Last month, the Artists of Colour Initiative (AOC) launched a scholarship competition designed to provide financial assistance and industry support to six exceptionally talented theatre performers based in Australia that identify as Bla(c)k, Indigenous or as People of Colour (POC).

The initiative was born from the recognition of underrepresentation of these communities in the Australian theatre Industry. The aim of the scholarship is to ensure greater participation within the field of musical theatre amongst these marginalised communities.

With over 60 performers applying for the 2020 Artists of Colour Initiative the Top 30 semi-finalists have been chosen. They are:

Aadhya Wijegoonawardena, Abu Kebe, Aiden Wang, Akansha Hugenahally, Angelina Thomson, Ava Madon, Daniella Delfin, Deirdre Khoo, Dindi Huckle-Moran, Ellie Chan, Gabriella Barbagallo, Giorgia Kennedy, Grace Driscoll, Guillaume Gentil, Jade Delmiguez, Jarrod Draper, Jerome Javier, Joshua Sanerive, Juan Gomez, Kara Sims, Karis Oka, Kristie Nguy, Lauren Cheok, Martha Berhane, Milo Hartill-Batsietswe, Naarah Barnes, Nicole Rammesh, Raphael Wong, Shannon Cheong and Yashith Fernando.

AOC Initiative founder Tarik Frimpong shared his excitement about the finalists:

These artists are the future. These artists are changing the game. I watched a young man Krump to a musical theatre track and you best believe I was yelling at my computer screen ready to jump in and join the cypher. Watching Bla(c)k, Indigenous and People of Colour artists perform works as well as embody and reinvent characters historically played by white performers; it really does something for the soul. I am so proud to be an artist of colour and these applicants have inspired me to continue to show up.

The semi-finalists represent 21 different cultural backgrounds including Sri Lankan, West African (Sierra Leone, Nigeria), East African (Eritrea, Mauritius), Chinese, Japanese, Hawaiian, Colombian, Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago), Polynesian, Aboriginal, Indian, Singaporean, Malaysian, Filipino, Parsis, Vietnamese, Fijian, Samoan and Botswana.

The impact of the AOC Initiative goes beyond this competition; it mobilises and empowers so many Bla(c)k, Indigenous and People of Colour who are at entirely different stages of their careers or involved in different aspects of the musical theatre industry. Despite the pandemic, despite recent events in the industry and despite larger systemic issues, these artists have shown up and put on a show, says Frimpong.

In the first round of the competition, each applicant was asked to submit one video of themselves singing or rapping any song from a musical; one video of themselves dancing or moving to any song from a musical; an introductory video and a response to how they would spend $5,000 to further their training and career aspirations.

AOC Initiative panelist Fiona Choi commented on the entrants:

I have been moved to tears watching these submissions. The raw talent is humbling in itself, but more powerful is the heart, poise and tenacity of self-expression that shines through. I dont remember having anywhere near this much grace and self-assurance as a younger performer, or such a beautiful sense of community: it is clear that the AOC Initiative is not just a competition to these candidates, but serves a much higher purpose an opportunity to lift each other up. With humans like these rising through the ranks, the future of Australian musical theatre looks bright indeed.

The latest AOC Initiative GoFundMe campaign has raised over $26,000 with a new target goal now set to $40,000. 100% of the funds raised will be awarded to the six finalists with the winner receiving 50% of the funds, the runner up receiving 20% of the funds and the final four receiving 7.5% each of the funds.

Follow this link:
The Artists of Colour Initiative Top 30 semi-finalists announced | News - Aussie Theatre

By day, Sabrina Ooi helps brands in the APAC region optimize their digital customer experience as a customer success manager. In the evenings and on weekends, shes a professional DJ by night. Shes also the co-founder of Calm Collective Asia, an online community for good mental health, where she has helped build a space to share practical and actionable strategies for better mental well-being through free virtual talks and normalising the conversation on mental health.

Community members can ask Sabrina questions here.

The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

KrASIA (Kr): At what point did you realize there was something missing in Singaporesor Asiassupport structures for mental health?

Sabrina Ooi (SO): We started Calm Collective Asia during the circuit breaker period, or the lockdown in Singapore. This was back in April. The trigger was the fact that mental health services were considered non-essential during that time, so if you had to see a therapist or psychiatrist and get medication, that was considered non-essential.

I was upset, because Ive gone through my own mental health journey. It got me thinking about the people who really need that help, especially since its such a stressful time for all of us right now.

We started with the idea of a virtual summit at the start of May, where speakers share strategies to help people cope better, mentally, with distress related to the pandemic. It was supposed to be a one-off summit. But we got a really good response, and my co-founders and I were motivated to continue hosting talks for people.

Kr: How would you describe the way people perceive mental health in Asia? Is there any stigma around it?

SO: We call ourselves Calm Collective Asia because we wanted to address the stigma that exists in this part of the world.

In Singapore, theres still major stigma, because people dont have the understanding or education about what mental health or mental illness is. Therefore, when someone has a mental illness, people are like: Oh, that person is crazy, lets not talk to them.

That amplifies the isolation that people going through these challenges feel. For me, back when I had major depression, I had the privilege of knowing a friend whod told me that he had gotten professional help for depression, and with the help of medication he started getting better. But its so expensive, so theres a high barrier to entry. When I reached out to my parents, my dad told me to just sleep it off. And Im like: No, Ive been asleep all day, and the thoughts are still there with me.

My mom was trying to problem-solve and pinpoint the factors. I had a friend whod passed away around that time and I was sad, but to the point that I couldnt function, I couldnt get out of bed, I had no motivation for anything. It just didnt make sense. I really needed support to get treatment. And she brought me to a bomoh, which is a traditional witch doctor, and she was praying into lime leaves and water. It didnt work.

One of my friends gave me a really good perspective on mental illness. He basically said: Your brain is an organ, and just like any other organ, it can fall sick.

After a few weeks, I saw that the medication did work. I was able to accept that what I was experiencing was in fact some sort of illness, something biological, and it can get better with the help of whatever my body is lacking.

Kr: How did you start the dialogue about mental health?

SO: It was really hard for me. Back then, I felt really bad and reached out for help, but its honestly difficult to support someone with depression if you dont have that awareness. If youve never been through it and come out of it in a better state, its really, really difficult to empathize with someone going through depression, anxiety, or any other mental health condition.

Back then, I didnt successfully communicate or open up the conversation. I actually wanted to kill myself. The depression got so bad that I wanted to give up. I just couldnt find any other way out because its biological. What could I have done?

I was arrested for attempted suicideluckily, I was doing that in a public enough space, and some people saw me and called the police. Going through that whole experience, the fact that the police had come, and I was jailed and sent to the Institute of Mental Health, having them call my dad. . . It was really sad for me, realizing that it took all of that for my parents to finally understand that I needed help. There is a stigma, there is a lack of understanding. And thats why a lot of people, I think, just give up.

Kr: How should we support someone who is dealing with mental health issues?

SO: When were talking or having regular conversations, we often listen to answer or solve a problem, but we dont just sit with whatever the person has said. One of the key things would be to listen attentively without judging what your depressed, sad, or anxious friend is going through. You dont have to problem-solve, its really about listening.

Its important to project emotional stability. You cant give when your glass is empty. When were encountering a lot of stress, we just dont have the headspace, and thats okay. Whenever you are spending time with your friend or loved one, you have to be in a good space and show that you can be their rockfor that moment, at least.

On the flip side, if youre not in that headspace, its important that you say you cant be there for them right now, but you care for and want to support them, maybe you will get back to them tomorrow. This gives them something to look forward to and reassures them that you care, as opposed to not replying.

