Category Archives: Zeitgeist Movement

Anne-Marie Duff is extremely precise. Ask her a question, and she will take great lengths to make sure her delivery is spot on, pausing for epochs to get a phrase exactly right. Even though shes famously shy, the beam of her concentrated attention makes our conversation in a central London hotel feel intimate despite taking place in one of those artificial environments where actors gather looking sleek and shoot-ready. Sure, all actors have to inhabit the moment, but not many do that in an interview. Then again, she does have plenty to concentrate on: were here to talk about Bad Sisters, the new Sharon Horgan drama specifically, why its so strikingly good.

Thats Sharons writing, isnt it? Duff says. Shes so brilliantly irreverent and funny, and cheeky. And, at the same time, full of emotional truth and compassion, and sometimes devastating heartbreak. All in a breath. If she had her way, Duff would talk exclusively about other people and how great they are. Were chatting while shes glammed up for our photoshoot, giving off a doughty, thats-the-job vibe, conveying that this level of groomed isnt really her scene. Throughout, she manages to get at least 50 paeans (to the whole cast of Bad Sisters, Shameless, the rest of her CV, plus people doing things nothing to do with her Steve McQueen, Lena Dunham, Suranne Jones) under the wire, however much I try to wrestle the topic back to her.

But I must insist on talking about her performance, which is the beating heart of the show: her character, Grace, is widowed at the start, and the story then goes backwards into the coercive abuse of her marriage and the siblings who may have offed her husband. While the other four sisters have a tight, hilarious caper dynamic, Grace is isolated, this diminished, reduced individual. We dont even know who she really is. Shes just an opaque version of something. That was the tricky thing, desperately trying to make her feel like a real woman. Its like shes underwater. Wheres the fifth sister? Shes down there, beneath the waves.

Domestic abuse has been a longstanding cause for Duff since 2006, when she played a woman escaping a violent relationship in Born Equal, directed by Dominic Savage. I had been in touch with Womens Aid and visited refuges at that time. Id spoken to women who had been in violent scenarios, but also very coercive scenarios. It was fascinating talking to women about shame how one of the prison bars is that you cant admit youve married someone who treats you that way. Because then who are you?

Bad Sisters is plainly not the first show to dramatise the topic, but the scenario four sisters very close, one set apart, her isolation ever more intense somehow gives it a power and palpability Ive never seen before. It looks like it was no picnic to film, either, because the others get all the laughs. I felt very isolated at times, actually, on the shoot, Duff says. I would go Hi girls as they went in to do a scene without me. It was perfect in a way, because thats how coercion works. Socially, it wasnt fantastic. In terms of being a storyteller, it was great.

It sounds like hell, but storytelling is way more important to Duff than socialising, and fiction more bearable than fact. Youre inside of a character and youre being told what to say and theres relief to that. The unpredictability and uncertainty of the real world is terrifying. If youre in a play, you know where you are. Even if youre going to die, you know youre going to die.

The show is set in Ireland, and though Duff, 51, was born and grew up in London, both her parents are Irish. Her accent is pitch-perfect and she is proud of her dual nationality, flexing her EU passport and insisting her son has a Celtic sense of humour. She trained at the Drama Centre London, which closed down in 2020. Students used to nickname it the Trauma Centre, because everyone was so horrible. There, they told her she could forget being a lead because she was too much of a runt. It was like an abusive relationship you could be thrown out at any time, you could do a show and be told it was the worst thing theyd ever seen. You were always saying: Please love me, please love me. Which then made the outside world seem much easier. Everyone was suddenly so supportive.

But the wider culture has changed, too. Training used to have this principle of destroy to create. Youth was a state of masochism: Ill do whatever it takes to make me a great artist. Now, young people will say: Ill only do this emotional scene so many times, I need to protect myself. Shes not calling young actors snowflakes; its way more complex than that, the uneasy power dynamics of the creative industries crisscrossing the unspoken impact of class.

I come from a very working-class background, says Duff, so Ive always had that little feeling of Who should an actor be? Who deserves to be one? Nevertheless, it used to be that if you wanted something badly enough and worked hard enough, youd be able to find it somehow. But now it feels that, for a lot of very working-class young people, theres a lack of belonging inside things. She describes this dense irony that norms have changed for the better, but access has changed for the worse so theres a reactionary narrative that young people are all so entitled and full of self-belief. For a lot of disenfranchised people, that is bullshit.

She feels the same about the #MeToo movement, which seems to be making great strides in stamping out misogyny, but we both know if Trump hadnt groped and Harvey [Weinstein] wasnt on his decline, #MeToo wouldnt have happened. There were things that conspired to allow that to happen. So yes, lots of things have changed. But then look at whats just happened across the Atlantic [the overturning of Roe v Wade]. Its teeter-totter time. It feels very flammable.

Duff graduated from drama school in 1994 on a Friday, and was in rehearsals for a stage show on the Monday. She has been working nonstop, more or less a few blocks of unemployment but mostly by choice. Having a baby, whatever ever since. So you couldnt call Shameless, in 2004, a big break, since shed already been working for a decade, on stage in London and on screen mainly in Ireland. Plus, it came after The Magdalene Sisters, a stunning film about the notorious Catholic laundries in the 60s, and that felt like the point my life changed, Duff says, because Id done something on screen that was so important and so valued.

Shameless was a terrific show; huge (It hit the zeitgeist) and it was a sweet spot in as much as I was at the beginning, and the beginning is always delicious. Because you can paint whatever fucking panorama you want. Its like the beginning of a love affair. So in that way, it was glorious. I was at the start of the meal. (Technically it was also the beginning of a literal love affair, since she married her co-star James McAvoy; their son was born in 2010, and they divorced in 2016.)

It turbocharged her recognition, which she didnt care about at all, and put her in a new league for roles. Her next was as Elizabeth I in the BBCs The Virgin Queen (eat that, Trauma Centre its definitely the lead). She remembers wryly: There was an article in Vogue asking: Why are they letting working-class people play royal family members? I kid you not. Ray Winstone had not long before played Henry VIII. It was really Get off my land.

She has always come across as a good-politics person, without shy of an anti-violence against women campaign in 2007 saying anything very political. From a personal point of view, it would be so that it doesnt influence the work youre asked to do. Because if you define yourself as something, then people cant lose you in something else. In terms of public opinion, I know people find it quite annoying when actors start aligning themselves politically. But not in Ireland, of course, where theatre is a very political beast. Here, youre an entertainer. Youre a player. Thats all youre here for. Youre paid for that. Shut up and do your thing.

For the first time, while filming Bad Sisters, she thought she might like to direct. But it would be a play directing on film is all about the team, youre much more of a captain of a ship. When youre in a rehearsal room, its all about people communicating with each other, and that is the language that Im fluent in. But I hate the thought that one day everyone would hate me. This happens to directors it has to. It would be wonderful to see her direct: it feels as if she has a lot to say that a player cant. But sure, some people would hate it.

Bad Sisters is on Apple TV+ from Friday 19 August.

