Fans of Richard Speight, Jr. have been waiting with bated breath for more updates on the progress of his forthcoming album. News has been a bit quiet outside of Jason Manns’ two project update emails for Kickstarter supporters and a photo Manns shared from Speight’s first day in the studio.
In pure Speight fashion — because he is well aware of how very excited his fans are — he has shared not just one but a handful of updates this week on Instagram, as he has seemingly reconvened with the “Volunteers” in the studio once more!
After years of encouragement (see also: begging) from friends and fans alike, Speight’s debut album is finally becoming a reality. If the results of the album’s Kickstarter are anything to go by — it raised over $36,000 with 407 backers! — everyone is incredibly excited to hear what magic Speight, Manns, and co. will come up with in the recording studio.
Shoshannah Stern and Josh Feldman in ‘This Close.’ Image courtesy of Sundance Now.
Shoshannah Stern and Josh Feldman, co-creators and stars of This Close, have announced they are partnering with Easterseals to provide support to deaf writers in the television industry. Stern and Feldman are two of only three writers in the Writers Guild of America (WGA) who are deaf. (Gisselle Legere of Quantico is the third.) And they want to improve those numbers.
Stern participated in the Power of TV: Representing Disability in Storytelling panel on April 24th, which was presented in part by Easterseals. She talked about the importance of creating a pathway for others, saying that “sometimes you have to chop down the trees yourself to make the road clear.”
Stern also discussed how she and Feldman originally pitched This Close as a story that focused on a character who was deaf and a character who has hearing. But they realized there was no reason why both main characters couldn’t be deaf, so they shot their own version of the show and uploaded it to YouTube.
As of today, This Close has wrapped its second season (scheduled to air later this year) and has been nominated for a Peabody Award.
Easterseals is a nonprofit organization that provides educational, outreach, and advocacy resources for children and adults with disabilities all over the world. Stern shared her excitement on social media about partnering with them in this endeavor.
So excited to announce this initiative! @ItsJoshFeldman and I have been working on this for years now. Honored to have found the perfect partner for this in @EastersealSoCal. More information to come, stay tuned! https://t.co/LrGSf7X6GF
We’ll be keeping an eye on this exciting initiative and can’t wait to see all the roads Stern and Feldman will clear for others in the television industry!
We are only a few days away from the premiere of Avengers: Endgame and as the release date approaches and we reach the end of this journey, we want to look back on everything that brought us here. We’ve watched these heroes struggle, grow, and save humanity over the last ten years and want to share some of our favorite moments of their stories. We will be going through each phase in order, covering every movie leading up to April 26. Next up are our impressions of Ant-Man And The Wasp (2018) which was released last summer and is a little prequel to Avengers: Infinity War (2018). In this sequel, we meet Scott Lang as he adjusts to life after the Superhero accords (and breaking them) and how he manages to use his powers anyway. It also offered us some more insight into a development that might become important for Avengers: Endgame.
Image courtesy of IMDb.com.
Here are some of our favorite moments from Ant-Man And The Wasp!
Conny:
After the first Ant-Man movie, I wasn’t going to make the mistake of not seeing this one in the theaters. It made me a bit sad that the hype for this film wasn’t as big as for for other Marvel films. Maybe it was due to the fact that Avengers: Infinity War (2018) had just come out a couple of months earlier and Ant-Man a.k.a. Scott Lang had a) not been a part of it and b) hadn’t had the same recognition other characters had in the past. I think that people are wrong for not paying attention to him, because he’s actually a very lovable, funny and interesting character, which was demonstrated in this sequel.
In this movie, we learn more about Hank Pimm and his wife Janet Van Dyne, who both were part of the Pimm project, experimenting with the Quantum Realm and the so-called Pimm-Particle, which helped create the Ant-Man suit and superpowers. We are also reunited with Pimm’s daughter Hope, who becomes the superhero The Wasp in this film, helping Scott on his missions. In this film, we also learn more about the Quantum Realm, a place which will become relevant for the future after Avengers: Infinity War.