Kr: If you could talk to a younger version of yourself, what would you tell her?

SO: I would sit down and say everything will be fine, things get better. Therell be bad days. but things will get better overall. Its an upward trajectory.

I would say: You really need to take care of yourself, these are the ways you can take care of yourself. I would teach her the signs of depression, anxiety, how to get help. I would basically teach her Mental Health 101. I would tell her that her brain is just an organ, it does fall sick, and thats okay, you can get help for that.

Beyond the medication or science behind it, its also a lot about personal development. I learned how to take care of myself and appreciate myself. The idea of cultivating self-love has been a big theme for me in the past few years.

Depression and anxiety are triggered from stress, and that stress builds up when youre trying to live up to someones or your own expectations. But when you let go of all that, you can come home to yourself, and have the self-love and self-confidence that will shield you from that kind of stress.

Kr: What developments would you like to see in Asia in terms of mental health care in the next five to ten years?

SO: In an ideal world, we would be able to talk about mental health openly and get the help that we need. The vision that we have for Calm Collective is aligned with that. We host talks to normalize the conversation around mental health, so that we give people the confidence to seek the help that they need. We believe that there are a lot of people who are probably suffering, to some extent, because theyre either undiagnosed or not reaching out through the right channels.

I hope that schools in Asia embrace mental health by formally introducing these ideas within the school system. I hope that kids in the future will understand this, and that our generation and older generations will embrace these concepts.

Theres another thing about the Asian male stereotype, and how he has to be this straight and strong breadwinner, and he shouldnt be showing his feelings or any vulnerability. I hope for a world where men, too, can be emotional and show their hearts on their sleeves.

Read this article:
[Tuning In] Sabrina Ooi on destigmatizing mental illness: Your brain is an organ, and it can fall sick - KrASIA

Join us in building one of the most impactful products in Zalando. The Merchant Operations business unit in Zalando, responsible for building Zalando's Marketplace, is further developing a platform called zDirect, which will be an ecosystem of apps and services to help partners self-serve and get started on Zalando, manage their business and steer growth.

As our Senior Product Manager in the Marketplace Partner Life Cycle (PLC) team, you will be responsible for the Partner Support pillar of the PLC that includes both partner-facing and internal products. The Partner Support pillar enhances partner experience on the platform leading them to better serve the customers. You will conceptualise, develop and lead the strategy and vision of this very important pillar.

Please read more about the Zalando Merchant Operations business unit on our Intro webpage here.

WHERE YOUR EXPERTISE IS NEEDED

ABOUT ZALANDO

Zalando is Europe's leading online platform for fashion, connecting customers, brands and partners across 17 markets. We drive digital solutions for fashion, logistics, advertising and research, bringing head-to-toe fashion to more than 23 million active customers through diverse skill-sets, interests and languages our teams choose to use.

Please note that all applications must be completed using the online form and submitted in English - we do not accept applications via e-mail.

Continue reading here:
Senior Product Manager - zDirect Partner Profile Management job with Zalando | 147411 - The Business of Fashion

Feel the freedom and reclaim your space.

Boundaries some love them, some dont. Its a trigger word for some, and then there are those who pride themselves on how easily they can block people and say no without any problems.

Actually, there are many kinds of boundaries. Maybe youre very good at setting one of them but not that skilled yet in another. Here comes a non-exhaustive list of different kinds of boundaries:

-physical boundaries: especially nowadays, we encounter this one almost on a daily basis. The person next to you doesnt respect the safety distance, your colleague doesnt wear a mask and comes too close to you. And in pre-Covid times an example would be that a stranger or even a person close to you simply doesnt respect your personal space and makes you feel uncomfortable.

-material boundaries: does someone always borrow your clothes without asking? Did your colleague take your keyboard because his/hers was missing and forgot to tell you about it? Do you like to borrow small amounts of money for a coffee and dont return the favor? All of these are material boundaries, it could be money or actual things.

-mental boundaries: how well do you know your values and how far are you willing to stretch them? Do you consider yourself an open-minded person? How quickly do you judge others? Mental boundaries want to protect our beliefs, our values and opinions. Sometimes it might help to leave a little space open to new views and opinions and to see afterwards if you might want to expand your mental boundaries or not.

-emotional boundaries: this is most probably the gold standard of all boundaries. Once you manage to preserve your emotional boundaries, youre already very far in your personal development journey. Emotional boundaries are about separating your emotions from someone elses emotions. Its about being aware of your own emotions and to not let someone else parasite you with their emotions. Be aware of so-called emotional vampires who want to suck your emotions out of you and leave you feeling exhausted or guilty after you saw them.

All of the boundaries mentioned above are linked to a space sometimes an actual space or a space that you preserve for your thoughts, emotions and values. Its an intimate space that can be fragile sometimes and that needs your attention. Be careful about who you let enter your space, and reclaim it if needed. This space is above all yours and only you have the power and responsibility to decide how you want to treat it, and if you want to expand or downsize it from time to time. As usual, its always a question of balance and it takes some time to feel into certain situations and get an understanding of which boundaries havent been respected from your side or from someone elses. Be aware that its only you who holds the power over your boundaries.

To train your boundary muscle, here are a few tips that will help you to set healthy boundaries at work and beyond:

1.Identify the stressor: next time you feel that your boundaries have been crossed, try to identify who or what is at the source. Ideally, you can identify the who, the when and youll get some extra credit for the why. Joke aside, when you manage to identify the why, youll have the key to work through it. The why will be related to one of the different boundaries explained above and as soon as youve categorized it, its easier to take a step back.

2.Take a helicopter view: analyze the situation from afar. Especially with a bit of distance, its easier to have more clarity of who is crossing one of your boundaries and when it usually happens. It also helps to write all of this down so you can see it in front of you and get it from your head and heart onto paper. Consequently, it becomes a list of facts and less emotional.

3.Choose your words wisely: once youve identified the different players involved in your boundaries game, its important to prepare yourself for the boundaries test because it will come. It helps to always start with I (as clear as it may sound) as you want to explain your part of the story and perspective on the situation. It can be as simple as I think that I need more space if someone literally comes too close. Or: I need to think about it and will get back to you if someone wants to add another task to your to-do list. Its important to explain yourself and to not apologize or justify yourself. Its about setting clear boundaries and not having to apologize for them. Nonviolent communication is also a great help in finding the right words for difficult situations.

4.Reclaim your space: By expressing how you feel, what you need or what a certain behavior does to you, you not only make yourself heard but you literally reclaim your space. And if the other person doesnt want to listen or there are too many emotions occupying the space, it also helps to simply leave the space, take a break and return after everyone has cooled down. Yet, before you leave, make sure to express it. I need to breathe a bit. Lets continue the conversation later.

5.Create your personal mantra: This one is a little bonus. In situations when your boundaries arent being respected and you feel belittled, not seen or heard, and you feel that someone went too far, there might be an inner critic telling you that maybe you are difficult or you are exaggerating. Your personal boundaries mantra will help you to silence the inner critic and speak to you from a place of self-compassion. It can be I matter, I am enough or I deserve respect. Pick a short sentence that you can quickly remember and that will help you to re-center.

You deserve your space and this space should be spacious. Depending on the day, phase and area of your life, this space can be sometimes smaller, sometimes bigger, but it is yours and yours only. Its not easy to set boundaries and understand how far you want someone to go, but its worth training that muscle and reclaiming your space. Youll be surprised how others will perceive you and how they might even respect you more. Its worth it. Youre worth it.

