Spencer Kornhaber
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Netflix Russian Doll Shatters the Word Crazy
Understanding Netflix’s trippy masterpiece means understanding what it’s saying about mental illness and the stigma around it.
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Jordan Strauss / Invision / AP The Accusations Against Ryan Adams Are All Too Familiar
How far are the harassment and career-derailment allegations against the rocker from, say, the A Star Is Born story?
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Matt Sayles / AP Finally Scrutinizing the Men Behind the Grammys’ Curtain
General criticism of the show has turned into specific controversy involving the Recording Academy president, Neil Portnow, and the producer Ken Ehrlich, who has been in his position since 1980.
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Mike Blake / Reuters Lady Gaga Went Off the Deep End at the Grammys
Her divisive, twitching performance of “Shallow” continued to tie her early antics to her recent respectability.
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Chris Pizzello / AP Ariana Grande Tells the Cold Truth on Thank U, Next
The pop star’s second album in six months rewrites mushy cliché with a sharp personal edge.
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Jason Redman / Reuters Why Rap and R&B Still Might Not Triumph at the Grammys
Kacey Musgraves and Brandi Carlile will compete for Album of the Year against the award show’s most snubbed genres.
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Burger King Andy Warhol’s Meta and Morbid Message Haunted the Super Bowl Ads
In the future, everyone will have 15 minutes of selling fast food from beyond the grave.
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Mike Segar / Reuters Maroon 5’s Halftime Show Felt Designed to Be Forgotten
SpongeBob, Travis Scott, and Big Boi joined for a pageant of doing the least.
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Mario Anzuoni / Reuters Even Maroon 5 Can’t Avoid Controversy This Super Bowl
Halftime-show performers aren’t immune to backlash from the NFL’s most recent critics.
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Robb D. Cohen / AP The Thrilling Uncoolness of Vampire Weekend’s ‘Harmony Hall’
Among the band’s first singles in six years is a tribute to jam bands and ravers that sounds a warning against groupthink.
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Comedy Central The Trippy Insights of Broad City’s Instagram Episode
In “Stories,” Abbi and Ilana curate their wacky reality for their friends. The results are oddly moving.
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Republic Records How Ariana Grande Fell Off the Cultural-Appropriation Tightrope
With “7 Rings,” the singer wears a culture as a costume.
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HBO / David Russell High Maintenance Goes Naked
Season 3 of the wonderful HBO comedy delivers more insights about what humans are like, stripped down.
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Amanda Charchian James Blake’s Ether Becomes Mush
The influential electronic musician’s fourth album, Assume Form, embraces pop sentimentality with mixed results.
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Ryan Pfluger Sharon Van Etten’s Synth-Pop Celebration of Vulnerability
Remind Me Tomorrow, the Brooklyn singer’s fifth album, bustles with the feeling of disconnection conquered.
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Lucy Nicholson / Reuters Lady Gaga’s R. Kelly Apology Is a Reminder That Abuse Isn’t Provocative
The artists’ 2013 duet, “Do What U Want,” was made because of, not in spite of, its creepy subtext—as are more and more works in the wake of #MeToo.
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Fox / Warner Bros. Bohemian Rhapsody, A Star Is Born, and the Myth of Authenticity
The upset Golden Globes victory of one music drama over another hints at which is the more comforting retelling of the same rock-and-roll narrative.
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Charles Sykes / AP Kevin Hart Is Not a Martyr
During an appearance on Ellen, the abortive Oscars host cited phantom apologies for his homophobic remarks while DeGeneres pleaded with him to ignore the haters: a spectacle of missing the point.
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Reuters / YouTube The Disturbing Truth About Kevin Spacey’s ‘Let Me Be Frank’ Video
The actor, accused of misconduct by more than 30 men, may believe that talent and fame can save him from public disgrace. It’s not a crazy notion.
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Katie Martin / The Atlantic The 27 Best Music Moments of 2018
The cultural effects of Nicki Minaj’s “Chun-Li,” Ariana Grande’s “No Tears Left to Cry,” Mitski’s “Nobody,” and more
