is the first that states the film is officially in motion at Fox.
From Fawcett’s creation of the original Captain Marvel in 1939 to the various heroes who have held that name, Brett White lays out the reasons readers need to accept Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel.
(excerpt)
I mentioned before that these attempts to lionize the male Captain Marvel while diminishing the female one are dangerous. Here’s why: it’s casual misogyny. I will givesome Cap Trolls the benefit of the doubt, because they could have just had a slip of the Twitter tongue, be genuinely confused, or have an old habit they’ve yet to break. But in other cases, yes, it’s casual — or straight up intentional — misogyny. It shows an unwillingness to progress past the era when all female heroes had to have gendered codenames. It shows a preference towards female heroes that are obvious analogues of male heroes. It completely overlooks the fact that a surprising number of female heroes already have a tenuous grasp on their codenames as it is.
In his excellent essay over at Comics Alliance, “Lady She-Woman: Female Superhero Codenames And Identity,” Andrew Wheeler broke down the facts behind female hero code names. Most women either have gendered codenames (Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Huntress), codenames tied to male heroes (She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, Batgirl, Supergirl), or don’t go by a codename at all (Kitty Pryde, Emma Frost, Danielle Moonstar, Misty Knight). Men, on the other hand, get to have gender-neutral codenames (Hawkeye, Quicksilver, Nightwing), they get to originate codenames (Hulk, Captain Marvel, Batman, Superman), and the majority of them have codenames.
When Cap Trolls argue that Captain Marvel will be reduced back to Ms. Marvel, they are touching on a very real — and dangerous — trend in comics that treats female hero codenames as interchangeable. The two previous female Captain Marvels, Monica Rambeau and Phyla-Vell, know this all too well. Rambeau debuted as Captain Marvel but lost the codename when Genis-Vell took it. That pattern repeated itself when Rambeau had her new codename, Photon, stolen by Genis-Vell. Phyla-Vell took on the codename Quasar after ditching the Marvel moniker, but she had to give it up just as soon as the original Quasar, Wendell Vaughn, returned from the dead. She then took on the name Martyr and, well, died. The same really can’t be said for male heroes; even when Peter Parker is no longer Spider-Man, there’s no uncertainty that he’s going to be back in the webs again. The same has also proven true for Thor and Captain America in the past, and will definitely prove true again when their current replacements — one of whom is a woman — run their course. Yes, there’s a history of women having their codenames taken away from them, but that doesn’t mean that history should keep repeating itself. The Captain Marvel codename needs to stop with Carol Danvers because this trend needs to be broken.
On the heels of picking up AwesomenessTV’s live-action comedy Richie Rich, the streaming company has acquired rights to the best-selling series of books A Series Of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, with plans to adapt them as a live-action series. Search is underway for a director to help re-create Snicket’s visual world on TV. Netflix is producing the project, which is being fast-tracked, with Paramount Television. Paramount was behind the 2004 movie starring Jim Carrey, which grossed $209 million worldwide.
I would have anyways because I think Pepsi is awful–it’s far too sweet (I love Coke though). Rebecca Fishbein tried Pepsi True and I’m not sure, but I think she didn’t like it:
Here’s a little food-related rage for your Friday. We were offered free samples of Pepsi True, a new stevia-sweetened soda from PepsiCo that purports to have “Real Cola Taste. True Pepsi Fun.” It’s made without artificial sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup, and it has only 16 grams of sugar. And guess what—it’s disgusting.
It is as lethally saccharine as the faux-stevia poison that killed a bad lady on that TV show I won’t name-drop for the sake of spoiler preservation. It tastes like food coloring that’s been soaked in a noxious chemical and the chalky caramel they use in calcium chews. It does not taste like Pepsi, and it does not taste like Diet Pepsi. It does not taste good.
She ought to stop beating around the bush and say how she truly feels.
The Legend of Korra’s specific brand of action has made its way to the realm of video games. As revealed in a behind-the-scenes video posted on the show’s Facebook page, the “epic adventure” will allow players to utilize all four elements in strategic combinations as they play their way through this beat-’em-up-style game from PlatinumGames and Activision
The game, fittingly titled The Legend of Korra, is set between books two and three of the series and deals with the fallout of the Avatar’s decision to merge the spirit world with the real world. The video, which contains interviews with Activision producer Robert Conkey and producer Atsushi Kurooka, shows off the game’s visuals, including intense combo demonstrations. Mako, Bolin and Naga are all name-dropped in the video and appear in the game as well.