Go here to read the rest:
How To Set Healthy Boundaries At Work And Beyond - Forbes

Artificial intelligence has been revealed as the biggest driver of organisational growth, according to new research from Citrix.

What does the future of work hold? In a world where its impossible to predict what will happen tomorrow, its a tough question to answer, Citrix says.

"But businesses that hope to emerge from the global pandemic in a stronger, better position need to be thinking about and planning for future models today."

Citrix undertook Work 2035, a year-long examination of global work patterns and plans, to understand how work will change and the role that technology will play in enabling people to perform at their best.

Driven by flexible models and intelligent solutions that remove the complexity and noise from work, employees will be more engaged and productive and fuel innovation and growth like never before, Citrix says.

Citrix research found robots will not replace humans but they will make us smarter and more efficient.

More than three quarters of those polled (77%) believe that in fifteen years, artificial intelligence (AI) will significantly speed up the decision-making process and make workers more productive.

New jobs will be created new roles will emerge to support a technology-driven workplace and the changing relationship between humans and machines. Here are the positions respondents believe will be created: Robot / AI trainer (82% / 44% of employees) Virtual reality manager (79% of leaders / 36% of employees) Advanced data scientist (76% of leaders / 35% of employees) Privacy and trust manager (68% leaders / 30% of employees) Design thinker (56% of leaders / 27% of employees)

Work will be more flexible technology that allows for seamless access to the tools and information people need to collaborate and get work done wherever they happen to be, will fuel flexible models that the future of work will demand. 67 per cent of professionals (business leaders and workers combined) believe that a platform model which creates value by facilitating exchanges between groups or individuals using digital technology will dominate work in the future. 60 per cent of workers believe permanent employees will become rare by 2035. 80 per cent of leaders believe that technology platforms will provide instant access to the highly specialised, on-demand talent required to power future organisations and accommodate rapid changes in business and customer needs. 39 per cent of leaders believe that in 2035, the majority of high-value specialist workers will be on-demand and freelance workers.

Leadership will have a new look more than half of those surveyed (57%) believe AI will make most business decisions and potentially eliminate the need for senior management teams. 75 per cent think most organisations will have a central AI department overseeing all areas of the business. 69 per cent believe that the CEO will work in a human-machine partnership with a Chief of Artificial Intelligence (CAI).

Productivity will get a major boost technology, closely integrated with humans, will drive step changes in productivity as workers are supported by solutions that enable them to perform at their best.

AI-ngels digital assistants driven by AI will draw on personal and workplace data to help employees prioritise their tasks and time and ensure mental and physical wellness.

These worker augmented assistants will, for example, schedule meetings to take place at the most effective time based on factors ranging from the blood sugar levels of participants to their sentiments at different times of day. And while the meetings are taking place, they will monitor concentration levels and attitudes and adjust as necessary to drive optimal outcomes.

More than half of professionals surveyed (51%) believe technology will make workers at least twice as productive by 2035. Among the solutions they believe will be commonplace: AI that anticipates and performs tasks based on habits and preferences AI nudges AI personal assistants AI-guided digital wellness to ensure employees mental and physical well being Wearable technology to interact with systems Augmented reality glasses Neuro-linked technology for controlling devices Exoskeletons to enhance performance-related tasks

Employee engagement will improve as technology and AI takes over time-consuming, mundane tasks, work will become more strategic and employees more engaged. 83 per cent of professionals believe that by 2035, technology will automate low-value tasks, freeing workers to focus on the meaningful work they want and are paid to do. 79 per cent say it will be a significant factor in upskilling human workers, creating new opportunities for personal development and career growth. Innovation and growth will soar organisations will invest more in technology and AI than human capital. This will open the door to unprecedented levels of innovation and new revenue streams and fuel sustainable growth particularly among small businesses. 90 per cent of business leaders believe that in 2035, AI technology investment will be the biggest driver of growth for their organisation. 72 per cent of professionals believe that by 2030, AI will generate more revenue for their organisation than human workers. 63 per cent of professionals believe that technology will level the playing field and convey advantage to small companies.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced companies to reimagine the way things get done, and over the next 15 years, they will face more challenges anddisruptions than ever, says Tim Minahan, executive vice president of Business Strategy, Citrix.

But as Work 2035 makes clear, within this chaos lies opportunity. Savvy companies are using this crisis to begin planning for the next normal. Not just return to where they were, but to embrace new workforce and work models to power their business forward," he explains.

Read the rest here:
AI as the biggest driver of organisational growth - Citrix - IT Brief Australia

Anyone who has seen Stop Making Sense knows that David Byrne puts on a good show. If Jonathan Demmes rousing 1984 concert film embodies the galvanizing physicality of the Talking Heads frontman, American Utopia is a full-throated sequel. Nearly four decades later, Byrne has matured into a socially-conscious performance artist, but he still brings the house down with the same catchy tunes. Spike Lee directs the dazzling feature-film version of Byrnes hit Broadway show, which found raves in 2019 and had a 2020 revival on the books before the pandemic took charge. The world has changed dramatically since then, but American Utopia is more than prescient; its a call to action that somehow meets the divisive moment surrounding its release.

The HBO production opened TIFF and next plays at two drive-in dates for New York Film Festival (where Byrne is expected to attend) along with virtual screenings. Like the show, the movie (which was recorded at a single performance in New York) finds Byrne addressing the audience in between a vibrant blend of song-and-dance numbers with a robust team of performers behind him.

It also finds the singer-songwriter settling into an activist role that eluded him for much his career. In between songs and monologues that address everything from immigration to police violence, he advocates for voter registration and urges audience members to make sure they enroll in the lobby. Now, Byrne is taking things one step further, joining forces with Participant Media to launch a voter registration campaign around the release. Hes also working with his journalistic initiative, Reasons to Be Cheerful, on a new project called We Are Not Divided. How did Byrne go from apolitical rock star to infuse his work with advocacy?

A few days before the New York homecoming of American Utopia, Byrne spoke via Zoom with IndieWire about his political awakening, making art in the pandemic, and confronting his own flaws including a recently unearthed video of him in blackface for a promotional video tied to Stop Making Sense. Looking back on those days, he also provided a definitive answer on whether the Talking Heads will ever reunite.

In one of the more striking moments of the show, you visualize Americas low voter turnout in local elections by using the audience as a prop, shining a spotlight on 20 percent of the room. How did this idea come to you?

Greg Allen/Invision/AP

I was doing the show first as a concert tour. Id been doing the pitch for people to vote, and Headcount, a voter organization, would have a table in the lobby. We continued that on Broadway, but it was then that I realized I had an opportunity since were parked in one theater for me to play with this and talk to people more. When youre on tour, they dont want you talking too much. Theyre like, Play the music, were here to have a good time. This was a nice opportunity. It wasnt my idea. Somebody else I forget who suggested to me that the percentages of voter turnout that I mentioned could be visualized. We could actually see it when I say that 20 percent of the audience turns out for local elections, light that up, so you could picture what it looks like. [laughs]

I dont know if itll make everybody vote, but it sure made it much clearer than if you just say it. I emphasize turnout because in the United States the turnout is best for national elections, but its still only 55 percent, and you wonder what the other 45 percent are thinking about. Are they thinking, Ill just go along with whatever they decide?

You became an American citizen in 2012. How has your relationship to participatory democracy evolved since then?

I feel like, yes, the system we have is far from perfect. Theres a lot of chicanery and gerrymandering and voter suppression. At the same time, were never going to change anything unless we can vote in representatives who are willing to address those kind of issues. Thats the voice we have. We can demonstrate on the streets, but really, every citizen has a voice and the ability to vote. It took a long time to get that. People died to get that. Dont treat it lightly. A lot of countries dont have this. We really have to do this.

