Pixar delves into Dia de los Muertos: Finally! Pixar is shaking things up by addressing some world culture. According to CinemaBlend, Pixar is set on creating a film based around the popular Mexican holiday of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Hooray! The Hollywood Reporter also has a story on the upcoming film. 

Kevin Hart’s career: Slate has a very interesting article about Kevin Hart, titled, “He’s the most successful stand-up comic in America. Why isn’t he more famous?” The article addresses the race line in the comedy world, but it’s also about more than that. Check it out.

Kreayshawn on being white: Colorlines has an article about rapper Kreayshawn’s feeling about being a white rapper and the criticism around not noticing the concept called “white privilege.” The article quotes Clutch Magazine, which stated:

It’s ironic how the White girl mimicking Black culture has been viewed as quirky, cute, and interesting in the past. But sisters who fashionably rock bamboo earrings, gold nameplate necklaces, and blonde streaked weaves, will inevitably be considered “ghetto” by society. It’s equally problematic that every female emcee post Queen Latifah and MC Lyte who has had massive mainstream success all had to sell sex.

You can read about this article by clicking the link above.

Archie #632 preview: If you want to see some of Archie #632, the next part of the “Archie Marries Valerie” miniseries, click here to get to Newsarama’s preview page!

The rest of the articles don’t really need me to summarize them; the titles are rather straightforward. Again, all stories listed on this post have the opinions of their respective authors. Enjoy!

Woman creates Tourette’s superhero to heal and educate

Sequel Bits: ‘Black Dynamite 2’ Shoots Later This Year, According to Michael Jai White, Plus: ‘Smurfs 2’, ‘Underworld 5’, ‘Before Sunset’ Follow-Up

The Help Director Tate Taylor Up For The Jury

Why We Should Thank Linsanity for Making Pro Basketball Fun Again

‘Smash’ Taps ‘Gossip Girl’s’ Josh Safran as New Showrunner

Johnny Depp as Tonto: I’m still not feeling “honored”

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Johnny Depp with Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly. From Entertainment Tonight. 

We’ve got a lot of Notable Links this go-round. The top story this week is:

Johnny Depp as Tonto meets Navajo Nation: There have been some pictures that have come out recently which shows Depp with the Surgeon General of the Navajo Nation, Dr. Gayle Dine’Chacon as well as the President of the Navajo Nation, Ben Shelly. According to Perez Hilton, Shelly said:

“We are honored the movie The Lone Ranger is being filmed here on the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation has beautiful landscape and we are glad it is being shared through filmmaking.”

I was trying to get a first or second-hand account of the meeting, but alas, that didn’t work out. But, from what I’ve read on the internet in the various Facebook groups I’m a part of, quite a few people aren’t as offended as they thought they would be. Some aren’t offended at all. Of course, there are still some that are highly offended. I personally have abstained from talking about this particular issue except to say that your level of offense depends entirely upon you. I say that because some people might not be so offended because he is part Native American. But, at least from my point of view, that’s like saying some people might not be offended by me playing a Native American because I’m 1/8 Cherokee (allegedly). Granted, there are some historical ties between African-Americans and Native Americans, but seriously, would anyone believe I’m a full-blooded Native if I said I was playing a full-blooded Native? I think not. I’d personally feel uncomfortable playing a full-blooded Native. So I guess I did comment, anyway. Depp is trying to right by the Navajo Nation, and that’s more than some actors would try to do, so he has that going for him. You can read more about the film at these links:

Trying to wangle premiere tickets! Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer greet members of the Navajo Nation on The Lone Ranger set

Johnny Depp Meets Navajo Leaders as Tonto

Lone Ranger’ producer: Filming on rez a ‘privilege’

You can also read more about Depp’s makeup and crow headdress (which he based on a painting by Kirby Sattler) as well as more on the divide created by Depp playing Tonto here at Entertainment Weekly.

