Month: July 2021

Olivia Rodrigo has had a great 2021. She recently had her debut, Sour, crowned as Spotify’s most-streamed album of the year so far, surpassing Justin Bieber’s Justice in the brief seven weeks since its release. On top of that, Rodrigo has also had a monster single, “Drivers License,” which has spent ample time on the singles chart, clocking in at No. 1 for eight consecutive weeks at the beginning of the year. Now Sour is back at the top.

For the chart dated July 17, Rodrigo reclaimed the No. 1 spot thanks to 88,000 album units sold. This marks the first time Sour appeared at No. 1 without posting more than 100,000 units in weekly sales. Overall, it’s the second overall week that the album failed to post six-digit sales numbers, having done so for its first five weeks on the Billboard 200. Rodrigo’s return to No. 1 comes after she released her concert film, Sour Prom, which featured some of the songs from the album.

The top 10 of charts for this year’s Billboard 200 have not featured too many brand new albums and it continues this week, with G Herbo’s 25 being the lone debut. The album checked in at No. 5, making it the Chicago rapper’s highest-debuting album.

Revisit our review for Sour here.

For some time after he released his sophomore album Free Spirit, Khalid kept things rather quiet on the music side of things. The singer shared a few singles in the two years that followed, but things have been picking up as of late for the Texas-bred singer. With his third album hopefully on the way, Khalid is back with new music and his latest is an effort titled, “New Normal.” As of right now, the track has not been officially released but the singer debuted it during a performance at Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic space flight launch on Sunday.

Prior to its release, Khalid shared with Rolling Stone that the song served as his “personal therapy” last year during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Around this time last year, I was super fascinated and gravitated toward space,” he added, tying in the song with the space flight launch. “I was watching this comet by the name of Neowise last year, and space travel is something that I’ve always been interested in as well. And I’ve been going through the motions of understanding this new, postmodern future that’s coming together, especially when it comes down to technology — it’s something that really excites me.”

Prior to debuting the new song, Khalid teamed with Tate McRae for their collaboration, “Working.” Khalid also connected with J Balvin for “Otra Noche Sin Ti.”

Watch the performance at the 60:20:12 mark in the video above.

Everyone loved the penultimate episode of Loki. It was the one where we met several “variants” of Tom Hiddleston’s anti-hero deity. There was Boastful Loki, President Loki, Kid Loki, even a Classic Loki, played by no less than Richard E. Grant. There was even an Alligator Loki. And there was a “Throg,” who was a frog version of Loki’s adopted brother Thor. And if the one thing he said sounded like it came from a familiar voice, that’s because it did.

In a recent appearance on the podcast For All Nerds, as caught by Entertainment Weekly, series director Kate Herron revealed that the frog version of Thor was indeed voiced by Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth. Mind you, Throg didn’t say much. We heard him say “Ahhh,” and that was it. But eagle-eared viewers may have caught that it came from no less than the star of Michael Mann’s Blackhat.

It’s one of a ton of Easter Eggs crammed into the fifth episode, which kept Marvel heads busy trying to find and/or decode them. There was the Thanos coptor. There was the reunion of Loki and Mobius (or “Lokius,” as they’ve been dubbed). And there were a lot of horn headpieces. And there’s still one more episode left, dropping on Disney+ on the 14th.

(Via EW)

Lauren Boebert has a schtick: a kind of Sarah Palin on steroids. Even the former Alaska governor wouldn’t go as far as the representative from Colorado — a restauranteur, who owns steakhouse with an open-carry policy (you know, just in case), turned Trumpist politico. Her vibe was on full display at this weekend’s CPAC conference in Dallas. Already the site of a failed Don Jr. comic bit, it gave Boebert the excuse to deliver a bizarre rant against government benefits.

Strutting the stage like an amateur comic at open mic night, Boebert painted a picture of a government that would do absolutely nothing, apart from give someone like her a rock star income. “We’re here to tell the government we don’t want your benefits, we don’t want your welfare,” she railed, for some reason. “Don’t come knocking on my door with your Fauci ouchy, you leave us the hell alone.”