How would you like to see the system improve?

Im a big proponent of rank choice voting, which addresses the problem of people thinking their vote doesnt matter: This thing is going red or blue or whatever, so why should I even bother? It always goes that! With rank-choice voting, you put your first, second, third choice, whatever. If your first doesnt get in, the votes that you and others cast for that person go to your second choice. So now youve got more people supporting that person. Rather than losing all sense of voice at all, youve got somebody who might not be exactly what you want, but at least in that direction of what you want.

How do you understand undecided voters? You travel the world and must have fans whose views are all over the place.

My understanding from things Ive read is that there are fewer undecideds than we think. It does happen but its really harder to change peoples minds than we give credit to them for. So I just put effort into this: Whatever you feel, get out there and vote. Lets at least get as close as we can to representing the collective feelings we have so we can get around voter suppression and everything else. People do change their points of view when they find some common ground.

When you were living here, but not a citizen, how did you relate to these aspects of our society?

I spoke out about specific issues, but for the most part, I was less active. Maybe its a function of getting older, but I just started to feel like, Oh, this wont matter to my career now, so I can say whatever I like. So I started speaking out a bit more not in a partisan way, I have my own personal feelings there, but insofar as equality, race relations, voting, immigration, all these specific issues that I have a personal connection to.

To what extent do you believe your art actually become a catalyst for change?

Ive been asking myself this question how much influence art can have and I dont know the answer yet. In some cases, it definitely has an effect. In most cases, I think what it does is let people know that there are other people like them out there, whether its a movie they all like or a song. People create little communities around cultural stuff and they find a way to come together over that. It lets them know theyre not alone, and that whatever crap theyre going through in their lives, there are other people going through things too. That gives them the feeling that its possible to surmount these things. Its less about specific issues and policies; its more

Some critics have written about Stop Making Sense as a truly political work. It was made in the middle of Ronald Regans America, a lot of the songs deal with feeling sort of out place in society, and so on. How much of that seems accurate to you?

I havent watched that film in a while.

You should! Its still great.

[laughs] Thank you. I was aware that in that film especially the way that Jonathan [Demme] filmed it, the way he gave time for all the band members, you had a sense of it being like a little community. You got to know each of the people as personalities. Then you saw them interact, playing together. That was a major statement. It was never stated but I think it had a big effect on the audience, the audience felt that, that each of these people were individuals. It wasnt just me and a backup band. And I think you get that from this one, too the sense that sometimes Im in the background. Everybody gets the spotlight at some point.

Greg Allen/Invision/AP

American Utopia climaxes with Road to Nowhere. The lyrics to that song are almost despondent at times, but you perform it in such a hopeful way especially in American Utopia, where youre literally dancing and partying with the audience as you sing.

Its always been a song that has that contradiction built into it. Listen to it literally, and it sounds like its talking about death. Were going down this road to nowhere. And yet it feels very joyous, and I always felt thats what makes the song work. Were all heading down the road to nowhere, but we can all enjoy the trip. Its really a wonderful thing.

American Utopia is such a physical show. Youre almost always in motion, dancing, pacing, engaging the audience throughout. How emotionally and mentally exhausting was it to do this night after night?

It was more mentally exhausting than it was physically. Some of the other performers, especially the ones that dance a lot, I get a little bit of their reflective glory. Theyre dancing their assess off around me and Im not moving half as much, but it feels like Im part of their energy. I get a little more credit than Im due, but it is totally nonstop. Youve got 10 seconds when you finish one song to move somewhere else and boom youre starting the next one. Catch your breath and off you go! Being on tour is one thing but doing a show like that where youre there every night and on Saturdays doing it twice is really something.

The show is so rooted in the concerns of 2020. It almost feels like a recap of recent history. When you stage it live again and I certainly hope you do how do you expect to modify it to reflect an ever-changing world?

Were hoping to do it live again. I think Id probably do a few adjustments to acknowledge all the stuff weve been through. Its kind of amazing. The concert part of the show was put together before the election. I was pooling the elements together, writing songs. The Broadway show and the filming was obviously before the pandemic. Yet when you watch it, it seems like its talking about whats happening now, which is kind of sad in that not much has changed, but it does keep the film current.

What compelled you to approach Spike Lee to direct the film?

Im a fan and wed crossed paths many times over the decades in New York. Wed been in contact a little bit, not a lot. I thought, hes going to get this show, and if hes free, it might be something hed like to do. He has done live shows before. Its in his wheelhouse. All of his films are dealing with contemporary issues in one way or another. Thats a big part of this show. Also, Jonathan Demme was a friend of Spikes and similar to that film, its kind of an ensemble piece. Youve got these characters who interact on this set, everything happens within that, were not going to go out and break into other places. He knows how to capture that stuff.

The part of the film where his voice is most visible is the performance of Janelle Mones Hell You Talmbout, when you and the rest of the cast name Black victims of police shootings. Spike has crafted this montage with the relatives of the victims and works in recent names, including George Floyd, who hadnt been shot when you did the show.

Yeah, he had some ideas on that. Mostly he just wanted to capture what we were doing, but on this one, he said, My office and I have been in contact with some of the families of these people the wives, the husbands, mothers. Wed like to incorporate them into the show. He did it seamlessly. He figured out in an afternoon how to get everyone onstage so it all fit in there. The song was already incredibly emotional but it just takes it to another level, seeing those family members there.

In light of all this, lets talk about how you responded to the promotional video from 1984 that resurfaced where you were wearing blackface. In the show, you almost seem to allude to this kind of issue from your past. Introducing Hell You Talmbout, you say, I need to be better. So what you were actually thinking about when you decided to include that line?

I wasnt thinking of this old promo video I did 30 years ago. I was just thinking back on my life, how much my attitude has changed, and I can only assume that if its changed that much over my life that I still got a ways to go, that Im not done. Im still learning, adjusting my thinking, and being aware of stuff I didnt know about.

I just had a talk earlier this afternoon with a theater company in Denver that Im working with in like two years from now. We started talking about this issue and lots of people had similar stories from their own lives. One woman was watching the movie Splash with her daughter and realized, This is not a good message for a little girl to see, and yet it was one of my favorite films as a child. Another guy said, I was in high school and I decided for something I was doing that it would be funny to dress up as Osama Bin Laden?

Oh, God.

Yes. We change. Thats the whole point. At the time, this guy said, everybody thought it was hilarious. Now, of course, we think about it the way you did. Oh, God. Ugh! You cringe! You cringe at some of the stuff we liked years ago! We can evolve. That was my point. With the statement, I decided, Im going to put this out there and Im not going to try and hide from this. Its a good thing to accept that we can evolve.

How are you dealing with the pandemic as an artist and finding ways to create new work?

Sipa USA via AP

Im mainly focusing my journalism project, Reasons to Be Cheerful, and that thing I mentioned thats two years off. Theres another project that might happen in December, I hope, that could actually get people together. It wont have a performance from me, but Im involved in it remotely in some ways. Im very lucky that way.

What about music?

Not a lot of music. I feel like Im trying to puzzle out how I respond to all of this not just the pandemic, the marches, the police stuff. Everything thats going on. Its almost like the curtain hasnt parted; its been ripped down. I dont want to just do an op-ed piece. That doesnt really work as a song.

You started Reasons to Be Cheerful after the 2016 election, when the concept provided a contrast to the national mood. How do you see its future, especially in an America where Trump actually wins in November?