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The real world is terrifying: Anne-Marie Duff on sisterhood, survival and Shameless - The Guardian

Armie Hammer was having a great run. His career was on the uptick, his movies were hits and he was touted to be Hollywood's 'Golden Boy. However, a slew of allegations calling the actor out for his violent sexual fantasies involving rape and cannibalism, brought everything down like a house of cards. The 'Call Me by your Name' actor's auntCasey and two of his accusers appear in a new documentary titled 'House of Hammer'which sheds lighton the disgraced actor's claimed violent sexual fantasies and dark family background. Accusers Julia Morrison and Courtney Vucekovich discuss their allegedly violent interactions with him in a new trailer for the documentary.

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Hammer made headlines as allegations of violence and emotional abuse surfaced. The documentary will also focus on thealleged coverup of abuse charges dating back five generations of his family. 'House of Hammer,' a three-part Discovery+ documentary digging into the Hammer family's "sinister secrets that money and power couldn't hide forever," chronicles the now-disgraced actor'slife of alcoholism, alleged BDSM, and adultery. You dont just wake up and become this dark controller, abuser, a narrator said in the eerie video. This behavior is deep-rooted.

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Courtney Vucekovich is the inventor of the app FLASHD that offers on-demand beauty services. Through the FLASH app, Dallas residents may book "glam squads" for hair, makeup, and photography. Simply give us the time and location kickback and let our technology do the work. Our beauty pros will arrive with all the products, tools and tricks to have you looking and FEELING your best, the description says. She also helps as a foster coordinator at Paws In The City, a Dallas-based animal rescue center, according to her LinkedIn profile. She also received her bachelor's degree in mass communications from the Texas Tech University in 2011. Vucekovich has 25.6K Instagram followers.

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Hammer announced his divorce from Elizabeth Chambers in July 2020. Vucekovich apparently dated the actor from June to August the same year, and he was spotted in a handful of her Instagram photos. She made allegations regarding his behavior during the relationship and made analogies to the cannibal allegations in a series of interviews broadcast on January 14, 2021.

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Vucekovich met Hammer through mutual acquaintances in June, and they hit it off right away. Speaking on her relationship, as per Daily Mail, she said, 'He's a very charming, intense human being. But once you start talking to him, he's pretty aggressive right from the start. Not violent, but just sexually aggressive in the way he speaks.

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Vucekovich claimed that he was really into saying he wants to break one of your ribs and eat it. Like barbecue it and eat it.Furthermore, Vucekovich stated that Hammer's strange conduct was so extreme that she entered into a 30-day intensive treatment course for trauma and PTSD immediately after their split to deal with their "warped" relationship. She was unable to confirm whether the screenshots circulating on Instagram were genuine, but she stated that they did not surprise her.

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Julia alias Jelly Morrison, a young Brooklyn-based writer and artist, caught Hammer's eye when she was highlighted as a talent on the Instagram of Sarah Bahbah, a visual artist with 1 million followers. In a series named 'For Arabella,' a photographic study of a toxic relationship, Bahbah's photos of her included captions like 'Lost in Existential Thoughts.' Hammer's initial conversation with Morrison began in 2017 with, "Hello, I hope this finds you well. So Im writing because the images from For Arabella are amazing and I was wondering if there was anywhere to see it in Los Angeles."

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Morrison ignored this message until she was informed by a woman she met while working on a film at USC before the lockdown that Hammer was following her. She discovered the text and contacted him. "Whats more ubiquitous and of the zeitgeist than a horny rich dude sliding into a girls DM?" she said sarcastically. A DM is an InternetSpeak term for a Direct Message. Morrison never met Hammer face to face, but they had a genuine chat. This went on for a while, but It faded out after a few frightening turns, and she answers the second part of her own question here, "An NFT of that girls DM is utterly zeitgeisty. Morrison revels in "a moment in time, like Jackson Pollock drips paint on a canvas. Own a part of internet history, and the first NFT minted within the #MeToo Movement."

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Following the uproar, Hammer backed out of a number of high-profile projects, including the Broadway production of 'The Minutes.' A 24-year-old woman named only Effie accused the actor of raping her in 2017 around two months later, the texts were uploaded. Hammer allegedly attended a rehab center shortly after to address drug, alcohol, and sex issues. He has kept a low profile for the majority of 2022, and was last spotted working at a luxury resort in the Cayman Islands.

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'He wanted to break one of your ribs and eat it': Women describe Armie Hammer's sick requests in new docu - MEAWW

Mindy Kalings Never Have I Ever continues to embrace the rashness of teenage lives with the sobriety of a culture that never stops demanding.

Still from Never Have I Ever Season 3

In a scene from the third season of Netflixs unlikely hit Never Have I Ever, Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) is on her way to consummate her relationship with Paxton when she is sat down by her cousin, Kamala. You shouldnt do something on someone elses schedule. You should do it when youre ready, Kamala says to which the narrator, a delightfully cheeky John McEnroe says But Devi, like most teenagers didnt know what she was ready for. Devi and Paxton end up not doing it on the night but this little sequence exemplifies the hilarious contradictions most teenagers grow up with. There is a sea of life-lessons floating around and yet you somehow just manage to stumble out of bed, hit a million things during the day and somewhat groggily make it back, bruised on the inside. The third season of Never Have I Ever confronts serious, more intimate problems than before and it continues to do so with the airy quality of a desi wedding no one remembers a week after it has happened.

The third season begins where the second left off. Devis dream of dating the hottest guy in school has come true as both walk in through the high school door with stares, envious glares bouncing off of faces and the odd professor even spilling his coffee. Its paradise. But even in paradise, Devi slowly learns, there is judgment, ridicule and suspicion. Just why is Paxton with Devi, becomes the central theme of the first half of this new season. It subtly points to body-image issues and a certain lack of self-awareness that manifests as robust but undeniable doubt. Devi begins to question her relationship, not because it looks or feels unsound but because to her it feels too good to be true. It doesnt help that Paxton is an understanding, caring boyfriend who is prepared to step back, make amends for previous mistakes and of course, do it while looking hot as hell.

This new season has interesting sub-plots that graduate to a somewhat level playing field alongside Devis life. Bens continued obsession despite having a girlfriend of his own, Eleanors newfound love in a warm-hearted school simpleton, and Fabiolas continued brush with adolescence and acceptance are all interesting arcs that are given ample time to bloom into their own little stories. The series has also quietly become the epitome of perfectly placed pop-culture references from Bridgerton to a nod to fellow NRI nightmare, Netflixs Indian Matchmaking. I guess it helps a platform with a giant catalogue that its shows have begun to refer its own creations as identifiers of the zeitgeist.

The series also continues its tradition of honouring Indian cliques, and exhibiting rituals in a manner that feels neither half-assed nor devout. Few shows have made Indian culture as palatable without the smirk of condescension, and the fact that Devi herself is alien to her heritage, makes the learning process seem real. McEnroes somewhat divisive narration has also bloomed into a cunning narrative tool, the punchline that exists outside the silly, often messy world of the show. These are after all teenagers, who have little idea of who they want to be.

