All posts by Ben Yang

Celebrities

Surprise Announcements All Around

Leave a comment

Welcome back to POP! Of Culture Weekly, where we discuss the highlights of all things entertainment for the week! This week, we cover Taylor Swift’s surprise new album and Marvel’s announcement of new content! Check it out!

Taylor Swifts Surprises Fans with a New Album

She’s done it again! American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift announced this week that she will be coming out with another album titled Evermore. The album will be released on Friday at midnight. Swift refers to this album as the “sister record” of her previous album Folkore which she released earlier this July.

Swift wrote in an Instagram caption “Ever since I was 13, I’ve been excited about turning 31 because it’s my lucky number backwards, which is why I wanted to surprise you with this now. You’ve all been so caring, supportive and thoughtful on my birthdays and so this time I thought I would give you something!”

photo from Taylore Swift’s Instagram

Marvel Announces New and Upcoming Projects

Marvel Entertainment announced a bunch of new and upcoming projects that are currently in the works. Marvel Entertainment dropped news about upcoming movies such as Fantastic Four, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Captain Marvel 2, and a Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

Many new original series will also be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe including I Am Groot, Armor Wars, Ironheart, Secret Invasion, Moon Knight, She Hulk and Ms. Marvel.

photo from Marvel’s Instagram.

Just when fans couldn’t get enough content, Marvel Entertainment also dropped a few new trailers for the Marvel series that have been announced a few months back including WandaVision, Loki and Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Celebrities, Uncategorized

Love Story and Loving Themselves

1 Comment

Welcome back to POP! Of Culture Weekly, where we discuss the highlights of all things entertainment for the week! This week, we cover Ryan Reynold’s hilarious ad featuring a snippet of Taylor Swift re-recording of her previous albums and Elliot Page coming out as transgender! Check it out!

Reyolds and Swift Collab in a New Advertisement

In a recent advertisement directed and produced by Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift shared the first snippet of her re-recording of Love Story. The hilarious advertisement for Match.com follows the story of Satan finding his match, 2020. In the ad, Satan and 2020 are seen meeting each other for the first time and falling in love with one another.

In a tweet, Swift stated that Reynolds reached out to her asking for a snippet of her re-recording to be used in the video.

Swift is currently in the process of re-recording some of her earlier music after a long and continuous battle and multiple failed attempts to negotiate with record executive Scooter Braun, who had owned the rights to much of her earlier music.

Elliot Page Comes Out as Transgender

On Tuesday, Dec. 1, Canadian actor who starred in the film Juno and is the current Netflix series The Umbrella Academy, Elliot Page came out as transgender. In a lengthy note, Page shared a post to share the news with their followers on Instagram.

photo from Elliot Page’s Instagram

Many celebrities have come to congratulate Page on their announcement. Fellow cast member of The Umbrella Academy, Tom Hopper, who plays Luther Hargreeves on the show, commented on Page’s post saying “Elliot, I’m so proud of you, and even prouder to call you family. All the love.”

American singer-songwriter Miley Cyrus also chimed in saying “Elliot rules!”

Celebrities, Uncategorized

Music Awards and Macy’s Parade

2 Comments

Welcome back to POP! Of Culture Weekly, where we discuss the highlights of all things entertainment for the week! This week, we cover the 2020 American Music Awards as well as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! Check it out!

2020 American Music Awards Recap

The 2020 American Music Awards took place on Sunday, Nov. 22 with Taraji P. Henson as the show’s host for the night. Many artists were recognized for their work and took home many awards. The Weeknd, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, and Dan + Shay all went home with three awards each, winning in categories such as Artist of the Year (Swift), Favorite Male Artist-Pop/Rock (Bieber), Favorite Duo/Group-Country (Dan + Shay), and Favorite Male Artist-Soul/R&B (The Weeknd).

Along with giving out awards, the AMAs also had many artists perform throughout the show. Jennifer Lopez and Maluma performed their song Pa’ Ti + Lonely, Billie Eilish performed her song Therefore I Am and Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes performed their song Monster.

photo from AMA’s Twitter

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

The annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade took place on Thursday, Nov. 26. Even during a pandemic, the parade was still able to put on a show, but following COVID-19 conduct, of course.

