January 30, 2022
jmunney
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television
Katy Perry, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live Season 47, SNL, SNL Season 47, Willem Dafoe
SNL: Katy Perry, Willem Dafoe, Chris Redd (CREDIT: NBC/Screenshot)
Oh hello there, you’re reading my review of the TWELFTH episode of the FORTY-SEVENTH season of Saturday Night Live. Who’s the host? That’s an important piece of information, and the reality is that it is American actor Willem Dafoe. Also noteworthy: the musical guest is Katy Perry, who’s known for performing songs.
For this episode, since we’re in the middle of winter, I’m ordering sketches from least cold to coldest. It’s a subjective rubric, sure, but hopefully you can see what I’m going for.
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August 28, 2020
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television
A.P. Bio, Bill & Ted Face the Music, Club Future Nostalgia, Disclosure, Dua Lipa, Energy, Katy Perry, Smile, The New Mutants, Video Music Awards, VMAs
A.P BIO — “Disgraced” Episode 302 — Pictured: (l-r) Glenn Howerton as Jack Griffin, Allisyn Snyder as Heather — (CREDIT: Chris Haston/Peacock)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–The New Mutants (Theaters) – I’m still not convinced this long-delayed movie is actually coming out! (Or that it’s safe to go to the theater yet.)
–Bill & Ted Face the Music (Theaters and On Demand)
TV
–A.P. Bio Season 3 (September 3 on Peacock) – One of the funniest sitcoms out there right now!
Music on TV
-2020 MTV Video Music Awards (August 30 on MTV)
Music
-Disclosure, Energy
-Dua Lipa, Club Future Nostalgia: The Remix Album
-Katy Perry, Smile
June 25, 2020
jmunney
Best of the 2010s, Best of the Decade, Music
Adele, Ariana Grande, Beck, Best of the 2010s, Best of the Decade, Beyoncé, Carly Rae Jepsen, Charli XCX, Childish Gambino, Daft Punk, David Bowie, Hans Zimmer, Janelle Monáe, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Kendrick Lamar, Kesha, Lady GaGa, Lana del Rey, Lizzo, Lorde, Major Lazer, Miguel, Miley Cyrus, Pharrell Williams, Rihanna, Sia, St. Vincent, Tame Impala, Taylor Swift, Tegan and Sara, The Black Keys, The Weeknd, Tove Lo, Vampire Weekend, Weird Al Yankovic
CREDIT: YouTube Screenshots
One more list! One more list!
My Best of the 2010s list-making journey has finally come to a close! (Or has it? … For now, it has at least. The future will come as it may, and it may just surprise you, and me.) All this week, I’ve been posting my rankings of a few categories that I was inspired to put together after submitting them to a Best of the 2010s polls that I’m participating in with some of my fellow cultural aficionados. To wrap it all up, I guide you along to the realm of music and lyrics, as I present the Best Musical Artists of the 2010s.
My criteria was similar to that of my choices for Best Film Directors. I considered a combination of how much I enjoyed their musical output as well as how much – and how well – they influenced the industry at large.
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April 16, 2020
jmunney
Best of the 2010s, Best of the Decade, Music
Adele, Ariana Grande, AWOLNATION, Best of the 2010s, Best of the Decade, Beyoncé, Carly Rae Jepsen, Childish Gambino, Daft Punk, Disclosure, DJ Snake, Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, Kendrick Lamara, Kesha, Lana del Rey, Lil Jon, Lorde, Miguel, Miley Cyrus, Nile Rodgers, Pharrell Williams, Rihanna, Sia, Tame Impala, Taylor Swift, The Black Keys, The Chemical Brothers, Tove Lo
CREDIT: YouTube Screenshots
Of all the pieces of art and entertainment that I’m ranking for the decade, songs are probably the most personal. Yet somehow I feel compelled to consider how they affected the world at large moreso than all the other categories. The tunes that I value the most aren’t just the ones that make my own heart sing but also the ones that draw all of us closer together. So as I assembled this list, I asked myself both, “What has made me dance these past 10 years?” and “How would I like to dance with everyone else?” Here’s what that playlist looks like.
(I aimed to stick only to songs that were released as singles, as opening this to deep album cuts would’ve made things so overheated.)
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March 2, 2018
jmunney
Best of 2017, Best of Music 2017, Music
Alessia Cara, Alice Merton, Beck, Calvin Harris, Camila Cabello, Carly Rae Jepsen, Chained to the Rhythm, Cut to the Feeling, Disco Tits, Down, Dua Lipa, Feel It Still, Feels, Green Light, Havana, Jain, Jain Makeba, Katy Perry, Kesha, Lorde, Los Ageless, Makeba, Marian Hill, Miguel, Miley Cyrus, New Rules, No Roots, Portugal. The Man, Praying, St. Vincent, Stay, The Killers, The Man, Told You So, Tove Lo, Up All Night, Younger Now, Zedd
CREDIT: ToveLoVEVO
It’s early March, so it must be time for me to post my list of the best singles of the past year!
