“Unbreakable! They’re alive, dammit. It’s a miracle! Unbreakable! They’re alive, dammit. Females are strong as hell!” Set to the autotune of a fake viral video, these lyrics come from the undeniably catchy theme song of one of Netflix’s newest original series, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Highly energetic and addictive, the music reflects the nature of the … Read more
Russia is the world’s largest country by land area, with a proud history of sovereign statehood dating back centuries. It is one of the foremost economic and political powers of the last 100 years, though recent falling oil prices and international sanctions against the country over its aggression in Ukraine have destabilized the ruble. To … Read more
In the opening moments of Ang Lee’s film Eat Drink Man Woman, Chef Chu (Sihung Lung) slits a fish, scales it, slices the fatty pink filets into strips, coats them with flour, and drops them into a sizzling pan of oil, all with the exquisite control of a master musician. Crisp chopping sounds intersperse the upbeat … Read more
The BBC’s adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s first adult novel, The Casual Vacancy, is set to be broadcast on HBO the 28th, 29th and 30th of April and with it, Rowling’s acidic snapshot of austerity Britain. Critics deemed the book, which received mixed reviews, too heavy on social commentary. The BBC’s decision to broadcast its adaptation … Read more
“Africa will write its own history, and it will be, to the north and to the south of the Sahara, a history of glory and dignity.” So wrote Patrice Lumumba, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s first prime minister, in 1960. Though his leadership was unconnected to Swahili particularly, the words spoke to a new, … Read more
For 16 years, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart has been at the helm of cutting-edge political criticism with a progressive slant. Mercilessly calling out racism, sexism, and hypocrisy in the government and in the media, The Daily Show has inspired a generation to advocate for equality. Stewart and his team of correspondents have covered … Read more
In the fall of 2009, my dad asked me if I wanted to watch the pilot of a new show that he had just heard about: Glee, Fox’s original dramedy about a ragtag group of high-school outsiders who band together to make beautiful music. As a 13-year-old belter who spent her afternoons in middle-school musicals, … Read more
A Lamont Café barista prepares the last chai tea latte, the pop hit blaring from her laptop fades to a weak bass, and swarms of students—eyes weary but triumphant— trickle towards the bag inspection line. It is 2:00 AM. Tomorrow’s p-sets have been solved. But though others’ nights have ended, mine is only halfway done. … Read more
On the evening of Friday, February 27th, Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was murdered on a bridge in Moscow just minutes away from the Kremlin. Nemtsov, a vocal opponent of the Putin regime, had planned to lead a rally protesting Russian military involvement in Ukraine on March 1st and intended to publish a pamphlet entitled … Read more
Editor’s note: below, writers Jacob Carrel and Advik Shreekumar present differing interpretations of Gov. Walker’s media appearances. Far from a Wonk A number of recent press reports have discussed how Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has failed to answer seemingly basic questions appropriately, including “punting” on whether he believes in evolution and his failure to distance … Read more