Hard NOC Life 350: ‘Superman’ Returned + Jay Pharoah’s ‘Dragon Ball’ Love Language

Yes, Hard NOC Life wrapped up last week, but then James Gunn went and dropped the trailer for next summer’s Superman. Movie critic Julian Lytle stops by to break it down, plus Keith talks to Jay Pharoah about his virtual comedy special and why Dragon Ball is the way to his heart.

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Jay Pharoah on Virtual Comedy Clubs, 9/11 Announcements, and ‘Dragon Ball’ Love

In another lifetime, I was a high school teacher in Chesapeake, Virginia. One of the students in my school went on to become one of the top stand-up comedians in the world and a breakout on Saturday Night Live. Recently, I had the honor of reuniting with Jay Pharoah to reminisce about high school, discuss his career, and celebrate his innovative virtual special as part of Meta Horizon’s Soapstone Comedy Presents series.

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Junko’s Nerd Emblems: Manga and Sci-Fi

If manga is considered nerdy/geeky, well then the entire country of Japan is one big geek-producing machine, and I’m a child of that machine. Before my love of Star Trek: The Next Generation, my parents and grandparents provided me with an endless budget to consume manga because it helped with my Japanese language skills.

Every summer as a child, I’d inevitably come back from Japan with at least 30 to 50 manga books being shipped over to add to my growing collection. A collection that started with the racy Makoto-chan but really flourished with Urusei Yatsura in addition to the “standard” collection of Dragon Ball.

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