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Westworld Composer Ramin Djawadi on the Exciting Musical Twists Promised by Season 4
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Westworld, Season 4 Episode 2, “Well Enough Alone.” To read about the music of Episode 1, click here.] There might not be a big epic cover in the newest episode of Westworld, but there’s still plenty to discuss, music-wise, with composer Ramin Djawadi. That’s because Episode 2, “Well Enough Alone,” continues exploring key questions for Season 4, ending with the revelation that Delos Destinations, the corporation behind the high-tech amusement parks where this future dystopia was born, is up to its old tricks — with a brand new theme park setting that made Djawadi very happy. “I love jazz and actually studied jazz in college as well, and I never get to do much jazz in score. So whenever there’s opportunity, I jump on it right away,” he tel...
60 Random Tom Cruise Facts to Celebrate His 60th Birthday
The life, career, and legacy of Tom Cruise is epic, dramatic, sometimes complicated, but impossible to ignore. One of our last remaining old-school movie stars, who’s proven capable of great range over the years, Cruise has wielded his power in Hollywood to create unforgettable film moments and behind-the-scenes innovations, constantly pushing himself to new extremes with each passing day. To appreciate his complexity and talent on the occasion of this, his 60th birthday, we’ve compiled 60 facts that only hint at why Tom Cruise remains one of the most famous men on the planet. He’s been grinning that signature grin and running his damn heart out for over 40 years on screen, and he shows very little sign of stopping anytime soon. 1. Tom Cruise’s real name is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV. 2. To...
Implementing Security Best Practices to Maintain Integrity at the Edge
Industry 4.0, IIoT, and smart manufacturing are all buzzwords that we’ve been talking about for years. Many of us have had visions of factory floors run by futuristic robots and drones reminiscent of SciFi movies like iRobot. Well, it seems that life is indeed starting to imitate art; a 2021 McKinsey & Company survey concluded that many global manufacturing companies were able to keep their operations running during the pandemic, thanks to Industry 4.0. Furthermore, more than half of the respondents indicated that technology played a fundamental role in staying operational. Moreover, according to recent studies, the COVID-19 pandemic has vaulted us five years forward in digital business adoption. More and more manufacturers are considering actively adopting “lights out” factories and s...
Why High-Bandwidth Networks Should Form Part of Every Cloud Strategy
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A League of Their Own: The Mysterious Identity of the Black Woman Who Throws Back the Ball
UPDATED: This is the story of a mystery. Unlike a good Agatha Christie page-turner, it’s not that dramatic. But it is a sad one — though maybe, just maybe, the ending hasn’t been written yet. Thirty years ago, one of the greatest sports movies ever made was released in theaters. Based on the true story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, founded during World War II when most able-bodied men (including ball players) were fighting overseas, A League of Their Own featured two fictional sisters (Geena Davis and Lori Petty) battling over their own issues during the inaugural season of women’s professional baseball. The film became a modern classic for so many reasons: the powerful direction by Penny Marshall, an all-star cast that also includes Tom Hanks, Rosie O’Donnell, Ma...
RAYE Shares Origins of New Track “Hard Out Here”: Exclusive
Our Origins feature series provides artists with a space to run through everything that went into their latest project. Today, RAYE shares insight into her powerful new single, “Hard Out Here.” To return with a new single that’s at once inspirational, orchestral, catchy, brutally honest, and uplifting isn’t an easy feat — but RAYE makes it seem so with her new track, “Hard Out Here,” out Friday, July 1st. It’s a song peppered with details but feels somewhat universal nonetheless, and is especially relatable for any woman who has ever overcome a man attempting to silence her and bounced back that much stronger. There’s a reality out there where we never got to hear this song, RAYE reveals. “The initial version of this song was created years ago — however, I wasn’t given permission from my l...
