Pop Culture
Too Soon Gone: How the Life and Music of DMX Tell a Tragically Familiar Story for Black Men
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-11T15:15:47+00:00“>April 11, 2021 | 11:15am ET “I want Black men to grow old.” While scaling out to the larger population, away from the complexities of rapper Earl “DMX” Simmons’ untimely death, television writer Camilla Blackett simultaneously managed to home in on a core understanding. For Blackett and many others, the premature loss of Simmons labors as a frightening reminder that we, Black men, do not grow old, at least not nearly enough of us. Chadwick Boseman, Charlie Murphy, Bernie Mac, Nipsey Hussle, Prince, Heavy D, George Floyd, Gerald LeVert, Tupac Shakur, Notorious BIG, Prodigy (of Mobb Deep), J Dilla, Bernard Tyson, Fred the Godson. MF DOOM. These are an exceedingly...
Caitlyn Jenner Considering Run for Governor of California
Caitlyn Jenner, the 1976 Olympic gold medalist and former reality TV star best known for Keeping Up with the Kardashians, is considering a run for Governor of California. According to three sources “with direct knowledge of her deliberations,” Jenner has already made moves towards a political future, reports Axios. Jenner is a longtime Republican and was a vocal supporter of Donald Trump until late 2018 when she realized the president was “relentlessly attacking” the trans community. If she moves forward as a potential candidate, it’s likely that Jenner will seek the Republican nominee position — and champion a platform that’s a stark contrast to that of Gavin Newsom, the current Governor of California and Democrat who’s facing a recall election. The three sources who spoke with Axios reve...
Bill Burr Announces 2021 Tour Dates
Slowly but surely the US is preparing for a post-pandemic lifestyle, and that means large-scale in-person events are appearing on the horizon. Now, the latest person to plan for such is Bill Burr, who just announced a number of 2021 tour dates for later this summer. Burr’s upcoming tour spans 21 shows throughout the US, primarily in the fall. Beginning with his rescheduled dates at The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on July 2nd and 3rd, the tour will see Burr stopping in Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Georgia, California, Indiana, and more before concluding his trek in Phoenix, Arizona on December 30th. After taking part in COVID-19 benefit shows and hosting a controversial episode of Saturday Night Live, Burr was eager to get back to in-person comedy events where h...
San Diego Comic-Con Sparks Backlash for Planning In-Person Event on Thanksgiving Weekend
Just about every industry figured out ways to approximate their typical experiences online over the last year. Anaheim’s annual comic convention WonderCon just wrapped up its virtual event over the weekend, and the iconic San Diego Comic-Con has plans for a second online edition this summer. But just as many businesses are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, SDCC is already planning its big comeback extravaganza. The convention organizers have announced their first in-person event since 2019, Comic-Con Special Edition, and they’re holding it on… Thanksgiving weekend? CCSE is currently set for November 26th-28th this year, and responses to the dates has been largely negative for pretty obvious reasons. The pandemic prevented many people from spending the holidays with their ...
San Antonio Tussaud’s Pulls Wax Donald Trump Because People Keep Punching It
Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks in San Antonio, Texas has removed a figure of Donald Trump because people kept punching it, the San Antonio Express-News reports. The museum in Alamo Plaza is owned by Ripley Entertainment, and according to regional manager Clay Stewart, they’ve had to hide their Trump in a storage closet. “When it’s a highly political figure, attacks can be a problem,” Stewart said. In addition to regular pummelings, the wax sculpture received several deep, cathartic scratches to the face. The Waxworks initially tried to defend 45 by placing him in the lobby under the protective eye of ticket takers. But this proved to be no deterrent, as many visitors were moved to violence even while employees were watching. Eventually, Trump had to be pulled from circul...
New York Times Columnist Says Pepé Le Pew “Added to Rape Culture”
The last few weeks have seen a reckoning come to the world of children’s media, as some Dr. Seuss books have been pulled for racist imagery, while the Mr. Potato Head toy line dropped its gendered name (though that’s more of a branding move than anything). New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow has come out strongly on the “pro” side of such changes and argues further actions are needed. In particular, he’s called out the Looney Tunes character Pepé Le Pew for normalizing rape culture. In an opinion article for the Times, Blow commended the Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ decision to stop printing six books that contained racist imagery. His piece also pointed out a number of incidents in kids’ culture that he argued irresponsibly enforced racial stereotypes and inappropriate behavior. ...