In a better world, a politician threatening to rid people — including veterans — of any government assistance would instantly lose all but her most sycophantic constituents. (At the very least she should lose re-election for the “Fauci ouchy” line.) But for now, it got a pretty decent clapback from fellow representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, which is something.

“Tell ‘em loud and proud girl!” AOC wrote on Twitter. “GOP will strip your unemployment protections and dismantle any semblance of a public safety net we have left! Then make working people pay way more for everything on low wages while Wall St gets a meal ticket!” She added, “Good ol conservative values baby!”

So if you’re one of Boebert’s constituents, remember: She doesn’t think she should help you. But she does think you should pay her government salary, and the benefits she claims she doesn’t want, to do not much at all.

(Via The Daily Beast)

We’re almost there! As we’re getting closer and closer to being able to travel safely again, it’s time to consider how traveling, especially solo, is going to be different post-pandemic. Now that many of our lives have been turned upside down (and inside out, and every which way), we have the opportunity to rethink many of our old habits, including how we travel. I propose this: let’s start thinking about how traveling solo helps us recharge, rejuvenate, and challenge ourselves to do and be our best.

If you’re like me and downloaded TikTok during the pandemic, you might have caught some major FOMO from seeing creators’ #traveltok content. With so many incredible destinations popping up on your feed, how do you choose one?

Step 1: Choose your destination.

To have a fulfilling and empowering travel experience, it’s important to choose a destination (or a few) that aligns with your travel goals. Do you want to disconnect or socialize with other travelers? Do you want to get in touch with nature, or explore a new city?

Close your eyes and imagine your higher self, out in the world traveling like a boss. Where are you? What are you doing? Who and what do you hope to find on your path?

If getting out into nature on your own (safely!) is where you picture yourself, look for a national park that is especially suited for solo travelers. You might be surprised at how many places are actually well-suited for solo camping. For example, Black Rock City, Nevada is one of the USA’s most remote deserts and it makes for an incredible solo camping trip.

If you want to explore a new city and perhaps put yourself out there to make new friends, there are many cities in the USA that are perfect for that. New Orleans is one example for a few reasons, one of them being the friendliness and down-to-earth hospitality of the city. Another one is the plethora of fun things to do that are totally approachable as a solo traveler, like taking a walking tour or shopping in the French Quarter.

Step 2: Address your own solo travel anxieties.

What has held you back from traveling solo in the past? If you have done it, what parts of it were the most uncomfortable? Especially as a woman, I tend to find new uncomfortable things about solo traveling every time I do it. Before your next trip, sort out what your fears are and make a plan for how you are going to face them.

Eating alone, for example, can be a huge red anxiety button for some people, maybe so much that it holds them back from trying new restaurants. Sometimes I notice that people eating alone tend to distract themselves with their phones, books, anything to numb the discomfort of being at a restaurant alone. While you’re traveling and soaking up a new place, do you really want to escape it, though?

Grab a journal and write down everything that you are anxious about before your trip. Be honest. If it’s getting your period on the subway, write that. Go to town with your anxiety upchuck. Now, go through each one and ask yourself: Would I judge someone else for doing that? Most of the time, the answer is no. So why judge yourself?

If you are still feeling anxious about going out and doing things alone, book a group activity before you head to your destination. This can help ease the tension of being completely alone on your first day by opening the door to making friends or simply enjoying an activity with other travelers.

Step 3: Pack to feel your best.

There’s a lot of shame around choosing clothes to wear, especially in the summer months. With all this talk about “beach body” workouts and diets, we’re expected to look our absolute best if we’re going to be showing our bodies while on vacation. Who decided what a “beach body” looks like, though? And who told you that you can’t wear that adorable string bikini you stress-ordered while fantasizing about your post-pandemic beach trip?

