It’s Showtime for HBO’s ‘Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty’

Grab your purple and gold jerseys and a big tub of popcorn, it’s time to play ball. Or rather, it’s time to watch a bunch of other people play ball. Or… actually, it’s time to watch a guy buy a team of people who play ball. Point is, Lakers fans have a lot to be excited about.

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A Los Angeles Theatre Review: ‘Poor Clare’

To be watching plays again inside a theatre after 18 months was certainly a strange experience considering that Poor Clare, now playing at the Echo Theater Company, was something I was supposed review right before the pandemic shut everything down and drastically altered our lives for many months to come. To finally be able to watch this play (written by Chiara Atik and directed by Alana Dietze) was made all the worthwhile in how utterly fantastic it was and how much its themes struck even harder after everything we experienced during this chaotic time.

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Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ Visited the Heart of Koreatown, Los Angeles

Since its debut on Netflix last month, the Korean survival drama Squid Game has become an obsession for everyone. With over 142 million households viewing the series, which helped Netflix add 4.38 million new subscribers, Squid Game‘s cultural phenomenon is not slowing down anytime soon.

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‘Frankie Quinones: Superhomies’ is a Must-Watch Comedy Special Experiment

Internet sensation Frankie Quinones arrives in a low rider with two of his most well known characters Creeper and Juanita in his first sketch and stand up comedy special on HBO in Entre Nos Presents: Frankie Quinones: Superhomies. Frankie takes us through musings and anecdotes of his life, his family, and the community he grew up in with a lovely celebration of how far he has come; however, he has a hard time withstanding the weight of sharing the stage with three strong personas. 

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Jason Chu Music Video Fights for Chinatown Restaurant

2020 has been a hard year for the entire world and for some business owners, the complete loss of their livelihood. Poet/Rapper/Activist, Jason Chu, recently reached out to The Nerds of Color to tell us the story of one of his favorite Los Angeles Hot Spots and how his latest single “AYCE” shines the spotlights on ‘Hop Woo Chinese BBQ & Seafood Restaurant’ and why we should support this Chinatown institution.

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A Los Angeles Theatre Review: ‘Antigone, Presented By The Girls of St. Catherine’s’

Antigone

They all have a million secrets. What’s so bad about this one? The St. Catherine’s drama club is struggling to put up its first school play – Sophocles’ “Antigone.” As if staging this tragedy in an all-girls Catholic school isn’t challenging enough, the cast’s beloved director ends up betraying them in an unforgivable way — and it’s almost opening night! The cast must figure out the right course of action, all while rehearsing a classic play about impossibly difficult choices. What is the right thing to do? And must the show go on?

Antigone, Presented By The Girls Of St. Catherine’s came with much eager anticipation. Presented by Sacred Fools (which put up a fantastic world premiere production of Gifted), written by Madhuri Shekar, and directed by Reena Dutt (who knocked it out of the park with her previously directed play Defenders), did the play met my expectation? More after the jump below:

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A Los Angeles Theatre Review: ‘West Adams’

Earlier this month, I watched the opening premiere of West Adams at the Skylight Theatre Company and the first immediate thought I had when it finished was:

“Oh damn, this is Rich Liberal White People (And One Chinese Woman) Gone Crazy.”

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I’ll definitely go more into this after the break as there were tremendous things to be praised for this show (acting, directing, and production design aspects) but at the core of it was a very troubling and, at times, a baffling story. Who was the intended audience? That aspect remains unclear but more on this later:

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A Los Angeles Theatre Review: ‘Gifted’

Co-written with Edward Hong

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What do you do when you’re born with a superpower but it’s really not that super? Especially if it’s a power that can accurately pinpoint the success or failure of any romantic relationship? Gifted, which is currently playing at the Sacred Fools till February 29, explores this question in a world not at all too different from our own. Written by Bob DeRosa and directed by Rebecca Larsen, the play takes a somewhat absurd premise into a truly in-depth and touching story that is a feast for the eyes, ears, and the heart.

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A Los Angeles Theatre Review: ‘Defenders’

In the realm of Los Angeles intimate theatre, efficiency and constraint are often unfortunately emphasized as budget limitations become the all-too familiar factor hovering over anyone who dreams of doing anything grandiose. So when I heard about a World War II play written by Cailin Maureen Harrison that was going to have its world premiere with the Pandelia’s Canary Yellow Company, I was intrigued because my burning question was: How exactly do you stage a WWII story in a black box setting and do so compellingly??

