The albums I loved in a challenging year — I have one rule with new albums: I have to enjoy an album with one listen. I know it’s unwise, but I can only listen to a new album once. The days have been rough this year, and it’s been difficult to hear music. Silence seems better, as the songs…

Santa becomes an assassin with violent slasher-level action — Caution: contains spoilers. No one ever said Santa Claus overindulges. The man eats cookies and milk at 8 billion homes and doesn’t have diabetes. Santa doesn’t understand it, but Christmas magic kept him alive from health issues or injuries for centuries. Besides, he’s happy delivering presents to all the good…

Rate these hard-hitting tracks — As the title suggests, we’re rating some straight-edge heavy metal. Don’t worry, no screaming (though the hard rock song contains growls at the end.) As much as I love a good guttural scream and pig squeal, I can listen to them in my spare time. See, I care about you…

Six films I repeatedly watched, but the details escaped me — Freeze frame. Freeze frame the memorable and delightful moments of your life. These are the moments you repeatedly replay in your head, given these moments established who you are today. I can’t forget my first video game console, a transparent blue Nintendo 64 (which I still have), the day I…

From eurodisco to costumed metalheads. Eurovision has it all. — Eurovision is a weird contest, and after viewing every winner, I hold my remark. The show had humble beginnings, but as the years progressed, the contestants experimented. Airing all across Europe since 1956 and the most viewed show competition on the planet, it makes you wonder how several of the…

The year music found meaning — “It’s going to be huge,” I said on my last day of high school in 2015. I had the belief I’ll become a renowned entertainer—a trendsetter. Lift people with what I created. I wish I still had said mentality. Reality’s mighty hand struck me down and showed me what it…

It’s ours for the taking — I wrote an article about the best (spongiest) SpongeBob SquarePants episodes a couple of months back. The list, of course, had the episodes every fan and first-time viewer of SpongeBob would enjoy, yet I forgot to include one episode; one I’m a shame I didn’t add. I could go back…

You might’ve been hurt, babe, but you’re my fire — It’s hard to adapt to change when you’re a kid. It makes it further difficult when your parents are always on the move. In the early 00s, I adapted to moving, as my parents were often traveling. My folks have toured all of southern California before I could walk. I…

The genuine thrill of football — In the United States, millions of people sit or go see men throw a ball. Since many individuals watch guys hurl a ball, companies pay top billing to air their products at the Super Bowl: the game aired year around to determine the winner of the Nation Football League (NFL). …

He knows how to groove. I think. — Midnight at the Sacramento Tower Bridge. Five men entertain a crowd of thousands of Dance Gavin Dance fans who watch them through a screen. The lead vocalist, Tilian Pearson, sings with childlike innocence, while the other singer, Jon Mess, is a modern bard screaming his grievances. …

The entertainment keeping me sane — My writing companions have given me another challenge. This time I’m writing about the five songs and movies that define me. …

Put your streaming subscription to good use — In 2019, when I learned Disney created a streaming service, my inner fan-girl (I didn’t misspell); awakened. Now I can watch all my favorite Disney cartoons and movies without buying them on Blu-ray/DVD or searching for them on an illegal website. What a terrific compromise. For the past two years…

By now you know that I’m cold — In high school in 2014, Friday was the best day of the week. It’s the time my mother, brothers, and I go out to eat. We didn’t incline to the cheap food like Taco Bell or McDonald’s; we wanted quality eats. We lived in an upscale suburb in Texas. …

A television block creating decades of cartoon lovers — You wake up one early Saturday morning watching shows on your phone. While scrolling, a cartoon appears that reminds you of the time you were a kid viewing cartoons on Saturday mornings. It makes you wonder what happened to Saturday morning cartoons, and are TV channels still airing them? Don’t touch that dial To…

Are ya ready, kids?! — In 1999, a yellow sponge glued kids to the Television all around the United States. His demeanor and whim won the world over, becoming Nickelodeon’s prized show for decades to come. Nickelodeon hit it big with SpongeBob SquarePants, and they want to keep their golden boy for a long time…