The guilty pleasure in watching The Bachelor
| February 13, 2020
It’s been just over a month since I’ve started following Peter Weber on the season 24 premiere of The Bachelor. There are two parts of that sentence that truly freak me out. First: that The Bachelor has had 24 seasons. Huge accomplishment for ABC, Instagram handles and the few couples that continued their love off-screen. Big loss for America, which treats this like a reigning cultural phenomenon.
Barnstormers bring a Chekhov classic to Hopkins
| February 13, 2020
Over the weekend, the Barnstormers presented their intersession show, Uncle Vanya. The play was a humorous, yet melancholic exploration of death, family, societal expectations and personal ennui.
Miss Americana dives into Taylor Swift’s inner life
| February 13, 2020
Miss Americana, the documentary directed by Lana Wilson that debuted on Netflix after a run at Sundance, is less of a walk through Taylor Swift’s life, and more of a patchworked exploration of the star’s psyche from her point of view — and only hers.
Gallery 1448 presents talks on nudity in art
| February 13, 2020
Gallery 1448 on East Baltimore Street presented its storytelling event “Speaking of Art — Au Naturale” on Sunday, Feb. 9. In the span of an hour and a half, Baltimore artists gathered in this intimate gallery to share stories on the theme of the “Au Naturale.”
Peabody Symphony plays Bartók and Shostakovich
| February 13, 2020
Having always been dragged to classical music performances by my parents when I was young, my lingering impression of the music was that it was boring and too long. My attempts as a musician fell short as well; I used to play the piano, cello and guitar, but I haven’t touched any of those instruments in years.
Duo Ingolfsson-Stoupel offers an intimate night of chamber music
| February 13, 2020
Taking place in the Peabody Institute’s beautiful Griswold Hall, Judith Ingolfsson and Vladimir Stoupel, two artists in residence, performed a reinvigorating and challenging joint chamber program on Saturday evening. Named “Duo Ingolfsson-Stoupel,” their powerful collaboration allowed their perfect take on the works of Dubois, Ysaÿe and Franck to touch the hearts of the audience that night.
New Brooklyn Nine-Nine season starts off strong
| February 13, 2020
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (B99) has returned. For those who don’t know, B99 is arguably one of the funniest shows on television. I would watch it over The Office or anything else, really, and I’ve felt that way since I first sat down to watch the pilot episode at home with my mom way back in 2013.
"Back to School" Playlist
| February 6, 2020
Shakira and Jennifer Lopez claimed the spotlight at the Super Bowl
and | February 6, 2020
The Super Bowl is a prominent feature of American culture. Every year, millions of people tune in to watch the highly-anticipated big game in the company of their friends and family. This year was no exception: Variety estimated that around 102 million people tuned in to the 2020 Super Bowl. However, what is striking about the Super Bowl as an event is that there are so many other aspects to it besides the actual football game that draw in viewers. One of these is the halftime show.
My first time at the Red Room’s improvisation sessions
| February 5, 2020
On Sunday night the Red Room hosted its monthly Volunteers’ Collective, where people from the community can bring their own instruments and engage in improvisation sessions with other musicians.
The Good Place ends on a satisfying but flawed note
| February 6, 2020
For the past four years or so, I’ve been a big fan of NBC’s The Good Place. When I first sat down to watch the pilot with my mother in our den at home, I couldn’t help but feel like I was viewing something truly special.
Dua Lipa’s new single and music video fall flat
| February 6, 2020
You’ve probably heard of Dua Lipa, whether you’ve danced to her music or glossed over her name on Spotify’s top pop songs list. An English singer, Lipa has not only become a pop sensation at home but has also broken into American charts in recent years.
DisneyPlus releases new Pixar animation series
| February 5, 2020
For years, Disney’s animated shorts have always come to the rescue on free nights when I had nothing much to do. Unfortunately there are only so many times that I can rewatch Disney’s collection of animated shorts on Netflix and still tear up to The Little Match Girl or have my heart ache during Paperman (although I still do).
Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason performs with the BSO
| February 5, 2020
After Spotify’s end-of-the-year wrap-up informed me that I had the tendency of listening to the same songs on repeat, I decided what my grand — for an introvert, at least — 2020 New Year’s resolution would be: to listen to a greater variety of music in settings where I could not be simply wired to a device.
String Theory Theater tugs at your heartstrings
| January 30, 2020
After having only ever seen puppet shows in movies and on TV all my life, I, at the age of 21, finally saw one in person, and it was an utter joy. The show was put on by Baltimore-based troupe String Theory Theater (STT) and guest puppeteer Schroeder Cherry at The Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center on Saturday, Jan. 26.
Netflix’s You needs better LGBTQ representation
| February 2, 2020
The sophomore season of the Netflix psychological thriller You premiered on Dec. 26, transplanting homicidal heartthrob Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) from New York to Los Angeles (LA).
New adaptation of Little Women has progressive take
| January 30, 2020
Louisa May Alcott’s story, Little Women, whose volumes were published in 1868 and 1869, remains a truly timeless piece, as seen in the recent release of its seventh film adaptation by director and screenwriter Greta Gerwig this past Christmas. Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women brilliantly showcased the story and has received six Oscar nominations including: Best Picture, Best Actress (Saoirse Ronan), Best Supporting Actress (Florence Pugh), Best Original Score (Alexander Desplat), Best Adapted Screenplay (Greta Gerwig), and Best Costume Design (Jacqueline Durran).
A breakdown of everything you need to know about the 2020 Oscars
| January 30, 2020
We’ve all had that experience: freshman fall, standing against the wall in some musty house and tilting your ear towards your conversation partner as they shout over the music. You make sure to soak in every detail — this could be your new bestie. But WOW they really like movies.
1917 is a fresh, poignant addition to war cinema
| January 30, 2020
There were a few things about my own personal experience watching 1917 — a movie nominated for 10 Academy Awards this year — that were particularly frustrating. The group of 12-year-old boys in the back of the theater talking and laughing at pretty much full volume throughout the movie was one. The fact that my viewing experience was also interrupted midway by an entirely unnecessary and poorly placed intermission was another.