Archie genderbends: In another genius PR move, Archie is back in the headlines with a new “what if” storyline–what if Archie was a girl and Betty and Veronica were boys? The variant cover is great, which you can see right here:

Also, make sure to check out these links to learn more about the new storyline:

Riverdale’s Teens Get Gender-Swapped in ‘Archie’ #636

Archie Comics Doing Gender-Bending Storyline

Gender-Swap Archie

Jeremy Lin gets awarded: More positive Jeremy Lin news! Recently, Lin was not only named one of the 100 most influential people by Time Magazine, but he was also given the NBA Sportsmanship Award, an award, which, according to the press release, is “designed to honor a player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court [and] is voted on by NBA players.” Congrats, Lin!

KKK member turns into a Native American best-seller: This is one of the most bizarre stories I’ve heard in a while. According to Sky Valley Chronicle, Asa Earl Carter wrote the famous words for then-segregationist Alabama governor George Wallace, “In the name of the greatest people that have ever trod this earth I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny, and I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever!” Now, he has revinvented himself as a sage-like Native American writer, his book, The Education of Little Tree, became a best seller and was originally believed to be an authentic autobiography of a Native American orphan who battled racism. This guy has been involved in several crimes against southern blacks, and he created even more trouble by masking himself as a Native American.  Carter’s dead now, but his life still has an impact on American society. Read this crazy story by clicking on the link above.

Other links includes Oprah visiting India’s slums, Indian inter-faith marriages, The New York Indian Film Festival, Archie Comics’ legal problems, a possible solution for America’s ailing public school system and more. Enjoy.

P.S., since I forgot to mention it, I hope people saw the Hallmark tv film Firelight, which stars Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Q’orianka Kilcher. Here’s a picture from the premiere:

Oprah Surprised as She Visits Slums in India

Indian Laws, Culture Boost Inter-Faith Marriages

The Battle for a Comic Empire That Archie Built

Native Storytelling Morphs Into Science Fiction

Ruel wants more natives on TV 

Rych McCain Hollywood Notes (website that focuses on African-American actresses)

What if Schools Weren’t Schools Anymore?

New York Indian Film Festival

Cowboys & Indians Features Nike N7

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Credit: Archie Comics

Archie comic book issues now available in the Moniqueblog Amazon Store!

I’ve already had a post about the first three issues of this new chapter in the Archie/Valerie saga, and I’ve just found out about the fourth installment, Archie #634, Archie Marries Valerie, Part 4: Here and Now! I think the cover (seen above) is one of the best Dan Parent has done, and the story seems very intriguing, if a bit scary:

In the conclusion, Valerie finds herself at Memory Lane peering into her and Archie’s future together. A star is born, literally, as their daughter Star enters the world and inherits her parents’ talent for music, bringing massive amounts of attention on the tiny prodigy! However, this isn’t the only possible future marriage Valerie gets a glimpse at, as it seems Archie can get any girl he wants! See what a variety of paths would bring as a multitude of Archie weddings are explored here in these pages!

What does this mean? Does Valerie find out about the multiple worlds? Does anything she finds out changes how she feels about Archie? Will Archie alter his own future by choosing Valerie in the present, thus making the other futures null and void (even though they’ll technically still exist)? Will Archie Comics finally take the big leap and make Archie/Valerie official canon? (I would hope so–I like continuity). By the same token, will they make Trev/Betty official canon? (Again, I hope so.) I hope all will be answered in this thrilling conclusion. I need for my questions to be answered in this conclusion!

This issue is set to be available June 27, so keep a look out!

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Credit: Archie Comics

Archie comic book issues now available in the Moniqueblog Amazon Store!

EDIT (4/29): I’ve since found the book; my opinion below still stands.

—————————–

Yesterday in my Kevin Keller review, I wrote that I haven’t been able to read all of Archie #631 because it sold out of one of the bookstores in my area. Now, I can say that I’ve read most of the issue–Moniqueblog reader Tulita graciously sent me some scans of Archie #631, and I’ve also saved the preview pages found on Comic Book Resources, so if you’re in the same boat as me, you can now read most of the book by clicking through the gallery below the post. After reading the pages, you can come back and read my mini-review, which starts…now!

