#miley cameo

[room-of-lies]

DRAW THIS IN YOUR STYLE! (details on how to enter below the cut!)

I've always wanted to do one of these, so here!!

RULES:

- you must be following me

- tag your entry as #cupidswoedtiys

- @ me so i can see ur entry!

- you can change up aspects! just try keep it to the similar idea (pose and color-wise)

- you may also simplify aspects! whats on the screens, amount of wrigglers, etc

- no tracing

- deadline extended to the 14th of may!

- this will be hosted on tumblr as well as my twitter! (@/cupidswoe)

- take care and have fun!!

PRIZES:

1ST: one finished drawing, colored, shaded, etc

2ND: colored doodle

3RD: uncolored doodle

[universalitgirlsblog2]

💞🍮CELEBRITY MANIFESTATION🍮💞

I wanted to add these celebrities in the first part but I thought it would be easier to make a second part

💞ZENDAYA

Zendaya admitted that her first date was at a Spider-man movie and she was a big fan of spider-man . Now she is a part of Spider-man movies , she spoke her desires into existence. She also mentioned that she realized If she doesn't like something she can change it and she feels she can do anything. She also admitted that she cried when Hannah Montana came out because she wanted to be like her and Miley was her inspiration . After a month , Zendaya interviewed Miley !! I would recommend you to read this post on reddit since it explained how Zendaya manifested everything in detail - click me !!

🍮KENDALL JENNER

Kendall scripted about being a model when she was a teenager. Now she is considered one of the top models.

💞SHAH RUKH KHAN

Shah Rukh Khan said that he would rule over Mumbai one day , now he is the known as the Bollywood's King Khan. He is ruling over Mumbai. He also bought the exact same house he wanted to. His movie "Yess Boss " had a song called " Chand Taare " and he is living that song in real life. The song was about manifesting. Moreover , He also admitted that he felt he was special. Also, his mother told him that he would become a superstar one day .He spoke his desires into existence.

🍮ICE SPICE

Ice spice manifested a collab with her role model Nicki Minaj . She admitted that she manifested everything and she expected or assumed ,it would happen .

💞OLIVIA RODRIGO

Olivia was nine years old and she told her mom that she was going to be a Olympic gymnast even though she could barely do a cartwheel, her mom thought she was joking but she was super defensive . The next week , she told her mom that she was going to win a Grammy, her mom was very supportive , she thought she was a little dreamer. Olivia spoke her desires into existence and she always believed in her dreams . Dreams do come true !

🍮MICHAEL JACKSON

Michael Jackson wrote a letter to himself when he was a child , he mentioned in the letter how he would be a incredible singer and dancer that would suck the world and he would be magic and a perfectionist. Like other celebrities, he used scripting too ! I would recommend you to watch these videos - click me and click me !!

💞VANESSA HUDGENS

Vanessa admitted that she manifested everything in her life - her relationship with Cole Tucker, her home and career .

🍮DRAKE

Drake said that things he repetitively think or say about , he is able to manifest them.

💞BTS

BTS said that they wanted to work with Olivia Rodrigo, they sat next to Olivia and Olivia had a cameo in their performance. Remember the iconic moment when Taehyung whispered in her ear ? They said that they wanted to win Daesang and now they have countless daesangs .Alot of times BTS spoke their desires into existence. They are known for having positive and encouraging lyrics in their songs too.

🍮DOVE CAMERON

Dove said that she really wanted to play Bubbles in live action Power puff girls . After eight years , she got casted in live action Power puff girls. She also spoke her desires into existence.

💞CRISTIANO RONALDO

Ronaldo said that in his mind , he is always the best and he does not care what other people think or say about him . He also said that we should think that we are the best in our area . Tell yourself that you are the best and you will become the best !!

💞🍮 IF YOU TRULY PUT YOUR HEART INTO WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN,EVEN IF IT MAKES YOU VULNERABLE, AMAZING THINGS CAN AND WILL HAPPEN - EMMA WATSON💞🍮

💞🍮FEEL IT . BELIEVE IT . BE IT 🍮💞

[susiephone]

based on my dream for iwtv s3 where we get an irl celebrity to cameo as themselves......because they're in a twitter fight with lestat

bonus: tell me who's winning that fight in the comments

[miamignonette]

me educating my younger brother on how hype the lead up to high school musical 2’s premiere was and how we all voted for a disney channel star to have a cameo in the movie and miley cyrus won but she was there for no more than three seconds

[mgmrosales]

Ideology and Culturalism II: Pop Icons!

Rihanna’s music video for “Bitch Better Have My Money” reflects the inner workings of the culture industry through the ideology discussed within the workings of Adorno and Horkheimer. Firstly, to give a general overview of the music video and its role within the culture industry, Rihanna glorifies themes of wealth, power, and materialism–contributing to the ideas of commodification and dependency on economic value. The video begins with kidnapping the wife of a “wealthy” man, as the video progresses, we see Rihanna partaking in luxuries and borderline opulent activities while keeping the woman hostage. Money is at the very center of the music video, from driving a convertible (01:59-01:57), lounging on a yacht (02:48-03-27), to partaking in the usage of drugs and alcohol (03:58-04-26). Adorno and Horkheimer reveal the manipulations within the culture industry–the falsification of profitable “needs.” Adorno and Horkheimer argued that the culture industry manipulates individuals' desires and preferences, the music video profits off the societal desires for success through wealth indicators–reinforcing materialism under a capitalist framework.  

This is an industry that idealizes consumerablity to value and gauge the necessity of a product which disturbs the artistic process of creation. All forms of art, from podcast to music video, are subject to the interests of money. While this prioritization of money is explicitly promoted in the lyrics of BBHMM, the song fits the standard mold of creation. There is a repetitive nature within the lyrics, art is then removed from the artist–it becomes a commodified product, transformed and designed for profit. The industry is solely concerned with making profits–this is directly linked to pop culture and everything in between.

