Hard N.O.C. Life

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162. Arune Singh's Fandom: Then, Now, Forever Oct 07, 2019

Show notes

Hard NOC Life this week features an extended interview with comic book industry veteran Arune Singh! Keith and Dominic will be back next week for the latest in the world of nerd pop.

Arune is a writer and the Vice President of Marketing for Boom! Studios. After knowing each other for about a decade, this is the first time Keith and Arune have had such a wide ranging conversation that touches on everything from working in comics to the evolution of fandom to love of sports to growing up in Canada, and wrestling with identity. Speaking of wrestling, Arune has a story in Boom's upcoming WWE anthology WWE: Then. Now. Forever. which allows them to talk about how much seeing Jinder Mahal become a champion meant to him.

All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and now on Stitcher Radio! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon!

As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

161. The Force is Not Far From Feige Sep 30, 2019

Show notes

Hard NOC Life is switching up the schedule! On the first Monday episode of the pod, Keith and Dominic do their best to keep up with all the news in nerd pop.

To start off, they continue the discussion of the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover on The CW, including the casting of Osric Chau as Ryan Choi. After that, they return to the world of Spider-Man and break down the latest developments in the Marvel Studios-Sony Pictures dance (just in time for the Far From Home blu-ray release, natch). Making up with Sony isn't the only thing on Kevin Feige's plate as it was also announced that he will be collaborating with Lucasfilm on a potential Star Wars movie. Speaking of Star Wars, Keith and Dominic break down the Force Friday assortment of toys and merch from The Rise of Skywalker and question the severe lack of Rose Tico in the marketing.

What's #NerdPoppin this week (46:10): Dominic's friends in the Killing My Lobster comedy improv troupe have a series of shows in the Bay Area throughout the month, and Keith is very excited to watch the final season of The Good Place with his daughter.

As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

160. Crisis of Infinite Supermen Sep 27, 2019

Show notes

On a new episode of Hard NOC Life -- which was recorded before the reveal of Brandon Routh as Superman! -- Keith and Dominic get excited about all of the Superman, especially the inclusion of Smallville in this fall's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover on The CW.

In addition to reviewing Tom Welling's time as Clark Kent, they spend time recapping the Nerd Pop-related Emmy winners and speculating about the Birds of Prey plot after seeing the movie's one-sheet and teaser. Speaking of teasers, Dominic reveals the trailer for NOC's upcoming fictional narrative podcast, Occupy Me.

What's #NerdPoppin this week (48:15): Dominic loves Hustlers and they discuss why it should be the next Fast & Furious franchise -- and Keith wants J-Lo as Poison Ivy alongside Margot Robbie's Harley as posted on twitter here. Meanwhile, Keith is excited for Yesterday on blu-ray.

As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

159. 'Suicide Squad' Bingo Sep 20, 2019

Show notes

This week on Hard NOC Life, Keith and Dominic try to guess the characters who will be in James Gunn's Suicide Squad sequel.

They also speculate about Hailee Steinfeld's potential casting as Kate Bishop in the Disney+ Hawkeye series while discussing her star turn as the lead of Bumblebee. Of course, they also talk about Saturday Night Live and the racist guy they hired/fired.

What's #NerdPoppin this week (50:00): Dominic's nerdcore rapper friend Lexi the Lexicon Artist is on tour. He's also tuning in to Radiotopia's Passenger List narrative podcast starring Kelly Marie Tran. Keith, meanwhile, has been listening to Adult Baby, the new album from Blonde Redhead frontwoman KAZU. Also, he and Jamie Noguchi will be repping NOC at the Charm City Night Market in Baltimore!

As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

158. Crazy Rich Legacy Sep 13, 2019

Show notes

One year after Crazy Rich Asians was released to the world, Keith and Dominic look back at the film's legacy on this week's Hard NOC Life.

Before that, though, they recap the latest casting news around the latest Mortal Kombat adaptation -- which features a majority Asian cast of actors not associated with Crazy Rich Asians. Then they go into the post-Crazy Rich careers of the film's alumni and break down the salary disparity between the film's co-screenwriters on the proposed sequels. Then they end once again on a brief history of G.I. Joe and the casting of Henry Golding as Snake Eyes before diving into what an Asian Snake Eyes means and Larry Hama's history with the character.

What's #NerdPoppin this week (47:30): Dominic is looking forward to HBO's Watchmen series, while Keith is reading Trick Mirror, the recently published collection of essays by The New Yorker's Jia Tolentino.