Many balloons and floats were showcased in the parade such as balloon of Snoopy in an astronaut uniform, a SpongeBob balloon, a Pikachu balloon, and much more.

photo from Pokemon’s Twitter

There were also many performances during the parade to keep watchers entertained. The cast of Hamilton took the street and performed the broadway hit The Schyler Sisters. Tori Kelly, Keke Palmer, Dolly Parton, Pentatonix, and other artists also performed during the parade as well!

Celebrities, Uncategorized

People’s Choice and Fashion Choices

3 Comments

Welcome back to POP! Of Culture Weekly, where we discuss the highlights of all things entertainment for the week! This week, we cover the 2020 People’s Choice Awards and Harry Styles’ Vogue cover! Check it out!

2020 People’s Choice Awards

The 2020 People’s Choice Awards happened on Sunday, Nov. 15 with singer and actress Demi Lovato as the show’s host for the event. Many artists, actors/actresses, and influencers took home an award that night including Chris Hemsworth for Action Movie Star for his role in Extraction, Ellen Pompeo for Female TV Star for her role in Grey’s Anatomy, Ariana Grande for Female Artist, Emma Chamberlain for Social Star, and many others.

The show also honored Jennifer Lopez with the Icon Award, Tyler Perry with the People’s Champion Award, and Tracee Elliss Ross with the Fashion Icon Award.

photo from Jennifer Lopez’s Twitter.

Harry Styles’ Vogue Cover

Harry Styles made Vogue history last week by being the first solo man to appear on the magazine’s cover. In some of the photos, Harry is seen wearing skirts and dresses, which did not sit well with some people. Cameron Owens, a conservative commentator expressed her thoughts on Harry’s outfits on the magazine. She tweeted this about the most recent Vogue cover:

photo from Candace Owen’s Twitter.

This tweet sparked a lot of attention and other celebrities came to defend Harry. Actor Elijah Wood responded to Owens’ tweet saying “i think you’ve missed the definition of what a man is. masculinity alone does not make a man.”

American actor and dancer Harry Shum Jr. also responded saying “Being comfortable in your own skin as a man is manly. However that is expressed. Props to Harry Styles for doing him. There are plenty of men who are so insecure w/ themselves already so spare me ‘the world only needs more agro/aggressive men’ crap.”

Celebrities

Passings and Performances

2 Comments

Welcome back to POP! Of Culture Weekly, where we discuss the highlights of all things entertainment for the week! This week, we cover the passing of Alex Trebek and the announcement of the performer for the Super Bowl halftime show!

Jeopardy! Host Alex Trebek Passes

The host of the TV game-show Jeopardy!, Alex Trebek passed away on Sunday, Nov. 8th. Trebek was 80 years old and lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. Trebek had reportedly passed away “peacefully and surrounded by family and friends” according to Jeopardy!’s Twitter post.

Many celebrities came to social media to post their condolences.

Actress Viola Davis said in a tweet “RIP Alex Trebek. A true, true gentleman and courageous hero. May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”

photo from Viola Davis’ Twitter.

Dr. Phil wrote “Television has lost a true treasure and icon. Alex was in a league of his own. Class act, grace and courage just scratch the surface. Always warm, friendly and unassuming. Robin & I send our heartfelt condolences to the entire Trebek family. You are all in our prayers,” on Twitter.

photo from Dr. Phil’s Twitter.

The Weeknd to Perform at Super Bowl Halftime Show

On Thursday, Nov. 12, it was announced that Canadian artist, Abel Tesfaye, known professionally as The Weeknd, will be performing at the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show.

The three-time Grammy Award winner will perform at the halftime in February in Tampa, Florida.

The Weeknd shared this tweet to announce the news.

photo from The Weeknd’s Twitter.
Celebrities

Elections and Engagements

3 Comments

Welcome back to POP! Of Culture Weekly, where we discuss the highlights of all things entertainment for the week! This week, we cover hilarious comments made by celebrities during the 2020 Presidential Election as well as Clare Crawley blowing up The Bachelorette!

CELEBS MAKE HILARIOUS COMMENTS DURING THE ELECTION

As many Americans know, the 2020 Presidential Election took place on Tuesday, Nov. 2. As anxiety levels rose, many celebrities took to social media to relieve a bit of anxiety and also give a bit of laughter to others during a stressful time.

