Hard N.O.C. Life

Shawn returns to Hard NOC Life as he and Keith break down the week that was in Nerd Pop. This week, Shawn talks more about decolonizing fandom (1:00) and decentering whiteness in pop culture (10:00). Meanwhile, Keith goes on an extended rant about Crazy Rich Asians backlash (14:00). Then they turn to television and talk about overlooked shows like HBO's Random Acts of Flyness (23:30), Netflix's Ki...

This week on Hard NOC Life , Laura Sirikul fills in for Shawn and joins Keith for another week in Nerd Pop and celebrate the beginning of "Asian August!" Laura, who also co-hosts the  Titans Podcast , shares her thoughts on the show's trailer (1:00), meeting Ryan Potter at Comic-Con (6:00), and why they started the hashtag #ImWithAnnaDiop (10:00). Then, they discuss Henry Cavill becoming a meme, w...

This week on Hard NOC Life , Shawn and Keith recap the week in Nerd Pop, by running down what happened at Comic-Con and diving into the rise of the Black Auteur and Afro-Surrealism. Keith kicks off the show by recalling what he did in San Diego (1:00) before he and Shawn dive into the James Gunn fiasco (6:45), Rally For Rose (10:30), the problem with Johnny Depp (16:00), and Warner Brothers' Hall...

On a new episode of Hard NOC Life , Shawn and Keith Chow have another talk about the week in Nerd Pop, with a special focus on rebooting and reimagining classic shows. Before diving into the topic of the week, Keith and Shawn sing the praises of New York congressional candidate -- and low-key Nerd of Color-- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez   (1:30) and determine the difference between calling out someone...

Welcome to a new era of Hard NOC Life ! Starting with this episode, Shawn Taylor joins as the permanent co-host alongside Keith Chow as they break down the week that was in nerd pop culture. After introducing the newly revised format, Keith and Shawn throw back to the Childish Gambino episode and discuss the recent plagiarism controversy surrounding "This is America" (3:00). Then they remember the...

Since it's the 29th anniversary of Tim Burton's  Batman starring Jack Nicholson and Michael Keaton, we're rewinding back to this classic Hard NOC episode from 2014 when we had a pre-Fatman on Batman Marc Bernardin  as a guest! All this and more on Hard NOC Life ! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts , Googl...

Ever since Kelly Marie Tran was bullied off of social media by Star Wars fanboys, an age-old debate in nerd circles has reemerged: Why is fandom so broken? In order to answer that question, Keith welcomes two amazing Star Wars fans to Hard NOC Life for the first time. Jessica Shitara is the co-host of Rebel Grrrl , and Swara Salih is the co-host of Beltway Banthas . They are also two of the origin...

Coming off the heels of wrapping the second season of Atlanta on FX and a successful stint hosting SNL -- as well as being the musical guest -- he captivated the internet with the release of the music video "This is America." Now, he's currently portraying a young Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story before going on to voice Simba in the live action Lion King adaptation for Disney. It may b...

This week on Hard NOC Life , we have the honor to be joined by star of stage and screen, Javier Muñoz . After Keith pesters Javier about starring in both In the Heights and Hamilton , they talk about shifting from the stage to television, going from one rabid fandom to another, and how his own Shadowhunters fandom got him a role on the show. Then they discuss other franchises he'd like to join --...

It's been a hell of a year for Lewis Tan . And for the next seven days, it's going to be one hell of a week! An O.G. and official Friend of the NOC, Lewis Tan is back on Hard NOC Life . Keith and Lewis talk about the amazing run he's on, making his debut on Into the Badlands on Sunday May 6, then following up that debut with a starring role as Shatterstar in next weekend's Deadpool 2 ! Lewis share...

Keith invites his DC TV Classics co-host Britney Monae back to Hard NOC Life to break down the biggest movie in the universe: Avengers: Infinity War ! Spoilers throughout!!! Go see Infinity War and come back as Keith and Britney go plot-point by plot-point to discuss what they loved about the latest chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. All this and more on Hard NOC Life ! Watch it on your scr...

On a new Hard NOC Life , we're joined by Supergirl star David Harewood ! But first, Keith takes a minute to tell the origin story of the WICOMICON Pop-Up in Baltimore over the weekend. David Harewood talks about growing up as a nerd in the UK reading comic books and watching Monty Python . Then reveals what it was like being cast as the Martian Manhunter on Supergirl . He also explains what it was...

