What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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38 WHAT'S UP! MAY 3-9, 2020 What's Up! is a publication of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. PRESIDENT Brent Powers EDITOR Becca Martin-Brown 479-872-5054 bmartin@nwadg.com Twitter: NWAbecca ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jocelyn Murphy 479-872-5176 jmurphy@nwadg.com Twitter: NWAJocelyn REPORTERS Deb Harvell 479-872-5029 dharvell@nwadg.com Lara Hightower 479-365-2913 lhightower@nwadg.com DESIGNER Deb Harvell ON THE COVER "If you aren't around people that have done big things, you don't think you can do big things. I want to be that influence on peo- ple. It doesn't have to be in the nutty world I'm in. I hope it's not. I hope it's encourag- ing people to be teachers and encouraging people to give back." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins A Proud Tradition David Betancourt The Washington Post T here was perhaps no actress in Hollywood better equipped to become the next voice of Catwoman than Sanaa Lathan, who has been no stranger to animation or superheroes over her career. For years, she has been the voice of Donna Tubbs on Fox's "Family Guy" and that show's spinoff "The Cleveland Show," which aired on Fox for four seasons. Lathan is also unofficially the mother of modern Marvel cinema. In 1998, she starred in "Blade" as the mother to Wesley Snipes' half-human/ half-vampire superhero. The film paved the way for live-action movies featuring Marvel characters to be taken seriously. And two years before "X-Men," four years before "Spider- Man" and 20 years before "Black Panther" arrived in theaters, "Blade" featured black actors in leading and supporting roles in a superhero film. That remains a point of pride for Lathan. So when her agent called with an offer from Warner Bros. Animation to be the super-confident, scene-stealing Selina Kyle/Catwoman in the bloody and violent "Harley Quinn" animated series, a resounding yes seemed like the most appropriate answer. "I want to be friends with Catwoman," Lathan told The Washington Post. "She's the coolest superhero out there. She's extremely confident. Not surprised by anything. (Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy) are fan- girling over her. She has the confidence that every woman wants and needs." Season 2 of "Harley Quinn" — in which Kaley Cuoco voices Harley — debuted on the streaming service April 3, with new episodes available weekly. Last year's first season was a critically acclaimed hit for DC Universe, whose subscriber base primarily consists of die-hard DC Comics fans. Lathan's Catwoman arrives in Season 2's third episode, which began streaming on April 17. She's a master thief who steals everything in sight, including the hearts and breath of those who get near her. Even Harley Quinn's BFF Poison Ivy — voiced by Lake Bell — who is usually the show's most confident and self-assured character, can't resist this Catwoman's appeal. Lathan says the transition from voicing a network television character on the not-intended-for-kids "Family Guy" to "Harley Quinn," which has few restrictions and lots of f-bombs, was seamless. "It's literally just pure fun," Lathan says. "You kind of have more leeway when you're doing animation because [the audience doesn't] see you. So you can do any kind of voice, any kind of character. Voice-acting is kind of the best job in the world because you can roll out of bed, go in your sweats and a baseball cap, you're in and out, and you know your job is done." If Michael B. Jordan is ever cast as Superman one day, it would be a historic moment for capes, but a Catwoman of color is something Hollywood is surprisingly good at. Lathan is now a part of an elite sorority of black actresses who have been associated with the villainess who occasionally dabbles in anti- heroism. Eartha Kitt was Catwoman on the campy 1960s "Batman" television series starring Adam West. Halle Berry starred in a Batman-less "Catwoman" film in 2004. Zoe Kravitz was cast as Catwoman in Matt Reeves' forthcoming "The Batman," starring Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight, which was recently filming in London until production was halted because of the coronavirus pandemic. Even after a journey from her vampire fangs in "Blade" to her new animated claws in "Harley Quinn," Lathan says she's still open to a new live-action superhero role if the opportunity presents itself. "('Blade') was the beginning of my (acting) career," Lathan says. "I'm not stopping anytime soon, but I would love something juicy in a big ol' Marvel movie or a DC movie." Newest Catwoman steals scenes, hearts GO ONLINE! 'Harley Quinn' Watch episodes streaming on the DC Universe service at dcuniverse.com Actress Sanaa Lathan is the voice of Catwoman on the animated series "Harley Quinn." (Courtesy Image/Warner Bros. Animation) STREAMING