Early in Emily the Criminal, Emily Benetto (Aubrey Plaza, sporting a New Jersey-native accent) is asked about her permanent record in a job interview. It’s a trick question. Despite telling her otherwise, this prospective employer has already done a background check. They already know about the low points on her …
Read More »'Black-ish' Creator Kenya Barris to Direct and Write Warner Bros. Remake of 'Wizard of Oz'
Toto, we’re not in the 1930s anymore. Warner Brothers has approved a modern reimagining of the 1939 classic film The Wizard of Oz with Kenya Barris at the helm,Rolling Stonecan confirm. Barris — the beloved creator and writer of Black-ish,Grown-ish,and Mixed-ish — will be tasked with writing, directing, and producing …
Read More »Academy Issues Formal Apology to Sacheen Littlefeather for 1973 Oscars: 'I Never Thought I'd Live to See the Day'
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will formally apologize to Native American civil rights activist Sacheen Littlefeather for her treatment at the 1973 Oscars ceremony. During the now-historic night, Littlefeather took the stage in place of Marlon Brando and, at his request, declined his award, using the time …
Read More »How Does One Song Have 24 Writers?… and Other 'Renaissance' Controversies
Long ago, Beyoncé decided to let her music speak for herself. “I’m grateful I have the ability to choose what I want to share,” she told Harper’s Bazaar last year, in a brief, extremely rare interview that reads as if it may have been conducted via e-mail. “One day I …
Read More »MAGA Fanatics Have a New Enemy: 'TINOs' — Trump In Name Only
MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN — In a banquet hall in suburban Detroit, Mark Forton railed against a gathering of “RINOs” 12 miles south of where he stood. The former chair of the Macomb County Republicans, ousted in a raucous coup back in April, asserted his rightful control of the party to …
Read More »See the Chicks Pay Tribute to Olivia Newton-John With 'Hopelessly Devoted to You' Cover
The Chicks paid tribute to the late Olivia Newton-John by performing a rendition of her standout Grease single “Hopelessly Devoted to You” Saturday at the trio’s concert at the Gorge in Washington. “We lost a worldwide sweetheart last week, Olivia Newton-John,” singer Natalie Maines told the audience. “I thought I …
Read More »How N.E.R.D.'s Debut Brought the Dawn of a Boundless Era
Right from the start, In Search of… stood out. I discovered N.E.R.D.‘s 2002 debut at a Best Buy on the rim of Houston’s I-10 loop, sitting at the front of the store on a blue kiosk marked $6.99. I was a first-year high school English teacher, struggling to pull together …
Read More »How Do You Make a Western in the 21st Century?
There’s a lot of ways to describe Jordan Peele‘s Nope: an update on “Watch the Skies!” sci-fi from the 1950s; a tribute to Steven Spielberg’s 1970s blockbuster building blocks (what if those Close Encounter of the Third Kind UFOs were just hungry, extraterrestrial great white sharks?); a 21st century meta-text …
Read More »Megan Thee Stallion's 'Traumazine' Is a Multi-Faceted Mood
A Megan Thee Stallion verse is not unlike a bag of salt and vinegar chips—there’s something classic and quaint and straight-up hood about the sharp and improbable flavors packed inside every one of them. There were always going to be some quirky juxtapositions with Meg. The twenty-something spitter is an …
Read More »Anne Heche 'Not Expected to Survive' After Fiery Crash Into Home, Family Says
Anne Heche suffered a devastating brain injury after a fiery car crash into a Los Angeles home last Friday and likely will never recover, her family says in a new statement. “Unfortunately, due to her accident, Anne Heche suffered a severe anoxic brain injury and remains in a coma, in …
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