Courtesy of IMDb
I love this movie for a number of reasons, mainly because it has the perfect balance between being lighthearted and serious, without being corny. Paul Rudd does an amazing job at playing Scott Lang, he has a great sense of humor, comedic timing and adds that bit of confusion and awkwardness that makes a superhero lovable. In the sequel to his origin story, Scott struggled with the limitation of his superpowers and with being under house arrest after breaking the accords during the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016). He is a devoted dad to his daughter Cassie and does the best he can to be there for her and give her a happy childhood.
I also love the way Scott learns about training his powers and strength with Hope, their story is told with their great dynamic and their ability to rely on the other when necessary. Additionally, I liked the “villain” in the story, I think Hanna John-Kamen did a tremendous job with portraying a character which was turned bad by circumstance, not by choice.
Courtesy of IMDb
Emelie
I’ve got to be honest, I was very skeptical of Ant-Man, since I am not a fan of Hank Pym, but after being pleasantly surprised by it, I was very much looking forward to Ant-Man and the Wasp. I completely adore Scott Lang, and his relationship with Cassie together with how Maggie and Paxton are so on board with trying to make things work kind of reminded me of the Addams Family. Things are a bit weird, but there is so much genuine love and care between the characters that is doesn’t really matter that no one else understands.
Scott’s second family in the form of his “shadier” buddies is another reason why I love this movie. Luis is definitely one of my favorite characters in the Marvel universe, and Kurt and Dave explaining to Sonny Burch that you just have to let him play out like a human jukebox had me in stitches. Another thing that makes this movie so great is the portrayal of what we perceive to be the villain, Ghost. Her story is tragic, and painful, and at times I was rooting for her just as much as I was rooting for Scott and Hope to sort all of this out.
Courtesy of IMDb
I was on the edge of my seat as they brought Janet van Dyne back from the quantum realm, and I was absolutely certain that they would lose her just as soon as they had gotten her back when Ava appeared. Thankfully, we got the best possible ending of that scenario, and Ant-Man made a new ally that I definitely want to see more of in the future.
Stay with Nerds and Beyond for more Marvel moments as we count down to Avengers: Endgame!
With just a couple of weeks to go until the fourth season of Lucifer premieres on Netflix — the platform that saved the fan favorite from cancellation — an official trailer has finally been released.
By the looks of the trailer below, fans are in store for a wild ride this season.
Stream season four of Lucifer on Netflix starting May 8!
The Star Trek universe is set for another expansion as Nickelodeon and CBS Television Studios announced the latest installment in the Star Trek saga, a CG-animated series that focuses on a group of teens that stumble onto an old abandoned Starfleet ship. The teens use the ship to “search for adventure, meaning, and salvation,” to quote Will Thorne from Variety magazine who announced the news earlier today.
The series is being created by the Emmy award winning team of Kevin and Dan Hageman, the duo that gave us Trollhunters, in partnership with Eye Animation Productions, Secret Hideout, and Roddenberry Entertainment. Executive vice president of animation production at Nickelodeon, Ramsey Naito, will oversee production of the show.
Alex Kurtzman and Rod Roddenberry will serve as executive producers with the Hagemans and several others. Kurtzman signed onto CBS TV last year to run the helm of all Star Trek TV projects for the next five years. When asked about the Nickelodeon project he said, “the Nickelodeon team blew us away with their excitement at bringing ‘Trek’ to a younger generation around the world.”
The Nickelodeon series is actually the second Star Trek animated series to be greenlit. Star Trek: Lower Decks is geared to a more mature audience and will focus on the support crew on one of Starfleet’s lesser star ships. All Access has granted a two year run to Lower Decks.
These latest announcements from CBS TV Studios highlight the commitment it has made to broaden the Star Trek universe. In addition to Star Trek: Discovery, All Access has two other shows in development. An as yet untitled project that focuses on Jean-Luc Picard and another that focuses on Michelle Yeoh’s character on Discovery.
All this is great news for fans who have no need to worry that their favorite franchise is in danger of flying off to another galaxy. Thanks to CBS TV and Nickelodeon, the next generation (pun definitely intended) of Star Trek fans have a lot to look forward to.
