The CW has released an interview with the super family ahead of Superman & Lois’ premiere! Jordan Elsass (Jonathan Kent), Alex Garfin (Jordan Kent), Elizabeth Tulloch (Lois Lane), and Tyler Hoechlin (Clark Kent) discussed what it was like for them to come together and act as a family.
You can check out our other Superman & Lois coverage here.
Watch the new clip below.
Superman & Lois premieres February 23 at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.
Stay tuned for our weekly recaps!
For the last production stream of the week, Mike Shinoda started production on a new track titled “Crazy,” written by Sam Champagne and performed by singer Amber Lee. Champagne’s song was previously seen on Shinoda’s Twitch channel during a live stream when he briefly looked through Twitter posts people were submitting for #ShinodaProduceMe. At the time, he thought the song itself was good with room for improvement.
“… she [Champagne] posted her video singing it originally, and I was like ‘it’s really good’ and if you [Champagne] can sing it really good and really clean then do that, or if you have a friend that’s a really good singer, then do that. And she opted to have her friend Amber sing it.”
Shinoda began the production session by listening to the original version of the track where Champagne sang lead vocals and the final demo where Amber Lee took over lead vocals. He then commented on how the song changed when Amber Lee sang for the final demo, which is the version they submitted to Shinoda to work on. This last demo included a couple of vocal tracks, one for the lead vocal and one for the background harmonies, along with an instrumental track.
“The tempo changed a little bit, that’s one thing, but … she went halftime—originally doing the chords twice as long, the whole chord progression was twice as long. I think I might want to use the halftime.”
Starting to work on the track, Shinoda created three different ideas for the keyboard, experimenting with how the tempo could change during the verses compared to the chorus. Running a poll, viewers ended up choosing to have the keyboard track’s tempo be slow in the verses and fast in the chorus. After recording the new keyboard track, Shinoda then added effects and other sounds to emphasize this main keyboard, tweaking it a little as it didn’t sound quite right after adding the vocal over the top. After fitting the new instrumental track together with the vocal, Shinoda ran another poll to see if he should change the entire song’s speed, with viewers choosing to make the speed 130 beats per minute (bpm). Putting the pieces of the song together, Shinoda decided to change the intro, adding in a track of falling rain, and then focus on the rest of the song, adding more to the beat and fine-tuning the lead vocal, harmonies, transitions, verses, and the ending.
Sam Champagne is a singer and songwriter from New York City. She started a Youtube channel about a year ago, creating cover videos of popular songs, such as “Umbrella” by Rihanna and “Scars To Your Beautiful” by Alessia Cara. Champagne has also released a few singles, such as “Wake Up” and “Bonnie And Clyde,” which can be found on Soundcloud.
Amber Lee is a singer and R&B/soul musician from Brooklyn, NYC. She released two EPs in 2017, Amber Alert and Many Good Ages, which can be found on Spotify, and a few of her demos can be found on Soundcloud. More recently, Lee has also released a few singles, “LOST with YOU” in 2019, “Melanin” in 2020, and “SOTR (Show on the Road)” in 2021, which can be found on Apple Music. In addition to her music, Lee also owns her own business, Shea By Lee, a health and beauty store specializing in shea butters containing natural essential oils and mica powder.
If you weren’t able to see Sam Champagne’s and Amber Lee’s “Crazy” be produced live by Mike Shinoda, you can still watch the Twitch replay below! Make sure to check out both Champagne’s and Lee’s music, as well as Shinoda’s previous production sessions. And stay tuned to Shinoda’s Twitch channel weekdays around 10 a.m. PT, especially as he will be starting on two new songs next week, “Just A Dream” by Bella Goldwin on Tuesday, February 16, and “What You Want” by Daniel Sherman on Thursday, February 18!
As a special announcement, one of the previous tracks produced by Shinoda now has a release date set! “I Can’t Feel A Thing” by Judison will drop on Friday, February 26!
The creators behind “Harry Potter: Puzzles and Spells” at Zynga announced a new Valentine’s Day celebration i featuring the classically love-sick character, Lavender Brown, for the holiday.
Named for the powerful love potion of the wizarding world, the seasonal event is titled “Amortentia Adoration,” bringing the spirit of the season to the puzzle play.