Steve Albini Calls Joe Rogan and Barstool Sports “Trash Garbage”
Prolific record producer and engineer Steve Albini is known for being outspoken about the music industry’s exploitation of artists, but he doesn’t hold back when being asked about other topics, either. Oxbow frontman Eugene Robinson recently interviewed Albini for his newsletter’s “Five Easy Pieces” feature, in which he posed five questions unrelated to music. While being asked about his “Keep/Toss list” of celebrities, Albini took the opportunity to take down podcast host Joe Rogan and media company Barstool Sports, who he decried for making “trash garbage.” Albini began by criticizing transgressive art that is simply being used as “a veneer” to “justify being a fucking creep.” Name-checking Vice (co-founded by Gavin McInnes, who later founded neo-fascist organization the Proud Boys), he ...
Dr. Seuss Enterprises Stops Selling Six Books with Racist Imagery
You won’t be able to read them in a store, or if you’re sprawled out on the floor. You won’t find them upon a bookstore shelf, not even if you asks a Christmas elf. That’s because Dr. Seuss Enterprises has announced that they will cease publication and licensing of six books due to racist imagery. The news comes on what would have been Dr. Seuss’, born Theodor Seuss Geisel, 117th birthday. Dr. Seuss Enterprises, which runs and manages the collected works of the late children’s author, said it had consulted with a panel of experts and educators last year before concluding that six classic Seuss tales would no longer be published. The six books are And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, If I Ran the Zoo, McElligot’s Pool, On Beyond Zebra!, Scrambled Eggs Super!, a...
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s Cannabis Brand, Houseplant, Comes to the US
Two years ago, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg launched their mid-century modern cannabis line, Houseplant, in their native Canada. Now, the brand is officially crossing the border, as it will soon be available in the United States. Well, at least one part of the US. California residents will soon be able to purchase the company’s three strains of marijuana flower — indica, sativa, and hybrid — via the to-be-launched Houseplant website. Each varietal is named after weather patterns, like the 33% THC (that’s a lot!) sativa strain Pancake Ice. No word yet on when or if the brand’s pre-rolled joints, soft-gel capsules, and two flavors of carbonated beverage (grapefruit and lemon) will follow suit. While the actual weed will only be available in Cali to start, Houseplant’s new home good...
Queen Release New Mobile Rhythm Game Rock Tour
Queen were hoping to bring a massive concert experience around the world in celebration of their 50th anniversary, but the pandemic has put a damper on those plans. Instead, they’ll bring tiny concert experiences from throughout their history into fans’ homes with the Queen: Rock Tour mobile game. Coming from Universal Music Group and Gameloft, Queen: Rock Tour is a rhythm game much like Rock Band or Guitar Hero, except in this mobile version all the rocking out is done with your fingertips. Players can tour 10 famed international venues and tap along to 20 of Queen’s iconic songs, including “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “We Will Rock You”, “Radio Ga Ga”, “We Are the Champions”, and more. You can also change the look of the band, choosing from over 40 instantly recognizable costumes worn ...
Hasbro’s Mr. Potato Head Line Drops the Mr., Rebrands as Potato Head
Pop in your surprised face: Hasbro is rebranding its 70-year-old Mr. Potato Head line, which will now be called simply Potato Head. The characters Mr. Potato Head and Mrs. Potato Head will continue to be sold. As Variety reports, the news comes as part of a push for inclusivity. That includes the new product Create Your Potato Head Family allowing children to provide their spud buds with all combinations of features without regard to gender. Some bad-faith blowhards initially responded to the announcement as if Hasbro had declared that Being a Real Man™ was now illegal; one big account that we won’t dignify with a link used the rebrand to call for conservative states to secede from the Union. Oh well — taters gonna tate. These concerns turned out to be half-baked, because as Ha...
Tim Burton’s Batman Returns in New DC Comics Series
Cue up the Danny Elfman score — maybe even Prince’s “Batdance” — and get ready to revisit Tim Burton’s Batman universe. Today, DC Comics announced they’re spending this summer in the filmmaker’s Dark Deco’d Gotham City with Batman ’89. Written by original screenwriter Sam Hamm and brought to the page by artist Joe Quinones, the DC Digital First series will tell all new adventures featuring Michael Keaton’s incarnation of Batman. A press release promises the return of Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman, the debut of a new Robin (perhaps Marlon Wayans, as originally planned?), and the two-faced evolution of Billy Dee Williams’ Harvey Dent. Altogether, there will be 12 new chapters that “pull on a number of threads left dangling by the prolific director.” The first six will debut on July 27th with ...
