Alternative Music
Forever 1: Breaking Down the Legacy of Girls’ Generation, Fifteen Years in the Making
Last week, on August 5th, eight-member K-pop group Girls’ Generation landed a comeback with their latest album, FOREVER 1. While the term “comeback” has a different meaning within the world of K-pop — it’s typically used to refer to any new music from an artist or group, no matter how long the gap has been between releases — the term really fits here in the more traditional sense. So go ahead — call it a comeback. Girls’ Generation, which consists of members Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun, debuted in 2007, and this new album has arrived to coincide with their fifteenth anniversary. After an extended hiatus that began in 2017 and yielded flourishing solo activities in film, music, and entertainment for many members, the group has reunited for FOREVER 1 ...
Texas Church Twists Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton into Bible-Thumping Homophobic Screed
A Texas church’s unauthorized production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton has drawn widespread criticism and a cease-and-desist letter for shoehorning in several references to Jesus as well as a homophobic screed that compares being gay to being addicted to drugs. This attempt to put some rap into the rapture was first reported by OnStage Blog, with more details provided by The Washington Post and The Dallas Morning News. On Friday, August 5th, The Door McAllen church livestreamed a never-before-seen take on Hamilton, with plenty of lyrics that would have surprised, if not the Creator, then at least the show’s creator, Miranda. Now-iconic lyrics such as, “What is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see/ I wrote some notes at the beginnin...
Austin City Limits Reveals Season 48 Lineup, Watch Japanese Breakfast Perform “Posing for Cars”: Exclusive
PBS’ long-running live music series Austin City Limits is set to return with the first half of Season 48 this fall. In addition to announcing the show’s lineup of performers, ACL has today teased the new season with an exclusive performance from Japanese Breakfast. The first of seven fresh Austin City Limits installments will debut on October 1st at 8:00 p.m. CT/9:00 p.m. ET with an episode headlined by Brandi Carlile. New hour-long episodes will then drop weekly, with guests including Japanese Breakfast and Arlo Parks (October 8th), Sylvan Esso and Lucius (October 15th), Allison Russell and The Weather Station (October 22nd), Parker McCollum and Robert Earl Keen (October 29th), and Lyle Lovett and His Large Band (November 5th). Season 48 part one will close with Cuban funk sensations...
Pete Davidson in Trauma Therapy Following Harassment from Kanye West: Report
Pete Davidson is reportedly in trauma therapy following the belligerent online harassment he experienced at the hands of Kanye West. A source told People that Davidson began seeking help in April of this year “in large part” due to the rapper’s consistent verbal and physical threats against him, sparked by the Saturday Night Live alum’s romantic relationship with West’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian: “The attention and negativity coming from Kanye and his antics is a trigger for [Davidson], and he’s had to seek out help,” the source added. In addition to his social media tirades, West also encouraged his fans to publicly harass Davidson, and even released music videos that depicted him decapitatating, skinning, and burying the comedian alive. After nine month of dating, h...
How to Get Tickets to BLACKPINK’s “BORN PINK” World Tour
BLACKPINK are showing fans that they’re “Ready for Love” with news of the massive “BORN PINK World Tour,” and missing out on tickets is sure to sting as much as the K-pop quartet’s comeback single, “Pink Venom.” The 2022-2023 circuit, which will stop in Asia, North America, Europe, and Australia, has so far been hyped by their label YG Entertainment as the “largest world tour in the history of a K-pop girl group.” Check for tickets here, and read on for dates and details for the upcoming tour. What Is BLACKPINK’s Next Tour? BLACKPINK’s “BORN PINK World Tour” kicks off with a double-header in Seoul, South Korea on October 15th-16th. They then jet to Dallas, Texas to open their North America leg on October 25th, followed by stops in Houston and Atlanta. The group will head to Canada for two ...
Mike Tyson Calls Hulu a “Slave Master” Over Unauthorized Series
As the release date for Hulu’s unauthorized limited series about the life of Mike Tyson approaches, the boxer has once again expressed his unequivocal disapproval of the project by comparing the streaming service to a “slave master.” “Don’t let Hulu fool you. I don’t support their story about my life,” Tyson wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday, August 6th. “It’s not 1822. It’s 2022. They stole my life story and didn’t pay me.” In the caption, he added, “Hulu is the streaming version of the slave master.” In a previous post, Tyson claimed Hulu tried to pay UFC president Dana White “millions without offering me a dollar to promote their slave master take over story about my life” and said he was grateful to White for turning the offer down. Advertisement Related Video Over on Twitter...
