11/12/21
This week: A new album that will make you cry, a new album that will make you dance, and the next show for all you FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS fans.
TRENDS THIS WEEK
Youtube Taylor Swift - ALL TOO WELL
Letterboxd ETERNALS
TikTok #nativeownedbusinesses
Spotify Adele - Easy On Me
Netflix LOVE HARD
Twitter #RedTaylorsVersion
Life & Culture
I’m going to be honest, it’s been a week since the tragedy that happened at Travis Scott’s Astroworld concert, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I know I’m not alone, with tons of TikToks (which have garnered billions of views), tweets, and traditional news coverage coming out on the topic. What’s been most disturbing, in my opinion, is the first-hand accounts from individuals in the crowd, sharing their own clearly traumatizing experiences inside the crowd surge. In the days since the concert, which was in Houston last Friday, more and more disturbing information has come out about the event’s poor planning, from security guards being hired day-of with little previous experience, medics overwhelmed with not enough equipment, and the concert continuing for 40 minutes after city officials declared it a “mass casualty event”. The Houston police are still investigating the event that ultimately caused the death of nine people and injured hundreds.
In some positive news, a hand signal popularized by the Canadian Women’s Foundation on TikTok just potentially saved a life. A sixteen-year-old girl went missing from North Carolina, but was rescued after a driver in Kentucky saw her signaling for help in the passenger seat of a car, and called 911.
Britney is free! Today, a judge ruled that “the conservatorship of the person and estate of Britney Jean Spears is no longer required.” This comes after almost 14 years of Britney’s father and his team legally controlling her finances and personal affairs. She posted on Instagram, thanking her fans and declaring today “the best day ever”. Highly recommend checking out this performance from her Dream Within a Dream tour in 2001 to celebrate.
The two best videos I saw this week are this throwback video with the energy to project you into a good weekend, and this video of two girls who were surprised by the-one-and-only Snoop Dogg serving them at the drive-through.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Film
What kind of person might accept a mysterious invitation to an anonymous, no-strings sexual encounter? THE BETA TEST (trailer here) uses this premise as an entrypoint into the life of fictional Hollywood agent Jordan Hines (Cummings), whose constant schmoozing has practically made him disappear into a caricature of himself. It’s a complete satire of the entertainment industry; and while Hines is an active participant in this world, in classic Jim Cummings fashion, the film still manages to humanize its protagonist. THUNDER ROAD expertly balances comedy and tragedy (you don’t know whether to laugh or cry—or both), and WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW followed suit while bringing elements of horror into the mix. Now we have a Giallo-inspired, noir-influenced paranoia thriller that examines how toxic masculinity and artifice can take a toll on even someone higher up the ladder…while not at all excusing him from being a horrible person.
—Alicia Devereaux, Development Assistant
The Yeehaw Agenda strikes again with THE HARDER THEY FALL (trailer here), a Western created by Jeymes Samuels. The story (and the Yeehaw Agenda) is all about reclaiming a genre from which Black people have been largely erased. The film follows Nat Love (Jonathan Majors), an outlaw who makes a living robbing other outlaws, and his enemy Rufus Buck (Idris Alba), head of the Rufus Buck Gang, which also includes famed Cherokee Bill (Lakeith Stanfield) and Treacherous Trudy (Regina King). Stylistically this film is a true Western, and although I’m usually not a fan of the genre, this story really got me. The film also has a kick-ass soundtrack which includes Jay Z, Kid Cudi, Seal, Koffee, and Laura Mvula, to name a few.
—Eden Bekele, Digital Associate
TV
If you love sports dramas like FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS and ALL AMERICAN, Apple TV+’s newest series SWAGGER (trailer here) could be your next favorite show. Based on the early life of Kevin Durant, SWAGGER explores the world of youth basketball in the Washington, D.C. area. The series immerses you into this specific yet relatable world in which the players, their families, and their coaches are all striving to do their best under extreme pressure. Each episode combines the excitement of basketball with grounded emotional moments. O’Shea Jackson, Jr. shines as Ike, the flawed but good-natured head coach and former youth basketball prodigy who has to grapple with his unrealized potential when the team’s newest player Jace is generating the same hype Ike once received. With strong performances, compelling dramatic tension, and heartwarming family moments, SWAGGER is already emerging as must-see TV. You can catch up on the first five episodes this weekend, with new episodes dropping every Friday on Apple TV+.
—Dustin Sloane, Development Assistant
Theater
I’m the first person to admit that a three hour play about the origins of Lehman Brothers sounds like a total snooze. Yet somehow, this masterful production is anything but. Written by Stefano Massini and adapted by Ben Power, THE LEHMAN TRILOGY employs three actors (in this case Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley, and Adrian Lester) across dozens of roles. The three men tell the entire 164 year history of the Lehman Brothers institution, from their origins as immigrant shopkeepers in 1844 Alabama all the way up to the 2008 financial crisis. The three men are captivating to watch, even as they inhabit unlikeable characters. Wearing one costume and standing in one room for the duration of the play (a rotating glass boardroom in which the windowpanes are treated like whiteboards), the three actors are absolute chameleons, jumping from one character to the next with ease. If you want to see perhaps the best stage performance of this theatre season, I highly recommend checking it out!
—Julia Hammer, Director of Production
Music
I’m not really sure where to begin in describing RED, Taylor Swift’s autumnal heartbreak masterwork. At the time of its release in 2012, critics praised the album for Swift's trademark confessional songwriting, but were divided on its drawn-out track length and scattered amalgamation of genres. Years later, it’s become evident that RED was perhaps the most crucial inflection point in Swift’s sonic evolution, as it laid the foundation for so many exciting threads she would follow in years to come. Between the continuation of her sentimental country roots, her first foray into proper pop that she’d follow on 1989 and REPUTATION, and shades of indie rock that would turn up on FOLKLORE and EVERMORE, the all-encompassing soundscape of RED makes it the most exhilarating work of Taylor Swift’s to revisit.
Like her last re-recording, RED (Taylor’s version) includes nine (!!) new songs “from the vault”—songs she recorded but ultimately scrapped or gave away to other artists when first releasing RED. While the vault tracks feature some incredible collaborations with artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Chris Stapleton, Ed Sheeran, and Mark Foster, the real highlight is the original, 10-minute version of Taylor Swift’s magnum opus, ALL TOO WELL. If you thought a 10-minute version of ALL TOO WELL was nothing but a gimmick to spice up the track list…please know that Ms. Swift has truly delivered lyrically—and then some. Whatever you think you’re ready for, you’re not. So with that, I leave you to collect your maple lattes & scarves and relive whatever romantic trauma you experienced in 2012.
—Neal Mulani, Development Assistant
Listen up folks! Silk Sonic, the R&B duo of Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars, just released its debut album. AN EVENING WITH SILK SONIC is the smooth, sexy listening experience that I've been waiting for. It’s also perfect to switch up the vibe after listening to RED (Taylor's version) and sobbing about your ex. Do y'all remember when the duo dropped LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN earlier this year? The song was all over every single one of my playlists and had me begging for more. Both musicians have such distinct artistry individually that I love (I mean Anderson .Paak's album Oxnard was on repeat on my Spotify all of 2019.), so this mashup is something I never knew I needed until now. SMOKIN OUT THE WINDOW and SKATE—two songs I already love—were released as singles before the album came out and have both taken over my TikTok FYP. Happy listening!
—Erin Harris, Development Assistant