Wow. I cant say whats going to happen in November, but my feeling since Ive been doing this now for a few years has been that I have to look for local initiatives, things in different cities and states around the world where theyre actually solving problems, offering solutions, and maybe those can be copied or scaled up. That gives me some kind of encouragement that when the national level fails us, on the local level, things are still happening.

Youre a famous New Yorker. During the first presidential debate, Trump called New York City a ghost town, and I was reminded of an editorial you wrote in The New York Times a few years back where you said the city was pricing out artists. How do you feel about the way it stands now?

Oddly enough, in some areas, the rents have come down because of the pandemic and so I have friends who are artists and musicians who are now looking at better apartments in the city. Its too early to tell but its almost like the artists are moving back in. That might be premature, but you never know. Im sticking around.

Its impossible not to think about this last question while watching American Utopia, but Im almost afraid to ask it. How sick are you of being asked whether the Talking Heads will get back together?

[laughs] Well, Ive been asked enough that I have a stock answer!

Give me something better before you default to that.

What can I say? Its just not going to happen. It is kind of sad that we arent friendly because we were all very close at one point, but as we know, that sometimes happens, too. But artistically, in terms of what we do, its actually not that much of a surprise. People grow and change and become interested in other things. They want to do things in a different way. Thats just what happens.

David Byrnes American Utopia premieres on HBO on Saturday, October 17.

Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.

The rest is here:
David Byrne on Voter Suppression, Self-Improvement, and Why the Talking Heads Still Wont Reunite - IndieWire

JOB SUMMARY

JOB SUMMARY

As the Tory Burch ASM, you are a critical leadership partner to the GM and/or AGM, and someone the store staff can rely on for guidance and growth. You will partner with the leadership team to create a highly productive environment in which customers have an extraordinary experience, employees are able to do their best and the business thrives. You are primarily accountable for developing and maintaining staff selling and service skills (as well as your own), in addition to the day-to-day operations of running a successful business with an authentic approach.

JOB DESCRIPTION

RESPONSIBILITIES

Drive the Business & Deliver Results

Leadership & People Management

Deliver the Customer Experience

EDUCATION & PRIOR EXPERIENCE NEEDED

REQUIREMENTS

CORE SKILLS

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Tory Burch LLC is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to an individual's age, race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy) or sexual orientation, gender expression, military status, marital status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, disability or membership in any other protected class under applicable law. Likewise, we will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, Ordinance No. 184652. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment.

Disability Accommodation

Tory Burch is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job or to perform your job. Examples of reasonable accommodation include making a change to the application process or work procedures, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment. If you require assistance or an accommodation with the hiring process, please contact talent@toryburch.com .

The rest is here:
FT Assistant Store Manager job with Tory Burch | 147475 - The Business of Fashion

Jackson Fuller |Wilmington StarNews

SURF CITY -- Gianni Pike can't recall all of the details from his first time on a surfboard, but he does remember thinking he just wanted to be back on land.

Fast forward to today, 15 years later, and Surf City Beach is Pike's second home. He comes out almost every day, enjoying his time on the waves but also trying to become a better surfer for future competitions.

But there's so much more to Pike's love for surfing. The senior who also plays for the Topsail football team was diagnosed with autism at 2 years old, and his father believes surfing is a way for Gianni to fulfill his sensory craving.

Gianni keeps it a little more simple.

"I just like the beach and I love being in the ocean. They're places I can clear my head and only focus on surfing. Every day I get out here is a good day," Gianni said.

Gianni's father, John Pike, works for Surfer's Healing, a youth camp that travels the world and allows children to surf with adults. One of Gianni's first times on a board was with Surfer's Healing.

In recent years, Gianni has flipped roles. He's now a junior instructor for Surfer's Healing and is in charge of taking kids with autism out on his own board when the group makes its annual trip to Wilmington.

He does similar instruction with Wilmington's Indo Jax Surf School, which hosts camps for wounded warriors, the visually impaired and kids with autism. Gianni is also a member of the Indo Jax Surf Team, and he finished first in theEastern Surfing Association Southeastern North Carolina junior men's longboard division last year.

Indo Jax director Jack Viorel said he holds Gianni to all the same standards as his other instructors, making the end result even more rewarding.

"It's amazing because I know I've come a long way," Gianni said. "I used to be that kid at the front of the surfboard getting pushed out. Now I'm doing the pushing, but I can still see them and get a sense of what they're going through in life. I just want to help."

If Gianni could give any advice to those kids at the front of the boards today, it would be to keep pushing through uncomfortable moments, which is exactly what Gianni did when he decided to play football as an eighth-grader at Topsail Middle School.

Gianni admits that, as a student dealing with autism, there have been some challenges with football. His dad said teenagers can be difficult, and there were times of teasing early in his football career.

But today, Gianni can't imagine a life without football. He first signed up looking for a way to get his anger out, and now he has a band of brothers. His maturation over the past five years has been easy to notice.

"He's grown, not only as a player, but as a student of the game and as a human being," Topsail coach Wayne Inman said. "He's not just OK with playing football, he wants to be great."

"And when he first started out with us, he was kind of a loner. Now he has a group he belongs to and they are always there for each other. Surfing, you're out there by yourself on the wave and your success is mostly up to yourself. On the football field, he's depending on 10 other guys and they're depending on him. It's impossible not to develop a strong connection with your teammates."

Gianni's next step is still unclear. He has one more year at Topsail, though he primarily takes classes through Cape Fear Community College.

After that, Gianni's top choice for a school is UNCW, but he's also open to playing college football depending on his senior season. After starting at safety last year for the Pirates, Gianni will move back to his more familiar role at outside linebacker this spring.

There is another option. Gianni's mother, Tina Pike, is an Italian citizen. The family hopes Gianni can soon become a dual citizen, compete in the Italian surfing league and one day try to qualify for the Olympics under the Italian flag.

He's got a long way to go, but those around Gianni refuse to doubt his drive.

"It's a testament to a gritty family and a kid who enjoys the process of self-improvement," Viorel said. "His level of self esteem, to never quit, and keep on pushing through difficult circumstances, those are the things that keep me going and inspire everyone around him to do the work. He can genuinely accomplish anything he wants in life."

Read the rest here:
Hunting the big wave: Topsail's Gianni Pike perseveres through challenges of autism - StarNewsOnline.com

KUCHING: The assistance and programmes on self-improvement and income-generation provided by the government under the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) ruling coalition are specifically meant to help improve the peoples lives, says Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah.

He regards these initiatives as the enablers for the people to migrate to higher living standards, pointing out that many of the aid and the programmes have been geared towards helping the rural folk in Sarawak.

Uggah (right) presents the certificates to Benedict Blake, who represents the AgriCOP course participants. Witnessing the ceremony is Robert.

These (assistance and programmes) are essentially modern agriculture-based activities that include subsidies, materials and technical input. There are also the start-up capital and grants, as well as subsidies and aid meant to cushion the effect of falling commodity prices, he said in his speech for the launch of the Agriculture Departments Agriculture Community Outreach Programme (AgriCOP) at a longhouse in Samu, Paku in Spaoh yesterday.

On the Kenyalang Gold Card, Uggah said 1,191 out of 1,339 applicants from his state constituency of Bukit Saban had been approved.

He called upon more Sarawakian senior citizens to apply for the card programme, which would allow them to enjoy special privileges and discounts at participating businesses.

Uggah also listed childbirth incentives and post-natal assistance to mothers as among the state Welfare Departments assistance programmes slated for Sarawakians.

Then, we have the very well-received help from Unit For Other Religions (Unifor) to help finance the construction, repairs or renovation works on different houses of worship.

