WTFEntertainment

I will be the first to admit, I enjoy crappy entertainment. I watch TV shows and movies that no one in my age bracket would ever admit to and talk about them openly with my friends and colleagues. I am an unapologetic fan of Avril Lavigne. I picked up her debut album “Let Go” after hearing the first single and I’ve been listening to her brand of bubblegum punk ever since. This morning I watched her latest video “Girlfriend” and even I, with my 14 year old girly taste in music couldn’t believe what I was hearing (or seeing for that matter). I don’t know how the decision was made to create this horrible piece of, and I use the term loosely, music was made but whoever masterminded this song should never be allowed in music again. The song itself is completely devoid of the charm and honesty that I saw in both her previous albums in songs like “Anything But Ordinary” and “My Happy Ending”. Those other two albums were written, if not by a strong maturing young woman, at least with them in mind. This new song and video strip away all the things I loved about the first two albums, and Avril herself, and leave us with another Britney Spears. Granted this one has better guitars but that’s not saying a whole lot.

Avril seems to be going backwards. She used to make songs about crushes and lost loves and now she’s moved into the trap a lot of young women sadly fall into. The song and video show once again how young women are portrayed in a lot of media. As vicious bitches who will stop at nothing to get the man they desire. There is a gang mentality, girl on girl violence and a general lack of anything even remotely resembling empowerment. It’s a shame really. Avril seemed to be offering so much more.

Popularity: -2% [?]

I’m not too terribly familiar with Wilco. My only exposure to them is one song in an episode of Gilmore Girls but I liked it so I thought I would give their upcoming album a listen and see if a whole bunch of Wilco was as good as one tune on a soundtrack. The short answer is, kind of.

I can’t say I loved this album. Don’t get me wrong, there are some truly inspired pieces of music mixed in there. The problem is, they are smooshed inside some truly mediocre songs. The song “You Are My Face” was obviously inspired by Pink Floyd’s later works, but only in places. There are transitions that remind me of the better tracks off “The Division Bell” but for the most part the song is just kind of there. I don’t feel any emotion even though the lyrics are quite good. Sadly, this song is indicative of the bulk of the album. A lot of these songs would work well in a film or on the television show as a snippet of music. Several of the tracks, the aforementioned “You Are My Face” included feel broken due to awkward changes in tempo.

Wilco is heavily inspired by 70’s rock music. The Pink Floyd presence isn’t the only one that can be heard. There is a dose of Neal Young, Eric Clapton and Queen mixed in their sound as well. A lot of the lyrics seem like they could be blues songs especially “Hate It Here”, arguably the best song on the album and the one I’m most likely to listen to again.

If you’ve heard Wilco before and like their sound, I would suggest you check out Modest Mouse or Ben Folds for something a little better. Sky Blue Sky will be released May 15^th.

Popularity: -3% [?]

DC Comics may have accidentally given us one of the most diverse characters in the history of comics, a strong woman of color who happens to be a lesbian. Let me back up a little bit and explain how such a thing is possible.

I’m sure everyone remembers Batman The Animated Series. It stands as arguably one of the best cartoons ever aired with solid plot lines that weren’t so dumbed down for five year olds that adults found them annoying (I’m looking at you Teen Titans). One of the new characters created just for the animated series was Officer Renee Montoya, the young idealist partner of the cranky veteran Harvey Bullock. The character was an instant hit and soon made her debut as one of Gotham’s finest in Batman. Promoted to Homicide Detective in Batman #475 by Commissioner James Gordon once again she was partnered with Bullock. Once Bullock was promoted, Renee was partnered with Crispus Allen. During the epic No Man’s Land storyline where Gotham was destroyed by an earthquake and unceremoniously thrown out of the United States, Renee was a key player in the city’s survival tricking the villain Harvey Dent into helping with relief effort after he fell in love with her.