Photo by Brina Blum on

The clothes that you choose to decorate your body with are meant to make you feel comfortable. Traveling solo gives us the opportunity to be anonymous in a new place, so it’s actually a fabulous way to take that fashion risk you might not feel comfortable with at home. This gives us the opportunity to reinvent ourselves through travel. So grab that bikini, fuzzy hat, or comfy jumpsuit and put it directly into your carry-on. In 2021 we’re dressing for ourselves, boo.

Step 4: Get your safety plan in check.

Let’s face it. It’s impossible to have an empowering, uplifting solo trip if you’re constantly worried about your safety. Much of staying safe in a new place has to do with mitigation, rather than emergency action. That said, there are a few things you can do to prepare yourself for your next solo adventure and leave your worry at home.

First of all, connect with your intuition. Look inward with a meditation on intuition, a journal prompt, or a mantra. Connecting with your inner voice will allow you to remain alert in a foreign environment. When we learn how to listen to our gut, we can sense if a place or a situation has potential danger before our safety is put at risk. That dude you met at the bar who told you he only eats food for “fuel”? Yeah, your intuition was right about him. Walk away, girl, walk away.

All jokes aside, there are quite a few other things to keep in mind as well:

• Keep your money and valuables in a safe place. You can even roll up your cash and keep it in an unused tampon or other unassuming item for peace of mind.
• Avoid walking around with headphones in.
• Research the place you’re going for scams and other bits of info on how to stay safe there.
• Take an inventory on how you appear to others. How does your gender expression, race, ethnicity, and clothing appear to people in the place where you are traveling? Unfortunately, certain aspects of our identity can put us at risk. However, you get to decide how much of your expression you want to modify in order to be less of a target.
• Have your own back, but also keep an eye out for other solo travelers. If you feel uncomfortable, don’t be afraid to ask for help. You never know when someone might need your help as well.

Step 5: Empower others on your path.

There’s something to be said about the power we receive by lifting each other up. What we give comes back to us. One obvious way to empower other women through your own solo travel journey is to simply talk about it with them. It can be a great way to show other women that they, too, can travel solo.

Photo by Briana Tozour on

Our buying habits also have a lot of power. Before your trip, see if any of the tours or excursions you want to take have a woman tour guide. Even better, see if you can find a tour company that is woman-owned. Look around the web to see if there are any women’s collectives where you’re going. They can give you valuable insight into the local culture and women’s experiences there, all while allowing you to buy souvenirs directly from them. Take that idea and apply it to whatever form of empowerment is most important to you, whether it’s supporting the local LGBTQ population, indigenous groups, the BIPOC community, anything.

Your post-pandemic travel plans do not have to compensate for months of being socially isolated by going to the first place that sounds like an escape. Take your time thinking about how you really want to travel. Set an intention, follow your instincts, and go out there and have the time of your life.

Women travel solo for different reasons, every single one of them being completely valid. The point isn’t that we all have to travel alone the same way, it’s that we should be doing so on our terms without ceding to the expectations of what we see on Insta, Tiktok, or anywhere else on the interwebs. Sometimes a trip to a beach resort is what we need and sometimes what we need is to go to Utah and climb on some rocks in the desert. It’s all about having the freedom and the know-how to choose.

About the author: Emily is a solo travel enthusiast based in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico. She is a part-time freelance writer for the most-read solo female travel blog Be My Travel Muse and a part-time doula.

Bo Burnham’s “Inside” is a painfully accurate reflection of what it feels like to be not young, not old and not well.

I say painful because I turned 30 during the pandemic, and watching Burnham “celebrate” the minute he turned 30 during the pandemic with a meager “Yay” and a song about no longer being the youngest person in the room—it hit hard. Even the bits that didn’t resonate with me still provoked a feeling of millennial familiarity, and nailed how easy it is to see the problems with ourselves, yet how complex it is to fix them.

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Welcome to the Internet – Bo Burnham (from “Inside” — ALBUM OUT NOW)

www.youtube.com

“Inside” takes place over the course of a year. Burnham films and directs the special in his guesthouse and strings together pieces of the pandemic through songs, monologues, parodies of popular YouTube conventions and the occasional clip of equipment falling to the ground. Subjects range from systemic oppression, to FaceTiming your mom, also known as the average day in the COVID-19 age. One key difference is though my feelings and fears matched Burnham’s to a T, his were voiced from an auxiliary home, surrounded by thousands of dollars of equipment, earning him a Netflix payday.

