In August, William Shatner released the country album Why Not Me. A collaborative effort with Jeff Cook from Country Music Hall of Fame band Alabama, the record plays up Shatner’s irreverent approach to music that began with 1968’s cult classic The Transformed Man. Among the titles on Why Not Me: …
Read More »Song You Need to Know: JoJo, 'Leave (Get Out) [2018]'
On December 20th, JoJo gave herself the best possible 28th birthday present: a reclaimed narrative. That day, the pop singer reissued 2004’sJoJo and 2006’sThe High Road — the early albums that made her a teenage superstar, before she plunged into what she has previously described as a “personal hell” of …
Read More »Mike and the Moonpies Talk Texas Dancehalls, 'Prairie Rose' With Chris Shiflett
It’s been 11 months since Mike and the Moonpies released their fifth effort, Steak Night at the Prairie Rose. During that time, the Texans have performed upwards of 200 gigs at home and abroad, cementing their reputation as Red Dirt road dogs along the way. It was a recent run …
Read More »This Week in Music: Avril Lavigne, PrettyMuch, Bad Bunny
Listen to this week’s YouTube Music playlist here. Avril Lavigne, “Tell Me It’s Over” Sounds like: A former pop-punk princess all grown up Perfect for: Completely checking out of a relationship Avril Lavigne is priming herself — and us — for a big, surprising 2019 comeback. The soulful, Billie Holiday-inspired …
Read More »Trump Made a Mess of His Trip to Visit Troops in Iraq
President Donald Trump had been scheduled to close out 2018 with a 16-day vacation at Mar-a-Lago, up from the 11 days he spent at the “Winter White House” to bring home his first year in office. But prior to Christmas, the president decided to shut down the government because Congress …
Read More »'Vice': The Big Dick-Cheney Energy of Adam McKay
It was a fever, a bookshelf, and possibly divine intervention, that made Adam McKay realize he didn’t know Dick. In the late winter of 2016, the writer-director had just finished the awards-circuit death march for The Big Short, his look at the housing crisis. Then, a week after the Oscars, …
Read More »Hear Florida Georgia Line Embrace Diversity in New 'People Are Different'
Florida Georgia Line have released “People Are Different,” the latest track from the group’s upcoming 2019 album Can’t Say I Ain’t Country. Following in a similar path to recent hits like Kenny Chesney’s “Get Along” and Luke Bryan’s “Most People Are Good,” FGL’s latest offering, a pensive down-tempo soft-rock ballad, …
Read More »'Welcome to Marwen' Review: Trauma, Triumph Get Stuck in the Dollhouse
Eighteen years ago, in a bar outside Kingston, New York, Mark Hogancamp — an illustrator who liked wearing women’s high-heels — was nearly beaten to death by five thugs. Waking up after nine days in a coma, the bruised, broken and brain-damaged ex-soldier had no recall of having served in …
Read More »Sweden's 'Man-Free' Music Festival Rebuked for Gender Discrimination
Sweden’s Statement festival, billed as “the world’s first major music festival for women, non-binary and transgender only” people has been excoriated for breaching the country’s ban on gender discrimination. The Statement festival was held in Gothenburg, Sweden in August following a crowdfunding campaign. Comedian Emma Knyckare founded the event as …
Read More »Cate Blanchett Vanishes in New 'Where'd You Go, Bernadette' Trailer
“Something unexpected has come up,” says Bernadette Fox, portrayed by Cate Blanchett, in the new trailer for Where’d You Go, Bernadette. “There’s much more explanation coming, but I have this one shot.” It seems an odd thing for Bernadette to confess as she seems to have it all, living in …
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