Comedians often embellish for comedic effect, but when exaggeration is used to manipulate emotions for connection, it takes a darker turn. On Sept. 15, The New Yorker ran a story titled “Hasan Minhaj’s ‘Emotional Truths’” in which journalist Clare Malone uncovers an unsettling truth about the comedian’s stand-up: Minhaj had[Read More…]
Arts & Entertainment
Keep up to date on local art, new albums, and everything entertainment-related.
The haunting myth of the celebrity novel
The practice of ghostwriting has been around for centuries—even before the official term’s coining. Back when the primary mode of communication was oral storytelling, people used ghostwriting to scribe Bible passages and transfer religious schools of thought onto paper. Today, the most common cultural association with ghostwriting involves celebrity memoirs,[Read More…]
Don Gillmor’s ‘Breaking & Entering’ bears the unbearable mid-life crisis
The body reacts to extreme heat much like a city—its systems so overburdened, its relationships so strangely altered, that it is forced to cope in unlikely ways. In Don Gillmor’s fourth novel, Breaking and Entering, a Toronto heatwave is the crucible under whose pressures the illusions of normal life begin[Read More…]
‘Sex Education’’s finale waves an unsatisfying goodbye to our favourite characters
Spoilers ahead for Sex Education season 4 Netflix’s highly acclaimed Sex Education released its fourth and final season on Sept. 21. With the third season ending on a cliffhanger of paternal origin, a love triangle, and several breakups, fans greatly anticipated the fourth season’s answers to these lingering questions. Unfortunately,[Read More…]
After a 146 day strike, the Writer’s Guild of America has struck a deal with the AMPTP
On May 2, the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) went on strike against the American Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to protest for fair wages, promises against the use of AI, guarantees about job duration, and other issues—shutting down the majority of continuing projects and stopping new shoots from[Read More…]
An open letter to Taylor Swift
Dear Taylor, The Gaylor and Swift-zerland Delegations of McGill University would like to warmly congratulate you on the success of The Eras Tour and the whole soon-to-be-billionaire thing. More importantly, we would like to beg—ahem—invite you to perform for us. Yes, the Miss Americana persona is classic, but your neighbours[Read More…]
The Massimadi Foundation’s festivities cherish Afroqueer culture
The Massimadi Afro LGBTQ+ Arts and Film Festival celebrates its 15th anniversary with an explosion of light, music, and vibrant hues. Since its inception in 2009 within the classrooms of Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM), the Massimadi Foundation has been orchestrating a series of events throughout September. These gatherings[Read More…]
AI in Music: Revolutionary or Robotic?
In recent years, the term artificial intelligence (AI) has become part of our everyday vocabulary. The emergence of ChatGPT in the fall of 2022 sparked both curiosity and concern for AI’s future across industries. Just four months later, Spotify introduced its AI-powered DJ robot which uses generative OpenAI technology to[Read More…]
The intimacy of Black Country, New Road at Le National
On Saturday, Sept. 16, Black Country, New Road donned their denim shorts, jackets, and shirts, and played their first ever Montreal show in full Canadian tuxedo. This set of North American shows is the first following the release of their latest record, Live at Bush Hall, which features songs written[Read More…]
How “girl dinner” could fight the patriarchy
Content Warning: Discussion of disordered eating “Girl dinner,” a recent TikTok sensation, reveals what’s lurking in the backs of refrigerators and cupboards at dinnertime when you have procrastinated grocery shopping. An experience resonating with people of all genders, it shows creators poking fun at makeshift meals. While “girl dinner” started[Read More…]