Despite the obvious income disparity, many other sentiments in Burnham’s latest special hold up a vanity mirror to what millennials have been feeling all too well. At the end of the aforementioned “30,” Burnham sings “It’s 2020, and I’m t30, I’ll do another 10/2030, I’ll be 40 and kill myself then.” This is immediately followed by a new, transition-less scene where Burnham sits on a stool, looks in a mirror with a mic assuring us he doesn’t actually want to kill himself and a satirical half-hearted plea for others not to kill themselves either. The segment ends with Burnham saying “but if I could kill myself for a year, I’d do it today.”

I’d never heard my feeling about an entire year summed up so perfectly in one sentence.

Millennials first met Burnham in 2006 on YouTube. In a sea of Fall Out Boy lyric videos and clips of your next door neighbor falling down stairs, Burnham was a nerdy white guy who played instruments in his bedroom and sang cleverly irreverent songs. In 2006, there was nothing cooler. High schoolers like me ate up his charm, his wordplay and his casual racism because that was state-of-the-art. In his 2008 video “New Math,” 18-year-old Burnham sings “And if 10% of men are gay/20% of men are Chinese/What are the odds that a man chosen at random/Spends his free time and mealtime while on his knees?” This was my MySpace song during that year, and I never gave it a second thought. Now, my peers and I cringe and regret.

After recognition from older, more established stand-ups and creating a beautifully poignant coming-of-age film “Eighth Grade,” it’s clear that Burnham has grown. But, like many his age, the pandemic dictated a regression. While I chose to play New Found Glory and My Chemical Romance, Burnham returned to the genesis of his fame and realization of his creativity: alone in a room with a keyboard.

All Eyes On Me — Bo Burnham (from “Inside” – album out now)

www.youtube.com

While some of us deleted old tweets from when we were teens for fear they might be construed as mildly offensive if a hiring manager found them, Burnham has been forced to reckon with the idea that his version of cringey tweets are what made him famous. He can’t simply delete his past, nor does he want to as evidenced by his 15-year-old YouTube videos still being online. In the song “Problematic,” Burnham works himself into a sweat that drips from his pandemic-grown beard. He sings that growing up in white suburbs was what led him to say offensive things, but then flips, saying he shouldn’t blame his behavior on his upbringing—perhaps a dance some of us have done over these past few years.

“Problematic” is still very much a Burnham song, complete with the funny asides that made us like him in the first place, like when he slips in “When I was seventeen, on Halloween/I dressed up as Aladdin/I did not darken my skin, but still, it feels weird in hindsight.” The reason why we can forgive Burnham for being “problematic” is because it’s a level of controversy we can imagine ourselves in. It made me wonder if there had been some cancellation buzz around Burnham if we’d be so quick to forgive. Or, if seeing Burnham forgive himself, we simply used it as an excuse to forgive ourselves, too.

“Inside” is saturated with self-awareness, while questioning the value of that quality. The special stretches from concert to internet variety show. One segment shows Burnham singing a song about unpaid interns, then zooms out to introduce Burnham once again, only sitting in front of the computer watching himself and about to do a live commentary on the video. This keeps zooming out in a Russian Doll level of commentary, during which he refers to a portion of himself in the video saying “Here, I’m so worried critics will levy against me, that I levy it against myself. If I’m self-aware about being a douchebag, it somehow makes me less of a douchebag—but it doesn’t. Self-awareness does not absolve anyone of anything.”

If we take anything away from this special, it’s that saying we did something wrong is hollow unless it’s backed up with the action to do better.

That all being said, “Inside” isn’t entirely revelatory. Songs like “White Woman’s Instagram” that name and demonstrate the cliche images we’ve all come to label as “basic” has the same snark as the teenager who dropped the line “You’re a first time vegan and it’s nice to meat ya” in 2008.