Rihanna, herself, is a pop culture icon that is subject to the means of a mass capitalist consumerist mindset displaced within the music industry. She reflects the timely trends of the time, we can see this through the musical style of the backing track and the stylized outfits from 8 years ago. Down to the makeup trends of a long and thick liner and the neutral but bold lip color, implementing the micro trends of 2015 to mold to what would reel in the masses. The standardized content to capture the interest of the masses to form to contribute to a homogeneous culture of values. 

During the process of encoding and decoding, the viewing audience may have varying interpretations of the music video based on their personal experience and background. Some may see the video as a form for women empowerment, the breakdown a male-dominate industry. Rihanna taking control and asserting herself as a force to be reckoned with. Or, others can see this as the glorification of violence as a means of retaining wealth and power. This ties into the commodified rebellion aspect of the culture industry. We as an audience interpret and decode Rihanna as a powerful figure, empowering women for the sake of feminism, but at the same time she is primarily making profit from our sentiment, rather than directly advocating for women. 

"Bitch I’m Madonna", coming out the same year as BBHMM, functions in a similar manner to Rihanna’s work. Both pop star icons, which directly support Adorno and Horkheimer’s beliefs on the culture industry, have been molded into marketable products for mass consumption by the culture industry. The name “Madonna” has become a brand itself, which is apparent in the name of the song! Her image is enhanced through her commercial appeal as a global and legendary celebrity. She also incorporates cameos from different house-hold name celebrities (02:00-02:28) like Beyonce, Kanye, Katy Perry, and Miley Cyrus–highlighting the interconnectedness of fame and strengthening the celebrity culture. Keeping it in the circle, literally, supports the capitalist notions of social status, a notion that Adorno and Horkheimer challenge in their work. 

Based on the way the music video was filmed, Madonna features an excess of wealth and luxury through a party-like concept, and is constantly surrounded by glamorous clothing and accessories. By barely having any cuts, almost a one shot, and Madonna as the focal point, the music video carefully crafts a branded image where success is measured by the individual’s own ability to make a name for themselves–promoting a culture of consumption. The flashy visuals, bright colors, and the strong and visually appealing choreography conforms to the ideas found within the culture industry and its expectations of a formulaic, mainstream media piece. 

Madonna received a lot of negative criticisms and feedback when premiering her music video back in 2015. The public reception consisted of a lot of people suggesting that Madonna was clawing to stay “relevant” at this time by displaying acts that are typically done by younger folk. Tying this to Stuart Hall’s findings of encoding and decoding, a viewer may receive a message of excessive narcissism within the world of Madonna. In correspondence to Hall’s ideas on oppositional reading, Madonna encodes the music video with her vibrancy and energy, showcasing empowerment for an older generation, but through decoding the message, one might suggest that the focus on materialism is detrimental to the career of the icon. The dynamic nature of decoding supports Stuart Hall's theory, emphasizing the active role of the audience in making meaning from media texts.

Both iconic women showcase their adaptation to cultural trends of the era in media; due to both celebrities being subject to the culture industry, the use of conformity is a characteristic of the mass production of cultural products–this is also applied to the standardized format commonly found in the music industry that can diminish the artistic integrity found in the careers of both Rihanna and Madonna. Through the use of iconography, an audience may decode both artists’ expressions in the context of social frameworks. 

Based on the conceptualization of the culture industry, are there aspects of pop culture that do not fall under the commodification of art? 

How does the interplay between the sound and visuals of both Madonna’s “Bitch I’m Madonna” and Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money” challenge or support each other? How may that influence the process of decoding the messages from the artist?

In what ways is Madonna and Rihanna presented as a marketable commodity in her music videos from now and before, and how does this reflect the commercialization of art discussed by Adorno and Horkheimer’s “The Culture Industry as Mass Deception?

Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno, “The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception,” in Dialectic of Enlightenment (California: Stanford University press, 2002)

Stuart Hall, “Encoding, Decoding,” in The Cultural Studies Reader (London: Routledge, 1993)

[duckadee]

finally sat down and watched bit city! it was so so funny, and I loved seeing everyone get to do some new characters. I'll just drop some of my fav bits here:

"If Katy Perry wasn't the nun could still be." -Chanse

"Gay. You want this. And I'm like, "Maybe I don't!" But I do. -Chanse

"I'm like Miley Cyrus but rein-karma-nated!" -Jojo Siwa (Courtney)

"I'm Tommy, and if I were cast on Sesame Street, I'd be the green guy's garbage can." -Tommy

"People stop me on the street and ask me, 'Should you park there?' And I go, 'Thank you so much, I'll move it- I WROTE A WOMAN'S WORLD." -Diane Debossi (Amanda)

"I love you, you're so sweet and sexy! You need boots. And goggles. -Diane Debossi (Amanda)

*Diane gets a call from Cher and Britney Spears. She asks Tommy who she should answer first.* "I'm worried Cher doesn't have much time left, maybe that's the priority." -Tommy

"With my heels, I'm six inches closer to God." -Arasha

TOMMY'S BRITISH ACCENT AS LOUIS

"Speaking of tops and bottoms, Harry and Louis-" -Chanse

Shayne's bit with Liam and the mirror (and him slowly turning into Michael Caine???)

"Can you do the same thing to your face? It looks like you put it under a candle warmer." -Louis (Tommy)

Overall I thought it was a great first episode! Must admit though, I didn't really get some of the references, like the whole bit about Selena Gomez and Katy Perry. So, the first bit of Hot Goss was kinda confusing for me, but I thought the roasts were kinda funny even if I didn't completely understand. Once Diane Debossi came on though, I was locked in. Amanda KILLED IT and I definitely hope to see more of her on Hot Goss. My favorite part of the show was the reunion, for sure. Everyone had such good bits going there, like Niall being so oblivious to the tension and wanting to be buds, Liam with the mirror, Amanda being checked out except with Louis, Zayn not wanting to talk about Gigi (so stop asking!) and Louis's muppet-like British accent. The Simon Cowell cameo was great too! Ian played him so... weird/odd?? But in a totally hilarious way?? It was just like, what is gonna say next??

