Living through the ages of 11 to 14 can feel a lot like desperately trying to shed the skin of your childhood. Watching Hulu’s “PEN15” will take you right back there, awkwardly attempting to become an adult overnight. You’ll probably see yourself walking right next to the 13-year-old main characters Anna and Maya, played by adult comedians Anna Konkle and Maya Erskine, as they learn what it means to be a ‘slut’ in the eyes of fellow middle schoolers, or viciously whisper fight with their...

Trigger Warning: scenes in film of child sexual exploitation discussed.  Spoiler Alert! Pivotal scenes mentioned.  Cuties (2020) was written and directed by Maimouna Doucoure, a French-Senegalese filmmaker. The film is described as a coming-of-age drama starring Fathia Youssouf as the main character, Amy, an eleven-year-old Senegalese immigrant. Unsatisfied with the prayer, piety and religious customs of her Muslim culture, Amy becomes obsessed with her neighbor Angelica (Medina El Aidi-Azouni). At school, Amy finds that Angelica is a member of a twerking dance troupe called ‘Cuties,’ which glares...

FOR A DECADE, Angel Olsen, 33, has consistently made music and then toured it, taking breaks for only a few weeks before hitting the road again. Then the pandemic struck, and she was able to hit the pause button while still releasing an album. Her latest, Whole New Mess, arrived at the end of the summer—a collection of stripped-down versions of tracks off 2019’s All Mirrors (with the exception of the title song and “Waving, Smiling”). It’s indicative of her return to her roots and...

Miranda July is a filmmaker, artist, and writer whose feminist, DIY, punk style evolved out of the same riot grrrl era that birthed BUST. She appeared on our cover in the Fall of 2007 and her books include No One Belongs Here More Than You, The First Bad Man, and a new, huge, career-spanning retrospective of her work called Miranda July that just came out in April. She also wrote and directed the incredibly weird and wonderful movies Me and You and Everyone We Know, and...

SAD13 Haunted Painting (Wax Nine) Sadie Dupuis is one of the most prolific songwriters out there, but unfortunately, still one of the most underrated. With any luck, Haunted Painting, her second solo album as Sad13, will change that. The Speedy Ortiz frontwoman returns with some of her strongest work yet, with guest appearances from tUnE-yArDs’ Merrill Garbus, Helado Negro’s Roberto Carlos Lange, and others. The songs “WTD?” and “Hysterical” are pure bops, with whimsical, synth-laden instrumentation that takes the edge off Dupuis’ incisive lyrics. Other tracks—“Ruby Wand,” “Market Hotel”—clock in...

Happy October! This week, we’re celebrating the return of The Great British Baking Show, new music by mxmtoon and Sylvan Esso, and a book that’s all too relatable right now. Read on for our top entertainment picks this week. MOVIES/TV The Great British Baking Show   The most calming reality show of all time will return to U.K. screens September 25 – and premiere on Netflix the same day. After Friday, new episodes will air weekly. Utopia   Sasha Lane, John Cusack, Rainn Wilson, and more star in this action drama, written...

BEVERLY GLENN-COPELAND  Transmissions (Transgressive)  “There are three challenges in my life. The first is being Black in a white culture. The second is being transgendered in a heteronormative culture. The third is being an artist in a business culture,” says Beverly Glenn-Copeland in a press release about Transmissions, a career-spanning collection of his beautiful and eclectic music. Born in Philadelphia, Glenn-Copeland left the U.S. to study music in Canada in the 1960s. In 1970, after dropping out of college due to discrimination, he released two mystical folk-jazz...

All events are based in New York City, however, they are all virtual and most of them are free. The pandemic is scary enough, but don’t let it ruin your chance at some real spooky content for October. Don't miss out on these events.The Strand Anais Mitchell with Patrick Page: Working on a Song: The Lyrics of Hadestown October 7th 7:00 P.M.-8:00 P.M. Join the Strand for a virtual event on Crowdcast with Tony award-winning singer-songwriter Anais Mitchell and tony award-nominated actor Patrick Page to...

Austin, Texas' very own sister trio, Tiarra Girls, debuts their newest single “Can’t Stop The World,'' a cover song by none other than The Go-Go's. Working together as a band for a decade, these sisters have created their own brand of music, taking inspiration from Latin, pop, rock, blues, dance, mariachi — you name it. With gigs including the sought-out SXSW musical festival and Trans-Peco Festival, and now scoring a huge deal singing with Lucky Hound Music with producer Michael Ramos, this band is just...

The important meaning behind Sandra Oh’s jacket, Zendaya’s historic win and Catherine O’Hara’s long overdue victory made last night's 72nd annual Emmy awards one for the books. Last year the Emmys were heralded as a great awards show for female representation and although it is true that many talented women scored awards that night, they all had one thing in common: their whiteness.  When Michelle Williams won the 2019 Emmy for Lead Actress in a Limited Series she said, “The next time a woman, and especially...