MOC Monday

MOC Monday: Jidenna

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Janelle Monae. I think her message of being who you are, regardless of if others think its “weird,” is so empowering, especially to young girls of color who are afflicted by Eurocentric ideals of beauty and conventionality. Thankfully, Monae knows how to pick her proteges, since all of them express that motto of being yourself in order to lead others. Jidenna seems to embody this in spades, from his bespoke suits to his coiffed hair.

MOC Monday: Lance Gross

I wrote on Twitter that I wouldn’t write anymore about Sleepy Hollow until the premiere of the third season, since I kinda lost my “journalist” stance on Sleepy Hollow reporting and got way too into the fandom than I would have liked, but I do want to touch on the fact that Lance Gross has joined the cast! I’m excited to see him as Abbie’s boss (I’m assuming at the FBI).

MOC Monday: Nonso Anozie

Nonso Anozie is an actor who still seems like he’s on the fringes of American television, even though he’s been in a lot of American projects. The Grey, Game of Thrones, The Bible, Son of God, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Ender’s Game, NBC’s Dracula, CBS’ Zoo, the list goes on and on. Perhaps his role in Tut will finally cement him as one of Hollywood’s brightest newcomers (and I say “newcomer” loosely, since he’s been in the game since 2006). 

MOC Monday: Ben Kingsley

It’s officially Tut week! If you’ve read my review of Spike’s three-night event, then you might have read what I wrote about Kingsley’s portrayal of Tutankhamun’s adviser, Ay:

Just as much as Jogia commands the audience’s attention as the quickly-maturing boy king by imbuing Tutankhamun with outgoing bravado, Kingsley demands the audience’s attention by portraying Ay with cautious carefulness and an undercurrent of seediness masked over with paternal gentility. Ay is formidable in that respect; he does genuinely care for Tutankhamun, but he also cares for his own power more and will do what he can to secure it while, to paraphrase Tut’s sister Ankhesenamun, insulating himself from being discovered as a crafty mastermind.