1. Tove Lo – “Disco Tits” – A woman doesn’t have to be modest to earn respect, and don’t Tove Lo know it.
2. Kesha – “Praying” – The gospel-tinged anthem we all need right now.
3. Lorde – “Green Light” – If you’re looking for euphoria, Lorde has you covered.
4. Jain – “Makeba” – This guaranteed toe-tapper/hip-spinner was technically released in 2016, but while it may have taken off in Jain’s native France that year, it didn’t really hit in the U.S. until that Levi’s commercial debuted in late 2017.
5. Marian Hill – “Down” – A deceptively simple piano-driven trip-hop jam from this Philadelphia duo.
6. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Cut to the Feeling” – We all need to just follow the Tao of Carly.
7. St. Vincent – “Los Ageless” – St. Vincent is still the master of combining genuine chops with super scuzzy distortion.
8. Beck – “Up All Night” – Put this track on if your house party’s tunes are bringing everyone down.
9. Miley Cyrus – “Younger Now” – Is this what agelessness feels like?
10. Dua Lipa – “New Rules” – Dua Lipa’s anthem attempt = anthem success!
11. Miguel – “Told You So” – If there is one singer above all others belting out tunes right now about whom I would say, “You’ve got to listen to what they’re saying,” it’s gotta be Miguel.
12. Alice Merton – “No Roots” – There may be no roots to Alice Merton’s disposition, but there plenty of roots, powerful ones at that, to her musical influences.
13. Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug – “Havana” – This song makes me sweaty. But it’s the sweat of passion, so I don’t feel gross.
14. Zedd and Alessia Cara – “Stay” – Zedd is the kind of DJ so skilled at bottling up those moments you don’t want to let slip away.
15. Calvin Harris ft. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry, and Big Sean – “Feels” – Just some tropical vibes to get you by.
16. Portugal. The Man – “Feel It Still” – The sort of generational rock song with lyrics that might mean something profound or nothing at all.
17. Katy Perry ft. Ziggy Marley – “Chained to the Rhythm” – Direct, but also pointed and bopping.
18. The Killers – “The Man” – One thing we can count in this life is songs entitled “The Man” being silly but also kind of anthemic.
May 23, 2017
jmunney
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television
backpack kid, Dwayne Johnson, Katy Perry, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live 4221, Saturday Night Live Season 42, SNL, SNL Season 42
This review was originally posted on News Cult in May 2017.
Love It
Hallelujah – Following its first post-election episode this season, SNL chose to forego comedy for melancholy in the cold opening. But now it is time to reflect (or refract) that approach through a cracked looking glass. With leaks now pouring out of every conceivable hole, it is time for Trump and his cronies to prattle on to the tune of Leonard Cohen, striking a note of face-palmingly eternal denial.
There is a certain craze that has seemingly come out of nowhere, so it makes perfect sense that a baby adult would be pacified by it, ergo the Cartier Fidget Spinner…I am categorically in favor of any sketch that features the entire cast, and if it can be managed in merely three minutes, as with the overstuffed rap video One Voice, all the better…Dawn Lazarus is one of those characters that makes such a huge impression in her first appearance that she is brought back almost instantly on her way to a meteoric rise (too bad this is Vanessa Bayer’s last episode, then)…I am not sure if I have ever officially said this, so let me be perfectly clear: Drunk Uncle is one of the best SNL characters of all time.
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April 11, 2017
jmunney
Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot 100, Music
Billboard, Billboard Hot 100, Chained to the Rhythm, Katy Perry
Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot 100, and then I rearrange the top 20 based on my estimation of their quality. I used to rank all 20, now I just rank the cream of the crop.
Original Version
1. Ed Sheeran – “Shape of You”
2. Kendrick Lamar – “Humble.”
3. Bruno Mars – “That’s What I Like”
4. KYLE ft. Lil Yachty – “iSpy”
5. The Chainsmokers and Coldplay – “Something Just Like This”
6. Sam Hunt – “Body Like a Back Road”
7. Daft Punk – “I Feel It Coming”
8. Kodak Black – “Tunnel Vision”
9. The Chainsmokers – “Paris”
10. Clean Bandit ft. Sean Paul and Anne-Marie – “Rockabye”
11. Future – “Mask Off”
12. Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert – “Bad and Boujee”
13. Kygo x Selena Gomez – “It Aint’ Me”
14. Zedd and Alessia Cara – “Stay”
15. Zayn and Taylor Swift – “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)”
16. Lil Uzi Vert – “XO TOUR Llif3”
17. James Arthur – “Say You Won’t Let Go”
18. Rihanna – “Love on the Brain”
19. Katy Perry ft. Skip Marley – “Chained to the Rhythm”
20. Big Sean – “Bounce Back”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Chained to the Rhythm
2. Tunnel Vision
3. I Feel It Coming
4. Love on the Brain
5. Stay
6. Humble.
7. Rockabye
8. Bad and Boujee
April 4, 2017
jmunney
Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot 100, Music
Billboard, Billboard Hot 100, Chained to the Rhythm, Katy Perry
Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot 100, and then I rearrange the top 20 based on my estimation of their quality. I used to rank all 20, now I just rank the cream of the crop.