Not everything has always worked for a series that can often also start to drag. Teenage comedies are fertile ground for reckless experiments, but even though Never Have I Ever is restrained, owing to its immigrant heritage, it can oversimplify things for the sake of movement. Devi and Paxtons break-up for example, is as instantaneous and unconvincing as the shows parade of hot Indian men. Devi fumbles her relationship more than she grasps it with any sort of clarity, and it is largely due to the flattening of Paxtons psyche, a man so magnetically flawless it seems unbelievable that he exists. Its far too convenient and linear in a forgettable way and you can see the shows desperation to race past the relationship to get to the awkward, post-breakup bits where the tension it has willingly and so adequately portrayed can return to the fore.

Never Have I Ever isnt as politically intuitive as maybe Sex Education, but it does have the charms of frivolity, done with a touch of subcontinental sensitively. These are teenagers with aspirations, half-baked ideas of the world and a lifetime of love and loss to look forward, which is why they often function with the nonchalance of learned machines that though grieving at one point, know they will eventually get out of it. It is in essence, a far-cry from how Hindi cinema or Indian families for that matter view personal relationships. A wretched, almost painful characteristic embodied so perfectly by Devis mother, played by the reliable Poorna Jagannathan. The series though middling in its humour, can often feel seminal in what it says about brown kids, families and immigrant cultures waiting to be absorbed by the land they continue arrive in without ever quite reaching.

The author writes on art and culture, cinema, books, and everything in between. Views expressed are personal.

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Never Have I Ever Season 3 review: Still one of the best teen comedies out there - Entertainment News , Firstpost - Firstpost

An Introduction Fit for a King

The year was 2017, and the seeds of social unrest over civil injustice were taking root and influencing the zeitgeist at the same time that Black Panther, the first MCU film to be led by a Black actor, was on its path to release.

Our team understood early on that this was not just a regular movie, but something special that reflected a cultural moment. Inspired by the gravity of the assignment, we put a massive collaborative effort into action with the goal of honoring the stunning source material.

Over 50 million YouTube views and a $1.3 billion box office haul later, and the rest is history....

The chance to work on this trailer was given to us by our amazing clients at Disney: John "Ibby" Ibsen, SVP of creative advertising, and Lauren Wright, VP of creative advertising. Having teamed up with Ibby in the past, we knew we had the benefit of an ideal collaborator who could provide singular creative guidance and support, so we were excited to dive in. They immediately launched us into action with their creative directionBlack Panther was all about the old meeting the new. An ancient civilization with hi-tech prowess. This was our starting point. It was clear that Ibby and Lauren wanted to raise the bar with this trailer by challenging us to make a real statement. And we delivered.

In preparation, we brought together a team of visionaries to take on the task, with Create's EVP Michael Trice (now VP of creative advertising at Disney) and VP Zoe Chau steering the process, and industry veteran Brendan Lambe doing the editorial crafting. This core team was supported by multiple divisions at Create, most notably the writing team led by our head writer, Dee Dee Cecil, and Esther Aronson during the concept phase, as well as our music team, led by head of music Heather Kreamer and music supervisor Craig Thompson.

With the help of our partners at Disney, our collaboration even extended to director Ryan Coogler himself, who supported the process and helped bring in Vince Staples to lend his lyrical talents to make this a truly unique trailer experience.

In a crowded cinematic universe, where every existing Marvel superhero already commands the viewer's attention, an impactful introduction is paramount. We were not only introducing a new superhero, we were also giving audiences their first glimpse of his distinctive setting: Wakanda.

Critical to both the plot and Black Panther's identity, we knew the big reveal of Wakanda to audiences had to create a sense of awe. The speech by Agent Ross, a CIA veteran who has "seen it all," provided a clear and digestible way inserving as the audience's POV. The line, "Where have you been hiding this?" sets the stage for the film, and T'Challa's cool confidence in his response sets the tone for his character.

Following that, the goal was to bring audiences further into the details of a hyper-advanced nation that is just as much defined by its traditional culture as by its technology, integrating our core strategy of juxtaposing the old with the new through contrasting visuals like ancient ritual combat followed by a look at Black Panther's brand new hi-tech suit.

Once the hero and his kingdom are established, and with the backend hitting like a bomb with Vince Staples' "BagBak," we introduced our villain Erik Killmonger to ratchet up the stakes. Then it was time for a hyped-up montage to take us out, with our goal being to establish the action-packed moments and introduce the grand scope of the film.

This structure allowed us to effectively integrate minimal yet impactful dialogue and create a clear visualization of the battle lines throughout, highlighting the differences in how T'Challa and Killmonger saw both the world and the conflict within the film itself... all without giving away too much.

It was a balanced approach that demonstrates how a little goes a long way, allowing us to tell a clear story while keeping it simple and engaging enough to drive audiences to theaters to discover more.

While the structure clearly conveyed the dynamics of the film, it was the look and sound that made this trailer a truly differentiated experience.

Early in the process, our team believed that Gil Scott-Heron's spoken word protest song "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" could play an essential role for a film that was revolutionary in its own right.

We combined this incisive and influential song with the high-energy, searing "BagBak." The confidently defiant energy of the song resonated deeply with the film, and we wanted to draw those lyrics in the same way we drew in Gil Scott-Heron's.

It was blending these two together where the real work began.

In the preliminary stages, we had several composers tell us it was a near-impossible task, but the final result was executed with the combined efforts of our editor Brendan Lambe and the creative guidance and expertise of our music team. Along the way, we leaned on the support of our label and composer partners, and it was the collaboration of an entire village that was critical to enabling the mashup of three different cues all on top of each other.

But we didn't stop there. Vince Staples gave us more than just one incredible song. After director Ryan Coogler reached out to the artist, Vince Staples generously went into the studio to ad-lib additional vocals that took the trailer to another level.

This singular sound clearly needed visuals to match. We wanted it to feel like an authentic extension of the themes that define Black Panther and Wakanda, while also paying homage to what makes the film stand out as a creative and cultural force.

This led us to focus on the beautifully rich themes of afrofuturism, an aesthetic and philosophical exploration that played a key role in Ryan Coogler's vision. Just like the movement itself, we blended and juxtaposed the contemporary futuristic with the traditional, and in so doing, avoided making the trailer feel too modern, or too old, but a mix of the two to create something fresh.

Ibby, in addition to providing key guidance throughout the process, also offered us the ability to create an even more distinct identity through custom VFX shots that really elevated our narrative. A great example of this was the feature at the very end with T'Challa opening his claws, an interesting verit shot that looked cool and created a very compelling final moment to leave audiences with.

Black Panther wasn't just a great film; it was a necessary one. We were honored to make our contribution to such a historic and groundbreaking film, and work so closely with a character that Chadwick Boseman put his heart, soul and brilliance into. We will forever be humbled and eternally grateful for this opportunity given to us by our friend and creative superhero Ibby, and the incredible Disney marketing team.