The season finale was a wide ride that had some amazing highs and some devastating lows. Complemented with a superb musical soundtrack as always, “Recovering the Satellites” was a true edge-of-your-seat episode.
A storm is brewing at night as we see the graveyard where Rosa is buried with Liz’s voiceover explaining that she quit believing in ghosts and evil things until she met the devil walking around. We see Noah still tied to the chair in Max’s room.
Max keeps his gun trained on Michael as they continue to argue over what to do with Noah. Michael explains that the survivors from the crash were locked up at the nearby prison and were just killed on Manes’s orders. He argues that Noah can give them answers, but Max stands his ground even as Michael tears up telling him about his mother.
When Michael challenges Max to shoot him, Max instead shoots the vial containing the antidote, shattering it. Michael argues that Noah is their one chance to learn about their family, but Max says he needs Noah dead. Furious, Michael yells that he does not care what Max needs, and Max is thrown through the patio doors and knocked unconscious by Michael’s powers.
Michael unties Noah and forces him into the living room at gunpoint while asking where the remaining antidote is hidden. Noah says it’s in the cave with his pod, but he falls down gasping. When Michael leans over to get him up, Noah grabs a shattered piece of antidote vial and stabs Michael in the neck. Michael collapses, bleeding profusely as Noah takes the vial and licks the end. Noah takes Max’s gun and leaves.
Images courtesy of The CW/Warner Bros.
At the Wild Pony, Maria and Liz sit together talking. Liz grabs Maria’s necklace off the table, asking about it. Maria explains her mother gave it to her on the day of her graduation, and Liz points out it is a very rare flower that grows in a specific part of the desert. She explains away her knowledge of the flower (the pollen was what rendered Max and Michael powerless in Michael’s bunker), by saying she had tested some of the pollen for science reasons.
Maria also says it’s an heirloom that her mother said protects them from evil. She then divulges that she and Michael hooked up, but dismisses it immediately. “It doesn’t matter because Alex is in love with him,” she tells Liz. Maria feels guilty over it all, but Liz tells her you can’t choose who you fall in love with, or people would choose not to fall at all.
Alex finds Kyle combing over the recovered drives from Caulfield Prison in Jesse Manes’s hidden bunker. Kyle is looking over the security camera footage which shows his father being pushed into the cell with the alien who gave him a brain tumor. Another angle shows Jesse Manes pushing Jim Valente into the cell and watching as the alien touches his head.
Flint Manes approaches his father, who is back in town on the military base, and apologizes for failing at Caulfield. Manes dismisses the apology, telling him the research is backed up and the specimen likely wouldn’t have lasted much longer anyway, but his main concern is the “unwanted visitors” who survived. Manes says they will handle Alex “in due time,” but Kyle is the primary loose end to deal with.
At the Crashdown Café, Liz leaves Max a phone message letting him know that Noah’s handprint is gone, and she plans to grab food and return to his house. As she is prepping things in the kitchen, Noah appears at the counter behind her. He walks into the kitchen and moves the knife nearest Liz (with his mind) away from her as he tells her she is nothing like Rosa who was all fire. Liz quickly runs into the freezer and locks herself in with a large squeegee jammed against the door. As Noah talks, she pulls out the pollen sample still in her pocket.
Lightning strikes nearby, jerking Max awake. Wincing (and still bleeding), he gets to his feet as he spots Michael passed out on the ground. Max uses his powers to heal Michael, blowing out his outdoor spotlight in the process.
Noah unblocks the freezer door and opens it. He shoves Liz into the shelves and puts a hand on her chest, but nothing happens. Liz knees him and runs out of the freezer locking him inside. Now crouching on the ground, Noah spots the shattered bottle and exposed pollen on the floor.
Back at Max’s house Isobel arrives to find Max vomiting into his houseplant and Michael unconscious in a pool of blood. Max explains he healed Michael and they need to leave immediately. As Isobel drives, Max drinks acetone and calls Liz to tell her Noah is loose. She informs him that she has him trapped at the café, and she refuses to leave in case he gets out and needs to be stopped. Thinking fast, she sees a spice the same color as the pollen and tells Max to hurry as she hangs up. Holding the spice and a very large kitchen knife, she and Noah discuss Rosa.
