“A Star Is Born” is not only among the most self-reflective of Hollywood vehicles but the most resilient; when clichés work they are called conventions.
Music
Posted inArts & Culture, Ideas
Kanye West, S.N.L. and the incoherence of modern life
Kanye is id-made-flesh, an extreme and uncomfortable example of what we all look like when turned inside out.
Posted inArts & Culture, Last Take
From the church to the public stage, Aretha Franklin earned her respect
In the patriarchal spaces of the music world as well as the church world, Aretha Franklin demanded respect for her talents and her work.
Posted inArts & Culture, Ideas
The 2018 V.M.A.s, brought to you by Pepsi and angst
“There’s so many people looking,” said a girl in a backwards baseball cap, “but there’s no one to see.”
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Is this the end of classic rock?
Steven Hyden says he is not a religious person, but he is fervently devoted to the music that he grew up with.
Posted inFaith, Theater
Review: Leonard Bernstein’s liturgy for the world
With his “Mass,” Leonard Bernstein uses liturgy to give voice to political unease.
Posted inFaith, Music
The grace-filled encounter between Paul McCartney and James Corden
This extraordinary episode has much to teach us.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Yo-Yo Ma holds tribute concert honoring victims of gun violence
World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma brought his Concert for Peace to St. Sabina Church for the second time, featuring original works written with family members who lost loved ones to gun violence, as a tribute to the people who died.
Posted inArts & Culture, Music
“Be Not Afraid”: The song that eases the biggest transitions in—and out of—life
Bob Dufford, S.J., started writing “Be Not Afraid” when he was, well, afraid.
Posted inArts & Culture, Film
Review: How the godmother of punk became a Dame of the British Empire
Vivienne Westwood is director of one of the last independent global fashion companies in the world.