Remember when I went out to Disney to see how Ralph Breaks the Internet got made? Well, not only is the movie coming to digital, but you can also take a peek behind-the-scenes at the making of the film and how Disney brought the “internet” to life when the movie hits digital streaming service Movies Anywhere  and will be available onDigital 4K Ultra HD™/HD/SD Feb. 12. It’s ok if you don’t have an account, the movie is also coming to Blu-ray and DVD (yes that’s still a thing) soon after. For all the details check out the press release below.

Although I get to talk to indie comic creators every week, It’s been a while since I’ve actually reviewed a comic here and I’ve decided to share some of what I’ve been reading. I’m starting 2019 off with an all-ages comic that I think is a wonderful read and is something that you can add to the list of Magical Books for Black Girls. The Invention of E. J. Whitaker by Shawnee and Shawnelle Gibbs. The Gibbs sisters first came to my attention in 2016 when they had a kickstarter for this comic, and since then they’ve worked on a ton of projects with everyone from BET and MTV to Lifetime and the Food Network. But it was this little story about a young Southern black girl inventor in the midst of the Industrial Age that caught my interest.

Welcome to the last blerdgurl podcast of 2018. Now originally, I was going to go over my favorite movie of the year, but we all know that it’s Black Panther so that seemed kind of redundant. And everyone has end-of-the-year-lists going. I even contributed to a couple myself over at SYFY. (And I don’t think anyone wants to listen to another end of the year list.)

And then an amazing thing happened. I got a chance to interview father, actor, writer, producer, comedian Orlando Jones * And we had an amazing conversation. Most of you know him as Anansi from American Gods, but he’s also a comedian, actor, writer and activist. He even started his own advertising agency at 18 years old. He was a writer on A Different World, Sinbad, Ben Stiller Show, he co-wrote the pilot for Martin, basically wrote Roc with Charles S. Dutton and he helped launch FX. Yes. the network.

We talked about just about every aspect of the business and how fandom has become a commodity. When it works, and sometimes when it backfires. (ex. – Sleepy Hollow). In fact, he dropped so much knowledge, I was silent for most of the interview.

So you know he had to be saying something cuz y’all know I can talk.

So sit back, relax and grab a pen, because Orlando has some knowledge to share.

Please listen, comment and subscribe! You can listen below or find theblerdgurl podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play and Soundcloud  And also, check below for links to some of the stuff I talk about in this episode.Thanks for listening! And please don’t forget to comment and subscribe and check out my podcast sponsor, Audible

*This episode contains explicit language.

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It’s that time of year folks! In this episode, I’ll give you a little schedule of when a bunch of holiday shows and movies are dropping including Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, Aquaman, Bumblebee and more. There’s a bunch of new comics this week as well. In tech news, both Black Friday and Cyber Monday were huge for apps and Marriott’s breach is no joke. On top of that, Facebook is now trying to compete in the streaming game with its new deal with Joss Whedon. Speaking of streaming, today is the day to watch the premiere of Nightflyers, the new outer space thriller based on the novella by George R.R. Martin. This summer I got to host my very first panel at SDCC and it was with the cast! One of the folks I met was actor David Ajala, who stars as the mysterious Captain Roy Eres and is also playing Manchester Black this season on Supergirl. So check out the podcast and then later, live stream the show every day on all SYFY platforms starting 12/2/18. (I’ll be live tweeting during the show’s broadcast premiere at 10PM that day too!) 

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Remember when I got a chance to visit Disney’s animation studios in Burbank? Well, while I was there, in addition to the animators, I sat down with Ralph Breaks the Internet Co-Directors Phil Johnston and Rich Moore and Producer Clark Spencer to ask them why they went back to Litwak’s Arcade to create a follow up to Wreck-It-Ralph (2012). Johnston and Moore both worked on WIR and Zootopia, two very successful animated Disney films. Since Disney animated features launch direct-to-video and on-demand sequels, I was curious as to how the team convinced Disney to grant them a sequel and why they chose to approach Ralph’s friendship/obsession with Vanellolpe the way they did. I was surprised and entertained by their responses. Read on…

Last month, I got a chance to visit the set of Black Lightning and meet with the cast and the creator/show runner Salim Akil. Akil is best known for dramas and comedies celebrating the black experience like movies Drylongso (1999) and Jumping the Broom (2011) both of which he directed. Together with his wife, Award Winning Writer/Producer Mara Brock Akil, the duo have created some iconic shows including The Game (2013-2015), Being Mary Jane (2013-2017), and Love Is_ (2018). Last year, the Akils signed a 3 year overall deal with Warner Bros, and Black Lightning, which airs on the CW every Tuesday night, was a result of that partnership.

Now in its 2nd season, Black Lightning has achieved what many thought was pretty risky. Adapting a relatively unknown DC comic book character (to millennials anyway) and turn it into a successful series outside of the Arrowverse. What most don’t know is that Akil is actually a comic book fan and was waiting for the right opportunity to present itself to dust off his director’s chair. I got a chance to ask him a few questions about Season 2 and how he developed the show. 

As most of you know by now, I’m going to be doing interviews for SYFY Wire on the LIVE STAGE at New York Comic Con this year. I will also be running around the con talking to creators. If you’re attending and you’ve been a supporter or a follower of mine and want to say “hi” come on by! (It would also be amazing to have some love in the audience, because I’m a bit nervous). For my full SYFY Wire Live stage schedule and a map where to find it, read on.

Ralph Breaks the Internet is The follow up to Wreck It Ralph, the 2012 Disney video game movie about an 80’s arcade game character Ralph (John C. Reilly) who gets tired of being the bad guy in Fix It Felix, Jr. a fictional Donkey Kong style arcade game. With the help of  Vanellope (Sarah Silverman), a glitched character from a racing game Sugar Rush they make their escape. In the process, Vanellope realizes that she’s actually a princess with amnesia and he’s not really a bad guy and the two become best friends.

In the sequel, Ralph Breaks the Internet, coming to theaters this Thanksgiving, Ralph and Vanellope find their way out of the arcade and onto the internet, where their next adventure ensues. Disney Animation invited me out to their studios in Glendale, CA for a special presentation of select scenes to see first hand the story, animation and execution process of the movie. I also got a chance to talk to Oscar winning and directing team  Rich Moore and Phil Johnston about what went into the films. (I’ll share that interview soon!)  But here’s what I learned about the upcoming movie.