Overall, my opinion on the story is that it’s highly entertaining. One thing that’s really “interesting” is how misogynist Archie continues to be. Why does he feel he has to protect Betty from his girlfriend’s brother, who seems to be an upstanding guy? He’s insulting Trev and Valerie just a little. Also, why does he feel the need to call Betty “his girl” in front of Valerie? Doesn’t he know he’s in a committed relationship? Apparently, he was still under the false assumption that Valerie was the type of girl who didn’t mind the drama Archie was used to in relationships (i.e., running after both Veronica and Betty), and decided to take a break from Archie until he decided to shape up, or, should I say, man up.

Thankfully, he came to his senses and realized that he shouldn’t really care about Betty or Veronica’s love lives because he’s in a committed relationship with Valerie. It’s nice to see Archie come to his senses about relationships and see that he only needs one girl–Valerie.

As for the storyline with Betty and Valerie’s brother Trev, it seems intriguing. I wish I had the comic book with me so I could fully see how that relationship got started, but it seems like Trev wants to treat Betty right (unlike Archie) and I could see this being a long-term relationship. Hopefully, it becomes official canon in other Archie comic book lines.

Tulita also pointed out how even though this issue was written way in advance of the murder of Treyvon Martin,  Trev is wearing a hoodie, which his eerily timely. A few months ago, a hoodie wouldn’t mean anything, but this article of clothing has now become a symbol of the oppression of black men–being thought of as suspicious before they even do anything wrong. The fact that Trev is wearing a hoodie, coupled with Betty being his girlfriend, brings home a poignant and multi-layered message; that black men aren’t automatically threatening. One shouldn’t be automatically afraid of a black man to date one, much less to hurt one walking down the street. Basically, the one image of Trev (with his hoodie) and Betty together portrays the acceptance that we should aspire to have in real life. This can’t just exist in a fictional place like Riverdale.

Also, Tulita mentioned how Archie, Betty, Veronica and the gang get to explore relationships whereas Kevin is being billed as a person who focuses on his studies. To quote her:

“This may be me taking things way too seriously, but I made a face over this passage in the introduction to the great hard-bound KK [Kevin Keller] book (italics are mine):

‘Riverdale has always been a place where readers could live vicariously through the characters. With that said, dating will be a whole new world for Kevin. As far as gay romance being different or controversial, most people will want to see Kevin advance in the romance department. But for now, Kevin’s focus will be on his friends, family and most importantly, his education. He has a bright future in Riverdale and the best is yet to come!’”

What?! I’m hoping that we get to see as much of Kevin’s relationships as we do Archie’s relationships! I mean, hasn’t Kevin been out ever since middle school? Even if he hasn’t had a boyfriend yet,  he’s surely had crushes at the very least. Can we at least get to see some of his crushes since we get to see every crush Archie’s ever had?! I mean, the audience who doesn’t like Kevin have already been alienated anyway and aren’t reading about Kevin Keller; the audience that remains (which is the vast majority of Archie readers) are very eager to see Kevin’s life get a move on in the love department. In short–don’t cater to the people who aren’t reading; cater to the ones who are.

Okay. I think I’m done now. Once I get the full book in my hands (which is going to be very soon!), I’ll have my official review.

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Kevin Keller #2 and other Kevin Keller books available in the Moniqueblog Amazon Store

Synopsis (Archie Comics): Kevin Keller in “May I Have This Dance?” - As newly appointed class president, Kevin is in charge of selecting the theme for Riverdale High’s prom. That’s easy compared to the decision of who Kevin will take to the dance! And if things weren’t complicated enough, Kevin has a secret admirer hoping to be Kevin’s date…

Script: Dan Parent
Art & Cover: Dan Parent
Variant Cover: Dan Parent
Shipping Date: 3/28
On Sale at Comic Specialty Shops: 4/11
32-page, full color comic
$2.99 US.

My thoughts: Another solid edition of the life of Kevin. I will say that the story wasn’t what I expected, though.