As Lavender searches for her beloved “Won-Won,” players can collect Love Potion vials in the newest Match-3 game. When players collect enough potions, they will gain exclusive rewards within the game for the Valentine’s event itself.
“Harry Potter: Puzzles and Spells” is currently available for download on Google Play and the App Store.
In last week’s episode of A Discovery of Witches, Matthew and Diana arrived in France and continued on their journey to Sept-Tours. Upon their arrival, Philippe de Clermont wasted no time in causing an uncomfortable rift between the couple. Meanwhile, Matthew’s troublesome sister Louisa arrived in London and decided to keep herself busy with the company of Kit in the absence of her brother. In the final moments of the episode, Diana stabbed the uninvited witch Champier before he could erase her memories. Keep reading to find out what happened in the sixth episode of season 2.
Picking back up in the year 1590 at Sept-Tours, Diana is venting her frustrations and emotions with a familiar form of stress relief — rowing — albeit the vessel in question is a bit more antiquated than she’s used to. The scene then skips back to moments after Diana stabbed Champier. Matthew demands to know why Philippe let the witch see her in the first place, and he calmly explains that he needed to be sure of her — she knows too many of the de Clermont family secrets.
After Diana finishes washing the blood from her hands, Philippe finally takes notice of Ysabeau’s ring on her finger (which she slipped on in the previous episode moments before Champier arrived). Philippe refuses to believe that his wife would ever bequeath the ring to anyone, let alone a witch … not as long as he lived. In that moment, the final puzzle piece slides into place as Philippe realizes that he’s no longer alive in Diana and Matthew’s time.
Back on the water, Matthew beckons Diana to come back to the shore and stop shutting him out. As she ties up the boat, she tells him what’s really bothering her — she wanted to kill Champier, so what is she becoming? Inside, Philippe sits at a desk and begins to write a letter to Ysabeau.
Sept-Tours, Present Day
Ysabeau isn’t pleased to find Emily and Sarah in one of the rooms that’s off-limits. However, when Emily explains that they’re tracing a strange vibration, Ysabeau becomes thoughtful as she explains that the bookshelf Sarah is examining was one of Philippe’s favorite hiding places for messages. And thus begins a scavenger hunt as they begin to sift through every book on the shelf.
Sept-Tours, 1590
As Matthew is preparing a horse to leave for Bohemia, Philippe comes outside with two swords. He tosses one to Matthew and approaches him, angering simmering beneath the surface as he accuses him of leaving Ysabeau alone in the present day to deal with his enemies. Matthew refuses to answer when Philippe asks how long he’s been dead in the future, and with that Philippe strikes. Their fighting grows more heated as they trade angry blows, but Matthew won’t budge on the question — the knowledge could pose too much of a risk. Philippe continues to egg him on, drawing out Matthew’s dangerous temper.
Inside, Diana is disturbed to find that Philippe has a map of where the covens are located, which is what they use to plan the witch hunts. She uses her powers to scramble the markings. Once word reaches Diana that there’s a fight going on, she rushes outside to find Philippe with Matthew pinned to a table. Matthew appears crazed at this point, as Philippe has pushed his anger so far that he’s beginning to lose control of the blood rage that flows in his veins. His father demands once more to know when he dies, but Matthew manages to pull himself back from the edge and remains tight-lipped on the matter. Something comes over Philippe and he backs off, leaving the room.
Matthew slumps to the floor and tells Diana that it’s been a very long time since he lost control like that. He explains that he’s been studying genetics to try and find a cure for the blood rage. Though Ysabeau does not carry the effects of the disease, both Matthew and Louisa are fully afflicted. He finally explains to Diana that this is why they cannot be truly mated. In the past, he killed thousands; he was Philippe’s weapon that he used to eradicate the disease.
Diana storms inside, angrily advancing on Philippe as she accuses him of provoking and humiliating Matthew. Unruffled as always, Philippe plainly tells her that she needed to see the wolf behind the man. If they are to have a future together, Diana must be able to accept every facet of him, and Matthew must be free of the guilt he carries. Diana is shocked as the realization dawns upon her that Philippe did this for them. As the two go back and forth, Diana goes on to explain the painful legacy that Philippe has left on Matthew’s life in the future. Philippe is displeased by Diana’s forwardness, but she holds her ground as she firmly tells him that she’s worthy of his son, fiercely glowing with power. Something shifts in Philippe in that moment as he stares at her in wonder and speaks of an ancient prophecy that tells of a witch who will change the destiny of all creatures.