I'm excited for the next episode (especially the ianthony bit, ofc) and to see what new bits they've got cooked up. This show can go so many ways, and I can't wait to see what new inside jokes get cooked up here.

[heystephen]

hsm 2 is superior because it has a cameo from miley cyrus that we voted for with our parents permission on disneychannel.com. hsm 1 and 3, by contrast, do not possess any miley cyrus cameos and are therefore inferior. case closed 

[agentnico]

Abigail (2024) review

Elon Musk lookalike gets mauled by vamps. Shame it’s not a true story.

Plot: A group of would-be criminals kidnaps the 12-year-old daughter of a powerful underworld figure. Holding her for ransom in an isolated mansion, their plan starts to unravel when they discover their young captive is actually a bloodthirsty vampire.

I feel somewhat guilty of including a plot synopsis in this review. Then again, it’s the marketing of the movie that needs to be blamed, as the trailers reveal the fact that the little girl is a killer-vamp. Yet in the movie this fact is kept hidden until about 30 minutes in. I myself don’t like it when I already know what is going while yet the characters just start to scratch their heads wondering what the hell is happening to them. It makes the inevitable reveal unsatisfying seeing as again the trailers have spoiled it already. I of course understand that the job of a trailer is to sell the movie us and make us want to spend our cash to see a ballerina vampire go crazy loco, but then don’t make a good chunk of the movie a pointless mystery to get to that reveal.

Following said reveal however when Abigail uncuffs herself things do get as expected bonkers crazy. Coming from the folks that did Ready or Not, the movie actually shares a lot in its DNA with that film, even with the last close up shot. In Ready or Not we had a group of people inside a mansion trying to kill a helpless young woman and she outsmarted them all. In Abigail it’s reversed as we have a young girl killing a group of people inside a mansion and they try to outplay her. So it’s very much a case of if you liked Ready or Not, chances are you’re in for a good time with this one.

The writers also try to play around a little with vampire pop culture lore, trying to either play along with or debunk certain myths such as stakes to the heart Buffy-style, or the European belief of vampires being allergic to some garlic (vamps can be such sissies). However in doing so they do end up hitting some plot holes, wherein a vampire is technically undead but here the little girl has a heartbeat, pulse and emotions. I don’t know, I get the whole suspension of disbelief and I’m trying to delve into logic of the supernatural, but I really thought that was [insert Deadpool voice] lazy writing. Other than that all the vampire shiz slayed. Loved the special effects, the high levels of ridiculous gore and the creepy yet over-the-top vampire make-up. The movie was also really self aware of the ridiculousness so fits concept and fully embraced the madness of a ballerina vampire.

The cast assembled are all on top form. Dan Stevens continues his banterous cool guy role fresh from Godzilla x Kong, and Kathryn Newton weirdly reminded me of Miley Cyrus here. Not sure why, something do with the make-up. Abigail Weir going from Matilda to killer vamp is honestly a fantastic acting career move from her agent, and Weir nailed it and felt so natural in the role. Kevin Durand as already mentioned looked like a beefed up Elon Musk, only more likeable. Giancarlo Esposito is in this for literally 5 minutes. Barely a cameo.

Ready or Not definitely felt fresher and better of the two, however Abigail is nevertheless a crowd pleasing horror comedy that offers plenty of jokes and slasher gore to please fans of the genre, and Abigail Weir is showcasing herself as a promising new talent.

Overall score: 6/10

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 06/04/2024 (Beyoncé's COWBOY CARTER)

Welp, as one would expect, she gets the double, the #1 album with COWBOY CARTER and “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” is back up top. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

As always, we shall start with our notable dropouts - songs exiting the UK Top 75, which is what I cover, after five weeks in the chart or a peak in the top 40 - and this week, we bid adieu to some big deals: “FRI(END)S” by V (more BTS on the way), “BURN” by Hitler and Goebbels, “Coal” by Dylan Gossett, “Grey” by Yung Filly, “Selfish” by Justin Timberlake, “redrum” by 21 Savage, “Nothing Matters” by The Last Dinner Party, “Strangers” by Kenya Grace and finally, “Escapism.” by RAYE featuring 070 Shake.

As for our returns, we see “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus and “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi back to bottom-dwell at #75 and #74, alongside “vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo at #71, “Everywhere” by Fleetwood Mac, they’re basically all in the same boat. Notable gains on the other hand… we see boosts for “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift at #67, “if u think i’m pretty” by Artemas at #52, “FE!N” by Travis Scott featuring Playboi Carti at #50, “Never be Lonely” by Jax Jones and Zoe Wees at #41, sigh, “Been Like This” by Meghan Trainor and T-Pain at #40, SIGH, “Evergreen” by Richy Mitch & the Coal Miners at #38, “Slow it Down” by Benson Boone at #27 (likely even further next week thanks to the album), “Happier” by The Blessed Madonna and Clementine Douglas at #26, “Back on 74” by Jungle at #25 (what a great new run this is having), “Belong Together” by Mark Ambor at #22, and finally, Artemas gets his first top 10 with “i like the way you kiss me”. I mean, at least it’s interesting.

Now our top five should look pretty familiar: “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” by Ariana Grande at #5, “Too Sweet” by Hozier at #4, “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims at #2 and of course Bey knocks Benjamin Boonerang off the #1 to #2 with “Beautiful Things”. Now to talk about - let’s be real - Beyoncé and some minor cameos.