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Black Panther: How Sound and Vision Made the 2017 Trailer a Zeitgeist Moment - Muse by Clio

When looking at the best producers of 1990s rock, look no further than the legendary Butch Vig. Over his extensive career, Vig has seen it all, ranging from Nirvana and Foo Fighters to Urge Overkill, AFI and L7.

Butch was born Brian David Vig in Wisconsin and earned the somewhat unfortunate nickname depending on which way you look at it from a distinctive crew cut that his father gave him during his school years. Vig was initially a pianist, but after watching Keith Moon play with The Who, he swapped his piano for a cheap drum kit.

Finding his feet, Vig played the drums in the band Spooner in his early adulthood and contributed electronic composition to cheap Hollywood films, which sparked his interest in production and the manipulation of sound.

Vig, along with his future Garbage bandmate, Steve Marker, built a production studio in Markers basement and self-produced Spooners debut EP and a variety of other local Wisconsin bands, which would serve as his introduction to a soon-to-be glittering career in music production.

Today marks Butch Vigs birthday, so to commemorate the heroic producers big day, were taking a look and some of the best albums that he has ever produced. Here they are.

The second album of the most significant American rock back of the 1990s,Nevermind,had a more polished sound than the bands previous full-length release,Bleach. This radio-friendly production led to an absolute explosion in the bands popularity and the grunge movement, and it remains one of the best-selling albums of all time.

Nevermindwas a special record, Vig toldFar Outin 2020. I mean, the band had been playing really well, and they were really tight and focused when they came into the studio. Kurt had written a bunch of amazing songs that were super hooky, but I had no idea it was going to be a zeitgeist moment. It just completely exploded; it really was like a revolution. It completely changed my life for the better; everybody I know closely associated with the band will say the same thing. No one saw it coming, but were all really thankful that we were along for the ride.

Dirtyis the seventh full-length album by Sonic Youth and was the bands first effort following the major grunge waves that Nirvana had been making with the release ofNevermind. Sonic Youth did not explicitly choose to record with Vig becauseofNevermindssuccess but had considered it on something of a semi-conscious level.

Its important to understand how a drummer plays do they hit the cymbals loud, or do they play the fills louder than the groove? said Vig. Steve Shelley is amazing in the way he fits into the symphonic sound that Sonic Youth makes. Often, hell play drums more as a pulse than a clearly defined part. He glues it all together.Dirtywas recorded on an old radio broadcast console and cut in a smaller room, where we tracked a lot of things live with the band playing in a circle around Steves kit. Again, a simple set-up.

Vig had also produced the Pumpkins first full-length effort,Gish, and the albums unexpected success which led to the band being dubbed the next Nirvana led Billy Corgan to entrust their high-pressured second album to the hands of Vig once more. Check out our ranking of the tracks ofSiamese Dreamhere.

Im very proud of it because that was a really difficult record, Vig toldFar Out. It was before Pro Tools; Billy and I set the bar really high in terms of how sonically we wanted it to sound. I had to deal with all of the dysfunctionality of them as four people together, but I think the record still sounds really good. It has a sound to it that we kind of came up within the studio, and to me, it still sounds as powerful now as it did when I recorded it.

The debut effort of the band featuring Vig himself on drums. Vig and fellow producer Steve Marker had grown somewhat tired of their busy production schedules, working on really long records. Vig and Marker had been working on remixes and wanted to replicate the sensibility of a remix in a new band. They were inspired to name their band as such, as someone once commented that it sounded like garbage.

Garbage was us screwing around and not adhering to what a proper drum sound should be like, said Vig. Id just bought my first sampler and was listening to Public Enemy, so I wanted to take that into a rock context, using live drums as well as programming, loops and processing. Because it was me, people expected it to sound like a grunge band then they heard Queer or Stupid Girl, and [it] was obviously totally different. Did I mind being side-lined by a drum machine? No it was quite liberating.

Sound Cityis a documentary directed by Vigs frequent collaborator, Dave Grohl. The film chronicles the setting up of the Sound City Studios in Los Angeles the location at which Vig recordedNevermind and its historical and cultural importance. Vig produced the soundtrack to the film, which received two Grammy Awards. Vig also revealed that the project nearly featured folk-rock legend Neil Young at the helm.

The only project Im bummed didnt happen was when we were doingSound City; Dave Grohl was inviting people in to jam in the studio, and we had set up a session for Krist and Dave from Nirvana to play with Neil Young, Vig said. It would have been fucking awesome. And I know if Neil Young played with them, hed go, oh, lets go on tour and play some shows together! It would be like Crazy Horse on steroids. But then it didnt happen. Neil Young had a book coming out, so he was on a book tour, and Dave had to go interview him somewhere else. Its a bummer, man.

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The five best albums produced by Butch Vig - Far Out Magazine

There is no doubt about it, the cycle of trends has gone full circle and the 1990s are well and truly back in fashion.

While Gen X and millennials are enjoying a style revival, Gen Z are taking their first steps into the trends synonymous with the decade.

However, depsite micro sunglasses, chunky shoes, baggy jeans and strappy dresses being very much a part of the 2022 style zeitgeist, it has taken 90s hairstyles longer to catch on.

Jennifer Lopez, however, is doing her part to change that. The singer has been loyally sporting an updated version of the half-up, half-down ponytail.

Lopez wore her hair in the semi-casual style for her July wedding to Ben Affleck. Styled by British hairdresser Chris Appleton, her hair was worn in long, loose curls and tied up into a half ponytail at the top.

Beach waves have had their day and now its time for soft subtle girly waves with bounce and movement to enjoy the spotlight, including a mini quiff is a great way to add additional volume, Barry Kane, senior stylist at Pastels Salon at The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai tells The National.

Due to its wearability and ease to achieve, it is one of the summers hottest looks. I can very much envisage this style being worn to the races or if you are attending a lavish event or a romantic dinner date.

As an updated and polished take on the classic ponytail, the look keeps hair out of the wearer's face. However, its not yet a wedding go-to.

I would say for most brides its maybe a little bit casual but for the bride who likes the step out from the crowd and do her own thing, its a winning look, says Kane.

Lopez has worn her half-up hairstyle fully pulled back, as she did on her wedding day, and with her angel wing fringe worn loose, for a more causal look while out and about in Paris on her honeymoon.

Jennifer Lopez wearing her hair in a half ponytail during her Paris honeymoon in July. Photo: GC Images

Sam Carpenter, hair artist educator for Eideal and Davines Arabia, says that it is a very low maintenance style to pull off, provided you have access to the right hair tools and products.

The most important aspect of achieving this look is to give the upstyle section a gritty feel as this will ensure it lasts throughout any event or wedding, Carpenter advises. Using a product such as Davines Invisible dry shampoo will help to achieve this. To achieve the bouncy down part of the hairstyle, you can use a big-barrelled tong or a wide-plate straightening irons as you can control the size of the curl. Then to finish the style and ensure it looks polished, use the Davines Shimmer Mist.