Original Version
1. Ed Sheeran – “Shape of You”
2. Bruno Mars – “That’s What I Like”
3. The Chainsmokers and Coldplay – “Something Just Like This”
4. The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk – “I Feel It Coming”
5. KYLE ft. Lil Yachty – “iSpy”
6. Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert – “Bad and Boujee”
7. Zayn and Taylor Swift – “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)”
8. Kodak Black – “Tunnel Vision”
9. The Chainsmokers – “Paris”
10. Drake – “Passionfruit”
11. Clean Bandit ft. Sean Paul and Anne-Marie – “Rockabye”
12. Sam Hunt – “Body Like a Back Road”
13. Katy Perry – “Chained to the Rhythm”
14. Rihanna – “Love on the Brain”
15. Kygo x Selena Gomez – “It Ain’t Me”
16. Big Sean – “Bounce Back”
17. Zedd and Alessia Cara – “Stay”
18. Future – “Mask Off”
19. James Arthur – “Say You Won’t Let Go”
20. The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – “Closer”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Chained to the Rhythm
2. Tunnel Vision
3. I Feel It Coming
4. Love on the Brain
5. Stay
6. Rockabye
7. Closer
8. Bad and Boujee
March 28, 2017
jmunney
Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot 100, Music
Billboard, Billboard Hot 100, Chained to the Rhythm, Katy Perry
Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot 100, and then I rearrange the top 20 based on my estimation of their quality. I used to rank all 20, now I just rank the cream of the crop.
Original Version
1. Ed Sheeran – “Shape of You”
2. Bruno Mars – “That’s What I Like”
3. Zayn and Taylor Swift – “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)”
4. Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert – “Bad and Boujee”
5. The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk – “I Feel It Coming”
6. Kodak Black – “Tunnel Vision”
7. The Chainsmokers and Coldplay – “Something Just Like This”
8. Drake – “Passionfruit”
9. Drake ft. Quavo and Travis Scott – “Portland”
10. The Chainsmokers – “Paris”
11. Rihanna – “Love on the Brain”
12. KYLE ft. Lil Yachty – “iSpy”
13. Clean Bandit ft. Sean Paul and Anne-Marie – “Rockabye”
14. Big Sean – “Bounce Back”
15. Drake – “Fake Love”
16. Sam Hunt – “Body Like a Back Road”
17. The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – “Closer”
18. Drake – “Free Smoke”
19. Katy Perry ft. Skip Marley – “Chained to the Rhythm”
20. Kygo x Selena Gomez – “It Ain’t Me”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Chained to the Rhythm
2. Tunnel Vision
3. I Feel It Coming
4. Love on the Brain
5. Rockabye
6. Closer
7. Bad and Boujee
March 22, 2017
jmunney
Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot 100, Music
Billboard, Billboard Hot 100, Chained to the Rhythm, Katy Perry
Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot 100, and then I rearrange the top 20 based on my estimation of their quality.
Original Version
1. Ed Sheeran – “Shape of You”
2. Bruno Mars – “That’s What I Like”
3. Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert – “Bad and Boujee”
4. Zayn and Taylor Swift – “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)”
5. The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk – “I Feel It Coming”
6. Kodak Black – “Tunnel Vision”
7. Rihanna – “Love on the Brain”
8. The Chainsmokers and Coldplay – “Something Just Like This”
9. The Chainsmokers – “Paris”
10. KYLE ft. Lil Yachty – “iSpy”
11. Big Sean – “Bounce Back”
12. Clean Bandit ft. Sean Paul and Anne-Marie – “Rockabye”
13. The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – “Closer”
14. Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Lil Wayne – “No Frauds”
15. Katy Perry ft. Skip Marley – “Chained to the Rhythm”
16. Maroon 5 ft. Future – “Cold”
17. Kygo x Selena Gomez – “It Ain’t Me”
18. Sam Hunt – “Body Like a Back Road”
19. Future – “Mask Off”
20. Shawn Mendes – “Mercy”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Chained to the Rhythm
2. Tunnel Vision
3. I Feel It Coming
4. Love on the Brain
5. Rockabye
6. Closer
7. Bad and Boujee
8. Shape of You
9. That’s What I Like
10. Cold
11. It Ain’t Me
12. Something Just Like This
13. No Frauds
14. Mask Off
15. Paris
16. Bounce Back
17. I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)
18. iSpy
19. Body Like a Back Road
20. Mercy
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