With much of awards season complete, Hollywood's gaze now shifts to the Oscars, which will take place on Sunday, March 4.
Five years after the release of "The 20/20 Experience," Justin Timberlake returned to music Friday with his new album "Man of the Woods." In the album, Timberlake calls upon his Southern upbringing and uses themes such as fatherhood and marriage as inspirations. Gone are the ascetics of a dapper Timberlake dressed in suit and tie, and in their place is a new Justin, wearing flannel shirts and ripped jeans.
In 2006, social activist Tarana Burke wrote two words on her MySpace page: "Me Too." Since then, MySpace has fallen out of significance in the realm of social media, but these words have remained relevant. Originally used to convey unity and empathy to women of color who have experienced sexual abuse or harassment, "Me Too" has ignited a global conversation empowering all survivors of sexual misconduct, while highlighting just how widespread the problem is.
If you need something to watch in between cheering on Team USA at the Winter Olympics next month, look no further than these five TV shows and movies.
"It's still going to be good," I heard a familiar voice say from behind me.
"Democracy Dies in Darkness." This phrase was written by U.S. appeals court judge Damon J. Keith and used by Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward in reference to his reporting on the Watergate scandal. Today, it serves as the Post's slogan as well as the theme for Steven Spielberg's new movie "The Post," which tells the story of one of the paper's most pivotal moments in history.
I watched around 200 films this year. Most of them were, admittedly, ones I already loved, but a few were new ones released in 2017. Here are my five favorites, ranked in no particular order -- after "Lady Bird" (which is, indisputably, number one).
Every end-of-year "best-of" television list you read over the next week or so is going to begin with a disclaimer. It's impossible to narrow it down to just five, or 10, or 25 of the best shows, critics will lament, citing the ever-sprawling world of Peak TV, when it's simply impractical for any one writer to watch enough of the shows out there to produce a fair ranking. Even if I had seen them all, they'll add, there's so much good TV out there these days that I can't possibly make room for all the episodes that deserve a spot on my precious list.
Last Thursday night, Ed Sheeran surprised fans by releasing a duet of his song "Perfect," featuring Beyonce. It's a beautifully unexpected hit from a well-matched pair. Originally written and recorded by Sheeran, the remix does a wonderful job of showcasing Beyonce's vocal ability and expressing her personal experiences.
Here are the 20 best albums of 2017 (so far).
Here's what the Miami Student editors listened to, watched and read over Thanksgiving break.
Bjoerk may be from Iceland, but she wants us to believe she's from somewhere much farther away. Her aesthetic is anything but consistent; the only aspect tying together her alt-rock band The Sugarcubes, genre-hopping early solo projects and her more thematic and ambitious post-1997 projects is her unmistakable vocal delivery.
There are a lot of reasons why I drove around for 20 extra minutes after seeing "Lady Bird" so I could cry about it in peace, and why two of my friends texted me after watching it this weekend to say that it broke them too (in a good, cathartic way).
With music's biggest night just around the corner, the Recording Academy is set to announce the nominations for next year's Grammy Awards today. The country's second-most-watched awards show will celebrate its 60th anniversary Jan. 28, honoring the industry's top talents. While the list of this year's nominees has not yet been released, I expect the Grammys to honor artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Ed Sheeran and SZA.
Chance the Rapper made his hosting debut on "Saturday Night Live" this past Saturday. By stripping down to his underwear and spoofing Boyz II Men in a soulful tribute to President Barack Obama, Chance showed off his hosting and comedic stills to the "SNL" audience. Joined by musical guest Eminem, the rapper proved himself to be a multi-talented act as a musician and comedian.
After a kidney transplant this summer and a public breakup with The Weeknd, Selena Gomez made a triumphant return Sunday night at the American Music Awards. In a knockout performance of her hit song "Wolves," with EDM artist Marshmello, Gomez appeared onstage in a ripped white nightgown and a bleached blonde bob, covered in bruises and fake blood, as if she had really been "running with the wolves"
Early in "Thor: Ragnarok," the third film entry of the Norse god's solo adventures, Loki (disguised as Odin) is watching a play featuring fake Thor, Loki and Odin. It's an exact recreation of Loki's fake death scene in "Thor: The Dark World," rendered hilarious here by surprising celebrity cameos. Director Taika Waititi is sending a clear message: this is not like the underwhelming, super-serious movies that came before. In fact, it's exactly the opposite.
"Murder on the Orient Express" is dated, in a sense that goes beyond its 1934 setting and director/star Kenneth Branagh's exaggerated facial hair.
What is evil? Like any philosophical argument, the question of what evil is, how it manifests itself and how it is best dealt with can descend quickly into abstraction. That said, no matter your views on good and evil, it can be objectively agreed upon that within the darkest corners of our society there exist men and women who personify the concept. Men like Adolf Hitler confound us with their propensity for committing evil. ISIS, the North Korean government and white nationalist terrorists are boogeymen haunting the newsrooms of CNN and MSNBC.
Last Friday, the world stood still for Taylor Swift fans as she released her highly anticipated album "Reputation." Upon first listening to the album, it's clear that "Reputation" is a vengeful masterpiece and a vast difference from her earlier work on albums like "1989" and "Fearless." While her songs' subject matters haven't really changed, Swift finds ways to innovate her sound while remaining true to herself.