Noah informs her that Rosa made Liz’s mother leave under threat of revealing the truth: that Jim Valente was Rosa’s father. Shocked, Liz yells at him, but his powers return and he opens the freezer. He keeps her arm frozen in place as he takes her knife, but Liz blinds him with the spice. Noah yells and stumbles past Liz as she tries to move out of the way.
He leaves quickly, and she calls Max to tell him that Noah escaped and says she is fine and that Max and Isobel need to stop Noah before he kills someone to regain his strength. Isobel says she has an idea of where Noah may go, and upon further confirmation from Liz that she is ok, Max agrees to continue chasing Noah. Liz hangs up and looks down at her side where she is bleeding.
Images courtesy of The CW/Warner Bros.
Noah stumbles toward the Wild Pony and runs into Hank who says something offensive. In retaliation, Noah kills him and regains his strength.
Kyle arrives to the diner to find a bleeding Liz. He asks for a needle and thread, and she tells him they’re upstairs in the closet.
Max and Isobel find Noah in the desert, but when Max asks how she knew where he would be, Isobel doesn’t answer. She gets out of the car, walks over to Noah, and sits down. Max realizes that Noah possessed her, and is completely healed. As Noah stands to face off with Max, he quickly draws his gun and fires. Noah easily redirects the bullet away with his mind and begins torturing Max (tying his intestines into a knot to be exact), who drops to the ground and starts spitting blood.
Kyle stitches up Liz at the café as she explains what Noah said about Rosa. It’s clear on Kyle’s face that he already knew Rosa was his sister, but Liz asks anyway. When he confirms, Liz says that he also lost a sister.
Michael storms into his trailer to find Alex waiting for him, who panics when he sees Michael’s shirt covered in blood. Michael rips it off and quickly changes, telling an easy lie that it’s not his blood and this is a bad time to have a talk. Alex goes on to explain that he shouldn’t have left Michael behind for the military, but that he did want to leave Roswell. He also shares that he feels like he is fighting his father’s battles instead of his own. Before Michael can say anything though, he gets a painful telepathic vision of Noah, Isobel laying on the ground, and their pods. He tells Alex he has to leave but to come back in the morning, and they can discuss things then.
Images courtesy of The CW/Warner Bros.
Max tries to wake Isobel as Noah stands near their pods with an outdoor burner stove on which he is melting silver (for entry to the pods) with a blow torch. When Max asks why he needs them alive, Noah reveals that they are leverage for “the alighting.” He believes whichever alien race won the war on their planet will come for Max, Isobel, and Michael. He refers to Max as their “savior,” and he plans to put him back in his pod and wait for the other aliens to arrive so he can trade them.
He goes further, telling Max he isn’t living up to his full potential and that the religion stories he reads are really about beings that come from other worlds and strike people down with lightning. Noah puts his hand to Max’s chest, giving him a heart attack as he says he only need be barely alive to still be valuable.
Michael arrives in the nick of time and throws Noah against the cave wall. He runs to Max’s side as thunder sounds, and Max tells Michael to hold Noah off as he runs outside. He lifts a hand to the sky, drawing down lightning and charging up his powers. Noah emerges from the cave and Max hits him in the chest with his powers, lifting him off the ground as he is slowly electrocuted.
In her mindscape, Isobel meets Noah one final time to tell him that he was never her ‘person’ and she never loved him. She gives him back her rings, and before she leaves, Noah says, “Take care of her, Isobel.”
Noah’s body drops to the ground as Michael and Isobel approach and they all realize he is finally dead.
Images courtesy of The CW/Warner Bros.
Kyle is at a gun store trying to decide what kind of gun to buy. When the salesman offers him a handgun, Kyle is surprised there is no background check. Clearly upset, Kyle tells the clerk he isn’t the type of person who buys a gun, but recent family troubles and the feeling that the person who killed his father is following him have driven him to this. The clerk offers him a discount.
