by Kelly Lee & Christina

Most of us know of the popular, yet sadly dissolved, boy band N*Sync.  Formed in Orlando, Florida in 1995, the boy band consisted of former “New MMC” Mouseketeers Justin Timberlake (just 14 years old at the time) and JC Chasez as well as members Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, and Chris Kirkpatrick.  After their introduction to the world, teens around the world basically exploded with love of the boys. Though there was the constant argument over who was better, Backstreet Boys or N*Sync, we all knew who the clear winner was.  Backstreet Boys didn’t stand a chance! On March 20, 2018, it was announced that this legendary boy band would finally be getting the recognition they deserve: receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on It’s Gonna Be May Day, April 30, 2018.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, we here at ALNM would like to share the reasons why we love N*Sync (in no particular order).

The boys broke the internet with this famous meme that is annually tweeted out by former member, Lance Bass.

by Christina

Below, in chronological order, are my top ten performances from this year's Grammy Awards!

Christina: The Marvel Cinematic Universe. 
​In February we get Black Panther, which every trailer and ad gets me more and more excited for.  We already know Chadwick Boseman is great in the role, and I cannot wait to see what he does leading up an all star cast.  In May we get Avengers: Infinity War.  You can easily argue that this is the movie MCU has been building up to since its inception in 2008.  In fact, the movie is being released only two days after the ten year anniversary of the first Iron Man movie.  We'll also be receiving Ant-Man and the Wasp in July.  With all this and Captain Marvel on the horizon, it could be a spectacular year for Marvel fans.  Just please please please let all my favorite characters survive.

Kelly: Solo: A Star Wars Story 
​This movie has been off to a rocky start ever since it was announced, but I still hold out hope for this origin story about one of my favorite characters of all time.  The Corellian smuggler with smoldering good looks (thanks to a young Harrison Ford) may not seem like he deserves his own origin story.  Some might argue that he's not a Jedi nor an Imperial officer and therefore does not play as important of a role in the Star Wars saga as some other characters do.  Why should he get an origin story before Obi-Wan Kenobi or Yoda? But he becomes a captain of the Rebellion troops and an integral part of the story as soon as Obi-Wan and Luke sit down at his booth in the Mos Eisley Cantina.  Alden Ehrenreich has some pretty big shoes to fill.  Little is known about the movie thus far, especially because it has initially been received quite poorly with test audiences and has had three directors, finally ending on the legendary Ron Howard.  With a cast that includes Donald Glover, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Paul Bettany, and Thandie Newton, Han Solo fans around the world will gather in cinemas to see if the film is as great as Poe Dameron in a X-Wing or crashes and burns like a Stormtrooper on a Speeder Bike.

Christina: Doctor Who
​I cannot wait to see Jodie Whittaker take control of the TARDIS as the first female incarnation of the Doctor.  With new companions and new showrunners, this could be a fantastic fresh start for the 55 year old show.

Kelly: The Handmaid's Tale, Season 2
I binged the first season after its sweep at the Emmy's last September and a push from my cousin who works at Hulu and was immediately sucked into the world of Gilead.  I have gotten a few of my friends into the show (Christina not included), but I am so excited that not only did they win at the Golden Globes a few weeks ago, but they also announced their Season 2 premiere date.  Praise be!  The Handmaid's Tale returns in April.

Christina: A continuing growth in representation for women, minorities, and the LGBTQ community in fandom.  It's been proven time and time again that a straight white male protagonist is not the key ingredient to success.  Let's make sure movie and television studios recognize this in 2018.  

Kelly: This may sound a little too personal, but with all that I have been through the last couple years with my health and regaining control of my life after life-saving transplants, the thing that I'm most looking forward to in 2018 is making a comeback.  I've struggled a lot in my life and I feel like this year, I'm feeling better than I ever have.  This is going to be my comeback year!  Here's to 2018!

January is typically a pretty slow month in fandom and, therefore, can be a slow month here at ALNM.  But here I have a list of the top ten things, in no particular order, that I'm looking forward to this month:

What's going on with all of you?  What are you excited about this month?