New Entries

#64 - “NEURON” - j-hope, Gaeko and YOON MIRAE

Produced by Pdogg

So, j-hope of BTS released an album - or it seems more like a mixtape - that landed at #38 on the albums chart thanks to the classic BTS sales. Whilst there doesn’t appear to be a clear single on the project, especially considering j-hope was always more of a rapper in the group, but this got the video treatment and is very much what I expect from j-hope, at least from the very little I’ve heard of his solo work. It’s got a set of blissful pads against a vocoder sample and surprisingly heavy-hitting boom bap drums, as well as sing-songy rap flows in a nasal, almost J. Cole-like delivery that could be about love but keep it vaguer in the verse, it might be more conscious and spiritual, especially considering the focus on neuron activation. Gaeko is a lot more explicitly introspective, looking back on his life and how he’s not as aggressive as he used to be in his youth, finding more solace in playing ball with his son that “embracing the bomb” - some of the Genius translation could miss out some detail or context here. Now YOON MIRAE, a female rapper, really brings the heat here, as the intensity of the pianos ramp up, the beat gets a tad more minimal and she raps bilingually in a deeper yell than either of the guys here can cough up. She speaks somewhat generically of the rap game and motivation to grind, but her riffing on the final chorus is what convinces me, as well as her acknowledging that she’s granted the beat drop in the song, it shows an awareness of the structure of the song and not just being a guest rap verse, it’s clever and interesting, really puts the verse into perspective. So I ended up really liking this - it’s a bit fluffy, as K-pop often is, but it’s got grit and meaning to it this time around, and with the variety in flows, focused content, I can dig this.

#62 - “Jump” - Tyla, Gunna and Skillibeng

Produced by Sammy Sosa

I quite liked Tyla’s self-titled debut, currently at #33 on the albums chart. The South African singer brings a reassuring, youthful joy to detailed production and it’s all a light, feathery bliss that’s just a delight to sit through, even if the record is clearly not for sitting. I have a full first-impressions review on my RateYourMusic listening log (the account is exclusivelytopostown) if you want more thoughts on that, but my favourite moments on the album are when guest features with a little more smolder are brought in to balance the sweetness, like with Tems on “No. 1” and with Gunna and Jamaican deejay Skillibeng on this track, “Jump”, which has a subtle sprinkling of Afrobeats guitars and keys over the very unsubtle rhythm section, a great deep bass and busy drums that can counter the choir vocals in the verses as well as Tyla belting a tad on the chorus. There’s little substance to it - it’s just about being hot and having fun, with a hilariously repetitive post-chorus, but both Tyla and Gunna shout out her native Johannesburg and if you were expecting anything of further depth, you’re just listening to the wrong album. This is a lot of fun and I hope it catches on.

#61 - “I LUV IT” - Camila Cabello featuring Playboi Carti

Produced by El Guincho and Jasper Harris

Sometimes I wish this show was a video series. For this entry, I would probably just point and laugh at the calculated attempt to be interesting, for a demographic I’m a part of, and failing so catacylismically that no-one is buying it or bothering to listen more than once. I don’t mean to be harsh, and I’m not blaming the artists, more so the label and marketing teams: when releasing a pop single, you first have to consider - who is this for? Who can you appeal to and how? Here, Camila has her own fanbase already, so she’s going to try and appeal to them, naturally. Also, it has a very edgy, cinematic video for fans of say, The Weeknd or people who watch Euphoria. Sure, okay, that could work. Oh, and the song sounds like Charli XCX - though she recruited ROSALÍA’s producer - so she’s trying to appeal to her hyperpop crowd, that’s fine, you’re stretching yourself a bit thin there though, it could be a bit too camp for the edgy crowd if you do that, and a bit too dark for the hyperpop crowd if you get Playboi Carti on board, because I guess she needs a rap crossover audience… or at least an experimental rap crossover audience in this case. At least she’s not using a nostalgia-bait sample of a Gucci Mane song from… oh, she’s using a nostalgia-bait sample of a Gucci Mane song from 2009. Okay, so I guess the target demographic is everyone now, but hyperpop fans like authenticity, and this clearly doesn’t have it. Carti fans hate women, Camila’s own fans, if her old comments are anything to go by, hate… “rappers”, let’s say that. And really, what person who would be nostalgic for Gucci’s “Lemonade” - never charted here, by the way - would even be keeping an eye out for Camila Cabello? This is just a travesty of a lead single… and the song’s brilliant, all of that context just makes what the eventual end product is completely hilarious.

I’ve always been an advocate for mess in pop music - not necessarily the discourse, but the music itself and the rollout surrounding it - because it is exciting and part of the reason I do this show. There are more fascinating stories to be told with music when it reaches a mass audience, it’s just natural, and that’s especially interesting when the song is a Goddamn trainwreck that’s catchy as sin and does everything wrong. There are rage synths that don’t last the entire measure for no reason - and they don’t try and hide it - whilst the synths on the chorus play the role of a theremin. Cabello not being able to sing all that well means that her playing staccato, hyperpop robo-girl over a pretty rote Jersey club groove actually goes really well for her, even if she inexplicably decorates the song in breathy ad-libs as if she herself was Playboi Carti. Speaking of ad-libs, they leave in Gucci’s original “brr”s in the chorus, seemingly out of either laziness or refusal to re-record the choir hook, and given both hooks are just mantras, there are basically two choruses instead of an active chorus/post-chorus dynamic, especially since there is no considerable change sonically or tonally between the two. This lack of structure culminates in a “bridge” that is JUST multi-tracked ad-libs, and features Cabello saying “slow down, baby”… the tempo remains the same entirely and the drums don’t go into half-time like they probably should for a Playboi Carti feature. He goes for his deep, richer voice and the song just kind of… ends with his verse? Barely catching up to the beat, Carti rambles as usual, even less coherent in his mumbling than usual, and eventually, Cabello tries to insert herself into his orbit, it’s so painful. It’s telling that when I search for this song on Spotify, the artists recommended to me are Carti, Charli and then Ken Carson and Lancey Foux. Camila herself is nowhere to be seen in that list of artists and whether that’s because there’s none of her personality in this song or she didn’t have any to begin with is a question for another day. For now, this is garbage. I love it.