From the Eideal range, Carpenter suggests the Geenie straighteners (Dh850, $231) and the Loop Curling Iron, which comes in varying barrel sizes, the largest is a 32 millimetre diameter wand (Dh590, $160).

Another 1990s hairstyle Jennifer Lopez has been rocking is a tight bun with two thin plaits that frame her face. Photo: Jennifer Lopez / Instagram

The half-up, half-down ponytail is not the only hair style of Lopezs to hark back to the 20th century.

In July, ahead of her wedding, she posted another Appleton-crafted look on her Instagram, with a slick, tight bun and two thin plaits framing her face.

Jennifer Lopez, in a pale pink skirt suit, and Rebecca Lee Meza at a promotional event for 'Selena' on June 18, 1996. Rex Features

Updated: August 02, 2022, 10:06 AM

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Jennifer Lopez's 1990s-style summer hair: how to achieve the half-up, half-down look - The National

In 1995, 31-year-old Sanjeev Bhaskar was performing a two-week run of The Secret Asians, his comedy double act with the musician Nitin Sawhney, at Ovalhouse theatre in south London. After a surprise rave review from Bonnie Greer in Time Out magazine, a group of BBC executives, including the future producer of The Office, Anil Gupta, flipped a coin to see whether they should go to the show after work or head to the pub. Luckily for Bhaskar, the toss went in his favour. The show was such a hit that they offered him the chance to put those sketches on Radio 4 as part of a new comedy show exploring British Asian culture. It was called Goodness Gracious Me and it would make Bhaskar a household name.

By 1998, the show had transferred to primetime on BBC Two and was a firm part of the British Asian cultural zeitgeist. In music, the so-called Asian underground movement was giving voice to second-generation migrants through its mix of club culture and north Indian bhangra. In film, writers and directors such as Gurinder Chadha and Ayub Khan Din explored intergenerational differences in Bhaji on the Beach and East Is East. On TV, Bhaskars sketch series created by an ensemble of British Asian actors including Bhaskars future wife, Meera Syal lampooned British Asian stereotypes through a mixture of farce and knowing irony.

With its skits on curry house culture, fake eastern mysticism and competitive mothers, it reached cult-classic status in British Asian households. Watching it at home as a child, I saw the constituent elements of my community reflected for the first time, with punchlines, played for laughs, that would be fully felt only by those who had lived those experiences. It was television that was for us, by us.

It was the right group of people at the right time, Bhaskar says. It feels like a landmark today, but five years earlier it wouldnt have happened and five years later someone else might have done it. Im thankful that we were there.

When Goodness Gracious Mes TV run ended after three seasons, in 2001, Bhaskar co-created the spoof chatshow The Kumars at No 42. He has since explored dramatic work, with starring roles in the gentle period series The Indian Doctor and, since 2015, the acclaimed cold-case drama Unforgotten. It was partly a conscious decision to move into drama. I wanted to explore the drama side of acting, partly because you just want to see if you can do it, he says. This week, he will feature in what could be his international breakthrough: the much-anticipated Netflix adaptation of Neil Gaimans graphic novel series The Sandman, alongside Tom Sturridge, Gwendoline Christie and Stephen Fry.

Meeting Bhaskar, who has spent 25 years on British screens, often playing British Asian caricatures, feels akin to meeting a close relative. In fact, he might be one: his parents are from Punjab, India, like my relatives; we grew up in the same area of London, Hounslow; and his father, Inderjit, worked in the same Nestl factory in Hayes as my grandmother. It was only when Bhaskars career was taking off that he discovered his father had other ambitions. I only found out in my 40s that he had always wanted to be a director, he says.

We are sitting in the airy front room of the north London home he shares with Syal and their 16-year-old son, Shaan. It is the hottest day of the year. While going outside feels like stepping in front of a hairdryer, Bhaskar is relaxed and sweat-free, dressed in a black Choose Love T-shirt.

My parents grew up in pre-partition India and when my dad was 14 he ran away to join a theatre company, he says. He rode the trains and slept on the streets for two months before he was turned away from the company for being too young. He only made it back home because one day he came across an anti-colonial march that Gandhi was leading and was teargassed with the crowd. He ended up in hospital and they managed to inform his parents.

The year after, in 1947, partition took place. Inderjit found himself in what is now Pakistan. With religious tensions growing, he was forced to move south, to Delhi, where he had no family. He had to stay in a refugee camp, Bhaskar says. He later moved to England, in 1956, but I always think that coming here was not as much of a wrench as that migration. These were ancestral lands that were changed. No one travelled much in those days, so to suddenly go hundreds of miles to Delhi, where he had no connection, must have been brutal.

Bhaskars mother, Janak, joined her husband in the UK in 1960. By the time Bhaskar was born, in 1963, they had settled above a launderette in Hounslow. In his spare time, Inderjit would take two buses to a film school in Brixton to take a course on directing. But when his sisters husband died suddenly, Inderjit decided to quit his studies to support her four young children financially. He knew what it was like to crush your own dreams, so that explained why he wasnt more supportive of me when I started out, Bhaskar says. He didnt want his son to go through that as well.

Bhaskars start in performance was slow. I knew from the age of four that I wanted to act and write I would point at the TV and say to my mum: I can do better than that! he says, laughing. But it took me 30 years to get going. When I did, my parents were shocked, since I was usually so quiet at home.

He describes a childhood of isolation and bullying at school, which ultimately led him to cultivate a sense of humour as a coping mechanism. It was embedded in my ability to survive, he says. Humour and irony gives you instant perspective. It can make a terrifying, all-encompassing situation seem ridiculous and manageable. In those years, I would turn to my bedroom wall as an escape. Up there were posters of Elvis, Roger Moore as Bond, Monty Pythons Life of Brian that was my fantasy land. That, coupled with this sense of irony, saved me in all the challenging times I had to go through, since there was always a bit of me that could see it as absurd.

Having written off school, Bhaskar reinvented himself in college, away from his bullies. There he met a kindred spirit in Sawhney, who would later be in the vanguard of the Asian underground scene; his fourth album, Beyond Skin, was nominated for the Mercury prize in 2000. We started messing around making little musical comedy skits, Bhaskar says. They were things that would pass the time and provide an escape from everything we were going through from racism to teenage growing pains.

Still, the sketches were only a private experiment for Bhaskar and Sawhney until Bhaskar left his marketing job in his late 20s over a breach-of-contract dispute. I had all this time on my hands, so I rang Nitin and said: Lets hang out and make some stuff together again, he says. We agreed to be unpredictable people had put us in pigeonholes since we were born, because we were Asian, so we wanted to go against their preconceptions by doing something totally different onstage.

They began performing skits under the name The Secret Asians in London arts centres and were soon booked to perform their fateful run at Ovalhouse in 1995. The show was a collage of chaos. It included characters who would later feature in Goodness Gracious Me, such as the Bhangra Muffins and Guru Maharishi Yogi, as well as standup and a flamenco performance from Sawhney and Bhaskar singing a song in Italian. It was so freeing like a deep exhalation, Bhaskar says.