Later, Philippe finds Matthew and Diana outside, and he tells them that he won’t ask of his future again. He remarks that if the Congregation were to question Diana and Matthew’s relationship, Matthew would respond with violence and lose her. Drawing a blade, he says that there must be no question as to whether or not Diana is a de Clermont. He cuts open his thumb and marks her forehead with a symbol that indicates she is forever a member of their family now.
Back inside, Matthew and Diana have an emotional exchange as she finally convinces him to tell her about Philippe’s death, for sharing the burden may help the memories lose their power. He tells her that Philippe was captured during the second World War, and he was held in the Nazi death camps. They used witches to extract his memories and tortured him for three months. When he was finally rescued, his mind was broken. He begged Ysabeau to kill him, but Matthew did it himself so that his mother wouldn’t have to. Diana and Matthew embrace as she tells him, “You didn’t kill Philippe. You released him.”
Sept-Tours, Present Day
Hours have passed, and Emily and Sarah have finally decided to give up on the book hunt for the evening. Ysabeau refuses to stop, though, and she tells Marthe that the prospect of one last message from Philippe is almost too much to bear.
Sept-Tours, 1590
Philippe brings Matthew and Diana to the temple of Diana/Artemis and explains that when he was a boy, brides would come to such temples to ask the Goddess for her protection. He states that Matthew and Diana are to be married in two days in a manner that honors their ancestors. They place an offering on the pedestal as Philippe says a prayer. The wind picks up and white stag approaches; Artemis has accepted Diana’s gifts. As they turn to leave, Diana turns to Matthew and says, “So I guess we’re getting married.” Matthew tells her that they don’t have to do as Philippe says, and she cheekily replies that she will if he asks nicely. Matthew then asks her to marry him properly, which she accepts.
The day of the wedding, Philippe gifts Matthew a fibula — which saved his life on a battlefield in the past — to wear during the ceremony. The ceremony is an intimate yet nonetheless beautiful affair, followed by a reception indoors. Philippe and Diana share the first dance as father and daughter. Philippe assures her that the Ysabeau of 1590 will not find out about what transpired, but Diana will tell her one day in the future. When Matthew and Diana dance, they’re amused as they discuss how their future Ysabeau will certainly not believe that they were not only married with Philippe’s blessing, but at his insistence. That evening, Matthew and Diana lie together at last.
The next day, Matthew and Diana prepare to leave for Bohemia. As he bids them goodbye, Philippe explains to Diana that the ring was a message from Ysabeau to him, functioning as a seal of her approval. In turn, he gives her the necklace that he’s wearing. “Wear this, and I will be with you always. As you will always be in my heart.”
Philippe rides out with Matthew and Diana, and he tells Matthew that not only has he found a woman worthy of him, but he is equally worthy of her. “So stop regretting your life, and start living it.” He goes on to say they have one last matter to put to rest and tells Matthew, “Whatever happens between the two of us in the future, I forgive you.” This is such an integral moment between the two of them, something that Matthew so desperately needed to hear. (And James Purefoy, two episodes was certainly not enough with you!) Upon returning home, Philippe finally pens the letter he’s been trying to write for Ysabeau.
“My dearest Ysabeau,
At last, I am able to find words to straddle the centuries that separate us. The language has eluded me until now, for I have struggled to accept my mortality. But today, I have finally found the inspiration, for I am at peace. I am no longer afraid of my fate, for fate retains the power to surprise us. Our son is happy at last, mated to a woman who walks in the footsteps of the Goddess. They journey now to Bohemia, in search of the ‘Book of Life’. I fear there are difficult times ahead, but I trust they will return to you. And that together you will forge a bold new future for our family. This is my final message to you, my love. I know now that there shall come a day when we will be parted. But until then, as in the afterlife, I will hold you in my heart.”
