Exactly How Original and Diverse Were the Films Presented at CinemaCon?
The main draw of CinemaCon is all the juicy exclusive footage and screenings we are treated to in the same theater where Adele makes hundreds of people cry with her Vegas residency. This year, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, Universal, Paramount, and Disney each presented a...
CinemaCon: Annual Vegas Event Is an Interesting and Infuriating Intersection of Art and Commerce
If the Cheesecake Factory were a city, it would be Las Vegas -- and I love Cheesecake Factory, but I am not trying to stay in there for five days which is the duration of CinemaCon, an event the average person outside of Hollywood would know nothing about -- and they...
DIASPORA Lights Up With New Cannabis-Friendly ‘The Green Room’ Podcast
For those in the biz, people know “the green room” as a space to chill out with your people, relax, be your most authentic self, chat, and have snacks before you go out and “perform” on a...
PODCASTS
DIASPORA Lights Up With New Cannabis-Friendly ‘The Green Room’ Podcast
For those in the biz, people know “the green room” as a space to chill out with your people, relax, be your most authentic self, chat, and have snacks before you go out and “perform” on a TV show or an event. I love a green room — especially with good snacks. Thus,...
Problematic Fave Podcast: Peppermint Talks Whodunit Comedy ‘Murder By Death’ And The Yellowface Of It All
Before there were flames on the side of Madeline Kahn's face in Clue, Peter Sellers was doing full-on yellowface in the Robert Moore's whodunit? Murder By Death -- and we talked to singer, dancer, actor, and RuPaul's Drag Race icon Peppermint all about it! Set up as a...
Problematic Fave Podcast: Dylan Adler Talks The Queerness Of ‘Kung Fu Panda’
If anything, the biggest takeaway from this episode of Problematic Fave with stand-up comedian and writer Dylan Adler (The Late Late Show with James Corden) it's that Tai Lung, the villain in Kung Fu Panda, is giving masc top energy and is a queer icon. In this week's...
Problematic Fave Podcast: ‘Black Barbie: A Documentary’s Lagueria Davis And Aaliyah Williams Break Down Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’
Greta Gerwig's Barbie starring Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and a small town of pretty actors has been unleashed into the wild and there is a lot to be discussed -- and what better people to discuss this with than with Black Barbie: A Documentary director Lagueria...
Problematic Fave Podcast: Shar Jossell Breaks Down ‘Bringing Down The House’
Join us this week as journalist and We're... Just Like That podcast co-host Shar Jossell takes us on a journey through the Queen Latifah-Steve Martin feature comedy Bringing Down The House from 2003. We explore the profound problems, humor and surprisingly insightful...
COMMENTARY
Beyoncé, ‘Cowboy Carter’ and The Reclamation of Art
Ahead of the release of her highly anticipated Cowboy Carter, the almighty Beyoncé said in a detailed statement about the album, “This ain’t a country album. This is a Beyoncé album"... and it...
From ‘In the Summers’ to ‘Love Lies Bleeding’: A Look At Faves From Sundance 2024
A couple of things about this year’s Sundance Film Festival… First off, shout out to Eugene Hernandez on being thee man in charge. The newly minted Director and Head of Public Programming headed...
MERIENDA WITH
Merienda With Rishi Rajani: The Evolution Of Hillman Grad And The Deeper Meaning Of ‘Chang Can Dunk’
I hate being late. I was over 45 minutes late meeting Hillman Grad CEO and producer Rishi Rajani because I thought I would be able to make it from Brentwood to Hollywood in 30 minutes. I was...
Merienda With Fenton Bailey: ‘ScreenAge’ Author Talks ‘Drag Race’, Tammy Faye, Visiting North Korea And Impact Of TV On Culture
There was one thing at the top of my list that I wanted to discuss with Fenton Bailey. North Korea. In fact, it's probably what people want to talk to him about the most in regards to his new book,...
INTERVIEWS
Out of the Blue: From Comedy Queen To Drama Juggernaut, Sarayu Blue Shows True Colors in ‘Expats’
SPOILER ALERT: This interview includes minor details about Expats. Please read at your discretion. It's surprising that I have never sat down and had a chat with Sarayu Blue. Not only has she been...
Smells Like Teen Spirit: Oscar-nominated Sean Wang Talks Hyper-Specificity of Coming-Of-Age Sundance Winner ‘Dìdi (弟弟)’ and the Era of MySpace Top 8
It's January 19, 2024, in Park City, Utah. It's the Sundance Film Festival. It's seven hours before the world premiere of Sean Wang's feature directorial, Dìdi (弟弟). In four days, Wang's short Nai...