#60 - “Outside of Love” - Becky Hill

Produced by PARISI

Now Becky Hill kind of has something to prove to me now, she’s been on increasingly better production that fits the places she wants to go with her voice a lot more as of recent and it’s been pretty promising. Also promising are PARISI, a duo who I mostly connect with Fred again.. but have also worked extensively with Ed Sheeran, and particularly on some of his most interestingly layered songs vocally like “Afterglow” and “Visiting Hours” which may be a coincidence but had me really excited for what the boys could do with Ms. Hill. Turns out it probably was a coincidence, the vocal mixing is kind of mediocre actually, they don’t really contain her belting very well, not that it really needs containing given this is fully in festival mode. Everytrinkling synth pad, house kick, it feels like it’s a constant light fluttering under Hill’s desperate attempt to jigsaw this relationship back together. I know it’s an EDM-pop track so the lyrics are little to write home about but it should still be said that the description of herself as on the “outside of love” is interesting imagery, it makes me wonder what could be done with that concept by a more poetic writer who has a bit more time and, let’s be real, a fitting sonic palette for that kind of lyricism. Whilst this hasn’t immediately clicked with me as much as the past two, I feel I’ll appreciate this one for just being a maximalist bop with terribly-mixed gospel-like vocals on the final drop, it goes for an onslaught of everything in a very admirable way. It’s cute, it reminds me of when 2000s Eurodance hits would go way harder than they needed to simply to raise the dramatic stakes. So yeah, another Becky Hill song I like. World’s crumbling.

#9 - “II MOST WANTED” - Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus

Produced by Beyoncé, Shawn Everett, Michael Pollack, Miley Cyrus and Jonathan Rado

So, there’s a Beyoncé album, I think? It’s got a country and western tinge to it. Heard it’s long, heard it’s pretty good. Haven’t heard it. I probably will not listen to it and I’m not saying that to be “cool” or contrarian because if I were, I’d have listened to it and pretended to hate it. Realistically, I don’t have a dog in the Beyoncé does country argument. I’m not a country fan, or a country hater, I’m not a big Beyoncé fan, or Azealia Banks, so I have nothing valuable to contribute to the discourse as well as no reason to hear a damn near feature-length record. When Beyoncé did house, firstly, she did it well, and secondly, I’m a fan of house music! I know more about it than other genres, I’m quite educated in certain subgenres and I recognised a few of the samples and cultural references she was lifting from on RENAISSANCE. I feel like most of them may be lost on me or not fully resonate when discussing her pivot to country music, and I wish that wasn’t the case. Part of me just wants to say that I listen to Weezer and future bass so leave me alone. Thankfully, the British public has given me the easiest plate of two tracks from this album: a Dolly Parton cover and a mid Miley duet. It’s about being a ride-or-die, it’s got soaring guitars and both ladies have an audible rasp and grit to their voices, even if Miley ends up like a backing vocalist at times to Bey. They’re trading lyrics or in harmony nearly all the time, and Miley plays it a lot calmer than Bey, naturally, who probably wants and needs to prove herself in country pop more than the seasoned player. Hell, I actually think their chemistry here is awkward and not accentuated by the vague western-soundfont lyrics that don’t play into any notable angle, and in the bridge, just kind of give up on themselves. It’s a bit disappointing, to say the least.

#8 - “JOLENE” - Beyoncé

Produced by Beyoncé, Khirye Tyler, Jack Ro and NOVA WAV

Dolly Parton’s iconic 1973 jam “Jolene”, begging desperately for this beautiful woman not to cheat on her husband, is pretty undeniable, right? Well, I’ve never really liked it, sorry to say. My taste in country is pretty horrific, I’ll be the first to admit, but I’ve always found the instrumentation underwhelming and going for sinister when Dolly is selling it with a long of strength and desperacy, like she’s at her last tether. The sapphic elements are compelling of course, but they collapse in the third verse, then it fades out having sonically done nothing much at all. There’s always been something breezy about it to me that I never really understood, and that’s no disrespect to Dolly, she’s easily my favourite part. Regardless, this is one of those times where I have to give a chart history, so flashback to 1976, when “Jolene” first lands on the UK charts and peaks at #7, when “Combine Harvester” by the Wurzels was #1. I know that one because of my dad, if you haven’t heard that song… you know what, don’t.

“Jolene” was Dolly’s first top 10 over here and ended up re-entering a few times in the 2010s. Before that came many re-imaginings. First, in 1985, we had Glasgow’s Strawberry Switchblade cover the song, in a weird mix of new wave, freestyle and western elements that really show what performative country aesthetics can be, because this has more to do with darkwave than anything from the Deep South. It peaked at #53 and it is terrible. The 2000s is where the covers really ramped up, firstly in 2000 with the #100-peaking cover by London alt-rock outfit Queenadreena. Seemingly not on streaming, it came with their original, “Pretty Polly”, and fully goes into the dark cabaret aesthetic, especially in that... choice of a music video. I think I might prefer it to the original, it makes Jolene sound like an evil woman who I would like to step on me. We also saw a #99 peak for a song in 2007 by folk singer Ray LaMontagne also coincidentally called “Jolene” - it’s not a cover, but it’s a pretty great, tragic narrative ballad if you’re interested. Good accidental discovery to make. My favourite cover of “Jolene”, however, and the only version to get close to Dolly’s original peak until Queen Bey was the version recorded by the garage rock duo, The White Stripes, specifically a 2004 live version that peaked at #16. Now, am I biased because I love Jack White? Yes. Yes, I am, and so does Beyoncé, so shush. Everyone and their mother has covered Dolly, but out of all “Jolene” renditions I’ve heard, Jack just sounds the most devastated, and the eventual crash into distorted, hapless guitars and Meg White’s ugly-ass snares after that rushed, chaotic percussion panned exclusively to the left throughout, is incredibly cathartic. And that’s just the studio version - the live version that charted is even more dire and Jack is downright pathetic on it, worsened by the audience wooing, cheering and clapping on occasion, it eggs on Jolene in a way and publicises his angst “Jolene - Live Under Blackpool Lights” might honestly be one of the greatest cover songs of all time.

