Twenty minutes into the long-awaited film adaptation that musical theater buffs had been waiting to see, a moviegoer sitting in front of me motioned for me to come back closer. She practically turned her whole body, clearly stunned by the performance of Cynthia Erivo, the Oscar-nominated influencer who brought abolitionist superhero Harriet Tubman to life in 2019 (whether most of you thought she must have done it or not) .

Her words were muffled behind her mask, so she needed to repeat herself twice. She checked out the screen over again, on the already clear masterpiece that sat on the 50-foot screen, taking in the pink and green charm the film had to supply, and this time she pointed at Erivo.

“Is that Jennifer Hudson?”

And so began a two-hour and 42-minute journey into an overtly political journey that we are able to all experience in the film more than likely to be awarded – heavily – this season.

So did it translate masterfully to the silver screen as many had hoped?

That’s true.

But it delivers far more than it guarantees, and what it guarantees is sort of an exorbitant order – the powerful vocals captivate with a twisted version of a time-honored story that leaves everyone who listens to it questioning who’s inherently good and who is definitely evil .

On Broadway when this play was created, it starred theater queens Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda, a privileged witch, blonde, messy-haired, and seemingly blind to the world round her, and Idina Menzel as Elphaba, the raven-haired solid – minus the aspiring sorceress who was rejected by father, rejected (ultimately) by her sister and persecuted by the world round her due to color of her skin – she is green.

As Kermit said, it’s challenging being green.

But in this shot from director Jon M. Chu, we’re gifted with Erivo, and her micro braids and full lips give us a more determined take a look at an outcast who wants to alter the world for the higher. It’s hard to not know that underneath all that green is her black skin, and the pain of what that extra layer of otherness represents makes this version even higher than it must be.

In the film adaptation, which hit theaters on November 22, we see the uncomfortable dynamics of what happens when a jammer enters the chat room, and the way the world round her rejects her ideals – and what she looks like – in response. Especially when he doesn’t need to play the sport.

Especially when she’s mainly not ready for it – are you ready for it? – shut up and dribble.

Sound familiar?

The established order is unacceptable. The world will not be calm. Another community is kidnapped, locked in cages and deprived of their inalienable rights.

We’re still talking about it.

Here’s what’s sensible about this movie: nothing about this approach is recent. This is similar record-breaking production that has captivated Broadway and traveled across the country since 2003, this is similar story of the stage musical that surpassed the $1 billion mark in total Broadway revenues in 2016, putting it in unique long-time Broadway company staple and the just one to point out it. And today? It is the second highest-grossing musical of all time, after Disney.

But Elphaba Erivo might be a sharper representation of otherness – it’s inconceivable not to note it.

And he wants to make use of his emerging power for good. The problem is that the world she lives in – this excellent musical world filled with hopes, manifestations and dreams – only wants her to either be hidden away or – as we learn from the villains – use her powers to oppress others who’re also . other.

In the wake of the 2024 election – which tens of millions thought would result in the coronation of the primary woman president and the primary Black and Asian president – ​​lots of us needed a moment to breathe.

Still yes. This is raw. And it’s early. And the consequences of the national elections are still there and can be there for a while. The headlines are harsh and terrifying. Neo-Nazis openly march in the streets of the Midwest. Anti-Semitic demonstrations before the performance. And unfortunately, there’s quite a lot of anti-black rhetoric.

This is when great art is created and enhanced.

This is when the world we live in is interpreted and transformed for creative consumption.

When art is finished well, when it is really at its best, it is a mirrored image of the times. It’s something that helps mark the story – even when it’s told from a fictional fantasy land that, in a way, is recycled, drawing inspiration from our very real experiences.

is loosely based on the 1995 book, inspired by L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel, which is in fact a movie adaptation of Baum’s book right into a 1939 film that a young Judy Garland helped make.

When Baum’s novel was first published, it was a story a few fantasy world that the creator initially created for youngsters – and later adults – a world that is essentially tortured by a tyrannical witch from whom everyone wants freedom. The story was a hit and was eventually named “America’s greatest and best-loved native fairy tale” by the Library of Congress.

By the time 1939 rolled around, the world had passed three years since athlete Jesse Owens became the primary American to win 4 gold medals in a single Olympic Games. His sporting victory was a direct rejection of Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler’s belief in Aryan supremacy. Not that they were stopping the inevitable. After Owens’ victory lap, Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, starting World War II.