In 1998, Bhaskar, Syal and their co-stars, including Nina Wadia and Kulvinder Ghir, found themselves on television, airing to millions every week. (Sawhney had contributed to the radio series, but left to focus on music after the success of Beyond Skin.) It was hugely cathartic for us, because we had been carrying these experiences around for years and now were in control of that narrative, Bhaskar says. We could make jokes about our community that werent sectarian and that were written with affection. Thats why we had a broad audience and why people still have a great fondness for the show. Bhaskar says his Sandman co-star, the British Asian actor and comedian Asim Chaudhry, told him that Goodness Gracious Me was a touchstone for his own work.

On The Kumars at No 42, which was hosted by a fictional British Asian family, Bhaskar interviewed stars including Minnie Driver, Daniel Radcliffe and Tom Jones over the course of seven seasons. Apparently, it is one of the Queens favourite shows. Any conversations you have with the monarch are supposed to remain private, Bhaskar says, with a smile. But what I can tell you is I know that she has watched it and Ive spoken to her about it. My parents are thrilled!

While The Kumars was in production, Bhaskar took a press trip to Australia with the cast of Goodness Gracious Me. It was during the 23-hour flight that he realised there was a romantic spark between him and Syal. We were on such a high we were being flown first class to promote the show, which had been a hit over there; Meera was releasing her film Anita & Me; and we had just found out that wed gotten to No 1 on the UK chart with our Comic Relief single with Gareth Gates, Bhaskar says. The thing with 23 hours in someones company is that you get the raw version of each other especially me, since I cant sleep on a plane. I had no filter and Meera was very nice about it. It was an intense period, but that intensity made us both realise that we wanted to hang out with each other more.

The pair are one of the best-known British Asian couples, but how do they manage as two writers and performers under one roof? It helps that I openly accept shes just much better than I am at everything, Bhaskar says. But its key to value the team and to always do whats best for our partnership, rather than just our individual careers. Weve tried to tag team when it comes to work, so there was always a parent at home, and I dont regret turning things down for that.

With their visibility, does Bhaskar feel they are representative of British Asians in the public eye? Im aware theres a responsibility. Its not what I asked for, but its one that I have been given, he says. I dont think Im a particularly good role model, but I try to live a compassionate life. He points to the Choose Love slogan on his T-shirt. Ive met awful people from all races, religions and genders and Ive met wonderful people with all those identities, too. People are individuals and we have to treat each other with kindness first. Belonging to a particular club isnt a shorthand for having the moral high ground.

Bhaskar has most readily used his public status to promote onscreen diversity. We didnt win many awards with Goodness Gracious Me, because the establishment clearly didnt know what to do with us, he says. Its slightly depressing that it still feels like a landmark show, since that means things still havent come on enough.

He mentions We Are Lady Parts, Nida Manzoors 2021 comedy series about an all-female Muslim punk band, as an example of storytelling moving in the right direction. I felt a kindred spirit with that show, as it was similar to what we were trying to do, but updating it for the new generation, Bhaskar says. Having art from a unique cultural perspective is really important. Equally, any programme set in modern Britain that isnt diverse is making a conscious decision to be that way, as it doesnt reflect the makeup of our nation and especially our cities. A story in London that has five white guys in it who are 30 or 35, for instance, is set in a weird fantasy world of the writers head.

If diversity is lacking on screen, what does he think of the possibility of a first British Asian prime minister in Rishi Sunak? Growing up, the Conservatives were the natural political home for a lot of Asians who had their own businesses, but these Johnsonian years have been full of misinformation, buffoonery, the breaking of laws and just an utter lack of compassion, Bhaskar says. If I look at it just in terms of visibility, the idea that there may be an Asian prime minister is an extraordinary thing. But, in context, it feels like theyre all just playing a game. We need someone who can actually fix this countrys problems, no matter what they look like, rather than bluster on a wave of jingoism and emotion. Wheres the humanity?

Ultimately, it is in his son and the next generation that Bhaskar finds hope. Every generation basically screws it up for the next one, but out of adversity in history come people who change the world, he says. If were a shit generation, I hope our children rebel against our lack of thought and narrow-mindedness.

With his parents now 91 and still living in Hounslow, Bhaskar has increasingly been looking back to his childhood. My parents didnt understand my career at first you had to see other people who looked like me to believe success was possible and there was no one else there, he says. But my dad said recently that hes living out his dreams through me and that makes all our old arguments mean nothing. I feel so lucky that our paths have coalesced. He pauses. If 14-year-old me could see where I am now, hed tell me to piss off. But I want to tell him that we will make it out of that launderette and even become friends with some of those people on our bedroom wall. For all the shit we went through, with luck and without, it leads us here.

The Sandman is on Netflix from 5 August

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'The establishment didn't know what to do with me': Sanjeev Bhaskar on marriage, success and stereotypes - The Guardian

It might not be an ice cream cone spilled on the floor, but ice cream fans are shedding many a tear over the end of an era. Now that the iconic Choco Taco is going to be discontinued, people are looking for one last bite of that nostalgic frozen dessert treat.

Everyone tends to have a favorite ice cream treat. While that simple scoop might always be a tasty option, there are certain ice cream truck favorites that seem to bring back favorite childhood memories. It might be the Bomb Pop with its red, white and blue colors or that simple ice cream sandwich. No matter the option, the first note of that particular song can create a craving.

While Klondike is celebrating 100 years of its signature frozen treat, the brand announced that it will discontinue the Choco Taco. Although there will surely be some Change.org petition to bring back the favorite food, it does not change the current circumstances.

According to Instacart, the discontinued Choco Taco news saw 30,000% week-over-week search increase. While that number might seem high, it proves that people want to get one last bite of that favorite frozen dessert.

As Instacarts Trends Expert, Laurentia Romaniuk said, As an ice cream truck favorite, its no surprise that the news of the Choco Taco being discontinued nearly broke the Internet and ignited a movement for consumers to search for and enjoy their favorite childhood treat one last time. With the demand for Choco Taco growing significantly over the past few days, Instacart customers can use the Explore tab to easily search across all stores in their local area at once to find the nostalgic frozen treat.

While the Klondike version of the iconic Choco Taco might be disappearing from store shelves, Salt & Straw is offering its own spin on the frozen dessert. The popular ice cream brand and many celebrities are ready to step in and save the iconic treat.

As Tyler Malek, co-founder and Head of Innovation, Salt & Straw said, We realize how exciting this product is for ice cream fans. It captured a certain zeitgeist that has such relevance for so many, and we want to ensure it doesnt go away. Our limited edition is handmade, and captures the level of intent and thoughtfulness that we put in all our ice cream. We cant wait to share it again.

Of course, the Salt & Straw version is a more elevated version of the classic frozen dessert. Its version, Chocolate Tacolate, features a handmade waffle cone as a taco shell, stuffed with cinnamon ancho ice cream, dipped in single-origin chocolate & sprinkled with flaky salt.

