Y’all know about Haikus With Hotties? You know—that calendar that features hot Asian dudes expressing themselves through concise Japanese poetry? Well, the hotties are back, and they’re doing a livestream TODAY!
This afternoon, between 1 pm PT to 4 pm PT, some of the Haikus With Hotties guys—Kenta Seki, Ilram Choi, Ronnie Woo, Mike Bow, Sunkrish Bala, Geo Lee, Chuck Maa, Desmond Chiam, D’Lo, Peter Sudarso, and Chris Pang—will hold a livestream. I’m assuming part of the reason for the livestream is to promote the 2018 calendar, Haikus For Hotties (this time around, the haikus will be written by fans).
Go big or go home. Looks like we gotta raise $4000 in a little over 24 hours. Tune in for our live 3-hr telethon TODAY 1-4pm PST. Support! https://t.co/NNuHJevzvP
— Haikus With Hotties (@haikushotties) August 30, 2017
But there will also be tons of talk with fans, who can send in your questions to @haikushotties.
#HaikusForHottiesLIVE(stream) TOMORROW Wed 8/30 1-4pm PST Tune in! There'll be fitness, interviews, dance & lots of learning. Share+RT! pic.twitter.com/J9e9kYuGWA
— Haikus With Hotties (@haikushotties) August 29, 2017
Tweet your ?s (like how does @alicomedy get so buff) & we'll ask the hotties for you. Livestream WED 8/30 1-4pm PST: https://t.co/tNYSegc13C https://t.co/1UoMZqxDFD
— Haikus With Hotties (@haikushotties) August 30, 2017
This is bound to be a good time, so if you’re at work, or at on your lunch break, find a way to tune in to get some pep in your step. Also, make sure to visit haikuswithhotties.com to learn more about the calendar and the guys featured.
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I love cartoons and I’m sure you love cartoons. But despite the plethora of amazing cartoons out there, there still isn’t enough diversity in the genre. The Weeklings, though, plans on changing that.
The Weeklings is an animated series featuring characters based on the days of the week. “Set in a surreal world in which anything can happen, the series chronicles the everyday adventures of Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday,” states the show’s Kickstarter page. “Each character has the personality of how each day feels.”
The show is created and directed by African-American animator and founder of Flydra Creative Jabril Mack. The series will “advance cultural representation in animation by highlighting cultures and ethnic groups that are not traditionally shown in cartoons.” From the official press release:
Los Angeles-based animation studio, Flydra Creative aims to increase cultural representation in cartoons with their latest project, an animated comedy called, The Weeklings. Set in a surreal world in which anything can happen, The Weeklings chronicles the everyday adventures of Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Each character personifies the characteristics of the day of the week they are named after. While Monday’s eccentric personality is off-putting to many, Friday’s natural charisma draws everyone in!
Creator and director of The Weeklings, Jabril Mack, wants to give people of all races, ethnicities, and sexual orientations the opportunity “to see a little of themselves in a cartoon”. He intends to combat the lack of cultural representation in mainstream media by drawing diverse characters everyone can relate to.
“The goal of the series is to celebrate diversity”, Mack says. He and his team at Flydra have spent the last year researching holidays and celebrations from all over the world to bring to life for the show. Characters like Diwali (inspired by the ancient Indian festival), Quinceanera, (inspired by the Mexican tradition), and many more will allow The Weeklings to highlight cultures and ethnic groups that are not traditionally shown in animation.
Check out the official trailer and clip from the show:
If you’re loving what you’re seeing, there’s a way to help make The Weeklings a fully-realized project. Flydra Creative has set up a Kickstarter for The Weeklings, and with 21 days left in their campaign, they’ve already met their initial $20,000 goal. However, the more money they get, the better The Weeklings can become. Make sure to check out their Kickstarter and donate what you can. The campaign ends Nov. 7. Make sure to follow The Weeklings at its website as well as on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
What do you think about The Weeklings? Give your opinions in the comments section below!