Chrissy Teigen tweeted a photo with the caption “I honestly dunno how steve is still going im bout to die”. The “Steve” that Chrissy is referring to is the MSNBC American political journalist Steve Kornacki. Kornacki has been given lots of attention from viewers because of his upbeat energy and enthusiasm during the election process.

American late-night television show host, Jimmy Kimmel also tweeted this comment during election night in relation to all the anxiety and stress caused by the election:

American actress and singer, Hilary Duff shared this post on her Instagram on election night:

Clare Blows Up The Bachelorette

Bachelorette Clare Crawley has officially blown up the show. During a “normal” season of The Bachelorette, the bachelorette gets a couple months to spend time and get to know the men on the season. After some time, the bachelorette gets to choose who she wants to spend the rest of her life with and it all ends in a happily ever after (usually). Well, with the way that 2020 is going, nothing seems “normal” anymore. Since day one of the season, bachelorette Clare Crawley said she met her husband, Dale Moss, when she first saw him step out of the limo. Throughout the season, Clare could only think about Dale and fell head over heels for the former NFL player. Just after four episodes, Clare called it quits and got engaged with Dale, leaving the show and the rest of the men.

Feeling shocked and confused, the rest of the men from the show were given a choice to leave the show or stick around for another chance at finding love. As the Bachelor Nation had anticipated and the show had advertised, a new bachelorette has stepped in to find love on the show. Tayshia Adams was introduced as the new bachelorette on the show, picking up where Clare had left off.

Celebrities

New content in the Pop industry

6 Comments

Welcome back to POP! Of Culture Weekly, where we discuss the highlights of all things entertainment for the week! This week, we cover Shawn Mendes’ new Netflix documentary and Ariana Grande’s new single! Check it out!

Shawn Mendes Gets a Netflix Documentary

Canadian singer/songwriter Shawn Mendes announced he will be coming out with a new Netflix documentary on Nov. 23 called In Wonder. Netflix dropped the trailer to his documentary on Tuesday. Mendes announced the news of his documentary last week on Instagram with a caption saying “Been working on this documentary for so long & am so excited to finally share it with you all.”

The documentary follows Mendes’ life and his rise to fame as well as the physical and emotional challenges of becoming a well-known artist. Watch the trailer for Mendes’ documentary below.

Ariana Grande Drops New Single, Positions

American singer/songwriter Ariana Grande dropped her first single off her new album, with the same title, called Positions on Friday, Oct. 23. The music video was set with presidential vibes with Grande herself as the woman in charge. Watch the music video below.

Grande first teased the arrival of her new album last week with a tweet saying “I can’t wait to give u my album this month.” She added no additional details after tweeting the announcement, leaving her fans on edge and waiting for her new music.

Celebrities

Bachelorettes and Billboards

5 Comments

Welcome back to POP! Of Culture Weekly, where we discuss the highlights of all things entertainment for the week! This week, we cover The Bachelorette and the 2020 Billboard Music Awards! Check it out!

ABC’s The Bachelorette Season 16 Begins

The hit ABC network reality show The Bachelorette, aired on Tuesday Oct. 13. This season of The Bachelorette was shot in a different location than previous seasons of the show. Because of the pandemic restricting them to film the show regularly, TV show host Chris Harrison, Bachelorette Clare Crawley, and the 31 men who hope to fall in love with her had to change a couple things to shoot the show safely.

The first thing that the Bachelor Nation noticed was that the show didn’t shoot at the usual Bachelor Mansion that past seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette have shot at. Instead, this season was shot at the La Quinta Resort in Palm Springs. In this way, each of the men were able to have their own rooms to quarantine for 2 weeks and get tested for COVID-19. After the two weeks and testing negative, the men were finally able to meet Clare.

As Clare met her men and got to know a little bit more about them, there was one man that really caught her attention; Dale, a 31-year-old former pro football player from South Dakota. From the moment she saw Dale, it was like “love at first sight”.

After getting to know the men, a little bit of drama and giving Dale the first impression rose, Clare sent eight men home, leaving the other 23 men still hopeful for love.

