Adidas Wilson's Blog, page 116
July 14, 2017
How ‘Black Panther’ deals with the issue of ‘Man-Ape’
M’Baku is trouble for Black Panther.
He’s the ruler of the Wakanda’s mountain tribe and has serious issues with how T’Challa is fulfilling his role as the nation’s new king.
But M’Baku was also a potential problem for Black Panther the movie.
That’s because the comic-book version of this villain, who first appeared in Avengers #62 in March 1969, encased himself in white fur and attacked the hero under the moniker “Man-Ape.”
Rather than abandon one of Black Panther’s most famous antagonists, Marvel Studios decided to rescue M’Baku. The character is a hard-bitten, ruthless warrior, but as played by actor Winston Duke (Person of Interest) he also has dignity and strength. Not that this makes him a nice guy.
And in a fictional culture where leaders take on the symbols of native animals (like the panther), his tribe’s affinity for the gorilla is regarded as something noble — not cringeworthy.
Still, the filmmakers felt that “Man-Ape” would never be an easy name for newcomers to accept.
“We don’t call him Man-Ape,” executive producer Nate Moore told EW during our set visit. “We do call him M’Baku.”
The problem was self-evident. “Having a black character dress up as an ape, I think there’s a lot of racial implications that don’t sit well, if done wrong,” said Moore. “But the idea that they worship the gorilla gods is interesting because it’s a movie about the Black Panther who, himself, is a sort of deity in his own right.”
So he’s still adorned with elements of fur on his arms and legs and sports a chest-plate that hints at the animal that is symbolic of his tribe. But he doesn’t wear the full gorilla mask that, in the comics, often made him literally look like that creature.
Director Ryan Coogler and his co-writer Joe Robert Cole (American Crime Story) borrowed some inspiration for the character from Marvel scribe Christopher Priest, who had an acclaimed 1998-2003 run on the Black Panther series.
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“You learn that M’Baku is essentially the head of the religious minority in Wakanda and we thought that was interesting,” Moore said. “Wakanda is not a monolithic place. They have a lot of different factions.”
In Priest’s story line, M’Baku was enraged that his White Gorilla cult was outlawed, leading to a clash with the Panther. The character’s exact role in the film is still being kept under wraps, but the filmmakers confirm that M’Baku and his Jabari tribe are, once again, not happy with the young, new ruler (played by Chadwick Boseman).
“A lot of the writers who did some of the most interesting work around the character, they treated Wakanda like a truly African country,” Coogler said. “When you go to countries in Africa, you’ll find several tribes, who speak their own languages, have their own culture, and have distinct food and way of dress. They live amongst each other, and together they make the identity of those countries. That’s something we tried to capture. We wanted it to feel like a country, as opposed to just one city or town.”
M’Baku has a grievance with T’Challa, but he and his followers were equally unsettled by the previous king, T’Challa’s father T’Chaka — who was assassinated in Captain America: Civil War after trying to engage with the world beyond the closed-off, technological paradise of Wakanda.
“In M’Baku’s worldview, T’Chaka made a huge mistake going to the U.N.,” Moore says. “‘We should never engage with the outside world. That’s a terrible mistake. And if his son is anything like his father, I don’t support him being on the throne.’”
He has a better suggestion for king: himself. “Politically, he just has different ideology,” says Moore, who compares the mountain tribe to one of the deadly rival “five families” in The Godfather. “Man-Ape is a problematic character for a lot of reasons, but the idea behind Man-Ape we thought was really fascinating. … It’s a line I think we’re walking, and hopefully walking successfully.”
In addition to the portrait above, we’ve seen only a brief glimpse of Duke as M’Baku in the trailer, holding someone aloft in what looks like a merciless but powerful gesture. (It’s not clear who the captive is, but his garb is similar to the Border Tribe, which protects the secrets of Wakanda from the outside world.)
“In this movie, it’s a little tricky to define who’s a [good guy],” Coogler says. “The film very much plays with those concepts, looking at conflicts and different motivations, and who’s with who. M’Baku is a really interesting character, and I’m excited for people to get to see him.”