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A Los Angeles Theatre Review: ‘COCK’

This marks my second NOC Theatre review since Hannah and the Dread Gazebo performed at the Fountain Theatre a few months back and it was here that my key interest in doing so was a commitment/announcement of sorts. For as much as I can, my focus will be to review plays & musicals with the qualifying criteria that the director, writer, and/or one of the main cast members (not supporting/ensemble but one of the leads) MUST be a non-white artist. The more PoC in the cast/production team, the better I’ll want to review it as I’ll give a glaring stink eye to all things tokenism.

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Win Tickets to the Redrum-Carpet World Premiere of ‘Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep’

Attention Los Angeles NOC’s! Do you love Stephen King? Do you love The Shining, or its sequel Doctor Sleep? Want to attend the red carpet premiere of Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep? If you said “Yes” to all three questions, read on to see how!

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A Los Angeles Theatre Review: ‘Hannah and the Dread Gazebo’

It’s not often we here at The Nerds of Color review theatre performances but once in a while, there comes a production so wonderful, magical, and full of heart that it must be told for all to know.  That production is Hannah and the Dread Gazebo, performing in Los Angeles at the Fountain Theatre (in association with East West Players) from now till September 29.

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Derry Comes to LA: Photos from the ‘IT Chapter Two’ Experience!

Step right up, step right up! The Deadlights are beckoning you to visit a piece of Derry in Hollywood, where Pennywise the Dancing Clown and Fun House of Surprises have set up shop from August 15 to September 8.

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Inside the ‘IT: Chapter Two’ Gallery 1988 Exhibit

Pennywise has missed you! And we know you’ve missed Derry! And so, the geniuses at Gallery 1988 invite you to come back, through their exclusive IT: Chapter Two Art Exhibit!

Located in the heart of Los Angeles on Melrose, you may recall IT featured a gorgeous exhibit at 1988 back in the fall of 2017. In the grand tradition of that film, the Gallery has decided to feature another exhibit, just in time for you to witness “The End of IT” when IT: Chapter Two hits theaters September 6, 2019.

Take a look at some of the gorgeous pieces below featured at the gallery. And feel free to check out the exhibit at Gallery 1988 (7308 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046) this week!

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UPDATED: LA NOCs: Win Tickets to the Red-Carpet World Premiere of ‘IT: Chapter Two’

Attention Los Angeles NOC’s! Do you love Stephen King? Do you love IT? Want to attend the red carpet premiere of IT: Chapter Two? If you said “Yes” to all three questions, read on to see how!

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Getting Ready for 2019 Anime Expo

It’s the first week of July and for the third time in a row, my fellow NOC writer Josephine Chang and myself will be back in the halls of the Los Angeles Convention Center among thousands of others (last year had 110,000 attendees) from July 4 to July 7!

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Photos from the ‘Annabelle Comes Home’ Artifact Tour Truck

The Conjuring creep show is coming to your town with a new immersive touring experience: The Annabelle Comes Home Artifact Tour Truck experience!

Starting in LA and working its way down to Las Vegas before hitting Phoenix, San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas, the haunted caravan of horrors simulates the Warrens’ Artifact Room from the hit Conjuring Universe films, ending with a terrifying encounter with the creepy doll herself, Annabelle!

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Photos from 20th Century Fox’s “COSMIX” X-Men Event!

Last week Fox, IW Group, and The Nerd Reactor teamed up to put on a pretty x-citing event to commemorate 19 years of the X-Men film legacy at Downtown Los Angeles’ Wisdome LA! The event featured three EDM musical acts, including up-and-coming rising star Wenzday, as well as some amazing fire dancers and, of course, the immersive art pieces that you could only see at the Wisdome. Check out the photos from the event below:

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Calling LA NOCs: Join Us for a ‘Dark Phoenix’ Party

Admit it. You’ve wanted to join the X-Men since you were a kid! You’ve wanted the cool powers, the costumes, and the chance to be X-Traordinary (not that you’re not now, everyone’s special — but like, I mean superpowers special, dude)! Well now’s your chance to rock your X-Men best and party like a mutant!

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LAAPFF Review: Charming ‘Blinded by the Light!’ is a True Film for Every POC

The 35th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival has come and gone, and among one of the gems The Nerds of Color had the privilege of watching was  Gurinder Chadha’s (Bend it Like Beckham) latest film, Blinded by the Light. The film is inspired by British journalist, Sarfraz Manzoor’s real-life story of growing up as part of a conservative Pakistani family in a racist 1980s England. It chronicles how Manzoor, called “Javed” in the film rose above the challenges of growing up during that era through his discovery of Bruce Springsteen’s music.

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Moonlight Forest: Magical Lantern Festival Lights Up Los Angeles

For the first time ever, the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden will host a beautiful lantern festival called the Moonlight Forest. Celebrating nature, art, and culture, the gardens have been transformed into magical night landscapes illuminated by beautiful, hand-crafted lanterns.

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