The Legend of Korra video game is out now for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. It drops Wednesday for Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
Video game based on awesome animated tv series with a bad ass female lead character? Sign me up. I can haz game now?
You’re going to be Cyborg, buddy. You’ll be the second African-American DC Comics hero with their own film (after Shaq’s STEEL movie; the less said about that, the better). I hope you get a good script and a good director.
FIRST OFF, I’d like to say I think it’s stupid that they’re spelling ‘genesis’ that way. Secondly…WHY Hollywood? Why? I know you’re big on remakes and reboots and retellings and shit, but damn, Terminator and Terminator 2 are both really good movies that don’t need to be remade. There’s an entire Terminator universe to explore, and you guys want to go retell the first two movies? Take a leaf out of the Star Trek tv franchise. Explore other aspects of the Terminator world. Tell stories of other people. Show other battles. You don’t need every installment to be “main characters fight to prevent the end of the world”. Anyways, here’s a peek at the characters:
I see that this effort to ” save a billion-dollar franchise” doesn’t involve anything other than white faces, but that’s a subject for another time.
The beginning of Terminator: Genisys, the first of three planned films that Paramount hopes will relaunch the beloved sci-fi franchise, is set in 2029, when the Future War is raging and a group of human rebels has the evil artificial-intelligence system Skynet on the ropes. John Connor (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ Jason Clarke) is the leader of the resistance, and Kyle Reese (Divergent‘s Jai Courtney) is his loyal soldier, raised in the ruins of post apocalyptic California. As in the original film, Connor sends Reese back to 1984 to save Connor’s mother, Sarah (Game of Thrones‘ Emilia Clarke), from a Terminator programmed to kill her so that she won’t ever give birth to John. But what Reese finds on the other side is nothing like he expected.
There’s a twist of course. Because they didn’t want to make the remake exactly like the original. They had to change Sarah Conner (and they just had to have Arnold):
Twist No. 1? Sarah Connor isn’t the innocent she was when Linda Hamilton first sported feathered hair and acid-washed jeans in the role. Nor is she Hamilton’s steely zero body-fat warrior in 1991’s T2. Rather, the mother of humanity’s messiah was orphaned by a Terminator at age 9. Since then, she’s been raised by (brace yourself) Schwarzenegger’s Terminator—an older T-800 she calls “Pops”—who is programmed to guard rather than to kill. As a result, Sarah is a highly trained antisocial recluse who’s great with a sniper rifle but not so skilled at the nuances of human emotion.
Doesn’t ‘Twist No. 1’ imply there are more twists? Why you jerk me around like that EW? Dat not nice!
I wonder how long it will last ( there is a perception that FOX cancels shows too quickly).
FOX has agreed to a script commitment for the mystery drama League of Pan, a gritty mystery spin on the classic Peter Pan story.
Deadline reports that League of Pan will follow the Lost Boys fifteen years after they’ve left Neverland and moved to Los Angeles. They’ve grown up and grown apart, but they’re forced back together when someone begins targeting them for murder.
The script is being handled by Andrew Miller, who developed CW’s The Secret Circle. He’ll also be serving as executive producer, along with Imagine Television’s Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo. Miller will be writing a new script, rather than using the one from Brian McCauley when 20th TV attempted this idea two years ago.
“Are we copying a specific bakery in New York? The answer is no,” John Costello, president of global marketing and innovation for the company, told the Associated Press.
Costello says bakers all over the country have been experimenting with the croissant donut mixture for the past two decades and that Dunkin’ is constantly tracking these trends. Right. And Dunkin’ apparently already has a hybrid version in South Korea called the New York Pie Donut.
At any rate, the cronut-like pastry will be available for $2.49 in Dunkin’s roughly 8,000 locations for a limited time. Oh, and it’ll be topped with the same sugary goo that’s used for the shop’s glazed donut, but don’t expect any creme filling. At least, not yet.
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