Black Panther opens Feb. 16.
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How ‘Black Panther’ deals with the issue of ‘Man-Ape’
Airbnb host hit with $5,000 fine for canceling on an Asian guest over her race
An Airbnb host who canceled a woman’s reservation because of her race has agreed to pay $5,000 in damages and take a course in Asian American studies, a state regulatory agency announced Thursday.
The host, Tami Barker, told the woman who reserved her Big Bear cabin for a ski vacation in February that she would not rent to an Asian, justifying the action by adding in a text message, “It’s why we have Trump,” referring to President Trump.
The woman, Dyne Suh, a UCLA law student, said she was driving in a snowstorm to the Big Bear cabin when she received the text messages via the Airbnb mobile app. A tearful Suh, standing in the snow, shot a video posted on YouTube, describing her exchange with Barker.
“I’ve been here since I was 3 years old,” she said in the video. “America is my home. I consider myself an American. But this woman discriminates against me because I’m Asian.”
In the video, Suh shows screen shots of the exchange, including a message from Barker saying, “It’s is why we have Trump” and, “I will not allow this country to be told what to do by foreigners.”
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Under an agreement reached after an investigation by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, Barker agreed to pay Suh $5,000 in damages, issue her an apology and attend a college-level course on Asian American studies, among other penalties.
The minimum penalty under California’s civil rights laws prohibiting discrimination in places of public accommodation is $4,000 for each offense, the agency said.
An attorney representing Barker, Edward Lee, released the following statement on her behalf:
“While regretful for her impetuous actions and comments made on the evening of Feb. 17, 2017, Miss Barker is pleased to have resolved her claims with Miss Dyne Suh and the DFEH in a manner that can hopefully bring a positive outcome out of an unfortunate incident.”
The incident represents the first time the agency levied a financial penalty against an Airbnb host for discrimination, but it wasn’t the first time the agency has investigated Airbnb.
Kevin Kish, the director of the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, said the monetary damages imposed in the case are typical of the penalties the agency has imposed for violations in the past involving hotel rooms, apartments and condo rentals.
He said he hopes the Barker case sends the message that discrimination won’t be tolerated among shared economy hosts just as it is not in traditional businesses.
“We know that this happens and the message is it should not,” Kish said.
The agreement comes three months after Airbnb and the state agency agreed to cooperate on fair housing tests to uncover discrimination among Airbnb hosts. The tests involved the use of state regulators posing as Airbnb guests who will try to make reservations to see if the hosts comply with fair housing laws.
In April, Airbnb spokesman Nick Papas said that Barker’s behavior was “abhorrent and unacceptable.” Barker was banned from Airbnb after the incident became public.
Airbnb has been dogged by accusations that hosts on the home-sharing platform have discriminated against guests based on their race.
Source:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-airbnb-discrimination-20170713-story.html
July 13, 2017
Netflix is rapidly taking over the Emmys
This year’s Emmy nominations are out, and one thing is abundantly clear: Netflix is now an entertainment powerhouse, close on the heels of HBO. The company nabbed a record 93 nominations for its original streaming content, nearly double what it earned last year, and just 17 shy of HBO’s eye-popping 110. While House of Cards has arguably overstayed its welcome on the awards show circuit, Netflix has nonetheless used that program and many others — including The Crown, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Master of None — to climb the nomination ranks.
Back in 2016, Netflix came in third in overall nominations behind FX, which earned its recognition largely on the strength of Fargo. The year before, Netflix hung out at the bottom of the nominee list, behind Fox, FX, NBC, CBS, and ABC.
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It’s worth noting that HBO’s The Leftovers received only one nomination this year, for Ann Dowd’s guest appearance on The Leftovers as cult leader Patti Levine. Meanwhile, Game of Thrones, because of its delayed season 7 premiere, was completely off this year’s ticket. Still, Netflix’s ability to so consistently churn out quality television across a vast number of categories suggests the company’s experimental approach is paying off, along with its track record of bringing in creators with strong individual visions. (The company notably moves promptly to shutter shows that don’t perform well with viewers.)