What I expected was a story about Kevin finally getting the date of his dreams, seeing how he’s a klutz at dating. I thought that finally, with prom being the night where things usually go wrong, everything would go right for Kevin and his date. However, we were treated a very different prom story–the undercurrent of this story was Kevin finding out he has a secret admirer who asks him through locker notes if he will go to the prom with him.

I hoped that, after seeing this new development, we’d see Kevin pick up his mystery date (the date possibly being someone we know), go to the prom, and have a good time. However, we see Kevin get stood up, something I feel weird about.

On the one hand, it’s nice that there’s a little bit of realism here–the mystery guy probably is moving too fast to go from “in the closet” to virtually bursting out of nowhere at the prom with a date. In that respect, I get why Kevin understood his mystery guy’s predicament. I also understand that in a work that features a gay character, one can’t expect to see said character with a date all of the time. However, I feel that we should have gotten to see Kevin be with a guy for once. I know in the first issue, we saw a little bit of Kev’s date to the movie festival, but he was at the end of the issue. Again in this issue, we see someone at the end of the issue instead of having Kevin in some sort of relationship through at least a third of the book (it doesn’t have to be a full-fledged boyfriend relationship or anything). We see Archie deal with girls all of the time. Even the first issues of Archie had it established that Archie loves the ladies. Kev doesn’t have to be boy-crazy, but could we at least see him interested in someone? A crush, even? He’s been at Riverdale High for months now!

It’s well established that Kevin’s a confident, all-American boy–all I’d like to see now is Kevin not dip his toes into the “I’m gay but can’t date anyone” stereotype, something a lot of people are afraid of happening with a character like Kevin.

However, I feel like I’m jumping the gun here–I bet all of my fears will be alleviated by the time Issue #3 comes out.

And hold up–WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT EX-BULLY/NEW FRIEND OF KEVIN’S? I thought out of all people, he’d be the one that would write notes to Kevin wanting his help with the “coming out” process. Everything added up with that guy–bullying a gay teen, growing up to regret it (and possibly regretting while he was bullying), having a huge fight with his parents and moving in with Kevin for a time, etc. What could have set his parents off so badly? Could there have been something other than maturity fueling the bully’s regret? I need questions answered.

Anyway, overall, it was a good, solid issue in this new comic book series. I’m eager to find out what happens.

By the way, I’ve been trying to find the Archie/Valerie issues, but they were sold out of the bookstore I went to. I’ll have to go to some more bookstores eventually or wait until the issues are bound in a hardback version. Hang tight.

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Cast of  The Shahs of Sunset. Credit: Bravo

There’s a lot to go over this week (as with every week, it would seem–so much happens in such a short time span!) Let’s get started with the Notable Links headlines:

Shahs of Sunset upsets Iranian-Americans: Remember my last Notable Links, which had a headlining section on Shahs of Sunset? Well, since the premiere, the show has been angering Iranian-Americans. Below are some links to why the show is seen by some as offensive.  My two cents:  I’m afraid that when I wrote my little blurb on the show last time that it could be construed as me saying that the show is highly educational simply because the show automatically features some  (NOT ALL) aspects of Persian culture due to the cast. If anyone out there thinks I’m touting the show as some sort of serious documentary, that’s not at all what I meant. It’s easy for a reality show to capitalize on stereotypes. That’s what really fuels most reality shows (i.e. Jersey Shore, another show that has made a community–Italian-Americans–angry). I will say that while Shahs might be shallow, the show still does something that’s really interesting, which is include an openly-gay Iranian-American, and that is still a positive, even among the materialism. My point is after saying all of this is: I understand the frustration, and if it’s offensive to people, then it is what it is. I get frustrated with tons of what’s on television about black people (more on that after this) and I would hope most of America would know that all of Iranian-America isn’t represented in Shahs of Sunset, just like I would hope that most of America would know that some representations of black women don’t represent all black women in America. But some people are…extremely naive, we’ll say. Anyway–rant=done.