Sept-Tours, Present Day
Ysabeau finally locates the message, hidden in the spine of a book, and tears roll down her face as she reads it. Despite the fact that we’ve not seen Philippe and Ysabeau actually interact on-screen, their love is conveyed in such a deep and palpable manner that the emotional weight of this scene rings heavy and true.
Episode 7 of the second season of A Discovery of Witches will be available on Sundance Now, AMC Plus, and Shudder on Saturday, February 20. Check out the rest of our season 2 recaps here.
Richard Powers’ Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Overstory is coming soon to our screens. A television adaptation for the novel is currently in development at Netflix. Hugh Jackman will be stepping into the role of executive producer for the series, teaming up with Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Jackman will also reportedly take on an acting role for the series if greenlit, though it has not been officially confirmed.
Richard Robbins and Bernadette Caulfield will serve as executive producers, with Robbins writing the pilot script for the show. Powers also steps into a co-executive producer role.
The Overstory, Powers’ 12th novel, is a story that focuses on humankind’s connection to the natural world. It’s told through a series of interconnected tales that “range from antebellum New York to the late twentieth-century Timber Wars of the Pacific Northwest and beyond.” It follows a group of various people who learn to really see the world, getting drawn into its “unfolding catastrophe.” Purchase a copy here.
Stay tuned for more details as they become available.
The first ever virtual iteration of the Sundance Film Festival wrapped up last week, and now that the cyber dust has settled, it’s time to dig into the films! More in-depth reviews of individual films will be coming shortly, but first! A full run-down of my favorite features, they are sorted by genre, (though many are genre-bending in the best possible way.) Make sure to add these to your “must watch” lists as many are going to hit streaming and theaters over the coming months.
Favorite Drama – Passing
Lush and deceptively delicate, Passing is the film adaptation of Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel about the complex friendship of two African American women in the 1920s. Reenie (Tessa Thompson) lives a comfortable, middle-class life with her husband (Andre Holland) in Harlem, while her childhood friend Clare (Ruth Negga) has chosen to “pass” – meaning she hides her Black heritage in order to live a life in wealthy, white society. Director Rebecca Hall deftly weaves the complicated and often fraught themes of race, class, colorism, and sexism into one tragic portrait, and each scene is dripping with tension and danger. But, it’s the stellar performances by Thompson and Negga – and especially Negga’s heartbreaking turn as Clare, that really make Passing a must see.
Favorite Dramedy – CODA
CODA (which stands for Child of Deaf Adults), tells the story of the Rossi family – a family of deaf adults with one hearing child, a teenaged daughter named Ruby. Ruby struggles to find her own independence and in the process learns to let go of her overprotective need to shield her family from the rest of the community. The script is uproariously funny, and the charismatic bond between the family members (particularly Troy Katsur and Marlee Matlin as the patriarch and matriarch of the Rossi clan) is electric. It also manages to tread the tightrope of heartfelt family drama tropes without dipping into maudlin sentimentality.
Favorite Dark Comedy – On the Count of Three
The premise – two best friends with a suicide pact – might sound too bleak for some, but at its core, On The Count of Three is actually an intimate and hilarious look at friendship. Abbott and Carmichael have great chemistry as the depressed best friends, and Abbott’s manic despair is an excellent foil for Carmichael’s soft spoken, crushing anxiety. This is also Carmichael’s directorial debut and he demonstrates a great knack for maintaining warmth and humor in what could otherwise be an overwhelmingly cold, nihilistic film.
Favorite Horror – In the Earth
Honestly, this might be my favorite film of the whole festival. It has the science-meets-psychadelic visuals of Annihilation, and the unnerving, occult menace of the original Wicker Man. In The Earth is set in the midst of a global pandemic, but centers on a scientist and a park ranger who must trek deep into an isolated forest to check on the lead scientist of a mysterious project who has ceased responding to communications. It is shockingly funny, even in its moments of extreme violence (be warned: if you have trouble with gore, this might not be the film for you!), in that dry, casual way that seems to come so effortlessly to the British. In particular, Reece Shearsmith as the increasingly unhinged antagonist Zach, delivers possibly my favorite performance of the year. However, there is heavy strobe lighting near the end of the film, so if you are epileptic or light sensitive, please keep that in mind.