Bandai Namco Announces “Live-Action” Pac-Man Film and Oh God We Hope He’s Animated
Pac-Man is a creature, we think: an all-mouth being who can do nothing to quench his infinite appetite no matter how much he eats, even as he is pursued by ghosts and trapped in a maze from which there is no escape. Bandai Namco wants to turn that premise into a family comedy, The Hollywood Reporter notes, announcing a “live-action” adaptation that will either haunt our dreams or ignore the meaning of the words “live-action.” Pac-Man will be based on an idea from Sonic the Hedgehog producer Chuck Williams, though it’s not known if he’s one of the people responsible for that terror beyond mortal comprehension, Sonic with teeth. No plot details are known and no talent is attached — the project doesn’t exist, except in the fevered imaginations of men who see...
Tom Cruise to Star in Untitled Song-and-Dance Musical
Tom Cruise is retiring his airplane for the power of song. The action movie legend is teaming up with producer Christopher McQuarrie for an original song and dance-style musical, Deadline reports. Although — especially in the shadow of Top Gun: Maverick — it’s hard to imagine Cruise doing much else on screen besides his own stunts, he did flaunt his pipes for Adam Shankman’s 2012 jukebox musical comedy Rock of Ages. Evidently, he’s been wanting to take on another musical for a while now, with plans to dance this go around and write the script alongside McQuarrie. The as-yet-unnamed musical is just one of many movies Cruise and McQuarrie have coming down the pipeline. To the surprise of no one, they’re also working on another original action film with “franchise pot...
Stranger Things’ Joe Keery Joins Cast of Fargo Season 5
In addition to previously announced stars Juno Temple, Jon Hamm, and Jennifer Jason Leigh, FX has added Lamorne Morris, Richa Moorjani, and Stranger Things’ Joe Keery to the upcoming fifth season of Fargo. Fargo Season 5 is set in 2019 and centers on a supposed kidnapping. Temple, Ham, and Leigh will play Dot, Roy, and Lorraine, respectively, while Morris will play a character named Witt Farr and Moorjani will play Indira Olmstead. Keery’s character is named Gator Tillman. Creator Noah Hawley returns to executive produce the latest installment of the anthology series, as does Warren Littlefield and original Fargo film directors the Coen Brothers. A Season 5 release date has yet to be announced. Advertisement Related Video Best known for playing Winston on New Girl, Morris cu...
How to Get Tickets to The Rose’s “Heal Together World Tour”
Korean quartet The Rose are headed out for a globe-spanning run across North America, South America, and Europe with tickets quickly following the announcement. Join singer-guitarist Kim Woosung, who more recently served as a solo act supporting Epik High, singer-keyboardist Park Dojoon, drummer Lee Hajoon, and bassist Lee Jaehyeong for their next group outing, the “Heal Together World Tour,” lasting through 2023. Get tickets here, and read on for more details including pre-sale dates. What Is The Rose’s Next Tour? The Rose will launch their “Heal Together World Tour” in Chicago on October 13th. Following a stop in Minneapolis on October 15th, the band will go on an East Coast run including Boston, New York, and Washington, DC, then close out the month in Atlanta. They open November with s...
Teenage Head Guitarist Gord Lewis Found Dead in Apparent Homicide
Founding Teenage Head guitarist Gord Lewis was found dead over the weekend in his Hamilton, Ontario apartment, The Spectator reports. According to police, his death is being investigated as a homicide. In a press briefing, Hamilton Detective Sara Beck said police received information related to a deceased person. Upon visiting Lewis’ residence, police “located a deceased male in his 60s” with “injuries consistent with foul play.” However, Beck added that “a positive identification has not been made of the deceased due to the level of decomposition…an autopsy will be performed and additional steps taken to identify the deceased.” Police charged Jonathan Lewis, Gord’s son, with second-degree murder in the case, and Beck said police were not seeking additional suspects. Advertisement Rel...
Better Call Saul Review: The Wrong Place at the Wrong Time
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Better Call Saul, Season 6 Episode 12, “Waterworks.”] As we reach the finish line on Better Call Saul, a theme has emerged from these final episodes: How tragic it is, and the tragedies that can result, when someone lives in fear. That at least seems to be Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn)’s takeaway from the last several years of her life, as we see how making contact with her ex-husband Jimmy/Saul/Gene (Bob Odenkirk) caused her to return to the scene of her crimes — even if she may not end up actually having to pay the price for them. Written and directed by Vince Gilligan, “Waterworks” is a masterclass in making the mundane seem both important and suspenseful. The action begins with a tour through Kim’s black-and-white state of existence — a n...