White Woman’s Instagram — Bo Burnham (from “Inside” — ALBUM OUT NOW)

www.youtube.com

It’s also just as dated. In “Sexting” we hear all the awkwardness about the subject we’ve heard since Tinder became a thing. For being so hard-hitting at times, there’s no shortage of pandering, though the music is always remarkably great.

Even the special itself might seem dated. “Inside” came out at the end of May 2021, a time when many people in America are fully vaccinated and venturing outside. Watching it gives flashbacks to a sore time far too recent that is nowhere near nostalgic. But, as Burnham ventures out of the guesthouse at the end of 80 minutes of “content” (as he derisively refers to his own special) he suddenly finds himself in the spotlight. A crowd starts uproariously laughing at him.

During 2020, I spent all this time self-reflecting, spiraling, and promising to do better, but once I go out and see how hard it is to perform in real life, will I just revert back? Will I just think back on this time as something I’m lucky to have escaped? As Burnham sings in “Problematic”: Times are changing and I’m getting old / Are you gonna hold me accountable?” Burnham makes an art piece out of the white millennial pastime of apologizing and agonizing, and while that’s the first step, it remains to be seen if this type of art creates change, or simply admits it needs to happen.

Earlier this month marked one year since the world received Pop Smoke’s first posthumous album, Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon. It also came five months after the rapper was tragically shot and killed during an attempted robbery that took place in a Hollywood mansion he rented. By the end of the year, the project was one of the most popular releases of 2020 as it became a mainstay on the Billboard 200. Since its arrival, the late rapper’s team has promised a second posthumous effort from the Brooklyn native, something they confirmed last month with the announcement of Pop Smoke.

At this point the music world is just days away from receiving the new project, but for folks in a pair of cities there’s an early opportunity to listen to records from the upcoming album thanks to a unique promotional tactic. Pop Smoke fans can preview songs from the upcoming album thanks to QR codes located on flyers throughout New York City and Los Angeles. The specific location of these flyers is unknown, but some have been discovered and shared on social media by excited fans.

The flyers were posted days after the late rapper’s team released the “Outro” for the upcoming album. In it, he delivers a motivational message that lines up with the thoughts he shared in a trailer for the upcoming album. “Never let anybody get in between you and your creations,” the late rapper says in the video. “Why you just trying to be cool? You gotta make history.”

You check out videos of the flyers with the QR codes above.

Pop Smoke is out 7/16 via Victor Victor Worldwide/Republic. Pre-order it here.

Remember when video games used to be way more expensive than they are now? Back in the days of the NES and SNES it wasn’t uncommon for games to sell at retail prices of $80, and considering inflation, they were really closer to over $100. For a single game! These days it’s hard enough for a developer to sell a game for $70 let alone something close to $100.

Now imagine if some of those same games started costing hundreds of thousands? If not millions? Well a recent auction is taking some of the classic games we grew up with and raising the price of them to astronomical levels. Just a couple of days ago, the record for the most expensive video game ever sold was broken at an auction when an unopened copy of The Legend of Zelda sold for $870,000.An NES game? At that price? What’s next? A Nintendo 64 game like Super Mario 64 selling for $1.5 million?

Oh. Well, that’s an extremely expensive video game! Some might say that is way too much to spend on any video game, but this just appears to be the path that old Nintendo merchandise is following these days. It’s just hard to make sense of why an old game, even a classic like Mario 64, would sell for this much. It’s not like the game isn’t readily available on multiple consoles and easy to play. Having a sealed copy of Mario 64 is a bragging rights title and little else, but if that’s what they want to do with their money then there isn’t really anything we can do to stop them.

The concern here is that older games selling at exorbitant prices are going to lead to making an already difficult hobby, like retro gaming, even more difficult. The price of retro games went up pretty significantly in 2020 with everyone seeking out older games to play while they were stuck inside, and if newer copies of these games are going to start breaking the million-dollar barrier then there’s no telling what kind of effect that could have on other games. Hopefully, this is more of a one-off moment and not a sign of things to come. The last thing we need is for retro video games to go the way of Pokémon cards.