All these go to show that the GPS-led government is a most caring government for Sarawakians, and it is very committed in protecting Sarawaks rights and interests. Thus, it (GPS) deserves to be given the mandate to lead Sarawak again after the next state election, he said.

On AgriCOP, Uggah said it meant to promote modern farming programmes that the Agriculture Department had made available to the people.

In this respect, he called upon the rural folk to consult with the Agriculture officers regrading the programmes that they regarded as most appealing.

It is informed that there are a total of 122 people taking part in the AgriCOP.

Meanwhile, Betong MP Datuk Robert Lawson Chuat pointed out that AgriCOP had become very popular among the rural folk as the programme provided them with all the information that they would need to run modern farming.

Later at the event, Uggah announced the approval of 17 fertigation farming plots for the community of the 38-door longhouse.

Facebook Messenger Twitter WhatsApp Email Print

Read more here:
'Assistance provided by govt to help improve people's lives' - The Borneo Post

The 100 has concluded with its 100th episode, titled The Last War. Here is our review.

The 100s epic saga of humanity, told on over the course of seven seasons, spanning centuries and galaxies, ended with a proposal for how our species can ultimately break the cycle of violence and reach a new evolutionary stage.

The solution? Having an ancient alien race judge the actions of a random few people and invite 200+ nameless soldiers and a handful of children with to leave behind their mortal shells and join a hive-mind cosmic conscience.

Well we sure werent ready for that.

Before we dive into the discussion of The 100s series finale, I want to reiterate one last time that, to me, this was all about the journey. The ending was never going to change that.

My own journey with The 100 sure has been an interesting one. I started watching it by mistake, because I had gotten it mixed up with The Tomorrow People, which I had actually been assigned (and never did end up watching). I fell in love with it almost instantly and started covering it for Hypable, because I wanted to help others find it and fall in love with it too. I believe I succeeded in that. (Im sorry?)

I was a 20-something Danish girl just out of Journalism school, and I had no idea that picking up The 100 on a whim would take me as far as it did. I interviewed almost the entire cast. I visited the writers room. I started going to (and came to understand the point of) fan conventions. I even moderated panels at a handful of them.

I know I wasnt the only young female entertainment journalist trying to break into the industry by covering this show, only to encounter gatekeeper after gatekeeper who blatantly tried to shut the doors in my face. So it is important to thank all the people who didnt do this; who opened a door for me along the way, or vouched for me, or drew attention to my work. Most especially Jason and Joy Rothenberg, Kim Shumway, B.A. Johnson, Aaron Ginsburg, Richard Harmon, Jo Garfein, Tiffany Vogt, Sachin Sahel and Sabrina Hutchinson.

A story is a story, but the real human kindness you have shown me, and your willingness to let me into a space I was often made to feel I didnt belong to, gave me an invaluable sense of confidence that I have been able to use to advance my career, within and beyond entertainment journalism. That matters. And I only hope I was able to pay it forward, in whatever limited capacity I could.

Hypable also benefited immensely from the coverage and exclusives I was able to produce, largely because of these peoples kindness. And although my affiliation with the site effectively ends with this article, I hope you will all continue to visit Hypable for its insightful and passionate fandom coverage. Our slogan for fans, by fans, has guided every word I ever wrote about this show, be it praising or critical. I was always a fan first and I hope, wherever my career takes me, that I never stop being a fan first.

And I hope my coverage of the show has seemed fair and honest, regardless of how I have approached any given storyline. As a fan, that is all I ever had to offer.

With that, I submit to you my final review of The CWs The 100, a series I have followed through its many ups and downs, and which I am proud to see through, to whatever end.

Continuing from last week, Murphy, Raven and Jackson arrive on Sanctum with a flatlining Emori.

Although Raven initially refuses to leave Emoris side, she ends up accepting that she can do more good elsewhere (and in doing so, she ends up fulfilling her promise: she does save them all, Emori included).

Raven runs off to save the world, starting with some (unfortunately off-screen) rallying of the various scattered troops: Ravens former/current? arch-enemy Nikki and her Eligius friends, along with Wonkru, are apparently easily convinced to help, and they even agree to make a pit stop to pick up the wayward people on Earth before moving on to Bardo.

(Wasnt there something about a time difference? Who can say.)

As a nice little surprise, Miller chooses to go back to Sanctum to be with Jackson rather than go to war, which is great for me personally, and also a neat prelude to the speech Octavia makes towards the end of the episode.

As well get into later, The 100 has always been ambiguous about whether it considers love to be the solution to war or the cause of it, but in this case, it is definitely the former. Mackson is the key to breaking the cycle, didnt I always say so?

But then they experience a tiny little inconvenience in the form of Emori violently and horrifically dying.

Not to worry, however! Memori never dies! Unable and unwilling to live without her, Murphy puts her mind drive in his head, combining their life forces and marrying their bodies and souls together for however long Murphys heart continues to beat.

Not to undercut the beauty of this modern Shakespearean tragedy, but the only thing I could think when watching this scene was how this is just the ultimate expression of how over-the-top extra Murphy has always been about Emori.

Of course he would pull a Romeo and Juliet. Of course he wouldnt let a little obstacle like one of them dying stop them from being together forever. Of course. (Edward Cullen and Bella Swan look like a summer fling in comparison to these two.)

Im also surprised by how much I genuinely did love ending this for them (and honestly would have preferred it as their actual ending), because the last time I came across this type of storyline, I really didnt.

In the series finale of Dollhouse (spoiler alert), the main character Echo loses the man she loves. But because his mind had been copied onto a disk i.e. a mind drive she could insert it into her own head, and they could be together inside her mind.

I thought that was such a creepy, sad ending for them. But in this context, and for these characters, it works really well. Probably exactly because of how intense and extra this particular relationship has always been.

And the scene with Murphy and Emori in Murphys mindspace is just stunning. Far and away the best scene of the episode.

The acting by Richard Harmon and Luisa dOliveira is out of this world. These two have the kind of on-screen chemistry that comes across once in a lifetime, and it seems like an understatement to call them The 100s best couple.

The soft lighting and tranquil scenery are perfectly contrasted by the visceral horror Emori initially experiences when she realizes that Murphy is essentially killing herself for her, before she ultimately accepts his choice, and the pair share a very sweet dance before transcending.

While Murphys character this season has been washed out and hero-fied to an extent I think betrays the core of the character, I really like that his ending was ultimately one of sacrifice and reward: Murphy had to be ready to lay down his life for love, and only then could he and his love be saved by it. (Dumbledore would be proud.)

Its a worthy death, or would have been, and once again a nice little statement to make about the restorative and healing powers of love. Look at where Murphy started, and how motivated his violence was by hate and revenge. Look how love changed him.

And look how love changed Emori. It inspired a compassion and empathy and a willingness to self-sacrifice that, once upon a time, the story wanted us to associate with Clarke.

The 100 is in so many ways a study in how our experiences with having and losing love can shape our worldview and how we treat other people, and in a surprising (and welcome) twist, Emori and Clarke really ended up being the opposites that met in the middle and rose/fell to the others starting point over the course of the series.

(Maybe because Emori got to go to the ring, and Clarke didnt? Maybe that was where it split? Ugh, my heart.)

Luisa dOliveira may never have been officially made part of the main cast, but I think we all consider her a main anyway. Emori definitely ended up being one of the most important characters, emotionally and thematically. And its what they both deserve.

Bill Cadogan enters the test arena, where he finally gets to reunite with his beloved daughter Callie except it isnt Callie. It is a representative of the superior alien race standing by, ready to dole out judgement. For brevitys sake (yeah right), let us call this alien and the collective consciousness it represents the Entity.