So how does Beyoncé fare? Well, she changes a lot of the lyrics to act more as a warning to people attempting to take JAY-Z instead of desperately begging Jolene not to get with JAY-Z, mostly because I don’t think Beyoncé could easily sell being helpless, especially in the context of her husband - we all heard Lemonade. I’m not sure how effectively you can sell the warning shot either considering, well, there was a Becky with some good hair who did all of this a few years ago. Sonically, I’m not head over heels for what sounds like a pretty rote rendition, even if Beyoncé’s vocals and some of the lyrics add a lot of character that simply isn’t in the instrumental. The backing vocal repeating “Jolene” at sporadic intervals, I can’t figure out exactly who it is, probably The-Dream, but he reminds me of Wyclef Jean on “Hips Don’t Lie”. That’s my intellectual observation. I just used a review of a song from the biggest black female country album ever to talk about a guy whose last name is literally White. When she releases a pop punk album, I’ll be more in tune, but for now, leave it to Azealia Banks and Spectrum Pulse, I’m sure if you combined the two, you’d create Frankenstein’s cultural critic.

Conclusion

Fascinatingly enough, this was a great week outside of Beyoncé, who takes away Worst of the Week for “II MOST WANTED” with Miley Cyrus and the Dishonourable Mention for her cover of “JOLENE”. Neither song are terrible, but I think I established in both reviews that my general disinterest for the album doesn’t entirely cover a lot of the flaws I believe are present in these tracks, I’m sorry. Again, I like Beyoncé, just not these particular records. As for the best… oh, God, it’s Camila Cabello’s “I LUV IT” featuring Playboi Carti, isn’t it? Honourable Mention goes to Tyla, Gunna and Skillibeng for “Jump” but I think I’ll have to spend a few days in rehab recovering from picking the other song as my Best of the Week. As for what’s on the horizon, more insufferable discourse as J. Cole drops a surprise diss record. Other than that, Charli XCX links with Gesaffelstein, Benson links with Boone and there’s new tracks from Bryson Tiller, Ava Max and the Imagine Dragons. All of it could chart, none of it could chart, we’ll see. For now, however, thank you for reading, long live Cola Boyy, and I’ll see you next week!

[tygerbug]

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - James Gunn and company stick the landing with a brilliant conclusion to Marvel's only coherent stand-alone trilogy of films. It genuinely feels strange that these are Marvel movies, since from the start they've largely felt like their own thing. Sure, to get caught up on this one you'll have to watch two Avengers movies, a Thor movie and a holiday special, and maybe even the silly animated "What If?" But otherwise, this series is mostly untouched by what's happened to The Avengers, and feels like it could have been a standalone series, like the FOX X-Men films, and the Sony Spider-Man films.

The cameo roles in this series are clearly done as a favor to James Gunn rather than to Marvel. Linda Cardellini has a voice role here, despite already having a role in Marvel films elsewhere, as do Judy Greer and Tara Strong (replacing the absent Miley Cyrus). And it's not hard to imagine some earlier Marvel film having some other role for the sort of actors Gunn casts in small roles, like Nathan Fillion, Ving Rhames, Michelle Yeoh, Peter Serafinowicz, Maria Bakalova, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Benicio Del Toro, Lee Pace, Alexis Denisof, Kevin Bacon, Seth Green, Sylvester Stallone, Don Johnson, and so on. He has a tendency to cast older star actors like Kurt Russell who could have populated a hypothetical 90s MCU, or even David Hasselhoff who actually did.

The Guardians films, outside of their Avengers crossovers, feel like a universe unto themselves. The tone is darker, and more violent, with a focus on comedy. At exactly one point in the film, Chris Pratt's Peter Quill, AKA Starlord, says fuck. At other points in the film, actors say "screw" when they clearly mean "fuck." Lloyd Kaufman turns up in these things. Most of the film is about torturing a raccoon, and it's full of strange creatures and body horror that sometimes seems antithetical to selling Happy Meal toys. The villain, Chukwudi Iwuji, as The High Evolutionary, is nastier than MCU villains tend to be, and there's no attempt to humanize him. Which is, to be clear, great. We like a real villain.

The visual style of the film is also distinctive. No muddy greys and browns here. There's bright colors and high contrast, and lots of interesting design. It is certainly in the running for the best-looking Marvel movie, and avoids the samey visual look of some other Marvel productions.

The cast, as ever, is stacked with actors who could have carried a film like this on their own. It's easy to take this cast for granted, but these are all stars, and the movie knows it. Zoe Saldana, who has almost casually starred in a large percentage of the most succesful movies ever made. Bradley Cooper, as the voice of Rocket, a CGI character who might be the real star here. Pom Klementieff and Dave Bautista, delightful as Mantis and Drax. Karen Gillan as Nebula, bringing a steely terminator's edge to a role far away from what she did in Doctor Who. Vin Diesel as Groot, even. Elizabeth Debicki returning as Ayesha.

