Sidetracks - January 30, 2016

[helloladies]

Sidetracks is a collaborative project featuring various essays, videos, reviews, or other Internet content that we want to share with each other. All past and current links for the Sidetracks project can be found in our Sidetracks tag.

Clare

➝ At HoustonPress, Jef Rouner explains how "Gamers Have Become the New Religious Right" with the response to That Dragon, Cancer in the starring role.

➝ Malinda Lo saw Carol and enjoyed it! In her thoughts on the film, she makes a really interesting point about how the film teaches its audience to read the world like, well, a queer woman in the fifties, by repeating scenes until you can read the moment of a woman hitting on Therese correctly.

Jodie

➝ Here's the full text of Idris Elba's keynote speech to Parliament on Diversity in the Media. You've got to love this guy.

➝ Even if you don't watch Supergirl, you should watch the adorable The Supergirl Super Puppy Challenge. It just gets better as it goes on (and having watched it three times, I should know). 'It's the Supergirl one!' — *dies*.

➝ First look at footage from the upcoming Wonder Woman film!

➝ Tom Cox's piece about his cat Roscoe, who was viciously attacked by a dog but is now recovering well, will probably melt you. Cox's writing is generally funny and smart by the way and I recommend following his blog.

➝ Laurie Penny wrote a really interesting piece about the urgent need to imagine utopias (I thought jsuttonmorse would be especially interested in this). I can't wait to see what her novels are going to look like.

➝ Over at Women Write About Comics, Kate Tanski assesses The State of Marvel Comics and Marvel and Diversity.

➝ Phoebe North wrote Kylo Ren is everybody's high school crush, which manages to be both funny and creepingly disturbing.

➝ Finally, Twitter following an astronaut who is in space is making my live so much better and I recommend it to everyone. It doesn't have to be Tim Peake (but it could be - he's great).

Susan

➝ Fik-Shun: World of Dance Las Vegas 2014 A couple of weeks ago, I linked to one of my favourite dance routines, and here's one of the others! He looks so happy and like he's having so much fun here, and just - I admit, I know NOTHING about dancing, but that looks like it requires a lot of skill and it is amazing.

➝ And while I was looking for that one, I found this year's! Fik-Shun: World of Dance Las Vegas 2015 — If you tell me that Fik-Shun is actually magic, I will believe you, because LOOK AT THIS MAN. His balance and sheer level of control of his muscles blows me away. Plus, the acting in this routine is so good (and mad respect to anyone who can lipsync to a song while doing physical routines, that is boss-level skill.) – it's really different from last year's, but I still love it.

➝ Ja-Burr! — All Broadway shows got cancelled due to the snow, so instead we got Leslie Odom Jr singing a mash-up of Wait For It from Hamilton and Stars from Les Miserables. ...I AM CRYING.