The Pop Culture Pill

The British Are Coming!

Samantha Hartzband — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 02:27:06 -0400

Despite the fact today is July 4th, our Independence Day, it seems impossible these days to delve into entertainment media without seeing our friends from across the pond. No, it’s not Beatle Mania, but it is certainly some kind of invasion.

First there is Amy Winehouse’s struggle with substance abuse and, well, let’s just say “overall wellness.” While Winehouse is not a summer 2008 phenomenon, she got our minds revved up for the bombs Buckingham Palace was about to drop on us.

So let’s talk music.

The Ting Tings, an English indie pop band, released their debut album this past May, and their single Shut Up and Let Me Go has graced all modes of exposure, ranging from posters glued to New York City construction fences to the rolling Real World end credits on MTV.

The band, composed of only two members, packs more heat with each bass drum kick than most Americans have done thus far this summer.

LoHo Got Me Hooked: Living Lohan

Samantha Hartzband — Sat, 31 May 2008 23:58:51 -0400

As the weather is stabilizing around the 70s, I’m simultaneously stabilizing my summer television schedule. Gossip Girl and Grey’s Anatomy (the Double G’s) are over, and I have found myself in desperate need of a new summer staple. But dare I say, I may have found it in the most surprising place – E!’s Living Lohan.

The show focuses on Lindsay Lohan’s 14-year-old sister, Ali, and her mother, Dina. Ali aspires to follow in her older sister’s footsteps, and it seems she’s taken a page out of Ashlee Simpson’s book. Just like the younger Simpson, Ali went to the small screen to draw some media attention to her potential career.

What’s MC Backwards? CM: ChimesMaster

Samantha Hartzband — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:14:28 -0400

‘Tis the season of tour groups, and Cornell’s team of guides are swarming McGraw Tower in the usual fashion. Those prospective pre-frosh lucky enough to be on tours at 1:10 p.m. are in for an extra special treat – the chimes concert. But there’s just no way these high school students can appreciate the chimes the way Cornell students do, and after all, how could they?

Summer Music Guide: Student Tested, Hartzband Approved

Samantha Hartzband — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

It’s official – summer, as far as college students are concerned, is finally here. That means it’s time to store away all our winter iTunes playlists and tune into our favorite summer anthems. I can see no better time to pay homage to a few of the songs that have defined my summers for as long as I can remember. Here goes:

When Normalcy Dies

Samantha Hartzband — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:49:37 -0400

How many seasons does it take for a show to die? Well, that kind of depends on your definition of dying. To me, a show dies once it loses its hook. In showbiz, that’s what makes a show different from the hundreds of other programs on at any given time. Clearly, American Idol executive producer, Simon Fuller, never got the memo.

The show is in the middle of its seventh season, and I really thought Fuller was smarter than Idol’s longevity suggests. In my humble opinion, production should have ended after season 4, when Carrie Underwood managed to narrowly escape the clutches of celebrity pigeonholing.

Why TV Might Put Me in Cardiac Arrest

Samantha Hartzband — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:04:45 -0400

The writers’ strike has been over for some time now, but its aftermath is stronger than ever. All of America’s favorite shows have announced their dates of return, and many of these are much later than anticipated. This sucks, I agree; but perhaps this brief hiatus from the television’s warm glow can give us some time to analyze what we love and hate about the programs we watch religiously. I’ve given this some thought and realized that there are some characters I truly despise and that they all have one thing in common-– they’re just no fun.

Whatchutalkinbout, Kid Stars?

Samantha Hartzband — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 22:40:05 -0400

On April 20th, Tia Mowry will marry longtime boyfriend, Corey Hardrict, in Santa Barbara. Hardrict isn’t very well known for his acting talents, but Mowry is a household name for her breakout role as Tia Landry on Sister, Sister with twin Tamera Mowry, who played Tamera Campbell, her long-lost sister. Upon reading the headline reporting her upcoming nuptials, though, I could not for the life of me picture Tia walking down the aisle.

The Revolution That Wasn’t: The Low-Down on College Music

Samantha Hartzband — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 12:53:13 -0400

The world’s colleges and universities have a reputation for fostering some of the most liberal thinkers in the country. Not only are many students simply open-minded and free-spirited, but, no matter what their passions may be, there is also always a “posse” of others to back them up. But despite this vast array of ideas and innovations that permeate adults aged 18 to 22, the all-inclusive term “college music” still exists.

Miley (and Mandy) Mania!

Samantha Hartzband — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 17:29:24 -0400

Let me start out by saying that I like Miley Cyrus, a.k.a. Hannah Montana, as much as the next letter-toting sorority girl. But I absolutely despise her new Internet smash, The Miley & Mandy Show, which is bad enough to never go on YouTube again…Well, not really, but it’s pretty terrible. The website (YouTube) touts itself as a space for you to “broadcast yourself,” but freedom of expression aside, I find myself hoping and wishing and praying that there were some kind of screening process before letting these videos go online. Miley says it best when she describes the show as their “very pointless YouTube video.” The singer doesn’t lie. It’s pretty awful.

Isn't She Lovely?

Samantha Hartzband — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 20:08:28 -0500

This past February 8th was a day that went unnoticed in American tabloids. But what was it, exactly? No, it wasn’t just six days after Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and declared there to be six more weeks of winter, but nice try. Instead, it was the one-year anniversary of Anna Nicole Smith’s reasonably sudden death, just months after her son’s, Daniel’s.