Editorials
How Thom Bell Created a Sound for a City, a Record Label, and for Generations of Fans
50 years ago, the sound of Philly Soul was born out of the legendary Philadelphia International Records. With the talents of The O’Jays, Patti LaBelle, Teddy Pendergrass, The Three Degrees, McFadden & Whitehead, and others, the label rewrote the standards of soul music. In light of Bell’s passing on December 22nd, 2022, his 2021 interview with Marcus Shorter. For some households, a Sunday morning consists of certain sounds. The sizzle from a couple strips of bacon cooked just right. That crack an egg makes before it gets scrambled or goes over sunny-side. And, of course, a tune by The Stylistics echoing in every room. Or The Delfonics. Or The Spinners. What defined these songs, besides the incredible performances, was the production courtesy of singer, songwriter, arranger, and record ...
The Muppet Christmas Carol Was Right to Cut Its Worst Song
Sometimes, on a film’s journey to completion, scenes are cut which add extra insight to a character’s backstory, or contribute to the world-building; cuts that later feel like mistakes, creating a whole ancillary market for extended editions and special features. But sometimes, there are scenes that really were cut fo the film’s benefit — such as the “When Love Is Gone” sequence from The Muppet Christmas Carol. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Brian Henson‘s timeless and charming adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic, Disney+ recently presented subscribers with the option to watch either the original theatrical release or the “full-length version.” The primary difference between the two is the inclusion of one extra song, which Henson has said then-Disney executive Jeffrey Katzenbe...
Fan Chant: K-Pop Highlights of 2022 and Holiday Cheer
Welcome to Fan Chant, a weekly column for K-pop fans, stans, and newbies alike. Each week, I’ll be rolling out interviews, lists, and all kinds of content to keep you in the loop on the latest and greatest from our friends in Seoul and beyond. Also, make sure to subscribe to my companion newsletter! December always seems to be a time to reflect on the year, and as our Annual Report continues to roll out, I’ve found myself thinking about the joys and surprises that came with being a K-pop fan in the year 2022. Fan Chant launched in August, and it’s been so fun to have a designated place to round up the week’s news and announcements, and I’m so excited to continue expanding the interviews and behind the scenes content here in 2023. (On the note of our Annual Report, be sure to check out my l...
Fan Chant: Breaking Down Omega X’s Legal Battle
Welcome to Fan Chant, a weekly column for K-pop fans, stans, and newbies alike. Each week, I’ll be rolling out interviews, lists, and all kinds of content to keep you in the loop on the latest and greatest from our friends in Seoul and beyond. Also, make sure to subscribe to my companion newsletter! This week’s column contains mentions of abuse. On Wednesday, December 7th, K-pop group Omega X attended their first hearing in the battle to terminate their exclusive contracts with agency Spire Entertainment. All eleven members, whose ages range from 21 to 27 years old, were present at the Seoul Eastern District Court. For those who might not be familiar with Omega X, a group stemming from a smaller label, the conversation around the case to terminate their exclusive contract as a team has rig...
When Your Favorite Artist Becomes a Nazi
For a nine-year period between 2004 and 2013, Kanye West was a visionary musical force, who amassed a catalog unrivaled by any of his peers. At the peak of his powers, West was one of the most creative, provocative, and influential artists to ever exist, whose records changed the sound of hip-hop. Now, he’s just a Nazi. On Thursday, December 1st, West joined alt-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on his InfoWars talk show. Over the course of a two-hour appearance, West proudly declared himself a Nazi, questioned the existence of the Holocaust, and praised Adolf Hitler for doing “good things.” He railed against “Zionists” as “evil,” and even pulled out a net and bottle of Yoo-hoo chocolate milk, which he claimed was longtime Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an apparent attemp...
With Indigo, RM Makes Fleeting Moments Feel Permanent
The album cover of RM’s Indigo includes artwork by Korean artist Yun Hyong-keun, a painter known for meditative, contemplative pieces characterized by splashes of umber and ultramarine. While the contemporary paintings are relatively minimalist, they’re technically complex, and all the more layered considering the artist was a bold, persistent figure who survived one of the most turbulent and traumatic periods in South Korea’s history. The streaming press preview of Indigo included extensive notes on the record; it’s there that Yun Hyong-keun is noted as RM’s favorite painter. RM, who was born Kim Namjoon, is the leader of BTS, the biggest pop group on the planet. He’s also a vocal supporter and passionate collector of contemporary art, particularly interested in elevating work by South Ko...
