The Oscars have always been a battleground of sorts. In recent years, the ceremony has become a public event arbitrating issues of race, gender, and privilege in cinema and society. But throughout its 94-year history, the Academy Awards mediated some very different battles. There have been attempts to square petty …
Read More »'Cracker Island' Is Gorillaz's Most Purely Pleasurable LP Yet
There are two dials at Gorillaz HQ which determine 1) how many guests will be on an album, and 2) how elaborate its broader cartoon lore will be. 2018’s The Now Now, positioned as a solo album by Damon Albarn’s “2-D” alter ego, had minimal guests and only the slightest …
Read More »An Attempt to Subpoena Drake at His Mansion for the XXXTentacion Trial Did Not Go Well
Drake’s lawyers are claiming the rapper still hasn’t been properly served a deposition subpoena in the XXXTentacion murder trial after a defense attorney claimed process servers were rebuffed by armed guards at the rapper’s Beverly Hills mansion last week. On Monday, Feb. 20, Drake’s lawyer, Bradford Cohen, tried again to …
Read More »'It's Not a Short List': Trump Probe Grand Jury to Recommend Slew of Indictments
A Georgia grand jury investigating whether Donald Trump and some of his prominent allies meddled in the state’s 2020 presidential election will recommend a series of indictments on various charges, according to a report from The New York Times. “It’s not a short list,” jury forewoman Emily Kohrs said of …
Read More »Charges Against Trump Lawyer 'Very Likely,' Colleagues Warn Donald
Since early January, several of Donald Trump’s close advisers, including some of his own lawyers, have met with the former president to deliver him the same stark warning. In at least three meetings this year, according to two sources familiar with the matter, legal and political counselors to Trump have …
Read More »'The Last of Us' Episode 6: Pedro Pascal's Powerhouse Performance
THIS POST CONTAINS spoilers for this week’s episode of The Last of Us, “Kin.” Late in “Kin,” Joel passes the time on a long ride by explaining the rules of football to Ellie. “So, basically, just moving in one direction?” she asks. “Basically,” he acknowledges. “But violent.” This could perhaps …
Read More »President Biden Makes Surprise Visit to Ukraine
President Joe Biden arrived in Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv on Monday in an early morning surprise visit to underscore American support for President Volodymyr Zelensky and his war efforts against Russia. Shrouded in secrecy, and coming days before the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion, the trip marks the first …
Read More »Why Cancel Culture Is Good For Democracy
For many years, cancel culture has been despised or misconstrued as a new phenomenon that’s caused havoc on free expression and speech. We’re supposed to now assume that we can’t say or do anything without an angry mob instantly judging us and preparing to end our careers before they start. …
Read More »Alec Baldwin Manslaughter Charges from 'Rust' Shooting Downgraded
New Mexico prosecutors have downgraded felony involuntary manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin on Tuesday in connection to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film Rust in 2021. Attorneys for both Baldwin and armorer Hannah Guttierez-Reed, who supplied the weapons on the set of the …
Read More »Guns, Grift, and Gore: The Life and Times of an Arms-Dealing Hustler
W HEN ROSS ROGGIO and his then-mistress arrived at New York’s John F. Kennedy airport in February 2017, officers from several U.S. government agencies were waiting for them. The federal agents interviewed Roggio in one of the airport’s small offices, and the American businessman told them a frightening tale. Tall …
Read More »