‘Shahs of Sunset’ stirs concerns among Iranian Americans

IRANIAN ORG.–’Shahs of Sunset’ Could Be GREAT for Persians

Why ‘Shahs Of Sunset’ Goes Way Too Far

How come black America doesn’t complain over reality show stereotypes?: Clutch Magazine has an article on why black people haven’t protested negative portrayals of black people, specifically black women, on television. The writer of the article referenced the same episode of The Wendy Williams Show I watched this week when she brought up the outrage over Shahs and said that the last time black people have gotten mad about a show was the 1998 sitcom The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer. It is very frustrating to see ANY woman, let alone a black one, yelling and hollering and acting stupid on television. It’s very destructive in a certain way, especially when I know some people are probably surprised by how I act because there are some people who don’t think black women are quiet, thoughtful, or even sensible (Here’s a cold fact–most of us are). However, on the other hand, stereotypes sell. Not saying it’s good that stereotypes sell, of course (just like it’s not good Persian stereotypes sell). But, to play the devil’s advocate, it’s bad to see ANY woman acting like disgusting on television. The Bad Girls Club is a perfect example. No matter what race the woman is, they don’t have to act tasteless–and, quite frankly, ugly–on television.

Jeremy Lin meets fired ESPN editor: First, thanks, Jeremy Lin, for getting me back into basketball, something I’d taken a break from due to bigshot/materialistic viewpoint so many basketball players have. With a lot of players only in it for themselves instead of for the love of the game, it’s nice to see Lin, a guy who seems like one of the nicest people on the planet, get recognition. Why do I say he’s one of the nicest people? Well, aside from the types of answers he gives in interviews and the way he conducts himself, he recently met with the disgraced editor of ESPN to have lunch. Talk about showing humanity!

Treyvon Martin: I’ve been keeping up with this story as much as I can–to be honest, I have to keep a fair distance from this at times because the whole story makes me depressed, as it’s making most people. But I did read three articles concerning the case. One is intellectual, the other about a stupid tweet that created a huge mess.

An Asian American’s Thoughts On The Killing Of Trayvon Martin

Spike Lee Apologizes for Retweeting Incorrect Address of Trayvon Martin’s Killer

More than 400 attend Birmingham vigil for slain Florida 17-year-old Trayvon Martin

Autism has its upside: The funny thing is that this bit of news is not news to me. If you’ve read my Sherlock analysis on Asperger’s and The Highly Sensitive Person, then you probably got a whiff of my idea that I don’t really think autism is really just a bad thing. Yes, there are bad symptoms, but, as this article states, the bad symptoms are simply a tradeoff for the good talents people with autism have. I especially like how the writer makes a point of saying that scientists are beginning to view autism as simply another way to see the world, which is what I’ve already come to the conclusion of. Click the link to find out what some of the good qualities of autism are.

The rest of the articles are about the usage of hip-hop in the Arab revolts, a free Tribe Called Red album download, Archie Comics, a documentary about “the female Jeremy Lin,” racists lambasting Amandla Stenberg and Lenny Kravitz (personal note–how terrible is that? Also, thanks to my cousin for pointing out this story to me), movie news,  Alabama immigration law news and more. In fact, a lot of these articles deal with black woman/Asian man relationships. It surely wasn’t intentional–I just happened to get on a Google search kick about this type of interracial pairing, so if you are in a BWAM relationship or are interested in this type of relationship in general, then maybe some of these links are for you. I suppose I could try and do this for a lot of interracial pairings on Notable Links–I don’t want to be unfair to any other interracial relationship.

By the way, some “Blasian” films are in the Moniqueblog Amazon store: make sure to check it out and if you buy something from the store, you’ll be supporting the site!

Hip-Hop And The Arab Revolts: From ‘#JAN25′ To ‘#Syria’

The Female Jeremy Lin?