All 247 Songs Jack Antonoff Has Produced, Ranked From Worst to Best
This article originally ran in August 2021, but we’ll be updating it for years to come, because Jack Antonoff cannot be stopped. Jack Antonoff remains booked and busy. Antonoff, former member of fun. and current frontman of indie pop group Bleachers, is the most sought-after producer in the pop world right now, full stop. This, like any gust of fame, comes with a harsher magnifying glass. Antonoff has turned into a bit of a polarizing figure recently; many love the signature flourishes he adds to tracks, while others think he’s becoming formulaic. Wherever you stand when it comes to the Antonoff discourse, it’s worth highlighting his resume of contributions to modern pop. Not to mention his six Grammy Awards; he was nominated for Producer of the Year in 2020 and 2021, and won the category ...
Stranger Things Season 4, Part 2 Serves Up Oversized Blockbuster Cheese for the Fourth of July: Review
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers through the Season 4 finale of Stranger Things, “The Piggyback.”] The Pitch: This year’s super-sized season of Stranger Things felt, if anything, a confirmation of Netflix’s confidence in the series — marking it as their true blockbuster tentpole, the thing to keep people subscribing amid price hikes and a nagging sense of doubt in their catalog. The first seven episodes (all nearly feature-length) set up our rapidly growing set of chess pieces along four branching storylines: Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and her attempts to get her powers back, Joyce’s (Winona Ryder) quest to get Hopper (David Harbour) back from Russia, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and crew fleeing from the authorities in California, and the kids of Hawkins facing down a sp...
Sufjan Stevens in 10 Songs
This article originally ran in 2015; we’re dusting it off in celebration of Sufjan Stevens’ birthday on July 1st. Ever felt overwhelmed by an artist’s extensive back catalog? Been meaning to check out a band, but you just don’t know where to begin? In 10 Songs is here to help, offering a crash course and entry point into the daunting discographies of iconic artists of all genres. This is your first step toward fandom. Take it. It’s been nearly 30 years since Sufjan Stevens first appeared on the music scene as a solo artist, but it’s still difficult to think of him as a real person. The man films videos of himself playing banjo on a farm with a curled baseball cap on his head. He dances awkwardly in neon duct tape and strands of lights. He faces audiences with a set of feathered wings strap...
Song of the Week: Cardi B Heats Up the Summer with “Hot Shit” Featuring Ye and Lil Durk
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Cardi B enlists Ye and Lil Durk for some “Hot Shit.” “I’m nervous. I’m so nervous. I don’t even know what’s going on,” Cardi B told Apple Music about her new song, “Hot Shit,” effectively capturing how just about everyone feels about… well, everything these days. Cardi B is beloved for a multitude of reasons, and her complete lack of filter and insistence on being wholly herself in any situation is definitely an important one. The lead single to her upcoming sophomore album might not be as much of an earw...
Rap Song of the Week: City Girls and Usher Get Freaky on “Good Love”
Each Friday, Rap Song of the Week rounds up the hip-hop tracks you need to hear. Check out the full playlist here. Today, City Girls return with “Good Love” featuring Usher. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Usher’s breakout album My Way, but the R&B legend is still capable of blowing minds, as demonstrated during his stunning 25-minute Tiny Desk concert to close out Black Music Month. In addition to maintaining his silky smooth voice through the years, Usher hasn’t lost his inner freak, either. His hook on City Girls’ new single “Good Love” confirms as much. “All the freaky things that I can do,” the 43-year-old boasts. “I can freak you ’til the mornin’/ Get on top and ride on it/ Eighty ways, I’ll keep you comin’.” After all, age ain’t nothing but a number and there’s...
“I Don’t Just Represent Grime, I Represent the U.K.”: An Interview With D Double E
Darren Dixon — or better known to you as D Double E — started his musical journey over 20 years ago growing up on a diet of jungle, U.K garage, and dancehall, studying the art from his older inspirations and Jamaican icons Bounty Killer, Ninjaman, and Buju Banton. Since then, the journey has been a wild one for the 42-year-old. Labeled as DJ Dan under the crew Bass Inject in the early ’90s, Dixon was a jungle and U.K. garage musician at heart until the year 1998 saw the launch of the drum and bass-centric Reckless Crew which took over London’s Rinse FM pirate radio station. It wasn’t until he was a member of the early grime collective N.A.S.T.Y. Crew alongside the likes of Ghetts and Kano that the genre became the new thing on the block. Bluku! Bluku!, Double’s 2011-released debut EP took ...
