Editorial
Should SNL Replace Jim Carrey as Joe Biden?
What was big, exciting entertainment news just a month or so ago has already become routine tedium: Jim Carrey played presidential candidate Joe Biden on Saturday Night Live. For the third week in a row, the blockbuster comic returned to Studio 8H, where Issa-Rae hosted the festivities. Three sketches into his run, however, and it’s hard to find anyone who appears to be enjoying his antics. (Then again, social media presents a comically skewed demographic of people who more or less despise Saturday Night Live, but feel compelled to provide running commentary anyway. Come to think of it, that’s likely how a lot of SNL writers probably feel about the presidential election.) This week’s endless cold open–under 15 minutes, but, as with last week’s, feeling closer to a full hour–toggled between...
Why Everyone Is Becoming a BTS Fan in 2020
If you’re not familiar with K-Pop global crossover sensation BTS, congratulations to you and your presumably peaceful life without the internet. Here’s the rundown: since their debut seven years ago, the group known as BTS (made up of members RM, Jin, SUGA, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook) have broken countless records, successfully tapped into worldwide markets no act has ever captured before, and stolen the hearts of millions of devoted fans (this writer included). In August, BTS landed their latest comeback with the incendiary “Dynamite”, a track that has propelled the group to uncharted heights, including debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining there for a second week and now returning for a third. [embedded content] Over the past few months, in the bleak landscape of 2020...
SNL Still Isn’t Sure How to Satirize Wokeness
When Saturday Night Live has a genuine stand-up comedian as a host, it can shift the whole structure of the show, which is what happened last week, with Chris Rock, and this week, with less famous comedian Bill Burr. Combined with the season’s endless debate sketches, a longer stand-up-based monologue can reduce the amount of airtime available for actual sketches. Unlike Rock’s gig, the Burr-hosted episode seemed to take some of its cues from Burr’s stand-up material — and with so few sketches making it to air, it only takes a few with common ground to make an episode feel more thematically unified than usual. In his monologue, Burr poked fun at notions of wokeness and allyship, making his case that white women have hijacked national conversations about equality and that a longer, warmer g...
‘Cops’ Resumes Filming Months After Network Canceled Show Amid George Floyd Protests
Source: avid_creative / Getty Well, that was quick. Cops is returning to television four months after Paramount Network canceled the show amid nationwide protests surrounding George Floyd’s death. In June, the network claimed it was moving away from unscripted programming when it pulled and subsequently canceled the long-running show from its schedule. As it turns out, Paramount Network had every intention to revive the show once the protests cooled off. The streets are still hot. Police brutality is a running theme in the news, and protests are growing strong simultaneously in various cities across the nation. So, why have Cops producers resumed filming? According to Deadline, they were “producing fresh episodes for international territories only, and there are no ...
Oasis’ (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? Speaks to the Downtrodden and Offers Hope
Oasis’ (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? means the world to me. For much of my early life, during the 1990s, I bordered upon homelessness — at one point, living with my family in a van. Without television or toys, my siblings and I mostly relied on books and a battery-powered radio for entertainment. On days when we tired of those, usually during the hot malaise of a Chicago summer, my brother, sister, and I dreamed of escaping the barren yet gang-riddled West Side to some safer place. We were Black, but worse yet we were poor. I didn’t find a semblance of financial stability until my early teens. That’s also when I found Oasis. Just before my freshman year of high school, in 2005, I began watching a channel called The Tube. They aired British Alternative and Brit Pop acts from the ’90s, a...
Lady Gaga’s “911” Video: Every Outfit, Ranked
911! Emergency! Lady Gaga’s new music video for “911”, the latest single off Chromatica, just dropped, and it’s packed full of instant classic outfits and weird visuals. From bizarre, spiky horn crowns and masks to Grecian gowns and anklets (which are back, baby, and there’s nothing you can do about it!), Gaga superfans Carrie Wittmer and Emmy Potter are breaking down all the looks. Here’s every outfit from the “911” video from worst to best. [embedded content] 08. Lace Negligee Gown <img data-attachment-id="1071166" data-permalink="https://consequenceofsound.net/2020/09/lady-gaga-911-outfits-ranked/lacenightie8/" data-orig-file="https://consequenceofsound.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/LaceNightie8.jpeg?quality=80" data-orig-size="1280,704" data-...