Badass Featurette For Skyfall Featuring Naomi Harris

Arctic Air reaches 15-year ratings high

‘Hunger Games’ Stars Lenny Kravitz, Amandla Stenberg Slammed in Racist Tweets

blackwomenasianmen.tumblr.com

Psychology Today’s Ugly Black Women, Asian Guys & Jungle Fever Time!

‘The Lone Ranger’: Johnny Depp Works With ‘Pirates’ Designer Penny Rose For Tonto Costume

Free download of A Tribe Called Red album

Black Women Asian Men United

‘Asian Hitch’ Says Black Women, Asian Men Make Beautiful Couples

Black women making a difference via blogging: For Brown Girls’ Karyn Washington

YouTube page for Native film Winter In the Blood

Archie Comics tackles race, sexuality and more

‘Dolphin Tale’ Star Nathan Gamble Joins NBC’s ‘The Frontier’ Pilot (Exclusive) (project also stars Native actor Chaske Spencer)

Republicans say Alabama immigration law rewrite will make it more ‘workable’

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Marisol Nichols as Heather Cruz in GCB. Credit: ABC

CGB: I watched the season premiere of ABC’s GCB, and I think it’s got a lot of guilty pleasure potential if only the mean girls were ramped up and given some kind of weight behind their characters (perhaps the controversy concerning Kristen Chenoweth’s character will provide that; read on to see what that is). As it stands, I was curious how the Latino community would feel about the show, seeing how we have two different Latina characters in the show–the real estate agent Heather Cruz (Marisol Nichols) and Gigi Stopper’s (Annie Potts) Latina maid. There’s also been a recent outcry by some Christians about the show due to Kristen Chenoweth’s character Charlene Cockburn being married to a gay man and still being a devout Christian. Also, do you find “screechy” southern stereotypes annoying and offensive? Personally, being from the south, I actually don’t care that much when it comes to some stereotypes–the stereotypes in GCB are borderline stereotypes and borderline satire on how some southern Christian women (white and black!) actually act. Here are some links which explains more about all of these aspects of the show, and then some.

• EXCLUSIVE: Marisol Nichols on ‘GCB’ – “It’s Just Pure, Delicious, Guilty-Pleasure Television”
• Kristin Chenoweth Defends ‘GCB”s Gay Character, Talks Being LGBT Rights Advocate And Christian
• ‘GCB’ Review: Screechy Texas Stereotypes Are So Much Fun!

Eight Must-See Native Films: Nativetelecom.org has a cool pdf on some great Native films. If you’re interested in seeing something you might not get to see at your movie theater, find these films and give them a shot.

Viola Davis as Congresswoman Barbara Jordan: Pretty much everyone I know was bummed about Viola Davis not winning the Oscar for The Help. It would seem that most of America was stunned as well, from what I saw on websites, Twitter and Facebook. So if you want to see Davis finally win the award that’s eluded her for way too long, look forward to what could be her next role: playing history-making congresswoman Barbara Jordan, the first black congresswoman elected to the Texas Senate in 1966 and the first black congresswoman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972. CinemaBlend has the scoop.

The other articles listed include opinions on racism (which includes a possible pill for racism!), Archie Comics introducing Cheryl Blossom’s battle with cancer in Life with Archie, casting news, more news about Casa de mi Padre and more.

‘Casa de mi Padre’ with Will Ferrell: Wrangling the Hispanic Movie Audience

In The Race To Cry Racism, Neither The Chinese Or African Americans Are Innocent

Two-Week Grace Period Up – ABC-TV Protest Resumes March 8th, 2012

Idris Elba, Taraji P. Henson to Star in Screen Gems’ ‘No Good Deed’

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS spotlights Archie’s topical storytelling: Kevin Keller’s wedding and Cheryl’s bout with cancer

Forest Whitaker And David Oyelowo Join Lee Daniels’ The Butler, Oprah In Talks

Kirk Cameron Responds To Criticism For Homosexual Remarks Made In Piers Morgan Interview

George Takei And Stephen Baldwin Debate Kirk Cameron’s Controversial Remarks On Homosexuality (VIDEO)