This week on Hard NOC Life , Peabody-winning journalist, poet, and podcaster extraordinaire Al Letson joins the pod! Keith and Al engage in a wide-ranging conversation that touches on, well, Errthang : how comics taught him to read, the ways nerd culture predicted the rise of Trumpism, his time in DC Comics' Talent Development program , Superman's red trunks, why he sobbed during Black Panther ,  ...

LA Times film reporter Jen Yamato is the special guest on Hard NOC Life as we break down the reaction to Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs . Ever since Anderson's latest animated feature was released in select theaters, the conversation around the film has revealed a split in the way white film critics and Asian American film critics perceive the movie. Yamato has received a fair amount of blow back on...

On  Hard NOC Life , we continue Ricanstruction week on The Nerds of Color as Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez  joins the show to talk about the origins of the anthology. Originally announced in the New York Times , Ricanstruction brings together over 100 artists, writers, and celebrities telling stories of Puerto Rico's past, present, and future, including crossovers between DC characters and La Borinque...

Out in comic shops this week is  Puerto Rico Strong , a new anthology from Lion Forge Comics created to aid in the recovery efforts in Puerto Rico. On  Hard NOC Life , we speak to one of the book's co-editors, and fellow NOC, Desiree Rodrguez . Keith and Desiree discuss the work that went into turning a massive project like this around in a matter of months, and why it's important that the book be...

On Hard NOC Life , Keith is joined by one of the stars of Warner Brothers' upcoming Tomb Raider movie, Daniel Wu ! Daniel talks about his role as Lu Ren and being a leading man in Hollywood and how movie magic turned South Africa into Hong Kong and the South Pacific. He also gets fans excited for season 3 of Into the Badlands , which returns to AMC on April 22. Tomb Raider , starring Academy Award...

Former Vertigo editor Pornsak Pichetshote comes to Hard NOC Life to talk about  Infidel , his new comic series from Image! Keith and Pornsak take a deep dive in to the comic book industry and discuss how comics have evolved into the dominant creative force of Hollywood. Later, they discuss the inspiration for Infidel and how to tell stories outside your own experience. All this and more on Hard NO...

With historic Oscar nominations for Get Out and record-breaking ticket pre-sales for Black Panther , 2018 is shaping up to be a watershed year for mainstream genre pictures that center Black characters. Acclaimed speculative fiction writers and educators Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes , who currently offer an online course dedicated to Jordan Peele's box office phenomenon, join Keith for a frank...

Over the Martin Luther King holiday weekend in the Nation's Capital, Warner Brothers and DC Entertainment held the first ever " DC in D.C. " event, bringing together the stars and creators of television and comics to celebrate and honor the diversity of the DC Universe's superheroes. We also finally announce a Patreon and ask you for your support! The Nerds of Color was lucky enough to get invited...

Writer, journalist, and podcaster Marc Bernardin returns to Hard NOC Life ! Keith and Marc engage in a wide-ranging conversation about representation in media. Together, they handicap the Oscar potential of films like Get Out , Logan , and Wonder Woman ; investigate the balkanization of fandom; discuss how his Top Cow series Genius holds a mirror up to society; relive the summer he spent interning...

All week, rabid Star Wars fans have been debating the merits of the most recent entry into the Skywalker saga, Star Wars: The Last Jedi . Directed by Rian Johnson and starring Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Issac, Kelly Marie Tran, Carrie Fisher, and Luke Skywalker, The Last Jedi  has proven to be the most polarizing entry in the Lucasfilm canon. To break down what they thought of t...

Since the NOC launched in 2013, actress Janina Gavankar has been one of the community's biggest celebrity boosters. Now, finally, Janina is able to join us on Hard NOC Life! In the intervening years, she has racked up the nerd bona fides by starring in Arrow , True Blood , and Sleepy Hollow . But now, she is part of the biggest nerd franchise of them all: as Iden Versio in the blockbuster game fra...

Two weeks ago, Justice League -- WB/DC's attempt at uniting all of its iconic heroes in a single movie -- fizzled at the box office, calling in to question the future of the DC Universe on film. To talk about the movie, and what it portends for the rest of the DCEU, Mashable movie reporter Angie Han joins the podcast to discuss where Justice League failed to deliver as a follow-up to Batman v Supe...

This weekend's cover story in  Entertainment Weekly features Constance Wu and Henry Golding from next year's can't-miss romcom  Crazy Rich Asians . Since Asian Americans on the cover of EW is so rare, we brought in the story's author, Shirley Li , to talk about her behind-the-scenes look at the movie all of Asian America is pinning its hopes and dreams on (no pressure, Jon Chu!) All this and more...