By Staff Writers, For The Miami Student
To celebrate the conclusion of another year at Miami, we asked the members of the Culture staff to pick their favorite piece of pop culture from the past nine months. Here's what they chose.
Devon Shuman, Culture Editor
It's been a wonderful year, so it was certainly hard to make a decision. I was tempted to go for "Ultralight Beam," the beautiful and ethereal opening track of "The Life of Pablo" with Kanye West, Kelly Price and Chance the Rapper. However, being the television enthusiast I am, I ultimately settled on the second season of FXX's brilliant "You're the Worst," which aired this past fall. Following the tumultuous relationship between Jimmy Shive-Overly (Chris Geere) and Gretchen Cutler (Aya Cash), Stephen Falk's clever take on the traditional romantic comedy has always been filled with superb writing and intriguing character development. But it truly hit its stride this year when it introduced Gretchen's struggle with clinical depression. Making you laugh hysterically and sob your heart out, often all in the course of just a couple minutes, "You're the Worst" is the best sitcom, and maybe the best show, on TV right now.
Kelly Burns, Staff Writer
My favorite pop culture event was when Bindi Irwin won Dancing with the Stars in November. From the very beginning, she was my favorite because of her bubbly personality. She started strong and ended stronger. She dedicated her performances to her late father, Steve Irwin, and every performance was worthy of that dedication. In addition to the fact that she wasn't a traditional celebrity, she was paired with my favorite dancer, Derek Hough. How could I not want her to win? I always knew she would win, but there's something great about watching it be cemented into reality.
Kaitlin Peffer, Staff Writer
Let's be honest, I was just as crushed as the next girl when One Direction's Zayn Malik announced his leaving 1D to start a solo career. But I've got to hand it to Malik, my obsession with "PILLOWTALK" intensifies everyday. That being said, Malik's newest album release, "Mind of Mine," features more than simple "fan girl," cookie-cutter pop songs. Combining reggae, R&B and alternative, Malik's album goes through a roller coaster of emotions -- from cuddly one minute to rejected the next and finally back to empowering. The jabs at 1D are a little too close for comfort, (see "BeFoUr," "tRuTh" and "lUcOzAdE") as Malik burns bridges between him and his former band mates. However, the unique use of capitalization and variation in genre makes these tracks stand out against other artists. With references to sex, drugs and alcohol, I applaud Malik for emerging from the boy band scene and staying true to his musical roots.
Hannah Fierle, Staff Writer
My favorite piece of entertainment this year was David O. Russell's "Joy." This biographical drama centers on Joy Mangano, a self-made millionaire on QVC and Home Shopping Network due to her patent on the Miracle Mop in the 1990s. The highlight of this film for me was Jennifer Lawrence's phenomenal performance as the title character, Joy. She was so well suited to this strong female character and perfectly exemplified this real life "rags to riches" tale.
Kirby Davis, Staff Writer
Marrying the cynical hilarity of "The Big Lebowski" and wide-scale grandeur of "Singin' in the Rain," "Hail, Caesar!" is an enchanting, raucous spectacle of old-Hollywood glory. Josh Brolin stars as real-life "fixer," Eddie Mannix, who is struggling to keep his 1950s studio and its unruly stars under control. There's a lot for him to contend with -- Communist kidnapping plots, Channing Tatum musical numbers, Tilda Swinton playing two squabbling Hedda Hopper-style tabloid reporters -- but at its heart this is a film that celebrates all of this, rather than condemning it. "Hail, Caesar!" is a powerful reminder of why I love not just the Coen Brothers, or dogs upstaging Academy Award-winning actors, but movies in general.
Elizabeth Hansen, Assistant Culture Editor
When a notification popped up on my Spotify account saying that The Lumineers were releasing a new album on April 8, I sprinted to my room and told my roommate. I had been waiting for a new album since I got hooked on their first album four years ago. The Lumineers' new album, "Cleopatra," did not dissappoint. It's filled with the same folky vibe as the previous, but also contains songs like "Ophelia" and "Cleopatra" that contain more rock influences. Whether I'm studying or going for a run, "Cleopatra" has become my go-to album.
Alison Perelman, Assistant Culture Editor
I thought I would write about a movie or TV show, but there were too many good ones this year to choose from. Instead, the thing that stuck out in my mind was the Ed Sheeran concert I went to back in September. It was probably one of the best concerts I have ever been to. Ed's music is already incredibly versatile, but seeing him perform live is even better. Not only does he sound exactly the same live as he does in recording, but his personality adds humor and energy to the songs -- both his own and other remixes. He doesn't use any pre-recorded tracks, but performs everything live with the loop pedal. And the atmosphere is exhilarating. I don't know when he's touring again in the U.S., but I recommend attedning a concert if you can. Or in the mean time, just watch his entire performance from Dublin on YouTube.