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Fan Chant: TWICE Are Talking the Talk
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! It feels strange to say that there’s ever a “light week” as someone on the K-pop beat, but this past week was maybe as close as we are going to get for a while. A week without any huge new releases meant I had some space to dig into some recent albums that I hadn’t spent dedicated time with just yet — it’s absurd how good this NewJeans debut EP is! I finally had a moment to venture beyond “Attention” and learned that every track on the mini-album is, in fact, a gem. Similarly, this week gave me...
2022 Emmys Predictions: Our Best Guesses As to Who Will Win Big This Year
Like all awards ceremonies, every year the Emmys recognize a wide range of inspiring, hilarious, complex, and/or heartbreaking shows and performances in its nominations, and like all awards ceremonies, the actual winners sometimes feel a little disappointing, if only because the winner was the predictable choice. So, in that spirit, here is a humble effort to try to guess what and who the TV Academy will choose to recognize this Monday, when the 74th annual Emmy Awards are handed out. One word to describe the predictions below? Pragmatic is probably the most politically correct term to use. For, sometimes the Emmys can be truly exciting and innovative in their winners, but other times, the awards basically go to the same three shows. Advertisement These picks aren’t as single-minded as tha...
2022 Emmys Predictions: Our Best Guesses As to Who Will Win Big This Year
Like all awards ceremonies, every year the Emmys recognize a wide range of inspiring, hilarious, complex, and/or heartbreaking shows and performances in its nominations, and like all awards ceremonies, the actual winners sometimes feel a little disappointing, if only because the winner was the predictable choice. So, in that spirit, here is a humble effort to try to guess what and who the TV Academy will choose to recognize this Monday, when the 74th annual Emmy Awards are handed out. One word to describe the predictions below? Pragmatic is probably the most politically correct term to use. For, sometimes the Emmys can be truly exciting and innovative in their winners, but other times, the awards basically go to the same three shows. Advertisement These picks aren’t as single-minded as tha...
Barbarian Is Your New Bonkers Horror Favorite of 2022: Review
The Pitch: On a dark and stormy night in Detroit, Tess (Georgina Campbell) shows up at her AirBnB only to find someone already staying there: sensitive, looming, but slightly disarming Keith (Bill Skarsgård). Turns out they’ve both rented the place on the same night, and there’s nowhere else to stay, so Tess decides to take Keith up on his offer to crash together. After all, what’s the worst that could happen? Eat Your Heart Out, Gabriel: How do you write a review of a film that’s genuinely, truly, deeply best enjoyed blind? That’s the challenge ahead for us, dear reader, but let’s give it a shot. The solo feature directorial debut of Zach Cregger (one of the founding members of The Whitest Kids U’Know), Barbarian shares a surprising amount of DNA with Psycho, especiall...
What is Good Cloud Migration Security?
Sourced from InfoWorld. Cloud adoption continues to be important for many organizations as they transform how they do business in today’s digital world. While there are many benefits associated with cloud adoption, the security implications of moving to the cloud cannot be ignored if organizations are to fully embrace it. This blog outlines the benefits of cloud migration and the security challenges associated with the process. Also, there is a list of best practices for creating a powerful cloud migration security strategy. What is Cloud Migration? Cloud migration is the process of transferring an organization’s data and apps from on-premises servers to a cloud infrastructure. Cloud infrastructure enables organizations to access data storage requirements and computing capabilities when th...
98 Musicians Predict the 2022 NFL Season
Now that Labor Day is in the rearview mirror, it means that football season is finally here. For the fourth season running, we asked a group of musicians to give their insight on how this season will shake out. No one predicted last year’s Super Bowl matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals, though a few accurately forecasted that the Rams would take home the Lombardi Trophy. As usual, some fans-turned-musicians are overly optimistic about their team’s chances, while others brace for another season at the bottom of the standings. Will this year be different? We’ll know in February. For now, here’s our collection of predictions. Nathan Followill, Kings Of LeonTennessee Titans (Credit: Taylor Hill/Getty Images) What’s your prognosis for the season?We way outperfor...