As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

157. 'Joker' to the Right Sep 06, 2019

Show notes

Shawn Taylor makes his triumphant return to Hard NOC Life, joining Keith and Dominic as they break down the week in Nerd Pop.

The show kicks off with a news roundup of items that didn't get covered last episode -- including Kevin Smith's He-Man reboot on Netflix, Ewan McGregor returning to play Obi-Wan on Disney+, and Keanu Reeves reloading once again for The Matrix. Then, the three hosts share their complicated thoughts about the new Joker trailer and the exhaustive discourse surrounding the movie in the run up to its theatrical debut next month.

What's #NerdPoppin this week (01:01:00): Shawn is into Netflix's Dark Crystal reboot and the home video release of the indie superhero film, Fast Color. Dominic is really into Popeye's (now sold-out) chicken sandwiches, and Keith saw The Farewell while putting up with a noisy seat neighbor at the theater.

As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

156. Spider-Man, Star Wars, and Snake Eyes Aug 30, 2019

Show notes

Since Keith is no longer Far From Home, Hard NOC Life is officially back from hiatus! And boy did he miss a lot of news. Fortunately, Dominic fills him in on what happened the last three weeks.

They start off with the biggest news that broke during hiatus: Disney and Sony's split over Spider-Man. They weigh the pros and cons of an MCU independent Spider-Man and what it means for the entertainment industry writ large. Then they go over some of the reveals from D23 -- including new Disney+ shows for She-Hulk, Moon Knight, and Ms. Marvel -- before breaking down the Rise of Skywalker trailer and end with a brief history of G.I. Joe and the casting of Henry Golding as Snake Eyes.

What's #NerdPoppin this week (56:00): Dominic is about to begin production on Hard NOC Media's first narrative podcast, Occupy Me. Keith has been listening to the original cast album for the Tony-winning musical, Hadestown.

As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

155. Once Upon a Racist Hollywood Aug 02, 2019

Show notes

Before news broke about Shannon Lee's issues with the way Quentin Tarantino depicts her father in his latest film, Dominic and Keith recorded this episode in which they reexamine the auteur's less than ideal treatment of race in his films.

Though he is rightly regarded as one of the preeminent independent film directors of the 1990s, Tarantino's race problem has always been front-and-center in his filmography. From the liberal use of the n-word to the way he exploits Asian stereotypes in Kill Bill, Tarantino has often received a pass from (mostly white) film critics. His latest, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, is no different in the way it explicitly demeans an Asian American icon like Bruce Lee. They also spend some time discussing why Tarantino is the wrong choice to direct a Star Trek film.

What's #NerdPoppin (59:00) from SDCC: the deleted scenes on the digital release of Avengers: Endgame and the trailer for the Mister Rogers biopic A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Dominic also announces a new narrative podcast co-produced with Melancholyball Media.

As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

154. Announcing 'Occupy Me' Jul 31, 2019

Show notes

Now casting for a new fictional narrative podcast co-produced by Hard NOC Media and Melancholyball Media. Occupy Me is a science-fiction episodic about Earth's first contact with two alien entities: Dot, a curious veterinary student, and Tod, a malevolent prince of the patriarchy (they are also each other's exes). Set in the Los Angeles area, the story follows a trio of "average" Earthlings who cross paths with the extraterrestrial visitors and learn of their parallel missions: one seeking discovery, the other scheming towards galactic domination.

The first season is slated for 9-10 episodes, to premiere in Fall/Winter 2019. Production to begin as early as August 26.

153. Marvel's Fantastic Phase Four Jul 26, 2019

Show notes

After a grueling week in San Diego, Dominic and Keith return to take stock of all of the bombshells that dropped during Marvel Studios' lauded Hall H presentation. Plus, Keith speaks to A Wave Blue World VP of Sales and Marketing Lisa Wu and illustrator Steenz -- who's working on an upcoming anthology for AWBW this fall -- live at the annual NOC Comic-Con meetup.

From Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings to Mahershala Ali as Blade, Marvel's return to Comic-Con did not disappoint! Which films and Disney+ shows are Dom and Keith most excited for? How will Chloe Zhao turn Marvel's Eternals into household names? Why is Tony Leung the best way to make the Mandarin a relevant character? They attempt to answer these questions and more on this week's pod! Also, check out more interviews from the NOC meetup on our Patreon feed.

What's #NerdPoppin (1:05) from SDCC: the Star Trek: Picard trailer and Brandon Routh returning as Superman for the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover on The CW.

As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

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