Contributing writer
P. Alexander Olapade
Latest Content
'Caracal' A Maximalist Success
Save a few portions that cause the album to drag near the end, "Caracal" is a truly exceptional work.
7 Things That Felt Longer Than the Past Two Months
Well, October is over, and so are the first two months of the school year. November’s arrival means one thing: time really flies when you’re buried in work and hopped up on caffeine. Here are some things that definitely feel longer than the last two months have:
The Future of the 6 New 'SNL' Featured Players
Over the past 38 years, there have been a number of “Saturday Night Live” cast members who have served the show well, each bringing their own unique humor and performance style. Unfortunately for viewers, not every longtime player has as few career options as Kenan Thompson. Over the last two years, “SNL” has lost no fewer than five star cast members, including Kristen Wiig, Andy Samberg, Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, and Jason Sudeikis. In the show’s 39th season premiere, “SNL” alum Tina Fey introduced us to an unusually high number of new featured players, six in all. Now that the season is several episodes in, here’s our take on who will stay and who will go.
Pro and Con-ye: Inside the Twitter Feud
Last month, Kanye West gave one of his signature self-aggrandizing interviews to BBC reporter Zane Lowe, with hilarious (though surely unintentionally so) results. In response to Mr. West’s assertion that he considers himself “the number one rock star on the planet,” talk show host Jimmy Kimmel responded with a satirical spoof of the interview in which he used young children to portray both West and Lowe. And to everyone’s great surprise, Kanye got mad and posted a series of caps-locked tweets condemning Kimmel’s actions. On Wednesday night the feud came to a head when West appeared on Kimmel’s show and gave a mostly one-sided interview about his place in society. Kimmel gave a semi-apology claiming he never meant to hurt West. But who was really in the wrong?
"Icona Pop" Stumbles and Recovers
Make no mistake, the album is good. It’s just that besides a few shining examples, the songs are relatively interchangeable. Icona Pop are not unoriginal, and their sound still appeals most of the time. Unfortunately, “This is… Icona Pop” drags throughout the repetitive middle of the album.
“Battle of the Year” Loses the War
“Battle of the Year” is the essence of a hundred cliched sport films, plus incredible break dancing, without any plot substance. “Battle” is either a terrible attempt at portraying hip-hop and breaking culture or a self-indulgent cliché fest, but it never seems to decide which film to be.