The Menu, Glass Onion, and the Limits of the Eat-the-Rich Satire
Over these past few years, the phrase “eat the rich” has been accumulating quite a bit of popularity in our cultural lexicon. Originally an anticapitalist slogan coined by political philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, “eat the rich” has become more applicable than ever, used by the masses as a response to a growing dissatisfaction toward billionaires and other beneficiaries of the 1%. It’s also been thematized heavily in contemporary pop culture, gaining traction starting in 2019 with the advent of films like the riveting Best Picture winner Parasite, the cat-and-mouse thriller Ready or Not, the star-studded whodunnit Knives Out, and the stripper crime comedy Hustlers. Each of these stories attempted to critique the systems and ideologies that drive and preserve the ever-widening wealth gap...
Why Alien: Resurrection Is the Worst Alien Film — and Also the Most Fascinating
Twenty-five years ago, 20th Century Fox released the fourth Alien film, and with it brought its once-lucrative franchise to a screeching halt. Yet, despite the fact that Alien Resurrection is maybe the worst of the four original Alien films, it’s probably the one I’ve seen the most times. I keep coming back to it, over and over, as a fascinating mismatch between writer and director that, on paper, should have been legitimately amazing. I keep wanting to understand it. Every time, I fail. But I still come away fascinated by the sheer fact of its existence. Resurrection features the fourth (and to date final) appearance of Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, who we originally met as a humble space trucker in the first Alien, before she became one of the galaxy’s sole living experts on the terr...
Why We’re So Obsessed With A Christmas Story 28 Years Later
Suppose you’re a red-blooded American growing up anywhere near a television for the last thirty years. In that case, chances are A Christmas Story is at least a tangential part of your holiday memories. Regardless of your thoughts on the film itself — I think it’s perfectly fine, if exceedingly overplayed — there’s no mistake that it’s wormed its way into the American lexicon by sheer dint of its omnipresence on TV screens during the holidays. But how did such a small, independent holiday film — one with a decidedly jaundiced (and BB-pelted) eye towards the nostalgia of the 1940s — turn from a theatrical shrug into an unlikely American treasure? Let alone one that would spawn multiple sequels, with the latest, A Christmas Story Christmas, coming to VOD and HBO Max on November 17th. Let’s t...
I’m a Former Video Store Clerk and I Think Netflix’s Blockbuster Deserves to Go Bankrupt
It’s not a good sign that Blockbuster, a workplace sitcom set inside a literal metaphor for late-stage capitalism, feels the need to call out the problem with its premise seven minutes into the pilot episode. “Isn’t it ironic that the small business taking a stand against the big corporation in this scenario is actually a franchise of a once-huge corporation, named after the exact type of big corporate movies that killed off smaller movies?” Blockbuster employee Eliza (Melissa Fumero) says, as her boss Tim (Randall Park) tries to rally his underdog staff. I’m admittedly coming to the show with a bias, as a former video store clerk who spent about two and a half years behind the counter of independent stores — stores that always struggled to compete with the Walmart of the industry. But des...
Fan Chant: Can’t Talk, Busy Running Through a Garden in a Ballgown to This New Vitamin String Quartet BTS Album
Welcome to Fan Chant, a weekly column for K-pop fans, stans, and newbies alike. Each week, I’ll be rolling out interviews, lists, and all kinds of content to keep you in the loop on the latest and greatest from our friends in Seoul and beyond. Also, make sure to subscribe to my companion newsletter! As anyone who has even glanced at this column (or most of my writing) before can confirm, I absolutely love to love things. To that same end, I also adore people who love pop culture, film, fandom, and niche interests with all their heart. I’m obsessed with being part of the discussion around a cultural phenomenon, even if the product itself isn’t necessarily something I’m passionate about — I used to read Game of Thrones recaps regularly even though the show wasn’t my vibe, finding myself stan...
Fan Chant: Last Chance to Get Your Spotify Wrapped Under Control
Welcome to Fan Chant, a weekly column for K-pop fans, stans, and newbies alike. Each week, I’ll be rolling out interviews, lists, and all kinds of content to keep you in the loop on the latest and greatest from our friends in Seoul and beyond. Also, make sure to subscribe to my companion newsletter! Friends, believe it or not, we have almost reached the time of year when Spotify’s data collection period ends and the streaming service begins assembling the beloved Spotify Wrapped. It might feel super early, but the official deadline is the end of this month, October 31st. The company then spends November preparing the yearly breakdown to roll out at the start of December, which, more often than not, sends me into a yearly breakdown of my own. The thing is, when I love something, I love it e...