Favorite Thriller – Wild Indian
The first feature-length film from writer/director Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr, Wild Indian centers on the repercussions of a heinous crime committed by two young boys. Makwa, (played by Michael Greyeyes) the instigator of the crime, grows up to be a highly successful CEO of a tech start-up. Meanwhile, his best friend Teddo (Chaske Spencer) consumed with the guilt of helping his friend cover it up, ends up an addict who is in and out of prison. Things come to a head when Teddo goes to San Francisco to confront Makwa about their childhood. Greyeyes’s performance as Makwa is chilling, and Spencer’s Teddo is absolutely heartbreaking. On the surface it feels like a revenge thriller in the vein of Cape Fear, but at its heart is a brutal Faustian lesson about the cost of selling your soul in order to assimilate into the white hegemony.
Favorite Fantasy – The Blazing World
An expansion of her short film which debuted as part of the 2017 festival, The Blazing World is the directorial feature length debut of Scream actress Carlson Young. The film follows Margaret, a troubled young woman who lost her twin sister in a drowning accident when they were small children, as she is transported to a fantastical alternate dimension within her own psyche in a desperate attempt to save her lost sister. This “Through the Looking Glass” on acid fantasy feels akin to the works of Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall) and Guillermo Del Toro, with some nods to late seventies, early eighties fantasy-horror classics like Phantasm. Udo Kier and Dermot Mulroney are deliciously ominous as the main antagonists. Young’s acting was a bit uneven at times, and it was hard for my brain to accept that Vinessa Shaw (Hocus Pocus) at 44 yrs old could possibly be Carlson Young’s (who is 30 yrs old) mother in the story that was created, but overall it’s a beautifully creepy story and has me excited for Young’s next works.
Favorite Documentary – Cusp
This was probably my most difficult choice. Documentaries are Sundance Festival’s life blood and it feels unfair to narrow my choice down to just one, especially when they have such a wide array of topics and narrative styles. Rita Moreno and Amy Tan had terrific documentaries about their lives premiere this year, Summer of Soul – a documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival (aka “Black Woodstock”) whose footage was locked in a basement for the past fifty years is truly life affirming, but my mind keeps returning to Cusp. Cusp is a slice of life documentary following three teenaged girls as they navigate romance, adolescence, and life in a small Texas town. Perhaps it’s because I grew up in a similarly small, rural town, or because I was once a teenaged girl myself, but Cusp feels achingly – often heartbreakingly – familiar. The three girls (Aaloni, Autumn, and Brittney) are incredibly open and vulnerable and the directors Isabel Bethencourt and Parker Hill follow them with an intimate eye that never feels exploitative – even as you watch the girls discuss their (sometimes with shocking frankness) blossoming sexuality. It can be painful at times to see how little things have changed for adolescent girls, particularly in terms of sexual harassment and violence, but their kindness and empathy towards each other is a reminder of the unbreakable bonds of teenage friendship.
AMC has released a new look at “Here’s Negan” one of the upcoming extra episodes that is part of the post Rick Grimes timeline of The Walking Dead. The episodes will begin airing Sunday, February 28 at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.
In “Here’s Negan,” Carol (Melissa McBride) takes Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) on a journey which she hopes will relieve some of the tension with him and Maggie (Lauren Cohan). It also aids him in making a big decision about his future.
Check out the new teaser below.
Award winning author Jennifer Brody and illustrator Jules Rivera have teamed up to bring graphic novel fans a mysterious and electric dystopian thriller that promises unpredictable twists, a sensual love story, and shocking end that will leave you wanting more.
“Eva lives in a world where the Cure for aging and illness has been discovered and administered to every person on Earth, only there’s one big hitch. it turns out that very few people can handle immortality, so they have to take a test on their two hundredth birthday. If they pass, then they get to live forever. But if they fail, they must be euthanized.”
Brody and Rivera build an interesting and relatable protagonist in Eva. She’s pessimistic, sarcastic, and bold. Eva has been in love with her husband, Owen, for 170 years and together they embark on their bucket list before taking their Centurial Assessment Test. Eva is convinced she’ll fail her own test and when Owen doesn’t return from taking his, she’s not exactly upset at the prospect. However, things take a shocking turn when Eva is escorted to her test and runs into a staffer with an eerily familiar face. Did Owen pass his test after all? Faced with almost certain death (the pass rate is extremely low) Eva must now escape the facility and figure out the truth about her husband and what that means for her future.