In the cave, Isobel reveals that she spoke with Noah before he died and what he said. Max tries to cheer them up, arguing that this is a win and saying Michael should stop looking at the past. Max grabs Michael’s injured hand, and begins to heal it, telling him he does not need that pain to remind him of who he is. “This is Roswell,” Max tells Michael when he is worried about people noticing, and then leaves the cave.
Now morning, Liz arrives at Max’s house to find his patio doors smashed. She hears him call her name from outside and they run to one another. They are all smiles as they realize neither of them is seriously injured, and they make their way back inside the house. As they make out and strip, Max finds Liz’s wound, but she dismisses it quickly in favor of more urgent desires. They make their way to the bedroom and she invites him to use his powers to feel what she feels for him. They sleep together as “Carry You” by Novo Amor plays over the scene.
Images courtesy of The CW/Warner Bros.
Outside, Michael and Isobel look for Noah’s cave as they discuss love. Isobel says her love life troubles officially trump his, and he tells her that Alex knows everything. Michael also confesses that he loves Alex, but that love is causing him nothing but pain right now. Isobel suggests Max might be right and they should look forward instead of back. They spot Noah’s cave, and inside are books, candles, and his covered pod. Isobel removes the blanket on the pod to reveal that Rosa is inside.
Images courtesy of The CW/Warner Bros.
Liz gets dressed as Max teases her about leaving right after they had sex, and he quietly asks her to stay. Before she can answer, his phone sounds with a message from Isobel. Liz encourages him to go see Isobel and she will go see Rosa. She also says that Rosa feels even more gone now that the mystery is solved, and she must face a new kind of grief alone.
Kyle continues going through the drives in Manes’s bunker when he hears someone approach behind him. He turns to face off with Manes but is immediately shot in the chest and drops to the ground. Manes turns to a nearby table and sits his gun down to take a drink when Kyle hits him over the head and takes his gun. He pulls aside his shirt to reveal a bulletproof vest. Manes tells Kyle that his father wanted to shut Caulfield down and Manes wasn’t going to let that happen. Kyle injects him with barbiturates and says as much as Manes collapses and slips into a coma.
At Noah’s cave, Max, Michael, and Isobel talk over what to do about Rosa’s body. Max refuses to keep this secret from Liz, but Isobel tells him this will haunt her if she finds out. Max begins to theorize about their powers’ potential, but Michael tells him he can’t resurrect her and he can’t undo the past. They leave together with Max throwing a lingering look over his shoulder.
Maria is closing up at the Wild Pony when Michael walks in behind her. He asks if they are closed, but she tells him they are open and he walks up and kisses her. They agree they need to talk, but first Michael grabs the guitar and sits down to play.
As “Here With Me” by Daniel Blake (a cover of the Dido song) plays over the scene, Liz brings a rose to Rosa’s grave and begins to tell Rosa that she is in love with Max. As she talks about him, we see Max in the cave with Rosa. He heats up the silver, dips his hand in, and pulls Rosa from the pod. Liz continues on that she felt guilty for it, but that she loves him and he loves her. She wishes that Rosa had a chance to love and be loved. Max begins to try resurrecting Rosa, using all the power he can muster.
Standing graveside, Liz grabs her chest where Max had touched her. She knows something is wrong and runs to the car.
Isobel sits opposite a picture of herself and Noah at home. As she concentrates, the frame begins to shake. She focuses harder and smiles slightly as the frame shatters.
Alex has returned to Michael’s place and checks his watch while sitting outside waiting.
Maria looks back at Michael and notices his hand is mysteriously ok now. Her smile fades as she looks confused.
Images courtesy of The CW/Warner Bros.
Liz gets out of her car shouting for Max but hears Rosa’s voice behind her. She turns to see Rosa walking, and runs to her. They hug and she begins to ask how this is happening, but Rosa tells her it’s going to be ok. Liz asks where Max is and runs into the cave, dropping to her knees beside his lifeless body. She cries and holds him close as she realizes he died bringing back Rosa.
Images courtesy of The CW/Warner Bros.
Roswell, New Mexico will return for season two on The CW.