Netflix’s gradual gain in industry awards has been a steady trend, as the company has aggressively amped up its original production output and gunned for more traditional recognition at annual awards shows. It’s also a telling data point for the rise of streaming services. This is the first year Netflix and Hulu outnumber cable broadcasters in the coveted Outstanding Drama Series. Although HBO’s Westworld and NBC’s Saturday Night Live, which tied for 22 total nominations, cemented traditional TV’s dominance at the top of the chart, it’s becoming increasingly likely streaming services will start to lead the pack.
Source:
https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/13/15966802/netflix-hbo-emmy-awards-nominations-streaming-vs-cable
Google Play Music’s New Release Radio is available for all users
Google has officially announced New Release Radio, a station on Google Play Music that provides users with a daily selection of new songs they may like based on their listening history. The feature has actually been out in the wild for almost a month now, but originally it was positioned as an exclusive for Samsung users (though neither Google nor Samsung made an official announcement).
Now, Google is saying that it was “gathering feedback” from Samsung users before officially rolling it out to everyone — but the screenshots we saw from users on Reddit last month clearly called it a “Samsung exclusive” feature. Oddly enough, Reddit also quickly discovered a workaround for people who didn’t have Samsung phones to try the station — I got it working on my iPhone with no fuss.
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It’s still not clear whether or not this was always the plan or if Google and Samsung changed course after the confusing rollout of New Release Radio in June — we’ve reached out to Google and will update this post with anything we learn.
Regardless of the back-and-forth here, we’re glad to see New Release Radio available for all Google Play Music users. It’s a smart addition to the service that matches up with some new music discovery features Spotify and Apple Music have offered for a while — and it would have been a shame if only Samsung owners could use it. The jury is still out on whether New Release Radio is as good as Discovery Weekly, but pretty much anyone using Google Play Music should enjoy giving this new station a spin.
Source:
https://www.engadget.com/2017/07/13/google-play-music-new-release-radio-available-for-all/
Apple is still selling very old and expensive computers – these are the ones you shouldn’t buy
Apple is still selling you computers with 2013 specs for 2017 price tags.
While these computers will work fine, they have outdated specs that don’t warrant their high price tags. You should steer your wallet well clear of them.
I’ve listed the Apple computers you shouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole, and added suggestions of computers you should consider instead.
Some of these computers are part of Apple’s recent back-to-school promotion, where you can get a free pair of $300 Beats Solo3 Wireless headphones. Yet, even with the free pair of headphones, some computers aren’t worth your time or money.
Check them out:
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MacBook Air
Apple
Apple recently refreshed the MacBook Air in June 2017, but the refresh was minimal and it’s still not a great deal.
For $1,000, the MacBook Air display is old and dreary compared to the $1,200 MacBook Pro with Apple’s gorgeous Retina display. More specifically, the MacBook Air’s display has a 900p resolution, which is positively blurry by today’s standards. The MacBook Pro’s Retina display, on the other hand, has a 1600p resolution display that’s far sharper, and it has vastly superior color output.
The MacBook Air’s refresh included an updated processor, but that processor is from Intel’s 5th generation chip line from 2015. The problem here is that Intel is on its 7th generation of processors right now, which you’ll find in the latest MacBook Pro. Intel’s 5th generation of processor is very good, but it’s still relatively old by tech standards, and thus not very future-proof.
What you should buy instead of the MacBook Air.
Apple
Overall, you’re much better off spending the extra $200 on the base model of the MacBook Pro than you are buying a MacBook Air. The new MacBook Pros are almost as light as the MacBook Air, and they’re actually thinner at both computers’ thickest points.
If you want something even lighter and slimmer than than the MacBook Pro, you could go for the MacBook. They’re a little more expensive-per-performance than the MacBook Pros, but they are beautiful and incredibly light and slim.
Mac Mini
Apple
The Mac Mini costs between $500 and $1,000, depending on the specs, and it was last refreshed way back in 2014.
All Mac Mini models run on Intel’s 4th generation processors, which you won’t find on any new computers for the same price.
