Friday, January 13 2012
The Sexual History of London
If Paris is the city of love, then London is the city of lust. From the bath houses of Roman Londinium to the sexual underground of the 20th century and beyond, this is an entertaining, vibrant chronicle of London and sex through the ages.
Thursday, January 12 2012
You Are Who You Learn to Become: The New Crusaders Exclusive
Can comics be meaningful and personal and accessible to all, without the elaborately stylized rituals of ComicCon? Co-creators of the forthcoming New Crusaders series offer a genuinely new way of thinking about meaningfulness in a PopMatters exclusive.
The Best TV Performances of 2011
For all the high points on TV in 2011, there were also things that bothered me, and not all of them were named Kardashian.
The Guilty Pleasure TV Shows of 2011
Anthropomorphized food... insane soap opera creeepshows... and at least one example of the 'Unhappy Englander" on holiday. Must be time for the guiltiest of TV fare.
Wednesday, January 11 2012
Ok, Now Make With the Funny: The PopMatters Exclusive with John Ficarra
There's a deep sense of duty to John Ficarra and his work as Editor of MAD, as well as a practiced, finely-tuned, Olympic-level athlete mindset and an ability to tease out the patently ridiculous in everything. This is why MAD catapults beyond entertainment, and into the orbits of truly great satire.
The Best Television Shows of 2011
The small screen offers up the usual suspects, proving once again that, with a few exceptions, what's good on today's prime time schedule will stay that way until the next best-of list.
Tuesday, January 10 2012
The Guilty Pleasure Films of 2011
You may snicker when looking over this list, but these are the films of 2011 that made us feel guilty for loving them so -- and love them we do.
The Worst Films of 2011
Nothing is more punishing than a bad movie. With these ten, 2011's torture was truly painful.
Monday, January 9 2012
The Best DVDs of 2011
With the continuing rise of Blu-ray, this year sees a lot of repeat entries. Just because they're here again, however, doesn't mean they're any less special.
Friday, January 6 2012
From Touring Carnival to Destination Festival: Lollapalooza at 20
When Lollapalooza disappeared from view in 1997, it seemed that a good idea had run its course. But the end of the road for Lollapalooza as a tour turned out to be just the first part of its story.
Thursday, January 5 2012
Howard the Duck: Trapped in a World He Did Not Make
Howard smokes cigars, uses profanity, indulges in pornography, and drinks. Despite his downfalls, Howard is not a villain by any definition of the word. If anything, these imperfections make him more human than any of his Hollywood alien peers.
Somehow You Love Me: An Interview with Saves the Day
With the influential emo-rockers closing out a long-in-the-works album trilogy, Saves the Day's Chris Conley speaks openly and candidly to PopMatters about who he was, who he wants to be, and the event that changed everything for him ...
Wednesday, January 4 2012
The Frightening and the Frightened: The Scott Snyder Exclusive
As the writer at the helm of signature DC titles like Batman and Swamp Thing, Scott Snyder flawlessly bleeds horror into the body of his stories. But where does that inner, darkening fear come from? In an exclusive interview with PopMatters, Snyder opens up.
“I Don’t Like There to Be Artifacts”: An Interview with DJ Shadow
DJ Shadow pieces together his sonic collages from a veritable mish-mash of samples and formats. His new album The Less You Know the Better is no less a compelling puzzle than his previous works. And so we set out to know more about this album by asking none other than Shadow himself ...
Tuesday, January 3 2012
Occupying Video: The Underbelly of Globalization Caught on Camera
Occupy Wall Street's strength might be how it enables diverse constituencies to seize upon its imagery and message to engage with social justice concerns, both on the ground and within the video.
“I’ve Never Been the Coolest Kid in School”: An Interview with Jack’s Mannequin
He graduated from high-school piano-rock outfit Something Corporate into a mature pop songwriter who also hangs out with Tommy Lee. Andrew McMahon sits down to talk with PopMatters, explains his blog posts, and why he recorded his most recent album twice ...
Monday, January 2 2012
The Best Hopes to Break Out in 2012
The year ahead looks to be an exciting one with the emergence of wealth of great new music waiting in the wings. Will Alabama Shakes be the toast of 2012? Will 2012 be a banner year for forward-thinking hip-hop and R&B? And let's not forget all the great new bands expected to break big in 2012.
Friday, December 30 2011
The Best New and Emerging Artists of 2011
The year's best new and emerging artists range across the musical spectrum from forward thinking R&B to classic soul, from a bevy of exciting new hip-hop talent to great new hopes for indie rock and Americana. 2011 shows that music is always pushing forward even as it dips into the past.
Thursday, December 29 2011
The 2011 Artists of the Year
This year's top artists are a diverse lot represented by two of the world's biggest pop divas, a plethora of critically adored indie faves, some new talents emerging from the hip-hop underground, a couple of veteran Americana acts, and a few alt-rock legends among many more.
Wednesday, December 28 2011
The 75 Best Songs of 2011
The year's best songs are headlined by an instant synth pop classic, the massive hitmaking of the planet's hottest new diva, the pristine harmonies of a young band headed for greatness, the return of the poster boys for indie rock, and an instant Americana classic.