Chock-Full of Fail and Then Some

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Dwayne Johnson headshot at the  Tribeca Film Festival, April 25, 2009. Credit: David Shankbone (Creative Commons/Wikipedia)

First, I have to say that with all of the links posted, I do not endorse their opinions, whether I agree with them or not. I’m simply providing you with some opinions that are out there. To start this off, let’s talk about three of the highlighted links for this week:

Sammy Davis Jr.’s daughter weighs in on Billy Crystal’s impersonation: The entertainer’s daughter has said that she didn’t see anything wrong with the tribute to her father and thinks he’d be having a laugh about Crystal’s impersonation. She also states that her father loved Crystal’s impersonation the first time around.

America’s Next Top Model and Native stereotypes: A large portion of Native Americans are a little miffed by the producers deciding that Mariah Watchman should dress up in stereotypical “Native American” garb in order to portray Pocahontas.  Click here and here to read more about the issues.

Dwayne Johnson to play Hercules: Collider has the scoop on the next film Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is in talks to star in. He’s not Greek, but he might be playing Hercules.

Below are other links about casting news, TV/Film news, and some Archie Comics news. Enjoy.

Michael Bay Casts An Israeli Supermodel To Play The Female Lead In Pain And Gain

You Offend Me You Offend My Family’s analysis of Asian stereotypes in Two Broke Girls  (Warning: The site, which analyzes how Asian America is viewed through American entertainment,  is run by an Asian American who occasionally uses Asian slur words in a humorous way. If you are familiar with “You Offend Me You Offend My Family,” you’ll know what the site’s about, but if you’re not, now you know.)

Hi-Yo Action! Johnny Depp’s Lone Ranger Finally Starts Shooting

Is Hollywood ‘whitewashing’ Asian roles?

‘NCIS’: Which Agent Came Out As Gay? (VIDEO)

One Million Moms Threatens Toys ‘R’ Us With Boycott Over Archie Comics’ Gay Wedding Issue

CBC Live on the set with cast of Arctic Air

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Jeremy Lin, superstar. Credit: nikk_la (Flickr Creative Commons)

There has been a lot of stuff going on this week. I’ll highlight three of the things that’s going on this week’s list:

Jeremy Lin: I tried to be unbiased about this, but I’m just going to come out and say it–I’m a Lin fan. I think practically everybody is at this point, but I am a BIG fan. The guy can play, and I can’t wait to see how he’ll grow as a player–he’s already amazing now; just think how amazing he’ll be when he’s gotten some serious mileage under his belt!

ESPN, particularly ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, talks about how race and Linsanity have run together. Smith basically schools everyone on how society has turned hard and hypocritical when it comes to teaching each other about what each community finds offensive. Check out the video here.

Also, The Plaid-Bag Connection has a post on just how closely related the African-American and Asian communities are. We do a lot more together than you think. Check it out here. (This post is a reaction to the Jenny Hyun saga; if you don’t know about it, read it here).

Alabama immigration issues: Alabama is still having a tough time with the immigration law. Thankfully, my city, Birmingham, is against the law and hasn’t driven people out of the city due to our history with civil rights. However, other places in my state aren’t being as friendly. Isthisalabama.org questions the law and if this law truly represents Alabama. Click here to see the site.

No diversity in Oscar votes: People wonder why the same movies seem to get the Oscar nods and awards. The reason is because there is no to little diversity in the Oscar voting pool. The LA Times and CinemaBlend have articles about the lack of diversity in Oscar voting and how this affects the Oscars, including what (and who) gets chosen to win.

Make sure to check out the rest of the links below, which includes more Jeremy Lin news, casting and general TV/movie news, Native American comedy news, Archie Comics and general comics news, as well as some news about rap and homophobia. Enjoy!