Oh, and Chris Pratt as Peter Quill AKA Starlord. When we meet him here, he's been drinking away his sorrows over the loss of Gamora. Pratt is a controversial figure these days, due to his apparent right-wing beliefs, and at first there seems to be something wrong with Peter int his film. His trademark charm is entirely absent, at first, and he's not as funny a character in this as he's been previously. But that charm comes back, as Pratt tries to remind Gamora and the audience why we liked Peter Quill in the first place. He's not as big an asshole as he's been at times, and is almost likeable as he finds a certain peace in himself by the film's end.

Will Poulter turns up as Adam Warlock, a cosmic Marvel hero introduced as a secondary villain here, and manages to do something amusing with the character. As with the Nova Corps in the first film, this is a pretty significant Marvel character that James Gunn is using, apparently for his own purposes rather than due to any connection to the MCU. As with the Howard the Duck cameos, it feels like Gunn is doing his own thing. At one point Starlord appeared in the MCU Avengers animated shows without the personality that Chris Pratt gave him, and it felt very strange. Starlord is a very different character here than he was as a Space Cop in the comics, as are Yondu, Mantis, Groot, and so on.

Indeed these movies have very little to do with the Guardians of the Galaxy comics as they initially launched. The films are instead based, loosely, on the Guardians team that launched in the comics in 2008. That team included Adam Warlock and Phylla-Vell, a version of Captain Marvel who technically appears here as a child. But James Gunn has successfully put his own spin on these characters. Rocket Raccoon would probably have been the most recognizable character for old-timers, along with Adam Warlock, but he was never really a headliner until now. Nor was Groot, who was once an old Jack Kirby monster in the comics, and might as well be a different character now entirely.

Mantis, powerful as a C-tier Avenger in the comics, is a less powerful but more memorable character in these. She and Dave Bautista's Drax are socially awkward in different ways, and always doing something funny or interesting. This film also finds the dignity in these characters and sees a certain tragedy in the way they underestimate one another, suggesting that even though they're a memorable onscreen team, they need to move apart in order to grow as people. These films really care about these characters in a way which isn't cliched, telegraphed or predictable.

There's a sense of history here, that the journey these characters have gone on has meant something, over the course of three films, at least four other Marvel appearances and a holiday special. A photo of Stan Lee turns up, as does the actual Michael Rooker. It does have one thing in common with the Avengers films - an assurance that this is still the Guardians of the Galaxy even with a different lineup of characters, and that some of these characters will return.

It won't be the same, though, will it? It's hard to imagine another blockbuster film letting actors like Pom Klementieff be as memorably eccentric as they are here. This trilogy genuinely feels different and special. It had its own cast of characters, some of whom we saw very little of. (Sylvester Stallone makes only brief appearances, but a long history is implied every time.) It left me wanting more, but I'm glad that we got three solid movies with this cast, and that James Gunn - who was briefly fired due to some trolls on Twitter - got to return and do it right.

[theinvisiblemuseum]

who else voted the miley cyrus cameo on disneychannel.com for high school musical 2

[holyfvkc]

i wish demi had done that show that now is gonna have ariel winter instead of her, I’ve wanted more of actress demi since the tell me you love me video

I love demi but I don't think that acting it's the best for them. I rather see demi doing cameo's for small characters instead of being the main character in any sort of visual work, it takes time for someone who's been off screen way to long to have the acting skills without being "too much"... (Like, camila, taylor, miley)

[saintlaurentproblems]

Christmas Album Concept for Ariana

Album Concept

The Holiday Hotel - Ariana Grande

Holiday Special directed by Mike White

Plot: Ariana arrives to a magical hotel to discover many secrets of Christmas.

Celebrity Cameos: Jennifer Coolidge, Miley Cyrus, Liz Gillies, Avan Jogia, Matt Bennet, Cynthia Erivo, Victoria Monet, Andrea Bocelli, Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Manzel, Jeff Goldblum, The Weeknd, Doja Cat, & Justin Bieber

Tracklist:

1. Holiday Hymns ft Andrea Bocelli

2. I’ll Be Away for Christmas ft Justin Bieber

3. Dazzling

4. Santa Baby ft Liz Gillies (remastered)

5. Holiday (Madonna Sample)

6. I Hope This Christmas….(Dreams Come True)

7. Chill in the Air ft The Weeknd

8. One Night Before Christmas

9. Red Man ft Doja Cat & Cynthia Erivo

10. True Love (Extended Version)

11. Merry Christmas (I Love U)

12. This is What Christmas is All About

Bonus Tracks

14. Wishful Thinking

15. Santa Tell Me (Remastered)

16. The Coldest Night ft Miley Cyrus & Mark Ronson

Moodboard

[vonlipvig]

ok, so joan is awful.

well, joan wasn't awful at all, but the writing of this sure was.

damn, so this is the ai in the world of entertainment episode that we get? that was kinda bad, ngl. gonna list some thoughts in bullet points cause i'm bad at structuring my thoughts, but here it goes:

netflix episode about netflix fucking over their customers and creatives, not paying their creatives enough, and then having their dumbass show get "cancelled" after one season. haha not funny. didn't laugh.

god the writing is so bad, what the hell happened to this show? this is just like the miley episode, in which i mean they keep talking in catchphrases and funny quips and it drives me insane. it's bad, don't do this. i know you guys can write great stuff.

i mean, the ai stuff is very current, but i don't think it was utilized to its best potential here. the premise just felt so silly and not even remotely possible, not like other bm episodes which truly felt like something that could happen.

i'll say, i did have fun with the malicious compliance plan of joan's. get them, girl. that said, what the fuck.

this one is completely on me but i don't know who salma hayek is so i didn't really laugh. sorry, ma'am.

the plot twist......meh. at least it wasn't 'ai gains sentience and tries to break free' (do Not try to replicate uss callister aka best episode), i appreciate that it was all joan's choice in the end.

michael cera cameo fun.

yeah those are my thoughts! this one's gonna be lower on my ranking, probs bottom 5. hopefully next one is better!