The space Cadogan visualizes is conveniently similar to the mindspace created by the mind-drives. It represents an important location in the test-takers life, which in Cadogans case is a bridge where he and Callie went fishing. (JR+JR? Cute.)

Before Cadogan can complete the test, however, Clarke shoots him in the head. Good riddance. (Although its a bit of a copout that all of the actual villains are killed off before transcendence happens, so we dont get to see whether the Entity really was going to Helga Hufflepuff humanity and take the lot, but whatever.)

At first, it seems like Clarke is actually going to try to take the test in his stead, but Clarke must have dropped her once so character-defining cunning and intelligence during one of her wormhole jumps, so she can only focus on her immediate, self-centered anger and frustration.

But she is what humanity has made her, isnt she? This is a Clarke Griffin who has been broken by the world, standing before the dieu du jour in sharp and depressing contrast to the brazen, fierce, compassionate Clarke Griffin who went into the City of Light to shut down ALIE in season 3.

This is a Clarke Griffin who has lost everything, and whose losses have made her bitter and vengeful and self-righteous and (in this moment) unconcerned with the consequences of her actions.

This is a Clarke Griffin who fails the test.

While the Entity took the form of Callie to appear to Cadogan (and lingers in that shape just long enough for Eliza Taylor to transfer her protagonist mojo onto our new leading lady Iola Evans), it transforms for Clarke into her vision of a love, a teacher, and a great regret: Lexa.

My instant emotional reaction to seeing Lexa again was pure joy. Alycia Debnam-Carey slips so flawlessly back into the role that I thought it was old footage at first. I understand why people online, especially those who maybe dont care as much about the story as some of us still do, have trouble differentiating this imposter from the real Lexa, because she really acts and talks just like Lexa would have.

Much like Clarke runs to hug her, even knowing that it is not actually Lexa, but still taking comfort in the idea of her, I know Im not alone in taking a lot of comfort from the sheer symbolic value of her. Im glad Alycia Debnam-Carey agreed to come back for it, and Im glad it brought some people joy.

And, while I know a lot of the shows remaining fans dont see eye to eye with me on this, I genuinely also think Lexas finale appearance redeems what would otherwise have been an incessant and unnecessary refusal to just let Lexas memory rest.

Since her death, Lexa has been so infuriatingly almost-present (in the Flame, in Madis head, in the computer, in drawings, in conversations). Seeing her again somewhat makes up for them refusing to let Clarke and the audience move on, knowing that they always planned to revisit the character in a substantial way.

But. (You knew it was coming.)

They didnt actually revisit the character in a substantial way.

Seeing Lexa again may be all well and good, but because of the shows self-imposed rule about dead people not being able to transcend, Lexa is no less dead just because an alien judge wears her face. Her appearance here is very literally just for show, both in-story and outside of it.

And the million-dollar question for me, once the initial excitement wore off, was: why couldnt it just have been the actual Lexa? Since they already had Alycia Debnam-Carey for the finale, why not have Lexa show up on that beach? Why not have that be Clarkes reward? Hadnt she earned that? Hadnt they both? Hadnt we?

I would be more inclined to accept the explanation that they couldnt bring Lexa back because The 100 doesnt do resurrections if it wasnt for the facts that a) they didnt actually let Lexa truly die before the Flame was destroyed three episodes ago, b) Emori was literally resurrected in this episode through a mind drive and, oh yeah, c) the show ended with everyone turning into golden Groots and becoming one with the universe. Yall, literally nothing is off the table when you begin turning people into Groots.

It is hard to ignore the element of performativity here, of The 100 flaunting the powerful iconography of Lexa and reconnecting that iconography with the shows brand, even while putting the final nail in her coffin by smashing the Flame and excluding her from transcendence.

So while it is nice that people on Twitter are excited about Lexa returning and interacting with Clarke, it would be even nicer if those of us who actually watched the episode got to share in that excitement. The gifs sure are pretty though.

The Entity proceeds to judge Clarke, who judges it right back. Lo and behold, the Entity doesnt like to be judged (the uncomfortable implication here being that the species it absorbs are intended to serve it, not be its equals), so it fails Clarke, on behalf of the human race, and she is ejected from the arena.

Before this happened, I actually thought for a hot second that Clarke would manage to outsmart the all-knowing-alien-deity-thingy. She made some valid arguments, after all: How dare it assume the right to judge her? How dare it commit genocide upon genocide and then condemn her for doing the same?

Turns out the Entity really doesnt care about being a big stupid hypocrite (hey, just like Cadogan!), which means that Clarke essentially just gets to vocalize some glaring issues with the premise of transcendence that are never actually addressed or resolved, which is just well, its super weird, isnt it?

Clarkes arguments, along with Ravens later plea for the Entity to back off and give humanity more time (after which transcendence just happens immediately), are so dissonant from the rest of the finale that I almost wonder if there were two different endings for the show in play one in which they won transcendence and one in which judgement was deferred and humanity was left to improve on its own merit and they just ended up meshing them together.

Believe it or not, but Clarke failing the test is one of the things I like best about the finale. The past few episodes have, intentionally or not, worked very hard to prove that Clarke certainly is not (currently) worthy of representing all of humanity and winning transcendence in any form, and this cosmic rejection is, somewhat, a consequence for her horrific actions.

Yes, love made her do it, but love is an ambivalent concept. In Octavias case, love was what made her forgive. Once, love was what made Clarke self-sacrifice. Love is as destructive as it is redemptive depending on how it affects each individual person, and to The 100s credit, it has always (if sometimes clumsily) tried to explore the nuance of this all-consuming and self-contradictory force.

So while it would have felt truer to Clarkes overall arc and character to have her use her cunning and cleverness to actually beat the test, rather than get angry and emotional, and while it would have been more full-circley to have Clarke try to sacrifice herself for ~all mankind~ one last time, having the Entity just spit her back out feels right, under the circumstances.

It also feels right that Clarke should then pass the baton to Raven, who would have been a much more interesting choice to actually have taken the test, if the test had amounted to more than a conversation. This episode does right by Raven, certainly, giving her the space and importance she always deserved.

Raven Reyes, self-made champion of humanity, enters the now-red orb, and finds herself in her version of the test-mindspace: the Ark, on which she meets the Entity, now wearing the face of Abby Griffin.

Basically, instead of the source of all evil taking the shapes of all the former Big Bads in Buffy, the almighty here takes the shapes of some of the series greatest teachers. (It would have been cool if they had taken that idea even further, having more characters take and fail the test throughout the episode or even just having Clarke and Raven see more faces of people that had influenced them, but alas. No Sinclair for me.)

Even though this isnt in fact Abby, as with Alycia Debnam-Carey, it is simply wonderful to see Paige Turco again. It feels more like closure for the actors than anything else, but that in itself is a somewhat worthwhile use of your finale.

That the Entity puts on Abbys face for Raven, but not for Clarke, is a choice I would have liked to linger on a little bit more, but then I could say that about a lot of things this season. The choice is justified by saying that Raven always considered Abbys opinion of her the most important, which is certainly true. And relevant, seeing as the Entitys opinions seem to literally be the alpha and omega of the future of the universe.

Raven argues that humanity has in fact learned to do better, but the Entity takes her to Bardo, showing her the Bardoan and Sanctumnian armies poised to attack. It counters that, despite the fact that we keep trying to improve, something will always happen to ensure that we fail.

This time, the devil on humanitys shoulder is Sheidheda. A random wild card to prove the Entitys point, for sure, but maybe intentionally so: there will always be Sheidhedas, in one form or another, to throw us off the path of progress. The Entity isnt wrong about that.

