BM/WW IR sightings on TV

You guys are a trip. You're just discovering "American Gods"?

American Gods was a very good novel that came out in 2001. I got around to reading it about four years back, that was during the time that HBO was taking the first crack at bringing it to TV but ultimately passed on it. It was quite a difficult job to adapt such a fantastical story and though there are flaws with the first season of the show, overall TPTB have done a very impressive job translating it to TV for Starz.

Rick Whittle plays the protagonist Shadow Moon. In the novel pretty much every scene that wasn't a Coming To America story revolved around Shadow. The Tv show had to open it up a lot more by adding on additional storylines and backgrounds for the other characters. In the novel however Shadow's race is more ambiguous. INnthe book characters ask Shadow questions such as "do you have any nigger in you" because he does look more ethnic than the average white person. Neil Gaiman, the British writer who is the author of the novel, thought it was important to have someone at the center who represented the melting pot diversity of America. But when they decided to go ahead with the show, Gaiman and the showrunners decided to make the race of Shadow even more pronounced. They looked at thousands of guys and decided to go with Whittle. He is black and they make no bones about it on the show but he is also bi-racial which is important for reasons I won't get into less I spoil important story developments. Whittle had developed a huge fanbase of mostly white women (all around the globe) because of his role in the "100" for the CW. There is no denying his sex appeal to women of all nationalities and races.

I should mention that in the book Shadow doesn't get all that much action (in terms of sex). The story takes place over a period of months perhaps. Shadow's wife has died recently and he is still getting over that. The closest thing the book has to a relationship/romance is their story , particularly when Laura makes amends for her betrayal. The show appears to be taking this to a whole other level. In fact the show has really increased the roles of characters like Laura, Mad Sweeney, Bilquis, Mr World, Salim, etc. Their parts were far smaller in the novel and they didn't even interact. Anyway getting back to Shadow's love life...in the novel, besides Laura, he considers entering a relationship with a Native American woman (who has yet to be introduced on the show), a goddess has her way with him one night in bed (character has yet to be seen on the show) and he does have sort of a connection with Zorya Polunochnaya (she is in the first of those three pictures, locking lips with Shadow). However in the novel Shadow and Polunochnava never kiss. And in the novel Shadow never flirts with Easter. Additionally Audrey', Laura's best friend, does not try to have sex with Shadow in the book, but on the TV show, as an act of revenge, she tries give him a blowjob in the cemetery during episode #1.

I guess I bring this up to make the point that the show will be giving us things the book didn't, and that possibly includes a spruce up love life. But don't be surprise if it doesn't either. Gaiman vetoed the showrunners original idea to have Shadow accept Audrey's blowjob. Gaiman sees Shadow as being more pure than the other characters which is why he doesn't go bed hopping in the book. Besides Shadow still loves his wife. If on the show the two of them can overcome her infidelity, her death, his dangerous journey it has the makings to be an epic love story for TV: this one involving a black man and a white woman. Of course black female viewers tend to despise Laura. And many white female viewers want to ship Laura with Mad Sweeney. But Neil Gaiman and most of the showrunner seems to be on the same page about the love story of Shadow and Laura. We'll see how it plays out.

Glad dudes on here have FINALLY discovered the show, one with a black male lead and a huge budget. Funny how it took some IR action though for that discovery to happen.

 

Get the fuck out of here with that Sam Jackson cast-an-African-American bullshit. Kittles, Blackemore and Alonzo are all too old. And only Alonzo comes across as looking bi-racial. And Alonzo is the only one who can match Whittle's sex appeal too.

Let me add a bunch of the characters on the show (Laura, Wednesday, Technical Boy, etc.) are played by non-Americans.

 

Laura is white?
Thought she was Hispanic

 

Huh? How you ever think that? Actually some people came to that conclusion because they thought all this time she was referring to Shadow as "papi" when instead she was saying "puppy". Still even if people didn't know what she was saying I don't see how anyone could confuse her for being Hispanic. Unless you are referring to white Hispanics. Emily Browning, the actress who plays Laura, is Australian and has been in a lot of other stuff.