Diverse film alert time, friends! With Sundance happening as we speak, there’s a lot of news about films right now; some I hope we get to see in the theaters very soon. There’s also a short created by a friend to the site that you have to see if you want something funny to alleviate your Snowstorm Jonas misery. Here you go:
Comedy short Password Deals, written and directed by Blind Date Rules‘ Brie Eley. Starring Eley, fellow 4Play Comedy LA members Larisa Peters and Amy Rose Schumacher, and Winston A. Marshall. Sketch about a world in which passwords to streaming content, not drugs, are the hot commodity in the streets.
Comedy short film Darby Forever, starring and created by Saturday Night Live‘s Aidy Bryant. Short released as part of Vimeo’s new initiative Share the Screen, which will give voice to female filmmakers lacking a space in Hollywood. Vimeo states of the initiative, “When diverse voices are given equal consideration and weight, more informed artistic decisions are made, better stories are told.”
“Pioneers of African American Cinema” to show rare “race films” of the 1930s and 1040s during February and March. Event is flagship of Kickstarter’s Film Preservation and Restoration Initiative (in conjunction with Kino Lorber).
Films from Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY, Ayanda and Out of My Hand come to Netflix
“Out of My Hand” Official Trailer from TELEVISION on Vimeo.
Race
Heartbeats:
Myriad Pictures, Das Films and Bowery Hills Entertainment announced today that professional dancer Krystal Ellsworth who has danced in films Fame & Iron Man 2, rising South Indian star Amitash Pradhan(Vella Illa Pattathari), Paul McGillion (TOMORROWLAND, “Stargate Atlantis”) and Daphne Zuniga (“One Tree Hill”) headline the cast of the dance film HEARTBEATS, which is written and directed by Duane Adler [creator of Step Up]. Justin Chon (“Twilight” franchise) and Indian familiars Salman Yussuf Khan (of #1 Indian dance franchise ABCD), Kishori Shahane and Mohan Kapur round out the cast. “Inside Edition’s” Megan Alexander makes a cameo appearance. The film has just commenced production in Mumbai, India.
HEARTBEATS tells the story of Kelli (Ellsworth), a feisty female American hip hop dancer who travels to India with her parents (McGillion and Zuniga) for a week long Indian wedding and falls in love — both with a new style of dance and with a determined young man who introduces it to her (Pradhan).
The theme of the film is about two worlds colliding and will be Adler’s second movie with a bi-racial romance since SAVE THE LAST DANCE which starred Julia Stiles. Adler also wrote and created the worldwide box office smash hit dance movies STEP UP, STEP UP 2, and most recently wrote and directed the dance movie MAKE YOUR MOVE for Lionsgate.
HEARTBEATS is being produced by Sriram Das (NOVEMBER MAN), Andrea Chung (SEOUL SEARCHING), and Karine Martin (MAINA). Myriad Pictures is selling international rights to the project in Berlin, with Myriad’s Kirk D’Amico executive producing.
The film is being co-financed by Dance Network, whose founder Julie Stadler and CEO Brian Williams will serve as Executive Producers. Recently, Dance Network acquired and launched Skyway Studios in Nashville.
Jay-Z’s Roc Nation is producing the original songs alongside composer Gingger Shankar (Academy Award® nominee for THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST); the soundtrack will feature traditional and current Indian music and American hip-hop and R&B. 2015 Emmy Winning choreographer for “Dancing With the Stars,” Tessandra Chavez, is the supervising choreographer and two-time Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa winner Shampa Gopikrishna is the choreographer for the Indian dancing.
