The Underground — Issue #39
Everything you need to know about in this weekly series: A live fire exercise my South Korea and the U.S., how much of something is enough to kill you, an HBO mini-series that you have to watch, Nickelodeon is bringing back some classic cartoons, and what a battleship from the future may look like.
At Social Underground we go beyond the mainstream stuff and see what’s underneath the surface. What should we get into, listen to, read, eat or watch? If there is something in our culture that needs attention that’s our job: Show you the underground things that you need to know about: Books, music, television, movies, comedians, art, and whatever else we can find to get you into something you never knew about. That’s The Underground.
1. Watch the U.S. and South Korea blow the hell out of a hill in this live fire exercise. Remember the other week where North Korea started threatening war against South Korea and America because of this war game exercise they were planning. Added with South Korea blaring propaganda over loudspeakers over the border, North Korea got pretty pissed. They eventually calmed down tensions and the live fire exercise went on without a problem. Plus, North Korea could only go to war for a few days since they’re broke and main food source is dirt and tree bark. That, sadly, isn’t really a joke.
Check out the live fire exercise below to see a real-life Michael Bay explosion fantasy play out.
2. This much of the things show in this video will be lethal. Have you ever thought “Hmm, if I drink this jug of soy sauce, will it kill me?” and then did it? Well, it’s probably a bad idea. Too much of anything is a bad idea. There was a water drinking contest put up by a radio show and a woman won, and then she died. Yep. Too much water will kill you. WATER.
In this handy video, they explain how too much of anything — like salt — could lead to death in large doses. So, best not chug soy sauce. Just put a little on that almond chicken and enjoy yourself.
3. Show Me A Hero is the mini-series that you need to watch this week. Less than half a million people watched each of the 6 episodes of the HBO mini-series that was written by David Simon (The Wire) and directed by Paul Haggis (Crash), but it’s really something that you need to watch to really see how hopeless it is for a politician that wants to make a change for the better.
Based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Lisa Belkin, the miniseries “Show Me a Hero” tells the story of how civil rights violations tear apart Yonkers, N.Y., paralyzes the municipal government, and forever changes the lives of a rising politician and his constituents. Faced with a federal court order that remedies decades-long housing segregation in the city, newly elected Mayor Nick Wasicsko — at 28, the youngest-ever mayor of Yonkers — goes against his campaign position that advocated legal appeals, paving the way for low-income housing to be built in white neighborhoods of Yonkers. Residents rage about protecting property values, while those chosen to cross the color line will soon have neighbors who fiercely oppose them.
There were moments where I was yelling at the screen because people just didn’t understand the law when it was told to them over and over again. You watch innocent people suffer in bad neighborhoods and get spat upon when they get the chance to escape it. The idea of minorities being moved to affordable houses — meaning they can pay for the housing — in predominantly while neighborhoods made people flip out. Oscar Issac really nails it in his role as Wasicsko, and it really shows why he’s getting all the big roles in X-Men and Star Wars.
Check out the trailer below, and head on over the HBOGO or HBO OnDemand to watch the 6 episode mini-series.
4. Nickelodeon wants to revive your entire childhood.
Remember in the ’90s when cartoons were actually good on Nickelodeon? There was Doug, Rugrats, AHH! Real Monsters, and so on. Well, it looks like Nickelodeon is diving back in with some classics, according to Variety:
“Under the plan, the network might seek to experiment with retooled versions of classics that could include “Rugrats,” “Hey Arnold!” “You Can’t Do That on Television” or “Victorious.” The shows might not come back as series, but could appear in other formats, like a movie or special. And they likely would not constitute the bulk of the network’s development efforts.
Hicks declined to talk about specific programs under consideration, but noted the generation that watched Nickelodeon in its earliest days — it was formed out of an entity known as Pinwheel backed by a predecessor of Time Warner Cable — now has children of its own. “We are getting ready to bring back some of the ones they’ve told us multiple times they want to have brought back,” said Hicks.” (Via)
You Can’t Do That On Television is a real surprise. That goes back to the ’80s in Canada, but it gave Nickelodeon the whole green slime thing, so there’s that. Going back to the old shows is no surprise. I can’t really think of any show on Nickelodeon that has been good since Avatar: The Last Airbender. This could be great.
5. The British Ministry of Defense challenged scientists to design the battleship of the future and they didn’t disappoint. When I think of the future, I think of flying cars and spaceships. I don’t really think about battleships since the future should have done away with war and humanity is happy. But then I remember that humans are idiots and love to blow each other up. So Britain’s Royal Navy and Ministry Of Defense asked a bunch of scientists to imagine what a battleship in 2015 would look like… and it looks awesome.
Check out the image gallery below, and then imagine this thing going up against a futuristic submarine! I’d watch that in a futuristic holographic movie theater that served mixed drinks. Hurry up, future!
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Jeff Sorensen is an author, writer and occasional comedian living in Detroit, Michigan. You can look for more of his work on The Huffington Post, UPROXX, BGR and by just looking up his name.
Contact: jeff@socialunderground.com