While this offering will not be available until National Taco Day, it does not mean that others cannot make their own version of an iconic Choco Taco. It could be time to get a little creative in the kitchen. Maybe someone could make that TikTok hack or Tastemade could come up with their version.

Are you sad that the iconic Choco Taco is going away? What is your favorite nostalgic ice cream treat?

Originally posted here:

Tasty ways to satisfy that craving for the iconic Choco Taco - FoodSided

When I worked in publishing in the early Noughties, nobody is going to buy a book with a black girl on the cover was a thing that people still said, out loud, in professional settings. The received wisdom was that books by and about marginalised people wouldnt sell. At another meeting (a friend in marketing reported), a male sales rep scoffed that hed never be able to sell a book because the cover model, a young woman with a Kardashian-esque physique, was too fat to be relatable.

That the industry had a diversity problem was impossible to argue with: an analysis of the gender makeup of the New York Times list shows how heavily it once skewed male and how, in the last decade, a massive push to diversify publishing has enjoyed no small amount of success.

But God help any writer bold enough to say so.

When James Patterson noted in an interview last month that older white men werent getting writing jobs as easily as they used to, outrage ensued. After being savaged for a week online and in the media, Patterson apologised (not that this mollified his critics). This week, Joyce Carol Oates kicked the same hornets nest, writing on Twitter that a friend who is a literary agent told me that he cannot even get editors to read first novels by young white male writers, no matter how good; they are just not interested. This state of affairs, she added, was heartbreaking for writers, particularly those with the self-awareness to be duly aware of their own privilege. But the response from within the literary community was not sadness, but fury.

The outpouring of replies were split between people who argued that Oatess assertion was false and people who argued that it was true but not heartbreaking, and in fact a real and unmitigated good. And then there were the people who argued both of these things simultaneously, sometimes even within the same breath. For whatever reason, this type of self-refuting argument is particularly ubiquitous on Twitter; the fallacy, which some have termed The Law of Salutary Contradiction, is best summed up as: this isnt happening, and also its good that its happening. One representative reply read: I am a literary agent. This is not so. And why ever would we invest our hopes in the continued success of white men in an industry which persists in shutting out queer and BIPOC authors?!

Is it happening? With more than one extremely high-profile person flat-out accusing Oates of lying, its worth surveying the statistics. This is only an informal snapshot of the data, but one that still tells a story: of the 100 most recent debut book deals listed on Publishers Marketplace, 83 went to women. Of the remaining 17, 12 went to white men ten of whom appear to be under the age of 40, and thus young by literary standards. Its not a total shutout, of course, but its also not parity. And the same trend can be observed in terms of not just whos published, but whos celebrated; for instance, of the 13 books on the Booker longlist, released this week, three are by white men, none of whom are under 45 (one is the oldest ever recipient of a Booker nomination).

Of course, there are additional layers of data here that could surface additional meaning: how big the deal, what genre the book, whether the author had previously published as a poet or essayist or journalist. And of course, those who get book deals have always represented only the tiniest fraction of aspiring novelists: if the uphill battle for young white men is marginally steeper now, it was plenty steep before.

But when Oatess agent friend reported that, he cannot even get editors to read first novels by young white male writers, its hardly far-fetched to think he was telling the truth if not literally, then directionally, in the sense that an exasperated parent might report that they cannot get their toddler to put his shoes on. I cant get editors to look at these books is a cultural observation, not a statistical one. Its about the vibes, the gossip, the buzz, the discourse, the things that agents hear from editors and authors hear from agents. Its about an industry veterans general sense of which way the wind is blowing. And on that front, when it comes to debut authors getting book deals, it is certainly blowing more favourably in the direction of non-white non-straight non-men.

Frankly, it would be weird if it were otherwise. From the moment that diversity became an industry cause, it enjoyed widespread, vocal support. In 2014, sparked by the revelation that white authors and characters absolutely dominated the YA marketplace, the We Need Diverse Books movement was born and since then it has only gathered steam. Pitching contests were established for marginalised writers. Literary media pivoted to focus heavily on those writers. Submission guidelines were updated to explicitly ask for work from queer, gender-nonconforming writers of colour. Publishers announced that they were committed to diversifying their lists. Editors announced their intention to buy more books by marginalised writers. Agents publicly bemoaned how sick they were of reading submissions by white guys.

All of these sentiments were expressed vehemently, repeatedly, and in public, and all of them seemed to convey a consensus truth: an individual white man might still do okay in publishing, but categorically? White men were over, the rules had changed, and the anecdotal evidence seemed to support this. Did you hear about the guy whose book was yanked back on the eve of submission when his agent realised that his racial identity didnt match the race of his protagonist? Or the white poet who couldnt get published until he adopted a female Chinese pseudonym and won accolades at least until he was found out?

The truth is, even if the data didnt bear out the substance of Oatess tweet, publishing culture matters when it comes to aspiring authors hoping to get a shot. Back when the problem was a lack of diverse books, it was known that the dearth of minority authors was at least in part a problem of preemptive discouragement: many promising writers, expecting the door to be slammed in their face, simply didnt bother trying to get through at all. And yet, among those who advocated hardest for diverse books, its all but verboten to suggest that the movement has gained any meaningful ground, cultural or otherwise.

Why, after all this progress, do publishings gatekeepers resist any suggestion that diversification has been a success? Its a paradox of the moment that a person is supposed to want this sort of change, demand it even, but also fly into a frothing rage at the notion that the desired change might in fact be happening. Maybe its that the survival of any progressive movement requires that you continually shift the goalposts, lest your organisation problem-solve its way into obsolescence. Maybe its a sense that however much has been accomplished, theres work yet to be done. Or maybe its just the cognitive dissonance that always accompanies initiatives like this: everyone wants to say theyre hiring for diversity, but nobody wants to be seen as a diversity hire.

Or maybe the problem is that even a diverse publishing world will still never be fair because this game has never been just about identity, or talent, but about timing, and resources, and pure dumb luck. If young white men arent the hottest commodity right now, its not just because publishers have convinced themselves its a moral imperative not to hire them; its because the industry follows the zeitgeist, and the zeitgeist of the moment is deeply invested in identity. The debut novels bought in 2022 thus far are not just overwhelmingly written by women, but overwhelmingly focused on race, gender, sexuality, or class.

Is this annoying? Maybe. But is it more annoying than the state of play ten years ago, when publishers were falling all over themselves to find the next sexually-charged teen dystopian-fantasy series about a merman and a werewolf fighting over a girl who doesnt know shes beautiful? Well, thats a matter of taste. And like all literary trends, this one wont last forever. Eventually, some new, attention-arresting thing will come on the scene, and the identitarian reckoning of 2020 will be yesterdays news. Whenever that happens, and whatever it is, a handful of lucky writers will get swept up by the cresting wave of the zeitgeist and carried to glorious high ground, while everyone else looks on and makes grumbling noises.

