Just Who Is Taylor Swift Really Torturing on The Tortured Poets Department? Anyone She Can (Herself Included).
Pulling close to the same rate of album releases—one a year—that Rihanna once did starting in 2005 (with some rare breaks in 2008 and between [Read More…]
Civil War’s Overarching Message Isn’t Political, Or: One Must Do What They Can to “Pass the Baton,” Even in Apocalyptic Times
Sadly, it’s not really a stretch to imagine the United States finding itself in a second Civil War. Perhaps this is why writer-director Alex Garland [Read More…]
Madonna Ushered “Yeehaw Culture” Into the Mainstream
While the term “yeehaw culture” (an oxymoron if ever there was one) has only recently become a “trend” (along with the phrase “yeehaw agenda”), Madonna [Read More…]
2012 Strikes Again: Lana Del Rey Determined to Send A Message That She Hasn’t Forgotten About the Critical Crucifixion of Her Early Career During Coachella Performance
If there’s one thing 2024 has taught us so far, it’s that celebrities don’t forget a slight (*cough cough* Beyoncé making Cowboy Carter in response [Read More…]
(Re)Branded: There’s Not Much Country Gold in Them Thar Notes, But Beyoncé Has Made It Impossible Not to Be Called A White Supremacist If You Don’t Bow to Cowboy Carter
For a long time, there was nothing “too political” in Beyoncé’s oeuvre. She went about the business of singing her songs that usually pertained to [Read More…]
Barcelona Baby: Dua Lipa Channels Numerous Pop Girls in Video for “Illusion”
As Dua Lipa continues to build the anticipation for her long-awaited third album, Radical Optimism, she’s already brought us a third single in the wake [Read More…]
It’s Not the Fountain From Clueless, It’s the Fountain From the “Our Lips Are Sealed” Video
Although the Electric Fountain near Wilshire and Santa Monica rarely gets called by its actual name, one long-running way to refer to it is: “the [Read More…]
Harry Nilsson Being the Devil on John Lennon’s Shoulder Doesn’t Prevent Lana Del Rey From Saying “I Just Wish I Had A Friend Like Him”
Lana Del Rey is no stranger to name-checking white male musicians from the 60s and 70s in her music. It’s become something of a barometer [Read More…]
The Flying-By-the-Seat-of-His-Pants Mr. Ripley
From the outset of Steven Zaillian’s adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s seminal work, The Talented Mr. Ripley, it’s pretty clear why the title of the series [Read More…]
Truth Hurts: It Doesn’t Matter If Lizzo Feigns Quitting Music, The Damage to Her Brand Is Already Done
As Lizzo rounds out her recent rash of bad publicity by pulling a Doja Cat and declaring she was “quitting” music only to clarify days [Read More…]