On American soil, 1939 also saw the discharge of a novel adapted from a Civil War novel that in some ways glorifies slavery.

There is not any Elphaba – there isn’t a anti-hero to root for and who’s willing to risk all the things to uproot the prevailing system. But to the world beyond this film is Hattie McDaniel, who became the primary black person to win an Oscar, and ultimately this film became a significant turning point in the way in which Black Americans were portrayed in cinema.

In , we’re in a position to see a well-known story – one which we all know in and out, one which is so rooted in our human experience that we’re like a family.

We know well. We know the wicked.

And since the world has modified a lot, we have now seen the opposite side of a improbable story that’s rooted in lots of the experiences all of us have.

Because stories with universal truths clearly connect with tens of millions of individuals. As they need to.

Lizzo has lost a number of kilos and it shows.

In recent months, the “Truth Hurts” singer has been documenting her fitness journey, with fans increasingly noticing the singer’s slimming figure in her Instagram posts. Since then, she has been bombarded with the whole lot from comments praising her latest look to accusations that she uses weight loss drugs like Ozempic.

However, after Lizzo’s recent post, some people had a double response.

The photos showed her sitting in what appeared to be a service vehicle and taking several selfies at an angle above her head. It’s unclear where she was going, nevertheless it looks like she was trying to achieve a certain look with her outfit.

She posed within the backseat wearing a white off-the-shoulder dress with ruffles. She paired it with denim shorts or a denim bustier, nevertheless it’s hard to tell due to the angle at which Lizzo took the selfie. Another essential element of the styling was the hairstyle.

Lizzo opted for 2 messy and thin braids and wrote within the caption, “Last night I wore milkmaid braids.”

Fans reacted to the photo in disbelief within the comments, considering Lizzo said she used to weigh almost 300 kilos and now seems much smaller.

One person said: “No way this is lizzo.”

Another person wrote: “I can not even recognize what happened to her that she doesn’t appear like herself. I would like to see a greater photo.

A 3rd commenter went thus far as to say, “This is a fake photo. artificial intelligence.”

The “Cuz I Love You” singer is well-known for being the face of body positivity, as lots of her topics in past interviews have focused on self-love within the context of being a plus-size woman within the industry.

However, earlier this yr, Lizzo shared with The New York Times that she is currently in an area of “body neutrality” when it comes to how she views her body shape.

“The idea of ​​body positivity has been moved away from an outdated mainstream concept,” she says he said“evolved towards body neutrality.”

“There are days when I love my body and there are days when I don’t feel entirely positive,” she added.

Since Lizzo lost some weight after years of promoting body positivity and loving her curves, she hasn’t let bullies and web trolls throw it in her face.

Lizzo appears unrecognizable as she continues to showcase the outcomes of her dramatic weight loss.

The singer denied the Ozempic rumors and as an alternative attributes her latest look to rigorous workouts and healthy eating. pic.twitter.com/psbJ8WjzKE

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) November 25, 2024

However, the 36-year-old claims that not so fast. She made it clear that her going to the gym and eating higher will not be about losing weight. It’s about being overall healthy.

The “Hustlers” actress clarified this in 2023 in response to one other Tik Tok creator who claimed that Lizzo was “not trying to escape obesity” with her workouts.

“I think a lot of people see a fat person that way and immediately assume that all they do is be thin” – Lizzo he saidaccording. “I’m not trying to be thin. I never want to be thin. Will my body fluctuate from this size? Will I turn into a bit of smaller depending on a few of the selections I make or a bit of larger depending on a few of the selections I make in life. Yes, I’m used to fluctuations.

Kendrick Lamar has all the time been certainly one of rap’s more fascinating and sensitive artists. He took us into the deep recesses of his past, his way of considering and his motivations. But Lamar’s latest, surprise-titled album features the Compton, California MC as his most raw, unfiltered version of himself. And that is largely due to the feud that modified the trajectory of his profession.

For the past 15 years, Lamar has rigorously crafted his personal story for the masses. A person who claimed to guide a boring life was in a position to convey every aspect of his messages to the world. We discovered he went to Africa when he told us the trip inspired him in 2015. Near the top, we learned that Top Dawg Entertainment CEO Anthony “Top” Tiffith once robbed Lamar’s father. Lamar revealed his own relationship and mental health issues on the show. Unlike, say, Drake, who lives on the Internet and filters most of his personal life through TMZ, NBA courtside memes, and his own ecosystem of rumor mills, Lamar only shows up when he desires to tell us enough to feel a connection to him.

