If you’re not familiar with the ever-growing world of K-pop, or international music in general, you may be looking at this section and wondering, what even is "Loser=Lover?" But never fear, dear reader, as I am here to shed some light on who TXT is and why you need to stream the group’s music.
With spooky season fast approaching, many viewers may soon be tempted by the ever-popular horror genre. Filmmakers often use horror as a critical lens to examine what society itself may be afraid of, as Jordan Peele does with “Get Out” (2017) and Bong Joon-ho with “Parasite” (2019). In other cases, filmmakers take traditionally “scary” motifs and turn them into comedy, as Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement do with the series “What We Do In The Shadows” (2019–). As the month of October draws near, it’s time to look at appropriately themed content.
A Black Batman was inevitable. The idea of a man so wronged by a city and a system resonates with the Black experience in America. There are of course grounded Black superheroes at the Big Two (also see the Milestone heroes), but none of them have the inherent appeal or cultural power that Batman does. With a new Black Captain America in the MCU and a Black Superman project in the works at DC (alongside last year’s surge in race-based violence and national racial reckoning), there has never been a better time to let this idea spread its wings. John Ridley and Olivier Coipel’s "I Am Batman” #1 has all the hallmarks of something great, but its strange relationship with continuity and backstory holds it back.
Ubiquitous in pop culture since the early 2000s, Japanese contemporary artistTakashi Murakami is familiar with co-relating high and low culture. Among other achievements, he founded the “superflat” theory, which draws on traditional “flattened” Japanese printing with anime and pop culture imagery. He is also famed for his strong collaborative relationship with high fashion label Louis Vuitton, with whom he produced several legendary pieces, and he frequently teams up with fellow fashion icon Virgil Abloh. Perhaps most incredibly, he has had his work exhibited at the Palace of Versailles in France. However, Murakami remains legendary in my mind for the special relationship he has formed with modern hip-hop.
The comic book series "The Sandman" (1989–) by Neil Gaiman, is the story about stories written by a writer who loves all other stories. This column is a story about the story about all other stories.
The name Taika Waititi on any project makes it worth watching – the Māori actor/director/producer extraordinaire seems able to add his certain flair to anything and make it work, whether that be a satirical yet moving look at a brainwashed Hitler Youth in “Jojo Rabbit” (2019) or a vampire mockumentary in “What We Do in the Shadows” (2014). More recently, he has lent his star power as an executive producer and writer for “Reservation Dogs” (2021–), his second team-up with FX on Hulu after the success of his “What We Do in the Shadows” spin-off series.
Denim jeans are an item that most people have in their closet, but they are also one of the worst offenders in the apparel industry when it comes to polluting the environment.To grow just enough cotton to make one pair of jeans, 1,800 gallons of water are required. Furthermore, the additional dyeing process and machine washing used to make jeans means that one pair uses around 9,982 gallons of water. So while it is clear the industry needs to change to help the environment, it is sometimes unclear what steps in the production process can be changed to make improvements.
George Wein, who launched the Newport Jazz Festival, died on Monday, Sept. 13 at the age of 95. News of his death resonated throughout the jazz world, with many musicians and institutions offering words commemorating his life and legacy. Jazz at Lincoln Center praised Wein’s vision for the jazz festival in a statement, writing that he "presented the most comprehensive cross-sections of great artists from all generations in an imaginative and unprecedented variety.”Pianist Jon Batiste spoke lovingly about Wein's personal influence on him, and said that all music festivals owe something to Wein.
Wishing my life was a TV show has the same energy as romanticizing trips to Costco and pretending The Sink baristas are the archetypal “popular kids.” Although I don’t need it, I just want an excuse to battle through song ("Glee," (2009–15)) and speak in an Irish accent ("Derry Girls," (2018–)) and drink coffee for lunch ("Gilmore Girls," (2000–07)). Instead, this column is my chance to ramble, uninterrupted, about TV shows I love and to imagine myself as the Athena to Ryan Murphy’s Zeus (i.e. a screenwriter’s brainchild).
It has been almost three years since the release of the multi-platinum certified “Old Town Road” (2019) which started rapper Montero Lamar Hill, better known as Lil Nas X, on the proverbial road to fame.Over the course of those years, Lil Nas X went from working two jobs at Zaxby’s and Six Flags Over Georgia to becoming a global superstar.“Old Town Road” was the song that changed his life, and the music scene, dramatically. Pulling together a banjo, collaboration from rock band Nine Inch Nails and a $30 beat,Lil Nas X created the most certified song in history. It seemed likely that Lil Nas X might be a one-hit wonder or struggle to find his footing in a music industry that is often openly hostile to people of color, especially those who identify as members of the LGBTQ community as he does.
Injury Reserve’s future suddenly became uncertain following the passing of key member Stepa J. Groggs in June 2020. The experimental hip-hop trio, composed of rappers Groggs (Jordan Groggs), Ritchie with a T (Nathaniel Ritchie) and producer Parker Corey, was suddenly a duo. This summer, they finally announced the release of their newest album“By the Time I Get to Phoenix” (2021). The album, released Sept. 15, is their sophomore studio record and it is a genre-demolishing, mind-bending album full of sadness, aggression and hope.
Dusk came quickly for Kacey Musgraves soon after winning Album of the Year at the Grammys for her glistening piece "Golden Hour" (2018). Divorce meant the bitter end for Musgraves' most acclaimed era, and with the glow of her iridescent fourth LP fading behind her, it was time for Musgraves to pick up the pieces and pioneer forward. Despite the vicissitude, pain turned to progress, and Musgraves stitched back together her broken heart with "Star-Crossed" (2021).
After a painfully long three-hour ceremony stuffed with awful sketches, lengthy acceptance speeches and questionable wins, television’s biggest night is finally over. Allow me, also named Emmy, to walk you through this year’s Emmys.
On Apple Music, 34-year-old Drake describes his newly released album “Certified Lover Boy” (2021) as “a combination of toxic masculinity and acceptance of truth which is inevitably heartbreaking.” For better or worse, this cringeworthy description only applies to a few of the songs on the album. Drake built up his “Certified Lover Boy” persona for over a year, going as far as cutting a heart into his hairline, only to release a bloated and unoriginal album nearly indistinguishable from his music of the past five years.
Claude Monet (1840–1926) is arguably one of the most important painters of all time. With his extraordinary impressionist works, he captured nature’s fleeting moments in an entrancing manner and forever left his mark on art history. Though he never visited Boston during his life, the city has still served as a popular hotspot for collectors to buy and sell Monet’s works. Some of these compositions were eventually donated to museums, including Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts.
New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2022 kicked off on Sept. 7 after three seasons of virtual shows due to the pandemic. Despite the barrier of required proof of vaccination, the show was a welcomed return to normalcy.
Launched in print globally on Sept. 2, Tiffany & Co.’s “About Love” marks the luxury jeweler's first collaboration with the legendary Carter duo as they celebrate modern love.
Kay Cannon’s "Cinderella" (2021) teeters on the line between a classic fairy tale and a pop star’s music video. Starring Camila Cabello, a singer and songwriter who once belonged to the music group Fifth Harmony and has since led a successful solo music career, "Cinderella" loses the class of the original fairy tale and instead lands itself as a sad attempt at a pop culture-filled musical.
Content warning: This article briefly mentions body dysmorphia.
