How We Hype is a twice-monthly feature on Hypable where we tell you what we’re doing in fandom over the weekend!
Preparing for Eurovision – Selina Wilken
Not to brag, but guys, my mother is a bit of a big name on the Eurovision stage. Not that she’s performed (I wish!), but she’s been doing a lot of academic research — totally serious business, of course — which has led to a number of media appearances over the past few years to contextualize this most beautiful, random, hilarious, weird as hell and wildly entertaining musical event. (See? Clearly I didn’t get my fandom obsession from strangers.) Once a year, Eurovision brings together European countries, and every country that we for some reason decide feels European (hello Israel and Australia! Welcome to our continent!), for a night of stripping down, camping up, and feeling united in our ridiculousness. It’s a can’t-miss event, and with the semi-finals happening next week, I already know I’ll be compelled to sing and dance to all the greatest hits this weekend. And here’s a fun bonus: the best song ever.
Rereading A. C Gaughen’s Scarlet novels – Laura Byrne-Cristiano
As any follower of the Onceable podcast knows, I’m a total sucker for all things Robin Hood. YA author A.C. Gaughen has a new twist on the Robin Hood mythology. The basic premise is: What if Will Scarlet, Robin’s right hand man, was actually a woman? The third book in the Scarlet trilogy releases on May 19, so I want to reread Scarlet and Lady Thief before the final novel Lion Heart releases. The story has everything you’d want from a Robin Hood retelling, lots of robbing the rich to give to the poor and rescuing of King Richard the Lion Heart. At the same time there is an entire plot line dealing with hidden identities and motivations, self sacrifice, and the power that women like Scarlet and Eleanor of Aquitaine could wield.
Watching ‘Hannibal’ and seeing Darren Criss in ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ – Brittany Lovely
The shows I watch on a regular weekly basis are over. I should probably start reading again and take a break from the screen, but instead I am going to dive right into a new series. All I know about Hannibal is that Anthony Hopkins still makes my spine tingle and that Mads Mikkelsen is really great at looking at a camera and delivering the same effect with a napkin raised to his lips. This weekend I will begin to watch the NBC adaptation of Hannibal. There are a lot of pros that draw me to the show — Hugh Dancy, Bryan Fuller, Lars Mikkelsen’s equally creepy brother Mads, serial killer investigations, only 13 episodes per season. But there are a few cons as well — lots of blood and the thought that human body parts may look appetizing. I don’t know much, but this is going to be my summer show and I am committed to finishing the first two seasons by the time season 3 returns to NBC on June 4.
But before I sit back to watch Hannibal, I will be taking my seat at the Belasco Theatre in New York City to see Darren Criss in the rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Criss plays a transgender woman from East Berlin with killer calves from those high heels, who fronts a rock n roll band. The musical is Hedwig’s story from Hensel in Germany to Hedwig in Kansas. I’ve seen Criss on stage many times, including once on Broadway. Vocally, I think this role is perfect for the former Glee star and I am looking forward to seeing him fill the giant heels that were left by Neil Patrick Harris, Andrew Rannels, Michael C. Hall, and, the original Hedwig, John Cameron Mitchell.
Strutting around in my new HerUniverse Black Widow jacket – Danielle Zimmerman
I was fortunately one of the lucky few to get my hands on a piece of the HerUniverse HotTopic clothing line this past Tuesday. I almost didn’t make it because I had to work that day and the merchandise was literally flying off of the rack. But, I’m completely in love with my new Black Widow jacket and I can’t wait to wear it every and break it in (not that it needs any breaking in considering how soft the pleather is). My main reason for wearing the jacket a lot this weekend isn’t to make others jealous (although I’m really sorry if I do!). Instead, it’s to demonstrate that Marvel and its licensors DO have a female audience and we DON’T want companies to settle for just giving us princess merchandise. We want badass merch (like this jacket) and more Black Widow (and other female Marvel characters) representation in merchandise. So I’m not going to hold back from telling anyone and everyone about my new Black Widow jacket. Sorry not sorry.