2020 Billboard Music Awards Highlights

The 2020 Billboard Music Awards took place on Wednesday, Oct. 14. To follow the COVID-19 rules, the audience members and some award winners attended the show virtually. The show, which usually takes place in the Spring, was delayed for five months because of the pandemic.

The show had lots of performances from top artists in pop music. Demi Lovato performed her new politically-charged song Commander In Chief. John Legend also performed at the award show and dedicated his song Never Break to his wife Chrissy Teigen after they suffered the loss of their unborn child just a couple weeks ago. BTS lit up the stage from South Korea with their song Dynamite.

The Icon Award, presented by Cher, was given to Garth Brooks. This year, the Billboard Music Awards created a new award called the Change Maker Award. This award was given to rapper, singer/songwriter and actor Killer Mike. Post Malone was the biggest winner of the night with a total of nine awards including Top Artist, Top Male Artist, Top Rap Artist, etc.

photo from Billboard Music Awards’ Twitter.
Celebrities

Farwells and Flies

2 Comments

Welcome back to POP! Of Culture Weekly, where we discuss the highlights of all things entertainment for the week! This week, we cover the passing of Eddie Van Halen and celebrity reactions to the vice presidential debate.

Eddie Van Halen Passes

Legendary rock ‘n’ roll guitarist, Eddie Van Halen has sadly passed away this week on Tuesday, Oct. 6. In a 20-year-long battle with cancer, Van Halen passed at the age of 65. In an Instagram post, bandmate and son of Eddie Van Halen, Wolf Van Halen shared a touching post and photo about the passing of his father saying ” He was the best father I could ever ask for. Every moment I’ve shared with him on and off stage was a gift.”

photo from Wolf Val Halen’s Instagram

Celebrities React to Fly That Lands on Vice President, Mike Pence

During the 2020 United States Vice presidential debate on Oct. 7, a fly perches on Vice President, Mike Pence’s head while he debates with Democratic vice presidential nominee, Kamala Harris. Neither the moderator or Harris pointed out the fly during its 2-minute stay on the vice president’s head. Pence also seemed to be indifferent to the fly as well.

Celebrities watching the debate at home were quick to react to this situation. Chance the Rapper took to Twitter to say “ITS A FLY ON HIS HEAD.”

photo from Chance the Rapper’s Twitter

American author, Stephen King also took to Twitter to comment on the uninvited guest that showed up at the vice presidential debate. King wrote “THE LORD OF THE FLIES, starring Mike Pence! Coming to a streaming platform near you.”

photo from Stephen King’s Twitter

Even the Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden reacted on Twitter by tweeting a photo of himself holding a fly swatter and the caption “Pitch in $5 to help this campaign fly.”

photo from Joe Biden’s Twitter
Celebrities

The loss of lovers and children

Leave a comment

Welcome back to POP! Of Culture Weekly, where we discuss the highlights of all things entertainment for the week! This week, we cover Max Ehrich’s comments about his split with ex-fiancée, Demi Lovato as well as the loss of Chrissy Teigen and John Legend’s unborn child.

Max Ehrich Speaks Out about His Short-lived Engagement to Demi Lovato

Actor, singer, and dancer, Max Ehrich went live on Instagram and spoke out about his relationship with his ex-fiancée, singer-songwriter and actress, Demi Lovato. On the Instagram Live, Ehrich expressed that he thought the split was the “most bizarre experience that I hope that no one has to experience ever.”

Since the news about their split, Demi has released a song called Still Have Me, supposedly written about her recent breakup with Ehrich. In response to the release of the song, Ehrich said on his Live that “I thought I was the real deal. Now I found out that I was used.”

Demi has not reacted or spoke out about the split or Ehrich’s comments about their relationship.

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend Mourn the Loss of Their Unborn Son

Model and television personality, Chrissy Teigen and singer-songwriter, John Legend have sadly suffered the loss of their unborn son, Jack. Halfway through her pregnancy, Teigen experienced complications and was put on bed rest for bleeding. The model/ TV personality shared the news on her social media on Sept. 30 expressing her grief and love for Jack, John, and their two children Luna and Miles.

Chrissy Teigen shares photos and a heartfelt message about the loss of her unborn child they called Jack.