For example, let’s take the $500 base Mac Mini with a 4th-generation Core i5 processor, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and 500GB of storage, and compare it to a $500 Dell Inspiron. The Dell has a faster 7th-generation Core i5 processor, 8GB of the latest and faster DDR4 RAM, and one terabyte (1,000GB) of storage. The Mac Mini is a poor deal in comparison.
What you should buy instead of the Mac Mini
Apple
If you really want a desktop computer that stays on a desk, go for the iMac. They start at $1,100, and they’re a much, much better deal than any Mac Mini. They also come with a gorgeous 4K display.
Otherwise, if you already have a monitor you like to use, you could go for a MacBook Pro and hook it up to your monitor.
Alternatively, you could stray away from the Apple ecosystem and go for a cheaper Windows PC, like the Dell Inspiron I mentioned above.
Mac Pro
Getty Images/Justin Sullivan
Apple’s Mac Pro computers are designed with professional video and photo editors in mind, so they shouldn’t really be considered for most people who want a machine for general work, web browsing, and Netflix streaming.
Still, professionals should take note that the current Mac Pro is an old computer that was last refreshed in 2013, and it comes with a 2017 price tag.
Since 2013, Intel has released its second generation of Xeon processors; the Mac Pro runs on the first generation. The Mac Pro also has the older DDR3 standard of RAM, whereas newer professional workstations come with the latest and faster DDR4 standard. The Mac Pro’s graphics cards are also ancient.
For the price, Apple’s Mac Pro computers are simply not worth it for professional customers.
What should you buy instead of the Mac Pro?
Apple
If you’re looking to stay in the Apple ecosystem, you’d do well to wait for the new iMac Prothat’s coming out in December. It’ll be more expensive, but that’s because it comes with a 5K display and the latest and greatest specs. It will even be able to power virtual- and augmented- reality experiences, if that’s your thing.
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Humans are the real savages in ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’
War is hell, and so is humankind, in this darkest chapter of the “Planet of the Apes” prequels. The last in the trilogy and the first told solely from the apes’ perspective, it follows simian ruler Caesar (the endlessly talented Andy Serkis) on a rage-fueled revenge mission that threatens his standing as the apes’ diplomatic leader.
Apologies to Charlton Heston loyalists, but “War for the Planet of the Apes” is a good example of how today’s movies sometimes beat the hell out of the oldies. The sophisticated characters and wrenching emotions created with motion-capture technology so eclipse those rubber ape masks in the originals that it seems wrong to even group them in the same franchise. That said, director Matt Reeves (“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”) certainly pays homage to a number of classic war films here; look no further than the opening scene for a hint of “Apocalypse Now.”
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The film begins as soldiers with slogan-painted helmets — “Monkey Killer,” “Bedtime for Bonzo” — wend their way through thick and ominous greenery. Their commander, Colonel McCullough (Woody Harrelson), is essentially the film’s Kurtz. He’s on a “purity” quest to rid the world of both apes and virus-infected people who’ve lost the power of speech, in the latest iteration of the simian flu that killed off most of the human population. But his army isn’t above using renegade gorillas, followers of Caesar’s late enemy Koba, as grunts: The humans call them “donkeys” and make them do the heavy lifting.
Following a tragic battle in the apes’ habitat, Caesar sets off to confront the Colonel at his military base, accompanied by a few comrades. They include Maurice (Karin Konoval), the orangutan whose wide, gentle face was so memorable in the last two films, and whose power of speech is apparently still developing. Along the way, they pick up two additional travelers: a mute, orphaned little girl (Amiah Miller), adopted as a daughter figure by the group, and a timorous chimp (Steve Zahn) who calls himself “Bad Ape” from his years living in a zoo. Bad Ape is the closest the film comes to lightheartedness: He’s a childlike soul who looks comical in the human clothes he favors, but he’s also deeply traumatized: “Humans got sick. Apes got smart. Humans kill apes,” he says, watery-eyed.
