There’s little better than seeing a first-time host slay one’s first time hosting Saturday Night Live. As befitting someone that seamlessly played multiple characters in both Split and Glass, James McAvoy inhabited every distinct character in tonight’s episode so seamlessly that I’m already looking forward to the next time he …
Read More »The First Time: Alessia Cara on 'Horrible' First Performance and the True Meaning of Popularity
Alessia Cara is known for her hit singles: She emerged with the triple-platinum breakout “Here” and followed that with another triple-platinum track, “Wild Things.” More recently, she contributed to the quintuple-platinum Logic and Khalid collaboration“1-800-273-8255.” All that commercial success appears relatively effortless. But it wasn’t always that way: The first …
Read More »Timeline: All the Mueller Indictments and Plea Deals So Far
President Trump has called it a “witch hunt,” but Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia‘s interference in the 2016 presidential election, and the Trump campaign’s possible collusion with the Kremlin has yielded 37 indictments or guilty pleas and four prison sentences over the past year and a half. The …
Read More »See Jimmy Page Explain How He 'Cloned' His 'Led Zeppelin' Guitar
Jimmy Page unveiled four new “clones” of his famous “Mirror” and “Dragon” guitars that he made in collaboration with Fender yesterday. The instruments are based on the Led Zeppelin guitarist’s 1959 Fender Telecaster, and their release is timed to the 50th anniversary of Led Zeppelin, on which he played his …
Read More »Hear Lucinda Williams Cover Bobbie Gentry's 'Ode to Billie Joe'
Lucinda Williams adds a touch of her native Louisiana grit to the Southern Gothic of Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe,” in a version of the quintessentially mysterious tune that supplements Mercury Rev’s adventurous track-by-track re-imagining of Gentry’s largely forgotten 1968 sophomore album, The Delta Sweete. Set within darkly atmospheric …
Read More »Song You Need to Know: Deerhunter, 'Plains'
Deerhunter’s excellent new album, Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?, is the closest the long-running Atlanta band has ever come to an outright pop LP. Highlights like “What Happens To People?” and “Futurism” revel in their smooth edges and sophisticated arrangements, and the album as a whole has an appealing sleekness, …
Read More »Album-Merch Bundles Don't Make Much Money, But Rappers Like Them Anyway
Last August, a business-school-101 discount technique sparked a fight between rap royalty. With help from a generous assortment of album-merchandise bundles — sell a fan a T-shirt, hat or hoodie, throw in an album download — Travis Scott‘s Astroworld beat Nicki Minaj‘s Queen to Number One. Minaj wasted little time …
Read More »'Black Monday' Review: Energetic Wall Street Dramedy Doesn't Pay Dividends
In the second episode of Showtime‘s new Eighties Wall Street dramedy Black Monday, the main characters are shadowed by a screenwriter who’s working on what will become Oliver Stone’s Wall Street. At one point, Regina Hall’s Dawn is in the midst of lecturing a colleague when she’s startled to notice …
Read More »R. Kelly's Ex-Manager Arrested for Terroristic Threats Against Joycelyn Savage's Family
UPDATE:A Henry County grand jury indicted R. Kelly’s former manager, Henry James Mason, on a charge of making terroristic threats, Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Authorities say Mason threatened Tim Savage, the father of Joycelyn, whose family claims R. Kelly has “brainwashed.” Joycelyn has repeatedly denied the accusation. “Today’s indictment of Henry …
Read More »Watch Jack and Jack Play Breezy 'No One Compares to You' on 'Corden'
Pop-rap act Jack & Jack performed their breezy song “No One Compares to You” on Tuesday’s Late Late Show. The duo, set up on a sleek stage that resembled a modern art exhibit, brought an organic touch to the track – utilizing a live drummer and electric guitarist. They alternated …
Read More »