Watching ‘Age of Ultron,’ again – Mitchel Clow
I’d have to agree with anyone that would say Ultron was an obscure, standalone film with an odd spread of plot, an “evil for the sake of evil” villain, and some highly unpleasant Black Widow plotlines. What makes me want to see Marvel’s latest blockbuster one more time is the effect of seeing such awesome and beautiful action scenes play out on the big screen. Sure, it’s like admitting that you’ll drink two cans of diet soda instead of just one regular, because while doing so may increase your chances of getting cancer, at least diet soda doesn’t have any calories. But hey, I really enjoyed the Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch special effects here, making this Coke Zero of a film worth one more of a movie ticket purchase.
Watching ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ – Donya Abramo
I had originally been planning to head to the cinema this weekend to watch Pitch Perfect 2, considering how much I thoroughly and unapologetically enjoyed the first film. Mad Max — which is released the same day in the U.K. — was a little lower on my agenda for this month. That was until news started breaking about “Men’s Rights” website, Return of Kings, posting their outrage about the feminist agenda in the film being hidden behind the masses of explosions and fire tornadoes — duping the male population into buying into their outrageous propaganda. They called for a boycott, citing this piece of “American”* culture being ruined by said feminist agenda, which has only spurred me into heading to see the film sooner than I planned! With a slew of reviews praising the strong female presence — and who doesn’t love Charlize Theron? — and the film in general, coupled with the ridiculous and uncalled for anti-feminist scaremongering, I know I’m going to enjoy every damn second of Mad Max: Fury Road. Multiple times.
*The most hilarious part of their whole argument is that Mad Max is an Australian franchise. Written and created by Australians. And that almost the entirety of the current cast is decidedly not-American.
Seeing ‘Pitch Perfect 2’ – Kristen Kranz
Since the announcement about a sequel was made, I’ve been looking forward to seeing the Barden Bellas hit the stage again. Maybe it’s my love for Anna Kendrick, or Skylar Astin’s dulcet tones, or maybe it’s the unmistakeable lure of synchronized dancing, but I can’t wait to see if Pitch Perfect 2 delivers. Not to mention it’s Elizabeth Banks’ directorial debut, and, let’s face it, that woman is just all around spectacular. At the very least, I’ll walk out of the theater with a new tune in my head, and that’s a worst case scenario I can get behind.
Watching the ‘Mad Men’ series finale – Kristina Lintz
They weren’t kidding when they said it was ‘the end of an era.’ Mad Men has been on for seven years, it’s seen the rise and fall of Breaking Bad, and although zombies will outlive it, the show has found its place in our cultural lexicon. The show transported us to a different time – when drinking in the office started as soon as you put down your coffee mug, when a mother working was nearly unfathomable – while we live-tweeted every moment of our lives from our wrists. Watching and learning about Don Draper and the New York City advertising scene for the better part of a decade has been a great joy, and I’m certainly going to miss it (thank goodness for Netflix.)
Recovering from the ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ finale – Michal Schick
Listen, it’s not a secret that I’m… let’s say “obsessed to a socially acceptable degree” with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I often spend a few hours debating the show’s moral quandaries, reading fan fiction, and festooning my Tumblr with extensive meta on the latest episode. But in these last few weeks of season 2, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has taken me (and, you know, probably some other fans too) on a positively inhuman(e) roller-coaster ride of mystery, violence, plot-twists, and oh-so-many feels. The tension rocketed to stratospheric levels with the season 2 finale this week. Two hours of murder, betrayal, fakeouts, and, yes, more feels, culminated in a truly ridonculous cliffhanger for my favorite character. I still need to come down from the adrenaline high. (And get my voice back. I screamed a lot. I’m an emotional person.) This weekend is devoted to fan fiction, theory-therapy, and preparing myself to settle into a S.H.I.E.L.D.-free summer… at least until Comic-Con.
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