UPDATE: Jussie Smollett plead not guilty to 16 counts of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reports. The former Empire actor was arrested after allegedly orchestrating a hate crime against himself, though he was released from prison after posting $10,000 of a $100,000 …
Read More »See Inna's Goofy 'Tu Manera' Video
Pop is now officially a global mishmash: K-pop groups collaborate with Latin artists; American rappers add verses to Brazilian baile funk hits; the electronic producer Marshmello made an entire video honoring Shah Rukh Khan, the Indian film star known as the “King of Bollywood.” In that context, it’s not as …
Read More »Song You Need to Know: Hand Habits, 'pacify'
The third track on Hand Habits’ great new album, placeholder, comes on like a folk song, with Meg Duffy finger-picking soft solo acoustic patterns. The effect is peaceful, calming, with a hint of something else underneath the surface. Then, about 40 seconds into “pacify,” Duffy begins singing, and the song …
Read More »Review: Ariana Grande's Starbucks Drink Is a Wild and Fluffy, But Ultimately Confusing Ride
Ariana Grande is the face of Starbuck’s “Cloud Macchiato.” It’s synergy made in marketing heaven: Grande loves cloud emojis, is one of the biggest pop stars on the planet and has millions of young fans who presumably love sugar and caffeine in equal measure. Starbucks is a multi-billion dollar company …
Read More »'Captain Marvel' Review: Brie Larson Takes on Cosmic Villains, Sexist Trolls — and Wins
As the first first woman-led superhero epic from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain Marvel touches down at the multiplex with a lot of sexist monkeys on its back. Rotten Tomatoes had to ban trolls from its website who were hellbent on review-bombing the movie before it even opened. Incels are …
Read More »Hollywood Vampires Plot Spring Tour
Hollywood Vampires, the rock supergroup founded by Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp and Joe Perry, will embark on a short North American tour this spring. The seven-date trek kicks off May 10th at the Joint in Las Vegas, Nevada and includes stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Albuquerque, New Mexico …
Read More »John Hickenlooper Believes He Can Be the Bridge
John Hickenlooper is used to being made fun of. He’s dyslexic, and is known to say words or phrases out of order. He’s face-blind, relying on cues from the person he’s speaking with to remember if they’ve previously met. He has a gangly last name, part of which rhymes with …
Read More »Watch Devastating Trailer for Ava DuVernay's Central Park Five Series 'When They See Us'
A terrible injustice alters the lives of five young men of color in the first trailer for Ava DuVernay’s upcoming series about the Central Park Five, When They See Us, premiering May 31st on Netflix. The simple clip boasts a chilling sequence in which one of the boys mills about …
Read More »Bob Dylan, U2 and Elton John Prep Record Store Day Releases
Bob Dylan, the Flaming Lips and Elton John are among the dozens of artists prepping special releases for Record Store Day 2019. The annual event honoring independent, local record stores will be held on April 13th, 2019 around the globe. Bob Dylan is set to release a test pressing of …
Read More »We Got Her, Babe: Cher Stands Alone
At this point, Cher is more than just a pop star; she’s the one-woman embodiment of the whole gaudy story of pop music. She’s a myth so huge that the new Broadway musical The Cher Show takes three different Chers to encompass her — Babe Cher, Lady Cher and Star …
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