| Want to read more about diverse entertainment? Read the inaugural issue of COLOR BLOCK Magazine! |
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Miles Ahead
.@IamDonCheadle's @MilesAheadFilm plays tonite at @sundancefest. Watch previous pics & clips https://t.co/Hnvjj35kn7 pic.twitter.com/56wuiny6Xq
— Wilson Morales (@blackfilm) January 22, 2016
Sleight
Seychelle and @jacoblatimore as Bo and Holly once again ruining a perfect picture of a tree. https://t.co/9InDPKuloW pic.twitter.com/u6xbcCZg1w
— SleightTheMovie (@SleightTheMovie) July 26, 2015
Sleight! 6:30 Monday thru Friday on TBS: Vaguely Funny. Like this post. https://t.co/5sgdTorKij pic.twitter.com/tGu1WTXWUL
— SleightTheMovie (@SleightTheMovie) July 26, 2015
Here’s @jacoblatimore as Bo. Hired for his acting skills/because he’s a for real warlock. https://t.co/lAD22PUX9a pic.twitter.com/cJaMNCBqFr
— SleightTheMovie (@SleightTheMovie) July 26, 2015
Morris From America
Morris From America is an understated, generous film. @BilgeEbiri reviews from #Sundance: https://t.co/Izj3PHAOcF pic.twitter.com/etofqKSsbl
— Vulture (@vulture) January 23, 2016
Embrace the Serpent
‘Embrace the Serpent’ Is a Violent, Psychedelic Film about the Colonization of the Amazon
Are you going to give any of these films a shot? Write your thoughts below!
Archie Comics fans are well acquainted with their favorite artists, such as Dan Parent and Fernando Ruiz, and if you’ve been astute fan, you might have heard about the pair’s upcoming comic book project, Die, Kitty, Die! and the project’s Kickstarter campaign. The campaign’s original $25,000 goal has not only been met, but has nearly reached double the amount originally set, with many heavyweights in the comic book industry joining in to provide special covers and pin-ups.
I’ve been a fan of Parent’s for years, and after having met him at the 2013 Miami Book Fair International, I became an even bigger fan. I’ve interviewed him before in the past, but I was excited and honored when he reached out to me to tell me about Die Kitty Die!. Check out the interview with Parent below, in which we discuss Die Kitty Die!, the Kickstarter campaign, and what fans can expect from this bewitching new series, as well as an exclusive update on that elusive Kevin Keller relaunch. The Die Kitty Die! Kickstarter campaign ends this Friday, Dec. 18, so if you’d like to contribute (click the link above), you’ve still got time!
How did you and Fernando Ruiz come up with Die Kitty Die!?
Fernando and I came up with idea for Die Kitty Die! on a plane trip to Dallas Comic Con last year. We started sketching and writing , and before you knew it, we had a story!
The Kickstarter has been uber successful. How do you feel about the success?
We are thrilled about the success of the Kickstarter. The most satisfying thing is that our fans have supported us and are looking forward to the project.
This project has a lot of popular comic book artists involved; who are some of the artists involved?
We are really lucky to have some great talent on board. Gisele Lagace is our friend, mega talent, and also a great business person. She has not only helped us set up our Kickstarter, but has contributed art to the series. Next is Jason Bone, another friend who is not only a great inker but a great artist too! Phil Jimenez and Glen Hanson are also 2 well known talents who are going to contribute to the book. And then we have superstar artist Darwyn Cooke, who is doing the cover to the trade. I’m his biggest fan, and have been lucky enough to become his friend over the years. When he agreed to do the cover, we were over the moon!
This project also has strong ties to pin-up art, specifically Dan DeCarlo (which makes sense, since both you and Ruiz are Archie artists). What about pin-up art appeals to you?
We love pin up art, as well as fashion pages . And Dan DeCarlo is a huge inspiration to all of us. So if you see signs of dan DeCarlo in our work, that’s a good thing!
What can fans of yours expect from Die Kitty Die?
Fans can expect Die Kitty Die to be a fun mix of romance, adventure, horror and comedy. It’s an homage to the comic book industry , but we also think it fills in a gap that is missing in comics right now. And that is classic comics told with a modern twist, that focus on two important things: Good story and good art!
On an unrelated note: Kevin Keller’s comic is supposed to be relaunching (at last check). What can fans expect from the relaunch?
There is supposed to be new Kevin Keller book, but that has been delayed. I’m hoping to get the ball rolling in that again in 2016!
Die Kitty Die! artwork by Dan Parent (Facebook)
Here’s what happened this week and last week and maybe the week before that.
