Double Neat! I was nominated twice for the Real Blog Award!

Here I go again with these delayed award posts! Sorry about that. Recently I was nominated by two different bloggers for the Real Neat Blog Award. They are AK from Everything Is Bad For You and Red Metal at Extra Life. Thank you so much, guys!

real-neat-blogger-award.jpg

Here are the rules:

1. Display the logo
2. Thank the bloggers for the award.
3. Answer the questions from the one who nominated you.
4. Nominate 7 to 10 bloggers.
5. Ask them 7 questions.

Here we go now, and I’ll start with AK’s questions first.

1) Is there a game, book, or other work that you’d like to experience but that you can’t because it’s untranslated, not ported, or otherwise inaccessible?

Good question. It would be cool to play Dance Dance Revolution Club Version for Dreamcast.

2) What’s one work that really affected you or stuck with you in the last year, and why do you think it did?

Since discovering Ousmane Sebene, his debut feature film Black Girl really affected me. As someone with a film background, I was angry not knowing about this director. This work was incredible as it had great metaphors about neo-colonization and some of the most realistic displays of racism with various dog whistles from the French people against the Senegalese main character and the story was so believable and still relevant despite being made in the 60s.

3) If you could revive one series of works that’s been abandoned or dropped by its creators for any reason, what series would it be and why?

Despite the stream of remakes going on over the past few years, I would actually like to see a remake of Shinesman. I know the manga went farther and the satire could still work especially with the glut of superhero media even if Shinesman parodies Power Rangers/Super Sentai. If that got dubbed, then need to get the original English VA cast for it if they can still pull off the voices.

4) When it comes to music, do you prefer songs with vocals and lyrics or instrumental pieces, or do you have a preference at all? If you prefer one type over the other, why do you think that is?

I don’t have a preference at all, actually.

5) When was the last time you bought a magazine, newspaper, or other form of print media?

This was months ago and I bout a book from Dr. Amos Wilson. I’m glad to discover his work on anti-racism and black psychology last year. I’m also not counting e-books, by the way.

6) Is there a holiday you don’t get to celebrate/take off because of family or work reasons but that you wish you could?

Depends on my schedule with work. I know I get Christmas and Easter off which is guaranteed. I’d say Juneteenth would be excellent having that off on so many levels.

7) If you had to create a new holiday, when would it be and what would it involve?

I would make a commemorative holiday for Black Wall Street. This will be a federal holiday where schools and businesses will close to honor those that were affected by that horrific attack. Next year will be the 100 year anniversary. NEVER FORGET!
Now for Red Metal’s questions:

1. What is your favorite variety of meat? Or if you don’t eat meat what is your favorite meat substitute?

Seitan. News flash, I’m a vegetarian! Most of you didn’t know that fact about me.

2. If you could permanently remove one installment from a series you like (which would erase its existence from everyone’s memory), which one would you choose?

I do like Ghost In The Shell. As much as I was disappointed in the GITS sequel and some of the Arise prequels, but at least they offer decent elements to the overall story. If there was one thing I could erase from that series, then (to the surprise of no one) I would erase that live-action remake. Shame on the directors and shaming on the casting agents who thought it was a good idea to let Black Widow play the Major. #Whitewashing

3. If you lost a bet, would you rather read the worst book, play the worst game, listen to the worst album, or watch the worst film that you know of?

I’d say reading the worst book because I’d likely forget about it the most out of those options.

4. If you won a bet, what kind of punishment would be in store for your friend?

MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! If this was a good friend of mine, I would be a bit soft by making them do 100 pushups and then a mile run. Side note: I did 100 pushups a day all throughout December. If this was a frenemy, I would have them be a part of a pro wrestling match against “Big Wavy” Roy Johnson. Here’s a sample of what would happen. #PounceParty

5. What is your favorite month of the year?

October. I’m biased since I was born that month.

6. What is a piece of obscure trivia you like to mention during social gatherings?

I’m full of obscure trivia. Hahaha! I think the ones I mention somewhat frequently are smart apartments in Kenya that use iPads to control the AC, kitchen stoves, ovens, lights, etc. It’s great mentioning facts that destroy stereotypes about Africa.

7. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose? In this hypothetical situation, assume your choice would grant you complete fluency in the area’s official language.

Speaking of Africa, one place I would like to live would be Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. I have a bit of fluency in Lingala, but being fully fluent in that and the other Congolese languages would be sweet. I saw very fascinating things in pictures and video, it’s quite modern, and there’s lots of things to do in the country.

8. What is the longest amount of time you’ve ever driven a car or other vehicle in one sitting?

It was en route to Cornerstone Festival in Bushnell, Illinois. That’s a 4.5-5 hour drive despite being from the same state. I’m from the Northern part of the Land of Lincoln and Bushnell is a tiny farm town in West Central Illinois. The closest city to it is Macomb which is 20 minutes away and there’s nothing major besides Western Illinois University. Driving can be a bit easy once you get outside the Chicagoland area, but it can be tiresome seeing cornfields and farms for most of the scenery.

9. What is the most annoying fictional character you can think of?

I can think of several. Haha! I think a ton of the Disney Princesses are annoying to me with most of them being Mary Sues, spoiled brats, get helped by too many plot coupons/plot conveniences, and I can’t see how people can relate to them.

10. What is the most underrated fictional character you can think of?

Yugo Beppu from Yugo the Negotiator.  I like how he’s intelligent, culturally aware, and has an extraordinary level of toughness despite not being a violent person. However, there’s one superhero I want to check out called Mr. Terrific. I heard he is good in the comics and that his character was butchered in Arrow.