[disneyvoguemagazine]

#DisneyUnclassified

Ciara reveals classified documents cataloging her exponential time training hourly sessions with martial arts masters (Feu Long, Foxxy Pamela Gurier, Shaft, Stick, Sinister, Sean Combs, RoboCop, Rocky, A Team, The Million Dollar Man, Bruce Lee Students, Master Gen, 3600 hours spent of her life training as a Psychic soldier for the Mickey Mouse Club and the documents found exposing the worm tunnel she traveled through to participate in Mortal Kombat with otherworldly beings, under the allies 'Blade\Sonya' the footage captured via 'sidekick-TMobile' device, documents her termultuious journey dawning the power of the pink ranger zord stored data imprint on the sidekicks sim card and as one of the magic kingdoms most expériences archiologist has rastered 'The Power', the first trials of this Ranger sirum has been distributed amoung the groups @Loona @Kard @MissA ,

Infused with @SpaceX #Cybertron Autobot technology allows the ranger techs back at mission control access to the data collected from the hardware of the new suits.

I.U -Frostlass

Chris Crocker-Slyveon

Beauty Marsh- Chanel (Spriggattio)

Dragonair- Seulgi

Gardvoir- Ariana Grande

B.B Kiddo - Grimes

Ponyta - Bonnie McKee

Wigglytuff - Lindsay Lohan

Espeon -WillowSmith

Ladyian - Flora G

Jynx - Chlöe Bailey

Seaking-Lizzo

Ampheros - Miley Cyrus

Frilish-Noah Cyrus

Mew -Shannon Williams

Meloeta- Kim Petras

Rihanna-Starmie

Aubery Peoples- Muk

MeganJetteMartin-Gloom

DemiLovato-Grimer

IceSpice- Swana

Bambi - Sawsbuck

Altaria- CardiB

DelKatty- Nicki Minaj

Unknown- BTS

Eevee- Nayeon

Ashley Tisdale -Ratata

JeffreeStar-Mother of Frost lass / YakYakk (cellphone conversation cameo)

BritneySpears cameo [ As Béatrix Kiddo of the KillBillSaga mother of BBKiddo leader of the eSports International Champion Team #SamuraiSkirts

with @Zendaya as Nakia Belle daughter of Copperhead of Bills four assets played by Vivica A Fox; Uma Thurman (played by Britney Spears in the Samurai Skirts Films. Synopsis: When B.B Kiddo "Claire B. Aka Grimes" takes her eSports team to the Olympic winter games, the steaks become mortal when her team dawn's the legendary Hattori Hanzo blades after a being named 'Aura' hacks the games code and recreates the events of the popular series Sword Art Online. )

Starring JeannieKim Chanel as The Firth Child Angel EVA unit 05 LaBlanc The black Rose

. In the end the Skirtz win the Gold medal and the facade covering the event is later exposed as the game company's chairs and executives are made a mockery in the industry for their mal practices in their business ethics when the company's abuse of female gaming icons and influencers pops the gaming giants legacy and ruins their flawless reputation when B.B leaks the security footage of the company using the girl gamers as sex slaves and toys for the male dominated gaming industry. When the truth comes to light showing one of the most epic games in history covered for a real operations intelligence interception mission the world watched live as what appeared to be just am online game turned out to be the government's biggest intelligence war in real life.

All of these events converging with GameFreaks Trainee Project 'Trainer Lass' Space X secret splicing program testing engineered spliced genetically enhanced cultures giving the subjects pokemon like essences and advanced traits or above average apptitude s

I.U loop artist details her account as the groups leader or 'Big Sister' the pokè-docustreamentary converges with the groups member 'X Jet / XSR BlackBird 'portrayed by Claire B aka Grimes' her competing for the few positions for the girl group trainer LASS, pokemon company's first ever live music dance reality pop girl band, their experience at Coachella with Marvels Runaways band and working with Minnie Mouse as the events around Hugh Jackmen announcing his involvement for #Deadpool3 as the movies cast were filming around the events that will influence the Kingdom Hearts Movie. With the Mouse Queers proving to the world the magic that was unfolding into the real world has made the fantasy of a magic world living truth tofay.

[lboogie1906]

Richard Martin Lloyd Walters (born January 14, 1965) better as Slick Rick, is a rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence with Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew in the mid-1980s. Their songs "The Show" and "La Di Da Di" are considered early hip-hop classics. "La Di Da Di" is one of the most sampled songs in history. He became the third artist signed to Def Jam Records. He has released four albums: The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, The Ruler's Back, Behind Bars, and The Art of Storytelling. His music has been sampled and interpolated over 1,000 times, in dozens of songs by artists, including Eminem, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Beastie Boys, TLC, Nas, Miley Cyrus, Kanye West, Black Star, The Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Dogg, MC Ren, Montell Jordan, Tech N9ne and Color Me Badd. He has become one of the most-sampled hip-hop artists ever. Many of these songs based on his samples went on to become hit singles. He has been a VH-1 Hip Hop Honors honoree, and About.com ranked him No. 12 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time, while The Source ranked him No. 15 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time. He has acted and cameo-ed in 10 movies and videos. He makes an appearance as a playable character in the video games Def Jam: Fight for NY and Def Jam Fight for NY: The Takeover. He was born in the southwest London district of Mitcham to Jamaican parents on 1 Brad Gibson street. He was blinded in the right eye by broken glass as an infant. In 1976, he and his family immigrated to the US, settling in the Bronx. At Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of Music & Art, where he majored in visual art, Rick met Dana Dane. The pair became close friends and formed the Kangol Crew, performing in school contests, parks, and small local clubs. He married Mandy Aragones (1997-) and he has two children. He and his wife have donated about a dozen items from his collection to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence https://www.instagram.com/p/CnhDLvILDg9/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=