A Day in the Life of… Claude VonStroke
When you watch the video clips below, the first thing that will strike about Claude VonStroke is how endearing the DJ and producer is with the people around him. You can’t help but notice the ever-present common denominator of warm smiles, all the result of his emotive electronic music. “Anything that someone can remember and creates some sort of emotion for them…or magic with their friends or lover or just even inside themselves,” he says, of what makes a great song. Or, anything that makes you need to drop your butt down a few inches and groove on the spot.” Born in Cleveland, and raised in Detroit, the now LA-based VonStroke started off listening to the beats of rap and hip hop, eventually finding his way deeper in sonic spaces like drum and bass, as well as house music, where he’s foun...
Inside The Weeknd’s After Hours Nightmare Experience at Universal Studios
When you think of haunts (seasonal events held during the fall months based around scaring attendees), you often don’t think of musicians. In the rare cases where you do, perhaps you think of heavy metal or rock artists, as their music can often bring up images of horror in your mind. But horror has influenced all sorts of different genres, from pop with Michael Jackson’s iconic “Thriller” video to rap through the imagery described in songs by Flatbush Zombies and XXXTentacion. Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd, has never kept his love for the genre a secret, but it has taken center stage with the rollout of his blockbuster 2020 album, After Hours. While the music itself might not sound particularly scary, it is his accompanying visuals that have showcased his love for horror; a cursory glance ...
With Its Season 4 Finale, What We Do in the Shadows Confirmed It’s a Legend In the Making
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers through the Season 4 finale of What We Do in the Shadows, “Sunrise, Sunset.”] Some comedy series premiere in a blaze of glory before eventually losing some of their luster — the joke of the premise wasn’t enough to sustain more than five episodes, or the writing of Season 2 never lived up to the promise of Season 1. Which is why it’s so satisfying to watch the Season 4 finale of What We Do in the Shadows and know that this is a series that’s well on its way to becoming an iconic tentpole for FX. FX isn’t a network known for hasty cancellations, with many of its shows running for as long as the creators want to keep doing them (meaning four seasons for Atlanta, and infinity seasons for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia). But it was still eye-o...
In Search of Air Conditioning and Heaven 17
After procrastinating for about two months, even going as far as trying to fix it myself with a coat hanger, I put in a work order for my weird shower drain. The guy they send out to fix stuff is kind of intense. He likes to tell me way too much about his dates. The last time he said, “I’m hoping to get lucky tonight if you know what I mean.” I think he was referring to having sex. Anyway, I knew he was coming so I took a long walk hoping that when I got back he’d be finished. Suds, sordid details and all. But after 10 minutes of aimless walking, I need an escape from the sauna-like humidity that hangs around the Mid-Atlantic from March until mid-November. I ponder my options. I can pretend to buy a book at the fancy book store, or hey wait, I can duck into R House, a high-dollar food hub ...
Showtime’s American Gigolo Is More Sad than Sexy: Review
The Pitch: Male prostitute Julian Kaye’s leisurely life of bedding wealthy older women and driving nice cars around southern California is suddenly disrupted when he’s framed for the murder of a client. It’s the role that made Richard Gere a household name in Paul Schrader’s 1980 film American Gigolo, but in Showtime’s new series of the same name, Julian is played by Jon Bernthal, the sensitive tough guy who’s become a burgeoning sex symbol in his own right with a string of memorable TV roles in The Walking Dead, The Punisher, and this year’s We Own This City. Julian, who has no memory of the night of the murder, confessed to the killing, and was sentenced to 15 years of prison. After Detective Sunday (Rosie O’Donnell) uncovers evidence that exonerates him, though, Julian is a free man who...
Cobra Kai Strikes Hard Through an Operatic, Over-the-Top Season 5: Review
The Pitch: As the Bard once wrote, things are rotten in the San Fernando Valley. Under the mentorship of obscenely wealthy karate villain Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), Cobra Kai won last year’s All-Valley tournament — due in no small part to Silver’s illegal intervention. Plus, Silver’s money has given the dojo a facelift, and he plans to expand its no-mercy ethos to kids all over the country. Moreover, he’s framed former sensei Kreese (Martin Kove) for assault, leaving him unfettered control over the dojo while his mentor rots in prison. Our heroes aren’t exactly equipped to combat him, either: The loss at All-Valley months prior has broken Daniel LaRusso’s (Ralph Macchio) spirit, driving him further into paranoid obsession over Silver’s influence on his life. Johnny Lawrence (Willi...