11. With the decade coming to a close, would you say this was a good period for films, comics, animation, music, literature, or video games?

It was good with the indie and international films I saw, more or less. It was the decade of mediocrity and a tremendous lack of originality in Hollywood with pointless sequels, prequels, adaptations, and of course…so. Many. Freaking. Useless. REMAKES!

Alright. Here are my 7 questions for my nominees.

1. If you’re favorite band’s lead singer quit, who would be a good replacement for them?
2. Who is a supporting character in a movie or TV series that should get their own spin-off? (this can be live-action or animated)
3. The world would be a better place to live in if…?
4. What was the biggest fact or story that really opened your eyes about reality?
5. Which language would you want to learn that isn’t an official tongue in your nation and which places would you visit that uses that language?
6. What is something that you wished never got ripped off or stolen?
7. If you can give great advice in just four words, what would they be?

Nominees:

Rodrovich
Al’s Manga Blog
Kreb
David Boone
Bill Ziegler
The Alchemist
Nesie’s Place

Pushing the Sunshine: Sunshine Blogger Award!

Yes, I resorted to using a Lovedrug reference. Congrats to all two of you who got it. Anyways, I was nominated by K at the Movies very recently. K is a blogger I discovered recently and I find his take on reviewing anime, short films, and movies to be quite fascinating. We’ve had good conversations on his blog when I checked out his reviews. He’s also one of the few film reviewers I follow who covers mainstream movies which is a rarity especially if you know about my taste in films. I appreciate how K covers multiple genres and styles.

Here are the rules for the award:

The Rules:

  • Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their blog.
  • Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.
  • Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
    List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog.

Now here are the questions K gave me…

  1. What would be the subject of your TED Talk? Wow, leading a TED Talk would be sweet. If I did a topic, there are two topics I’d want to talk about. One would be talking about the inventors that you never hear about in school or dealing with film plagiarism controversies. Both talks would be quite strong if you know my feelings about originality and those two subjects.
  2. What is your preferred mode of transportation: Plane, Train, or Automobile?I guess automobile because I drive way more than I go on trains or planes. I’m not against the other forms of transportation, but I just rarely get a chance to travel in those vehicles.
  3. What is one of your post that you wished got more love or would recommend people to go check out?That’s a tough question. I’m going to cheat and mention posts from three of my active blogs. I thought these posts didn’t get much attention and I’ll leave it at that.
  4. Ospreyshire: Dave Hawkins reviewing my first EP.
    C. M. B. Bell Fiction: I’ve recently had times where I wondered if my own stories can still be good.
    Iridium Eye Reviews: Namibian Genocide and the Second Reich Review
  5. You get “free tickets” to an event of your choosing, where or what are you going to?I would probably pick the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal.
  6.  
  7. WordPress is creating a theme park like Disneyland, they want to turn your blog into one of it’s attractions. What would your attraction be like?

    If the Ospreyshire blog became some kind of attraction, I could see it as an art exhibit with loads of avant-garde works in multiple disciplines: film, paintings, sound art, installations, and performance art that involves audience participation. Despite the experimental aesthetics, there will also be activities where people can make things and take them home. They could also be a part of a collaborative process like a mural or gigantic canvas. I guess it’s too artsy of an idea for a theme park. Sorry. Haha! 
  8. A restaurant is basing its signature dish off you! Describe what that dish is?An order of fufu with olive tapenade hummus alongside Snapea crisps on the side.
  9. What is one word you have difficulty spelling?Crazy enough, I’ve had trouble typing the word privilege. There have been times where I get the spelling confused which is weird because I can spell bigger and more complex words with ease or even foreign names or words.
  10. What is your favorite children’s book?I was a huge reader when I was a kid. Nowadays, I write more than I read when it comes to fiction and or film reviews. I liked a lot of Shel Silverstein’s books which may have gotten me into poetry. The Giving Tree was a big one. Besides that, I would read a flag book a ton because I liked and still like geography.
  11. If you could take any school subject at this point in your life for free, what class would you learn?Coding.
  12. Who is the actor (that isn’t already known for portraying this character) would you like to see portray your favorite fictional character?So many tough choices out there. Yugo Beppu from Yugo the Negotiator would be a fascinating character if he were remade. If he were racebent in an American setting (we can rename this version Yannick Benton), I think Nate Parker would work in that context. That would be an interesting form of revenge against the media who slandered him.

11. If you have a pet, would you rather have 100 of them or one really big version of your pet?
I think one big iguana would be fine. It would sort of like having my own dinosaur if you want to think of it that way.
My nominees are as follows:

1. Khaya Ronkainen
2. Kreb
3. Swo8
4. Shelby Courtland
5. Sawa Minori
6. Little Fears
7. Canadian Art Junkie
8. Rodrovich
9. The Alchemist’s Studio
10. Justice4Survivors
11. Raistlin0903

Here are my questions for you.

1. Which three countries would you visit if you had the opportunity to travel for free?

2. If you can turn any of your favorite books into movies, who would you cast as the main characters?

3. What are the things that give you peace and solace in your life?

4. If you could learn any language, what would it be, why, and how would you best use it?

5. If you could meet your ancestors, what would you do when you meet them and what would you tell them?

6. What are your thoughts on experimental art and the avant-garde?

7. What is the most original creative project you’ve experienced? It can be music, a movie, a book, piece of artwork, etc.

8. What are your greatest fears as a creator and/or blogger?

9. Which famous person would you like to hang out with for an entire day and why?

10. What was the biggest thing that made you jaded when it came to media?

11. How do you think humanity can be the most constructive when it comes to helping others?