 

Really? I only seen that because of that episode of Mad Sweeney's story that seemed to connect them. They also shipped him with Zorya after that kiss and of course Ostara. I just think people tend to get a little desperate for romance at times and they wind up jumping the gun. Most female viewers I have seen on the hashtag #AmericanGods hate Laura. lol. But I think they are going to go with that romance too, and you know what the writing is so good I think they can win female viewers over with it.

 

Why, you don't think it is a bit odd with a british american god?
And there is no sexy young black american actors?

 

Anybody watch the new season 5 of "House of Cards"? Are Mahershala Ali & Molly Parker still on the show or did they write them off show last season?

 

I don't believe they are on this current season. Their storyline wrapped up pretty good last season, so I don't think they will be back.

 

I agree it's irritating that some how American black people aren't being considered for American roles. You don't see us on BBC shows

 

Eh you say that as if there isnt plenty of White British talent around as well.
For whatever reason, the Isles produce better acting talent or at least acting talent that is perceived as better.

Now you still have your Michael B Jordans. But to me the distinction between a Black American, Canadian and Brit isn't all that major.

 

Then you don't get this racial game or the economics game. Whites don't have to worry because American born actors are EVERYWHERE. For every British or Canadian actor there's at least 10 American ones. There are few roles as it is for American black actors and like I said it's not like we can go where they live and make money.

 

Don't agree, they use different techniques, that is all.

 

Who's better than Denzel, Tom Hanks, Kevin Spacey, Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, Angela Bassett, Jennifer Lawrence I can go on but you get the picture.

 

Of the people mentioned, Denzel and Meryl Streep is in a class of their own. Denzel is his generations best actor. The only reason why he isn't acknowledged as such is because he is black, Robert de Niro (who is marvelous in his own right by the way) got nothing on him.

 

Very true. Nothing anyone else did is even close to how he portrayed Malcom and Hurricane Carter

 

I liked how he made a human out of Frank Lucas.

 

Gotta mention Johnny Depp and Sam L in there somewhere.

 

Oh good grief. Really?

Let me help break it down why you don't see that.

1- Lack of money. The economics of the film and Tv industry in England are typically not as strong as their American counterparts.
2- Hollywood and to a lesser extent NY Broadway are the destination GOALS of the majority of English speaking actors of the Western world. Going to the UK to work for BBC isn't. There are some non Brits who do want to go to the UK to work on their craft on stage because the theater training in Britain is second to none. But to be a star? To make it big and earn lots of money? You want to go to America. African Americans are ALREADY in America of course. They aren't thinking about going to England. Same could be said for their white counterparts.
3-Black Brits have been fleeing to the USA in large part because there are still relatively few roles for them in the UK. So why would African American actors migrate to a country whose own black populace can't make a good enough living in the acting field?
4- African American actors, like their fellow white American actors, haven't shown the drive to learn how to speak in a credible Brit accent. Again, though, why should they? There aren't many opportunities waiting for them in the UK so why put in the effort? Look how even a great actor like Don Cheadle failed at speaking in a Brit accent in Ocean's. Look at how Denzel did an unimpressive Jamaican accent in The Mighty Quinn. Meanwhile you have Brits who, before they reach the age of 22, can master various American accents. Why? Because they know if they want a shot at a huge career they will have to play American characters in big American films. Again its about necessity more than ability. But that necessity is a powerful inspirational tool. And it makes the British actors work extremely hard on their craft.

 

Daniel Day Lewis, Helen Mirren, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tom Hardy, Judi Dench, Anthony Hopkins, Ian McKellan, Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslett. I can go on. You get the picture. Actually some of you may not get the whole picture since thee are so many Brit actors that Americans don't even realize are British. There are a lot of great American actors but there are a lot of great British ones too. Can we agree on that?

 

So these masters of their craft lack the work ethic to speak in different accents? Word? Yeah I don't buy that.
Like black people like Spike Lee and Oprah did CREATE YOUR OWN DAMN MARKET AND QUIT STEALING FROM OURS
Do what Robert Townsend did and make out all your credit cards and find some films. It gets quite exhausting where literally everyone wants to ride the black American coattails but don't put in like we put in.
I'm usually not xenophobic but I totally understand how these actors feel.
Its like they gathered all the wood put all the sweat into building the house and are expected to let any and everyone live there. Build your own damn house hell you can even ask for help to do it but recognize my people still need a place to live.