It’s a Taryn Hope takeover! I have been honoured with the opportunity from my good pals at The Pop Culture Reference to come here and basically scream some of my thoughts about Beyoncé at someone other than my poor partner (who kindly listens to my ranting). Beyoncé’s second surprise visual album, entitled Lemonade, has dropped and changed our world for the better. This impeccable album tackles infidelity, race, womanhood, and a whole lot more. The film was officially released on HBO Saturday, April 23, 2016 and the album and film are available for streaming on Tidal, and purchase on iTunes and Amazon. Do yourself a huge favour and check it out if you haven’t already. Here are some great reads to help wrap your head around this remarkable piece of art.
Ep. 7 – Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
The season finale of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend got us talking about what an outstanding first season this unique musical comedy has had, and we wanted to share the show with you. Spoilers for the first season are contained within, but this isn’t a show where knowing certain plot points will compromise your viewing of the show. […]
The 8 Best Angry Solo Dances of the Last 30 Years
“You’re an angry dancer. I’m the same way.” Fred Astaire reportedly said those words to Michael Jackson in 1983 after he premiered his signature move, the moonwalk, at Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever. Dancing has long been used to convey emotion in television and film—love, sadness, that feeling when the dry cleaner gets the mustard […]
Friday Link Roundup – Prince Edition
This week we lost a true legend. On April 21st, Prince passed away in his Paisley Park recording studio, which was also his home in Minnesota. Naturally, the Internet responded with the sort of attention that could only be commanded by the Purple One. The first two bullets are youtube links so be sure to […]
5 Supporting Pairs that Outshine their Leads
The main narrative thrust of a television show is necessarily tied to its lead characters. The story you’ve showed up for is about those leads, and even in large ensembles, there is usually one pairing (or family) that is the focus. We’re talking about Lucy and Desi, Sam Malone and Diane Chambers (later Rebecca), Kevin […]
Friday Link Roundup – CinemaCon Edition
This week CinemaCon 2016 was held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The convention refers to itself as “the largest and most important gathering of movie theater owners from around the world.” It is the official convention of The National Association of Theater Owners (wait, NATO?) and it has been getting progressively bigger since it […]
Ep. 6 – Orphan Black
We really love Orphan Black, and we think more people should watch it. We’ve kept spoilers to a minimum (early season one only). Jeff and I are joined this week by our special guest panelist, Taryn Cheal, and we spend the first segment singing the praises of the show, from its deft world-building techniques, to […]
The Changing Role of the Male Mentor on Television
Television shows with a male mentor holding a clear position of power over a female character are nothing new. This specific relationship has existed almost as long as TV itself. Often this dynamic was even portrayed between married couples. Programs like I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, and I Love Lucy showed that even though the […]
Friday Link Roundup – Baseball Edition
The 2016 Major League Baseball season kicked off this week, and while baseball is among the most boring sports out there, it is undoubtedly a big part of summer sports culture. In fact, your very own The Pop Culture Reference Founders were bound together by their experiences on Vancouver’s hippest slo-pitch softball team (think Converse […]
Why Are Baseball Players So Fat Now?
Why are some baseball players so fat now? It’s a good question, and one that has a pretty straightforward answer. If you’ve tuned into a baseball game recently (maybe by accident or because you fell asleep when something else was on the TV), you might have noticed that some (certainly not all) of the players on […]