One of the most frustrating things about Star Wars: The Last Jedi for me as a fan was that I felt I left the theater with more questions than answers.  It may make for good storytelling, but the nerd in me was freaking out and already craving fix-it fanfiction.  Here are my top ten questions in no particular order:

by Christina

Hey everyone!  I wanted to wish you all a Happy Holidays!  And my gift to you below is the Christmas music mix I'm using myself at home.  Enjoy and we'll talk to you all in the new year!

In no particular order:

What do you want to see most in Star Wars: The Last Jedi? Also, stay tuned later this week for some exciting podcast news and our first reactions to the film!

TIME magazine selected the #metoo movement as their Person of the Year.  It wasn’t a surprising move and very well deserved.  The movement has shown a shift in America’s way of thinking, where finally victims of sexual harassment and abuse are being believed and perpetrators are facing consequences.  Society has, by no means, completely fixed the problem (very notably in the political sphere), but we have definitely seen a shift in the right direction in 2017.

This is why the casting and continued support of Johnny Depp in the role of Grindelwald is so problematic; especially in a fandom such as Harry Potter.

​For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story, Amber Heard filed for divorce from her then-husband Johnny Depp in mid-2016.  She accused him of having been “verbally and physically abusive” during their relationship.  Both Depp’s legal team and many in the media painted her as a greedy D-list actress looking for her payday.  But the following investigation saw Heard providing proof of her injuries, witness statements, and a video of one of Depp’s violent fits.  People continued to question her and the authenticity of her evidence in the court of public opinion, even more so as Depp’s former romantic partners came out to defend him.  The couple later reached a settlement, issuing the following statement:

“Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love.  Neither party has made false accusations for financial gains.  There was never an intent of physical or emotional harm.  Amber wishes the best for Johnny in the future.  Amber will be donating financial proceeds from the divorce to a charity.”

During this time, Depp’s casting as the wizard Gellert Grindelwald was announced.  It was a very minor role in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and fans largely understood it to be a decision made well before Heard’s accusations went public.

Fan backlash against his continuing to portray the role of Grindelwald grew significantly as the #metoo movement gained steam.  Harry Potter fans finally began to see powerful men face consequences for their poor behavior.  Their push to recast the role appeared to grow greatly online after Ridley Scott announced he would be replacing Kevin Spacey with Christopher Plummer in the lead role of All the Money in the World less than two months before the film’s release following multiple assault and harassment allegations against Spacey.  Harry Potter after all, taking place in a world filled with magic where people can change their appearance at will, could very easily recast a role in a movie with a release date a year away.

When Warner Brothers released a teaser image and title of the film, fans reacted swiftly and angrily upon seeing not only Depp remaining in the role of Grindelwald, but being the central character in the film titled Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.  Director David Yates seemingly defensive response to the criticism in which he appeared to criticize the #metoo movement and dismiss Heard’s allegations did not help matters.  He cited Depp’s “decency and kindness,” only noting the accusations as “one person who took a pop at him.”

The issue of abuse holds a special significance for Harry Potter fans, as many connect with the main character’s story of neglect and abuse early in his life.  Additionally, with the book series originally being released from 1997 to 2007, fans of the series are now largely adults who have grown up in the age of social media.  This generation experiences great overlap with the #metoo movement that initially grew out of social media.

This is why fans had such a visceral reaction when JK Rowling, a person held up by young people across the internet as someone willing to stand up to wrongdoing, defended and supported Depp.  She noted fans’ “legitimate concerns and questions” about Depp’s casting and went as far as to say they considered replacing him in the role.  But she went on to complain about an inability to discuss the issue peacefully with fans and concluded that “based on [their] understanding of the circumstances” she was “genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies.”

We’ve reached a point in both fandom and society where we’re no longer willing to accept the “your fave is problematic” and move on.  That is now only acceptable for minor grievances as supporting a hated sports team or liking pineapple on pizza.  The backlash against Johnny Depp in one of the internet’s biggest fandoms is a key tipping point in the #metoo movement within fandom.  It remains to be seen if Warner Brothers gamble that their continued support of Depp will pay off when it comes to box office sales.

What do you of think of Depp’s continued inclusion in the Harry Potter film universe?