The dark and sexy story will pull readers in from page one with its many unpredictable twists and turns, but the book is more than an action packed adventure. Readers will find themselves routing for Eva and Owen’s love story as Eva fights to uncover the truth. It’s impossible to guess where Eva’s journey will lead and Brody expertly weaves in subtle clues to allow readers those amazing “ah ha!” moments as things fall into place. There is also a jaw dropping final twist that leaves you thinking about 200 long after you’ve finished the last page.
Brody and Rivera are a brilliant duo who ask difficult questions in this book, both through Eva’s own experience but in the wider world readers find within its pages. 200 takes a hard look at what it means to live in a world without illness and unlimited time before you. Could the human psyche remain stable forever? For Brody and Rivera, the resounding answer is “no”. Few can handle the idea of eternity, but that also begs the question of where we draw the line. For Eva, 200 years has gone bye much faster than anticipated and she’s facing the very real possibility of death. She’s a kickass protagonist who trusts herself and her instincts. She’s deeply passionate and fights for Owen even when it could mean breaking her own heart a second time.
Reading 200 means getting lost in the vividly real world Brody and Rivera build together. While the story is strong, Rivera’s minimalist artwork expertly conveys the futuristic world in which Eva lives and elevates the narrative to the next level. The three tone color palette lends itself perfectly to the high tech futuristic reality while also conveying Eva’s inner world as she battles with her emotions on her hunt for the truth. The delicate flower pedals trailing throughout the pages add another layer to the deeply entrancing graphics, softening the hard reality of this dystopian future.
200 will be available in stores and online February 16 and is available for preorder now.
Millenials rejoice! Two of our childhood heroes, Elijah Wood and Daniel Radcliffe, have finally teamed up on the newest cover of Empire Magazine.
Excited to reveal that I got together with Daniel Radcliffe for the new issue of @empiremagazine, to chat about 20 years of Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter. You can pick up a copy here: https://t.co/zzBj91plBF pic.twitter.com/sCEeZxSt96
— Elijah Wood (@elijahwood) February 12, 2021
Wood and Radcliffe led two of the biggest franchise in the 2000s, with both The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone premiering in 2001.
The 20th anniversary special issue will feature 38 pages of content for the Middle-earth and Hogwarts lovers, including interviews, scene-stealers, and how the franchises arrived precisely when we needed them the most.
You can pre-order a copy of April’s issue here!
After the events of WandaVision episode 5, all signs pointed to something being off with Monica Rambeau after her medical checkup. Her blood work went missing, and her x-ray turned out as an overexposed, indistinguishable white blob. Episode 6 gave some more clarity to what’s going on with Monica and what is likely set to occur after she crosses the threshold of Westview once again.
Digging through Director Hayward’s files looking for any of his hidden, top secret intel on Westview and Wanda, Darcy found something that had supposedly gone missing — Monica’s blood work. And it’s easy to see why Hayward decided to keep it a secret. The energy has “rewritten Monica’s cells on a molecular level” … twice. And she’s dead set on getting into Westview one more time to help Wanda, despite her mutating cells. That’s a superhero origin story if we’ve ever heard one.
In the comics, Monica becomes the hero Photon. Her powers are remarkable — she can transform herself into multiple forms of radiation and energy, she’s invisible, intangible (like Vision) and capable of flight, immortal, and able to identify new forms of energy. Monica is already heading down her comic counterpart’s path in her law enforcement career, and Photon does eventually go on to become leader of the Avengers.
With one more pass through the energy barrier surrounding Westview it would seem Monica’s transformation will be complete. What will be even more incredible is if the Aerospace Engineer she’s heading to meet at the end of episode 6 is Reed Richards a.k.a. Mr. Fantastic. That’s a team up we’d all like to see.
You can stream the first six episodes of WandaVision on Disney+.
Nerds and Beyond is your home for the latest news on all things movies, television, books, conventions, musi
Trending
Categories
Nerds and Beyond - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service