During Greg Rucka’s fantastic run on Gotham Central Two Face, feeling spurned by Renee after No Man’s Land outs her as a lesbian in public and frames her for murder. She is eventually cleared of all charges but her overtly religious parents disown her because of her sexuality. Not long after her personal life falls apart including the destruction of the relationship with her girlfriend, Renee’s partner Crispus is murdered by a corrupt cop named Jim Corrigan. Vowing vengeance Renee beats Corrigan’s girlfriend unconscious and pulls a gun on Corrigan. Unable to enact her vengeance and feeling lost and broken, Renee quit the GCPD and spiraled further down into a pit of casual sex and alcohol abuse.

Over the past year Renee has gone though a journey both physical and spiritual in the pages of 52. Her friendship with The Question and his eventual demise at the hands of one of the worlds biggest villains, cancer have caused a huge transformation. During 52 Renee has spent a considerable amount of time in the city of Nanda Parbat, a mystical city in a Tibetesque region of the DCU. During her time there she has been struggling with her identity with the help of Richard Dragon. Before his death the Question told Renee that his wish was for her to take over his mantle and continue his work. She is currently working through her feelings of loss and inadequacy and according to the solicitations for 52 #48 there is a new Question with more feminine features.

That brings us to the opening statement. A strong, lesbian woman of color following her own agenda and taking charge of the situation. Earlier in 52 we saw that there is already a relationship between Renee and the new Batwoman Kate Kane. A relationship that has the potential to be the Willow/Tara of the DC universe. An empowered lesbian couple who defy media stereotypes by being a loving committed couple. We have seen plenty of heterosexual couples who have healthy monogamous relationships. In DC alone we have Lois and Clark, Ralph and Sue and soon to be Ollie and Dinah and those are just the high profile names.

There are still plenty of stories to tell about Renee Montoya. She has conflicted parents, a loving brother, loyal friends in Bullock and Gordon and a potential love interest that could bring the term “team up” to a whole new level. I’ve been there with Renee though her entire “career”. From her humble origins as a uniformed officer on the animated series through her transformation into the new Question and rarely have I cheered and moaned and wept for a character as intensely as I have done for her. In the hands of the right writer Renee could be the breakout star of the decade. Let’s hope the folks at DC realize that.

Popularity: 27% [?]

Captain America is dead. The headline has trickled out of the ream of Marvel comics and out into the mainstream media including Newsweek, NY Daily News and the most prestigious of news outlets, the Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert. The shock of Captain America’s death has left us all reeling but a more important question is who will now become the living embodiment of America? Marvel released the following image from an upcoming issue of Punisher War Journal. Captain America’s headgear is clearly visible and as any astute reader of Civil War can tell you, Frank Castle is the one who picked up Cap’s mask after he surrendered to Iron Man in Civil War #7. The other image is that of journalist Stephen Colbert who it seems was left Cap’s shield in the recently uncovered last will and testament of Steve Rogers. What direction will this take the country in the post Civil War world? Will we follow the gun happy killer of killers the Punisher or the countries #1 source of truthiness? Time will tell.

Popularity: 1% [?]

I’ve spent the past two weeks laid up with pneumonia. While this was in no way a happy time I did get to spend a little time with one of the great loves of my life, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. As I type this I am a little better than halfway through the seventh season and even though I’ve seen all these episodes multiple times I still pick up little things I never noticed before. Joss Whedon did a phenomenal job of creating a world rich with history and chock full of some of the best characterization ever seen on television. As of this week Joss brings Buffy back to us in the form of a brand new comic book from Dark Horse.

The best thing about the comic is what I loved most about the show. The interaction between the characters and the witty dialogue. There is a whole bunch of funny in here as well as the beginnings of what you just know will be some serious melodrama. Little sister Dawn is inexplicably a giant, goofy pal Xander seems to be in charge and mainstays Willow and Giles are both MIA. The first issue is, as expected, a whole lot of setup with some really good character pieces thrown in for good measure.

Popularity: 2% [?]