What the Entity fails to account for, however, is that for every Sheidheda, there is an Octavia, stealing fire from the gods and giving the human race the power to evolve themselves.

(And this is where we take a beat to acknowledge the Bellamy-shaped hole in the story.)

While Raven argues humanitys case to the Entity, Octavia proves her words true by coming between the two armies and tl;dring her entire character arc: I let fear [of the other] drive me for too long Ive been to war, and I know that the only way to win is not to fight.

She also gives new meaning to one of the series most iconic statements, in one of the episodes only moments of properly paying homage to itself: Our fight is over.

That the armies are partially motivated to stand down because they know their god is watching unfortunately undercuts a lot of this scenes power in terms of proving anything about humanitys capacity for self-improvement, but Octavia, certainly, proves the individual humans ability to learn from experience and find a way to peace.

Octavia has always been the one character The 100 never lost sight of, and never dumbed down or de-complicated for the sake of pushing a certain plot. The greyer she got, the more real she felt, and her ultimately rising from the ashes to save the human race because of her entire history rather than in spite of it felt as epic as it was intended to.

She really is the embodiment of humanity, the way I believe humanity should be embodied: we are capable of so much destruction, but we are also capable of self-reflection and self-improvement, and ultimately the hope is that we will be able to overcome our instinct for violence and conflict by looking into the eyes of our enemies and acknowledging the humanity in them.

And there is also just a real beauty and poignancy to the fact that it ends up being Raven and Octavia the two secondary female leads, polar opposites involved in such separate storylines that theyve barely spoken two words to each other throughout the entire series who unwittingly join forces to do what Clarke had become too emotion-driven and tribal to do.

After Octavias demonstration and Ravens closing argument that humanity might not yet be worthy of transcendence but will keep working to improve itself if the Entity leaves them alone everyone begins glowing gold.

Ravens proposition, which incidentally would also have been my preferred endgame, seems to be ignored by the Entity, who doesnt seem inclined to wait around for the remainder of the human race to prove their ability to change their behavioral patterns. (Or maybe it just realized that if they didnt scoop what was left of humanity up now, the species would in fact eradicate itself before they got the chance.)

So everyone gets raptured, melding their minds to the mass of the Entity and leaving behind only imprints of light.

Everyone except Clarke, who encouraged Madi to let go of her body (that she wanted to cling onto, how about that, good thing nobody shot her without her consent, hm?), and Picasso, because in The 100, dogs do not in fact go to heaven.

Guys, not to be like whatever, but the Entity kind of sucks.

Clarke spends most of this episode the way she unfortunately ended up spending most of the series: alone, surrounded by all her ghosts. And her ultimate punishment for having the audacity to live and love at all is to be cast out of Eden, doomed to walk the world alone like Elronds vision of Arwen from Lord of the Rings.

But there is a silver lining: the friends she made along the way. Just as she has resigned herself to a life of solitude, the Lexabot shows up to monologue some more about how weird it is that humans can love, and how weird it is that all of Clarkes friends decided to abandon an eternal existence of bliss and togetherness to live a finite life with someone most of them barely knew.

And honestly, Im with the Lexabot on this one. That is pretty weird.

Because the writers decided that transcendence was only an option for people who were alive at the time it happened (youre telling me that Roan didnt get to transcend? Monty? Harper? Jane Fonda? Barack Obama? Anya?? Sounds fake but okay), none of the people Clarke might, in a version of the story that was more true to itself, actually be happy to spend her life with actually get to come back to her.

No Bellamy. No Lexa. No Abby. No Jake, Wells, Monty, Anya, or Barack Obama. Not even her best and truest friend Riley. Instead, the characters who return for Clarke are basically just everyone left who has a name, and aside from Raven and maybe Octavia, I cant help but imagine that Clarke would consider them consolation prizes at best.

The striking absence is Madi, who chose not to return because she allegedly didnt want Clarke to worry about her ending up alone.

On one hand, Madi peacing out into the cosmos rather than choosing to live out her mortal life with Clarke and her new BFF Luca is a satisfying choice that honors Madis autonomy (I wouldnt want to give up immortality for the woman who was ready to murder me for being immobilized either).

On the other, it is a super unsatisfying note to end on for Clarke, who literally spent the past three episodes proving herself willing to abandon and kill everyone and anyone who isnt Madi. It is hard to believe that Clarke should so easily find peace without her, after a season hell-bent on convincing us that she was nothing without her.

(For not to mention the fact that Clarke was so distrustful of and spiteful towards the Entity, so why would she believe that Madi is safe inside of it? Why are we taking anything the Entity says at face value? Oh whatever, the show is over.)

As for everyone else again, except Raven and Octavia, whom season 7 at least put (the bare minimum amount of) effort into re-forging Clarkes connections with it is very difficult to see anyone making the choice to forgo an eternity of bliss and togetherness for the sake of spending one finite lifetime with someone most of them were never actually close to.

In this very episode, Murphy/Emori and Miller/Jackson all seemed pretty set on just wanting to be together, wherever that was, which surely meant that transcendenceland was their best option. Indra would go where Gaia was, but Gaia surely didnt love Clarke enough to make such a leap (she barely knew her). Maybe Indra followed Octavia, and then Gaia followed Indra? Either way, why would Gaia leave Madi? And dont even get me started on Niylah.

(Unless transcendence was just super boring, which is a totally believable explanation tbh. Literally nobody would want to be a Golden Groot for all eternity. I would bail too.)

I think the closest well get to an actual explanation is a chain reaction of de-transcendence: Raven chose to stay with Clarke; Echo and Emori followed Raven; Murphy followed Emori. Octavia chose to stay with Clarke; Levitt and Hope followed Octavia; Jordan followed Hope.

But you know what would have made perfect sense? If Bellamy had chosen to stay with Clarke, and Octavia, SpaceKru, and Miller had all followed him. That would have been completely in character for everyone. (Except Niylah. There is no explanation for her.)

Because Clarke was repeatedly removed and isolated from the group, while Bellamys stories were always community-driven, Bellamy came to serve as the de-facto link between Clarke and the others. (That old quote about Bellamy inspiring the masses and Clarke inspiring Bellamy remained true for all of the six seasons where they were still written in-character.)

So even if we were to write off Bellamys own significance entirely (haha, but why, that would be ridiculous), cutting out the character that has been established as the main emotional anchor for Clarke, and then pretending like he was irrelevant to her relationships with everyone else, undermines the integrity of every single person on that beach.

And what is so ironic about all of this is that if any of the original main characters had been as unmoored and unimportant as theyre pretending Bellamy was, to the point where they could realistically be lifted out of the narrative without it creating a catastrophic ripple effect, that would be a failure of the story too.

Pretending like the relationships you wrote were so flimsy and arbitrary that you can have one lead character shoot another and then not reckon with that action in any meaningful way only serves to undermine your own abilities as a storyteller.

Knowing that the original plan was for Bellamy to be included in the final shot makes it even worse, because if the writers knew it made sense, then they should have made it happen. Use a standin. Splice him in. Have Clarke see someone come out of the woods and let the audience guess who it might be.

There were so many constructive ways to minimize the damage to the story caused by Bellamys absence rather than exacerbate it. Instead, the ending scene was much weaker than it could (should) have been, a lot of the emotional growth Clarke and Bellamy did separately and as a unit was rendered meaningless, Octavia and Echo didnt get the closure their arcs needed, and the shows legacy will suffer for it. And thats really all there is to it.

View original post here:
'The 100' series finale review: Who wants to live forever? - Hypable