Columbia College Chicago has published its Columbia Poetry Review for 2019, and the latest issue includes poetry by Supernatural star Misha Collins. The journal’s 32nd issue also features works by Amy Gerstler, Ron Koertge, Bernadette Mayer, D.A. Powell, and many more.
Collins shared one of his poems called “Plumbing” with his Instagram followers today as a way of announcing the release. Check it out below.
Collins has been featured before in the Columbia Poetry Review. Two of his poems, “Old Bones” and “Baby Pants,” were published in the 2008 Columbia Poetry Review‘s Issue No. 21. Unfortunately, this particular edition is sold out along with most of the past issues.
He has shared his love of poetry with the fandom many times before, whether it be his own poetry or his favorite poems from poets such as Langston Hughes, Robert Frost, Rupi Kaur, Tyler Knott Greggson, and of course the incredible Mary Oliver. Recently he met up with Jon Lupin, The Poetry Bandit, and shared their meeting with fans on Instagram.
Whether or not he knows it, many fans have lauded the soothing quality of his spoken word videos on Instagram and Twitter. This past January, he shared the poem “The Summer Day” in response to the loss of Oliver. It quickly became this wanna-be-poet’s favorite.
Take a listen below, and hopefully it will whet your appetite for a copy of the Spring 2019 Columbia Poetry Review which you can order here.
Thinking of Mary Oliver today. What will you do with your one wild & precious life? pic.twitter.com/UXYytu1Uyq
Disney fans around the world are waiting in anticipation for the new live-action version of the 1992 animated classic Aladdin. And just when you thought you had enough of it, the new TV spot pulls you in with the live-action movie’s new rendition of “A Whole New World.” One of the most beloved songs in Disney’s animated collection.
Originally written by Alan Menkin and Tim Rice, the song is undoubtedly a Disney classic. With its appearance in the new Aladdin TV spot, it will certainly pique interests, get stuck in peoples heads, or both.
Get swept away on a magic carpet ride as you listen to a clip of “A Whole New World” in the new Aladdin TV spot.
Disney Channel’s teen-centered sitcom Andi Mack will end its run with its third season. The groundbreaking series stars Peyton Elizabeth Lee as Andi Mack, Joshua Rush as Cyrus Goodman, and Sofia Wylie as Buffy Driscoll. Lauren Tom, who played Kevin Tran’s mother Linda on Supernatural, plays Andi’s grandmother/adoptive mother Celia Mack.
Creator Terri Minsky expressed in a statement her love for the show and the significant positive social impact it has had.
‘Andi Mack’ was a labor of love for a room of impassioned, inventive writers, a talented and dedicated crew, and an extraordinary, miraculous cast who inspired us all. We had the honor of breaking a lot of new ground for Disney Channel. We were its first serialized show, its first series centered around an Asian-American family, and its first to feature an LGBTQ character who spoke the words, “I’m gay.”
Andi Mack is Disney Channel’s most-watched series overall and its highest-rated among kids 6-14.
The final episodes of Andi Mack air Fridays, June 21-July 26, at 8 p.m. on Disney Channel and Disney NOW.
Since its debut more than 2 years ago, Rivers of Light has delighted guests of Disney’s Animal Kingdom with its enchanting night time show. From its beautifully illuminated lantern floats and grand theatrical imagery to the soaring musical score and innovative special effects, Rivers of Light has been a can’t-miss spectacular.
This summer, fall in love all over again with an updated version of the show titled Rivers of Light: We Are One.
Photo courtesy of Walt Disney World.
Rivers of Light: We Are One will introduce more stunning imagery and familiar animal characters from the Disneynature films. The show will also include classic moments from Disney animation. Celebrate our connection with animals, emotions, and the milestones we all share in our journey through the circle of life.
Get swept away with a musical arrangement that brings together the original score and familiar Disney themes that inspire and take us through moments of discovery, fun, friendship, fear, love, and family.
Photo courtesy of Walt Disney World.
Rivers of Light: We Are One debuts May 24, 2019.
This all-ages show is 15 minutes. Seats are limited, so guests are encouraged to arrive early. FastPass+ selections and dining packages are recommended.
Due to the nearby animal residents, fireworks are not included in this show.
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