Ender’s Game Adds Nonso Anozie, Stevie Ray Dallimore And Andrea Powell

Jeremy Lin Applies for Trademark on Linsanity

Singer/Actress Keshia Chante Offers Update On ‘Aaliyah’ Movie

Goin’ Native the American Indian Comedy Slam

John Leguizamo, Anthony LaPaglia cast in ABC pilots

In His Own Words: Andrew Okpeaha MacLean Shares a Scene from ‘On the Ice’

Video Interviews: The Rock And His G.I. Joe: Retaliation Co-Stars

Ojibwe Writer Celebrates The Beauty Of ‘Rez Life’

Archie Comics Makes Major Digital Move: An Interview With the CEO

Obama as Superman: Action Comics #9 and Alex Ross

The Occupy Movement Comes to Riverdale!

Erick Sermon, Gay Rappers: People Will ‘Kill You’ if Openly Gay in Rap

Jeremy Lin: His Impact On Changing The Perception Of The Asian American Male

Lost’s Harold Perrineau Joins Kathryn Bigelow’s Hunt For Osama Bin Laden

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Credit: Archie Comics

Synopsis: Archie and his band, The Archies, go on a tour with Josie and the Pussycats. During the tour, Valerie and Archie develop a relationship no one saw coming, especially Betty and Veronica.  Meanwhile, the Pussycats’ manager, Alexander, devises ways to keep The Archies from getting their cut of the tour money.

My thoughts: I remember giving the first part of The Archies & Josie and the Pussycats a bad review. When I reread what I wrote, I started wondering if I was somehow being unfair to the miniseries since that was only the first part. I still don’t have an answer for that, but I can say that the first issue flows better once you have the entire series in front of you to read.

I’ll still say that the relationship is kinda set up a little fast for me. Why does Valerie even like Archie? And why does Archie like Valerie, aside from the fact that she’s a girl? To me, Archie has way less to give to the relationship than Valerie–he’s still a high school student, she’s had a high-profile career for years, she’s probably older than him, considering we’ve never really seen the Pussycats in school all that much, and Archie has a bad reputation with women, seeing how he’s currently dating two and has flings on the side. To top all of it off, the Pussycats are way better than The Archies. They are way more famous, and if we’re going by the songs released from the 1960s animated Archie show and the early 1970s Josie and the Pussycats animated show, Josie and the Pussycats win hands down. 

However, I’m probably projecting my own thoughts and beliefs onto Valerie. Just because I would never date someone like Archie doesn’t mean Archie’s a bad guy or that Valerie can’t see some redeeming qualities in him. As it stands, they’re together, and it appears they somehow have a stronger relationship than any relationship Archie had with Veronica or Betty. I suppose I can chalk it up to love at first sight. That does exist in the cases of many real-life relationships, so why not use it for this one?

Overall, I really like the series. It’s entertaining for one, but it also provides a much-needed service in the world of Archie Comics–interracial relationships. Archie Comics has been doing this experimentation lately and in the past with Cheryl Blossom, the latest Life with Archie concerning Kevin’s wedding, and even during the early-mid ’90s which saw  Reggie and even Jughead dating minority girls. However, it’s been few and far between, and, for the most part, the ideology that Archie can only date white girls has been preserved. Until now, that is. Now, everything has been shaken up.

Similar to the Kevin comics, I like how the storyline doesn’t particularly draw attention to the “differences,” as it were. We know Kevin’s gay, and even though it’s mentioned sometimes, we don’t always have storylines about Kevin’s sexuality. Similarly, we know Valerie’s black and Archie’s finally dating outside of the race, but our attention doesn’t get called to those socio-political aspects. Instead, all we’re called on to look at is the relationship as a new development in the Archie universe and how jealous it makes Veronica. Keep in mind that the scripts for both Kevin Keller and this series were written by the same person, Dan Parent. He’s becoming the mastermind behind Archie Comics, and with good reason, since it’s due to a lot of his ideas that Archie Comics is waking up to the 21st century.

In a nutshell, the miniseries is entertaining, exciting and a message to kids that anyone can like anybody else, regardless of race and culture. And, if you’re eager to know more about what happens between Valerie and Archie, there will be another set of comics coming out this year that will show us an engagement, a wedding, and a baby. Wow. This is going to be crazy.

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