But all the pieces modified in 2024.

The feud with Drake forced Lamar to show to another person who’s putting his business on the road. This caused him to react for the primary time in his profession. And although he eviscerated Drake throughout the whole argument, this exchange of pure aggression taught us more about Lamar than we ever knew. Namely, we learned that Lamar is a compassionate and tender, yet vengeful, Gemini demon seed that’s equal parts hate and love, with each emotions flowing from his pores with the intensity of 1,000,000 warheads. It was through his feud with Drake that we learned what drives Lamar: his must be the perfect, the non-public insult he feels when someone tests him, his love for hip-hop and uniting culture with home, and the undeniable fact that this man I do not know what exaggeration is. We’ve spent the last decade learning lots about Lamar at our own pace, but now we all know what makes him… And I suppose we will thank Drake for that.

gives us a Lamar who has the alternative in his hands. He can ignore the unintentional leakage of a deeply felt ethos and create something latest. Or he can lean on the Lamar we all know and love greater than ever. Fortunately, he selected the latter and gave us an album that, while reflecting more of his complaints, also frees Lamar to point out his love as loudly as ever before. Sure, his harsh attacks on rapper Snoop Dogg I’m posting a Drake diss track earlier this 12 months and his sadness over rapper Lil Wayne’s anger at not being chosen for the Super Bowl halftime show in New Orleans in February 2025 will make headlines like other victory laps on Drake ‘at. But the album can also be a tribute to the influences that made Lamar who he’s.

In fact, it’s an old-school Buick, and the sounds of the album appear to be the music Lamar listened to when he was a child, driving around in certainly one of these classic cars. We get a Luther Vandross sample, interpolations of a Tupac Shakur song, an SWV hook, and a complete lot of West Coast tracks backed by DJ Mustard. This last one is particularly necessary to handle, dear reader, because many individuals check with these songs – “hey now”, “tv off” and “dodger blue” amongst them – as mere “Not Like Us” riffs. Please ignore them as they arrive from an era and understanding of hip-hop that doesn’t bear in mind regional sounds and a real love for music that sounds at home. In their very own way, these songs are also a rebuke to Drake. You see, the Canadian MC from “Houstalantavegas“fame helped usher in an era of Frankenstein music that connected so many regions that it became increasingly difficult to inform Atlanta from New York or Los Angeles from Chicago. But Kendrick uploaded the album clearly G-Funk inspired, synth driven, powerful The West Coast sound powered by the biggest producer within the region. Each song appears like it could possibly be a Super Bowl halftime hit and features hometown rappers (Dody 6, Sam Dew, Roddy Ricch and more), continuing the show’s theme of bringing the neighborhood together.

But it’s the opposite moments, those during which Lamar is menacingly introspective, chest out after crushing his rap peer, which can be as triumphant as DJ Mustard’s horns. “man at the Garden” is already amongst my most played songs of November. The song is inspired by Nas’ “One Mic,” one other early influence, and features the affirmative chorus “.” The song is not as up-tempo as protest anthems “Alright” or “Not Like Us,” but it surely has a chant that helps listeners end our own battle with imposter syndrome. “,” he raps on the track.

But Lamar’s Gemini tendencies are showing again on the album as he stands proud his chest and reflects on his flaws. ON “heart part 6” Lamar walks us through the formation of Top Dawg Entertainment and his group Black Hippy, while taking blame for the group’s shortcomings and admitting where he might have been more mature. This is the sort of vulnerability we have come to expect from Lamar, but it surely feels much more real because we all know him higher now.

The “Heart” series normally appears before Lamar’s album release. Add that to the very fact preview fragment the album features two cars and a song that wasn’t on the album, and it looks like we’ve got one other full-length project on the way in which. Lamar has been releasing songs during American holidays since his feud with Drake began, so I would not be surprised if there was a song for Thanksgiving, or somewhat MLK Day releases (which took place per week before the presidential inauguration). Either way, perhaps we’ll get a project that tells a whole story, like most of Lamar’s albums.

For now, we will bask within the organic, chaotic, experimental reality of the brand new Lamar, who feels most familiar and down-to-earth at the same time as his profession enters a special stratosphere.