Once Caesar reaches the military base and realizes his tribe has been captured and imprisoned there, it’s an epic and heartbreaking second half that broadly references the Holocaust, internment camps, refugees and even the Bible: At one point, Caesar is strung up on crisscrossed wooden planks and left for dead. Reeves also works in more topical commentary with a hulking structure the Colonel has the apes laboring to build: “His wall is madness,” one chimp observes. “It won’t save him.” Yes, the imagery and the nonstop horror are a little too heavy-handed. Also, the film’s basically void of any sympathetic humans within the base. It’s not as if we don’t know who we’re rooting for here, but would it have killed them to give a single soldier a moment of pause before gunning down a row of fleeing chimpanzees? He might as well have subtitled the thing: “Who are the real savages here?”
At one point, the Colonel and Caesar have a riveting one-on-one discussion about the enduring conflict and its possible outcomes. “You’re impressive,” the Colonel keeps saying, as if unable to grasp that Caesar is really sentient. Relatedly, there were some in my screening audience who giggled throughout the entire thing, as if seeing chimps riding horses, or wearing manacles and breaking rocks with pickaxs, was simply a series of zany animal-show stunts. They couldn’t have done a better job of proving the film’s point: People can be willfully blind to the humanity in any species but their own.
Source:
http://nypost.com/2017/07/13/humans-are-the-real-savages-in-war-for-the-planet-of-the-apes/
Sammy Sosa’s appearance gets even more peculiar
Baseball fans once looked at Sammy Sosa and wondered, “Will he break the single-season home-run record?”
That was so 1998ish. Today, fans are looking at Sosa and asking, “What the heck happened to his face?”
Sosa appeared this week on ESPN wearing a bright pink hat, and his skin tone appeared to closely match the hat.
Many people have gone on social media to try to get the skinny on Sosa’s new look, using the brutal, no-holds-barred approach you’d expect.
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My man Sammy Sosa looking like Snagglepuss smh pic.twitter.com/arJWAvQKMi
— G (@__GDB) July 13, 2017
Sammy Sosa really on his way to becoming the first invisible man pic.twitter.com/PtScjSlU6X
— Villaz (@ChrisVillaz) July 13, 2017
Sammy Sosa looks like a raw chicken. pic.twitter.com/3xlcPXxvnG
— James
‘Game of Thrones’ Author George R.R. Martin Working on TV Adaptation of African Fantasy Novel
Game Of Thrones author George R. R. Martin has reportedly signed on to adapt the acclaimed fantasy novel Who Fears Death for TV.
Author Nnedi Okorafor broke the exciting news to fans on Twitter on Monday, revealing Martin was working on the project for U.S. cable network HBO.
“My novel WHO FEARS DEATH has been optioned by @HBO & is now in early development as a TV series with George RR Martin as executive producer,” she wrote.
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Okorafor’s 2010 book is set in post-apocalyptic Sudan, in Africa, where the light-skinned Nuru tribemembers enslave the darker-skinned Okeke people. The story focuses on protagonist Onyesonwu, a child of rape whose name means ‘who fears death’. She embarks on a mission to avenge her mother’s rape by using her magical powers to track down and attempt to defeat her father, a Nuru sorcerer.
Officials for Martin and HBO have yet to comment on the news of the small screen adaptation.
My novel WHO FEARS DEATH has been optioned by @HBO & is now in early development as a TV series with George RR Martin as executive producer. pic.twitter.com/POF7Dj2hWP
— Nnedi Okorafor, PhD (@Nnedi) July 10, 2017
It’s the latest TV project for Martin, who is currently working on a series of prequels for his hit Game of Thrones franchise, while he is also still trying to finish the sixth instalment of his A Song of Ice and Fire saga, following the 2011 release of the last book in the franchise, A Dance with Dragons.
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He had been hoping to have the sequel, The Winds of Winter, complete in time for 2016, to coincide with the broadcast of the sixth season of the Game of Thrones TV adaptation, but he failed to hit his deadline, leaving show creators to base their future plotlines on the book ideas Martin had outlined for them in order to move forward with the project.
The seventh season of Game of Thrones premieres on Sunday.
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