AG Bill Barr Compares National Mandate For Coronavirus Lockdowns To Slavery
Source: KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / Getty Attorney General William Barr, perhaps emboldened by the hackneyed views of President Donald Trump and his followers, made a most egregious comparison recently. During an event to recognize the constitution, Barr compared suggestions of a national lockdown due to the pandemic to slavery. CNN has more: Addressing a Constitution Day celebration hosted by Hillsdale College, the event’s host asked Barr to explain the “constitutional hurdles for forbidding a church from meeting during Covid-19.” The question lead Barr into a four-minute response where he said state governors were using their executive powers to stifle citizens and businesses from going back to work. “You know, putting a national lockdown, stay at home orders, is like house arrest. Other than sl...
That “Strange Case” in HBO’s Lovecraft Country We Can’t Stop Thinking About
Warning: This editorial discusses scenes depicting rape and sexual assault. HBO’s Lovecraft Country has been a wild ride so far. In just four episodes, we’ve seen haunted houses, vampiric monsters, and mysterious cults, along with the real world horrors of Jim Crow laws and white supremacy. The series’ fifth episode — this past Sunday’s “Strange Case” — manages to top all of that with one of the most disturbing scenes in recent memory. In a twist on Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Ruby (Wunmi Mosaku), a Black woman takes a potion and wakes up in a white body. At first, she’s shocked and horrified, but begins to see the value in this new “currency” of whiteness. The potion eventually wears off, causing Ruby to violently shed her new skin in bloo...
No Duh: Homeland Security Says White Supremacy Is “Most Lethal Threat” To U.S.
Source: Sandy Huffaker / Getty In a new draft document from the Department of Homeland Security, it was depicted that white supremacy poses the greatest challenges regarding domestic safety. In short, the document stated that radicalized and potentially armed white extremists present a “most lethal threat” to the United States through next year. In a detailed report from Politico, the draft document, which was revised twice by the time of reporting, share a consistent message: white supremacists and far-right extremists are the greatest threats to the Homeland through 2021, although they were categorized under the kinder “Domestic Violent Extremists” heading rather than earlier draft framing the group as “white supremacist extremists.” From Politico: The document discusses white supremacis...
Cobra Kai Offers Lifelong Lessons on Redemption
“You can’t let the mistakes of your past determine your future.” Cobra Kai is a study in redemption. On August 28th, the former YouTube series hit Netflix with a splash, offering uplifting empowerment and sweet nostalgia that feels like rooting through an old shoebox filled with mixtapes. After all, 1984’s The Karate Kid is a beloved classic that empowered a generation to stand up for themselves (not to mention, catch flies with chopsticks and practicing crane kicks on the playground). But by expanding the narrative, Cobra Kai offers a powerful story of redemption that is a much-needed and much-welcome message for these divided times. The series follows a down-on-his-luck Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), the bleache-blonde bully who tormented Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and ultimately l...
I’m Thinking of Ending Things “Explained”
If you’re reading this, you’ve likely finished Charlie Kaufman’s i’m thinking of ending things, and you’re probably wondering what the hell you just watched. You’re not alone. The general consensus from everyone who’s seen the film is that it’s a dense, labyrinthine meditation on, well, a lot of things. The film chews on memory, ego, grief, time, loss, and the laundry list of existential woes rattles on. It’s all permeable enough that the takeaways to be had are nothing short of infinite, and the film is very self-aware about that notion, so much so that one could argue that was Kaufman’s meta intent. But that’s always been par for the course when it comes to Kaufman. His ironclad resume speaks to a cinematic tradition of turning everyone’s minds into puzzle pieces — and that’s why anythin...
What’s Next for Cobra Kai?
The future is bright for Cobra Kai. Two years after it first premiered on YouTube Red — ha, anyone remember YouTube Red? – The Karate Kid spinoff series is a pop culture phenomenon. Lesson learned? Never doubt the influence of Netflix. For die-hard fans, this development is both aggravating and refreshing. As Johnny Lawrence might say, “Where the hell have you wimps been all this time?” But then again, as Daniel LaRusso might wisely counter, “More fans, more future.” After all, without Netflix, there was no telling whether Cobra Kai would live past its forthcoming third season. If you recall, YouTube was in no place to commit to a fourth season, which means the doors would have most certainly closed on this dojo. Editors’ Picks Given the response and the fact that the show has been N...