While the United States men’s Olympic team had a rough weekend, dropping its first tuneup game to Nigeria in stunning fashion on Saturday night in Las Vegas, over in Latvia, the U-19 men’s squad had a chance to redeem the nation’s basketball pride against France on Sunday in the finals of the FIBA U-19 World Cup.

The matchup pit two of the best basketball prospects in the world against each other, with Chet Holmgren of the U.S., the nation’s best high school player this past season, going up against Victor Wembanyama of France, the latter of whom is considered the top prospect at any level. Wembanyama, in particular, was tremendous, scoring 22 points to lead all scorers along with eight rebounds and an outrageous eight blocks in 27 minutes of action.

However, the French star would foul out with a few minutes to play — after France oddly went away from him offensively in the fourth quarter as the U.S. made their run — and that would only further open the floor up for the Americans.

Holmgren struggled in his matchup with Wembanyama early, but was able to find some success in the second half as he finished with 10 points and five assists, but the star of the game was Kenneth Lofton Jr. (not related to the baseball Kenny Lofton), whose size and strength was just something no one on the French side — including Wembanyama — could deal with. Lofton got himself deep post position a number of times in the second half, and when he did, he just carved out space under the rim to get an easy bucket, muscling French defenders out of the way.

However, it wasn’t just strength that the big fella put on display, as Lofton showed off the athleticism with some skill off the bounce to get by defenders and to the rim, even when he wasn’t able to establish deep post position.

On defense, he also showed off some quick, active hands, twice creating turnovers in the fourth quarter by stripping a French player to help keep the U.S. ahead.

On the United States’ final possession, up just two, a shot to put the dagger in went begging, but it didn’t matter because Lofton was able to bully his way to the rebound to keep the possession alive and run out the clock with a putback that missed.

In all, Lofton finished with 16 points and seven rebounds (three offensive), doing most of his damage in the fourth to help lead the U.S. comeback. He had help from the ultra-bouncy Jaden Ivey, who also finished with 16 points, but for everyone watching on Sunday morning, it will be Lofton’s performance that will stick with them for a long time, a stunning achievement given the talent on the floor for both sides.

Summertime usually means new info about the next FIFA game from EA, and Sunday gave us new information about FIFA 22. This year’s edition is highly anticipated because it is the first FIFA game to release in the lifespan of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Last year’s game FIFA 21, did eventually make its way to those consoles, but it was originally developed as a PS4/Xbox ONE game.

On Sunday, EA announced FIFA 22 to the world, and new hardware means new upgrades to the long-running franchise. This year’s big feature will be HyperMotion technology. This has allowed developers to capture 22 players on the pitch all at once. In other words, this technology will allow players’ movements to look more realistic than ever and create a more fluid game. That fluid gameplay is what developers consider a staple of the series.

“FIFA 22 offers millions of fans around the world a chance to engage with the sport they love in an unprecedented way,” said Nick Wlodyka, GM, EA SPORTS FIFA. “Each player experiences FIFA in their own way but on-pitch gameplay is the unifying constant, so we’re excited to offer deep innovation there. HyperMotion elevates that even further on next-gen consoles and Stadia and completely changes the feel of the game”.

EA also is hoping to add some more fresh air into some of their other gameplay modes. They’ve completely rebuilt the goalkeeper system, and career mode will have a create-a-club feature for anyone that’s ever wanted to build their own club into a championship contender from the ground up.

The game will release on October 1 with Kylian Mbappé on the cover for the second year in a row. The Paris Saint-Germain star may only be 22, but he’s already one of the world’s most recognizable names thanks to his goal-scoring prowess. Players who pre-order FIFA 22 Ultimate Edition before August 11 will receive an untradeable FIFA Ultimate Team Heroes player item. The Ultimate Edition also includes up to four days of Early Access, Dual Entitlement, and FIFA Points.