Originally posted here:

Publishing will never be fair - UnHerd

Its not often that we hear the word chode spoken aloud in the cinema, and so we tend to take note when we do. In Lena Dunhams new film Sharp Stick, the term gets a mention during a gab sesh between the naive Sara Jo (Kristine Froseth), her half-sister Treina (Taylour Paige) and their mother Marilyn (Jennifer Jason Leigh). In the course of sharing a surprisingly candid sexual anecdote, Mom describes a past lovers phallus as wider than it was long, which is called a? to which her daughters respond a chode! in unison, like a chorus of baby birds. While her mother speaks from direct experience, the sheltered, developmentally arrested Sara Jo recites this word as something shes been taught, a remote and abstract idea in her mind. She knows what sex is, but doesnt know, you know? You know. And she wants to know-know.

Though Froseths mannered performance pushes the 26-year-old Sara Jo to some more outr places than the jumbled-up young women identifiable as her predecessors, shes still a typical Dunham protagonist in the tension between her eagerness to explore an imagined grown-up world and her blindness to its realities. This peculiar comedy mostly tracks Sara Jos headfirst leap into the carnal deep end, as she resolves to try everything under the sun (or at least the PornHub tags bank) in the wake of a disastrous, virginity-claiming fling with her married boss that shakes loose a latent appetite. Of course her odyssey through the awkward sexuality thats Dunhams stock-in-trade doesnt go off hitchless, each encounter as calamitous as the last she stumbled into, until she comes out the other side with some semblance of insight and perspective. The writer-directors wheelhouse is situated here, at the nexus of late adolescence and young adulthood, as a hungry, experimental, solipsistic spirit gives way to awareness and responsibility. But Dunhams impulse toward transgression also fights her tendency for traditionalism, an uneasy kind of coexistence that echoes the uncomfortable state of personal flux her characters occupy.

Dunhams origin story is well-known, if only for how many times its been weaponized against her: born into the creative fast track by virtue of being child to two artists with some good money to their names, she achieved wunderkind status after wowing South by Southwest with her debut feature Tiny Furniture at the ripe age of 24. That wry cornerstone of the American indie-film movement regrettably termed mumblecore made a conscious effort to get out in front of its own privileged position, with Dunham playing an unflattering yet plausible parody of herself as a brat whining her way through a quarter-life crisis. Freshly graduated and adrift in her hometown, she putzes around and gets high and strikes up a casual thing with a local guy standard millennial stuff. Shes got some serious growing up to do, a process set in motion with her revelation of her own mothers humanity in the final scene. This is improvement, pretty unambiguously.

The success of Tiny Furniture landed Dunham a fateful general meeting with HBO that would bring her Girls and shape the following decade of interminable public discoursing over white women. While the series trod a lot of familiar ground dating, friendships, figuring out your twenties its premium-cable placement in the zeitgeist turned the modest production into a long-running phenomenon, which brought its own challenges. Its not easy to keep a character in a holding pattern of immaturity demanded by steadfast ratings for years on end. Dunham adapted by sending her avatar Hannah Horvath from one persona to the next, trying on different versions of herself like outfits with each new job or boyfriend. As a would-be writer and constant fuckup, she sought to cultivate an artists lust for life, pursuing highs and lows that could then be translated into the work. At first, that meant rocking a mesh tank top and trying coke, but as her early twenties gave way to her late ones, she shifted focus to an objective stated early on: I just want someone who wants to hang out all the time, and thinks Im the best person in the world, and wants to have sex with only me.

Hannah ends the series on a domestic note, having become a mother and relocated to a sleepy college town in upstate New York for a calmer, steadier teaching job. It took a shared genetic code, but shes finally found someone other than herself to care for. The concluding shot of her infant latching onto her breast suggests contentment and completion. And yet in the same respect that the later seasons were duller than the earlier ones, her life has shrunken and quieted down, her ambition replaced by acceptance. In spite of all shes gained, its hard not to think about all shes given up. Perhaps this speaks to the influence of producer Judd Apatow, who spent much of the 00s applying this narrative to male equivalents, honing Dudes of the slacker, stoner, loner, horndog and weirdo varieties into Men. Theres a borderline social conservative streak to this schematic of story, oriented around getting your shit together and being a dutiful partner by acquiescing to convention. Theres an element of surrender to Seth Rogens retiring of his bong in Knocked Up, for instance, but the into-the-sunset happy ending clarifies that its for the best. The other option is an eternity on the couch with his burnout buddies, framed as agreeable yet unfulfilling.

In Sharp Stick, the classical Dunham character of Sara Jo is far more stunted than the postcollegiate Peter Pans who came before her, a hysterectomy at age 17 having supposedly halted her libidos progress. She appears to be alright with an asexuality not so far from that of Steve Carell in The Forty-Year-Old Virgin, spending her days volunteering with a mentally disabled youngster she can relate to more than she can most other people. Only when she makes a fumbling yet effective move on the kids DILFy father (Jon Bernthal, perfectly cast as a grown man hiding his own boyishness, a stock type in Girls Brooklyn) do we realize just how frozen she is in her own childhood, tackling the milestones of sexual coming-of-age the way a tween might cross off items on a Best Summer Ever bucket list. Sara Jo makes an alphabetical poster on her wall with construction paper laying out the full buffet in front of her; F is for Fisting, we see, amended with a status update of (half-way ouch!) These omnivorous trials fill out the middle of the film, their fish-out-of-water dynamic a simple, workable engine for comedy.

But in what may be her very first flash of self-awareness, Sara Jo comes to realize that these dares shes posed to herself arent proving the mettle she thought theyd prove. In a catastrophic check-in with Daddy Bernthal, she throws all the evidence of her newfound prowess in his face, only then realizing that trying so desperately to act like a woman makes her seem more girlish than ever. Getting with a bunch of guys no good for her and for whom she has no feelings isnt the revolutionary act she thought it was, undertaken by countless high schoolers since time immemorial. The film sends her back into the arms of the one genuine date she actually made a connection with, Sara Jo imagining herself caressed by multiple pairs of hands during the sendoff fuck of the last scene. Her fantasies havent been extinguished, just channeled into a more commonplace type of relationship. For Dunham and Apatow, holding on to some semblance of the person you were as you become the person youre meant to be is the most that any of us can hope for.

But that hope to blaze ones own path, sexually or artistically or otherwise, always leads these characters somewhere so average as to verge on normativity. Inevitably, these unruly women settle down and find someone nice with whom they can reproduce the family unit, either in monogamy or parenthood. 30 Rocks Liz Lemon, a defiant second-wave feminist who Had It All by ending her series balancing her job with a supportive house-husband and two adopted tots, suggests that our intellectual drives for independence will always be superseded by our emotional needs for love and company. (Its okay to be a human woman, Liz! her husband says as she spite-refuses the dream wedding shes always wanted. No, its the worst, because of society! she retorts.) Sara Jo comes to terms with her own wants in much the same way, succumbing to a desire for stability that Dunhams work would have us believe is inbred. No matter where you go or who you rim there you are, helpless to become yourself, a self not nearly as unique as you once thought.

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Lena Dunham's "Sharp Stick" Is Sneakily Traditionalist Just Like the Rest of Her Work - InsideHook