Monday, January 12, 2015

More BS in the Entertainment Weekly Best and Worst 2014 issue

I can't help myself. Consider this the last post on the topic, and just indulge me while I get some of this out of my system. Here's a sampling of the BS in this issue:

*It puts "The Comeback" in its Must List at the beginning, saying, "it took us a while to get back in sync with it," which is its half-assed way of acknowledging the revival tanked critically and commercially. It's a mystery why the mag continues its fawning coverage of this "franchise."

*It mentions Willow Smith.

*It makes 3 significant references to Viola Davis removing her wig on an episode of "How to Get Away with Murder" as if it were Who Shot J.R. In fairness, Tracee Ellis Ross ("Blackish") writes an intelligent take on it that does make a good case for its impact. Yet this magazine can't leave it at that.

Someone even says "it changed the face of TV" in listing that episode as one of the best of the year, and earlier an anonymous blurb says it "shattered narrow beauty standards." I didn't see it, but I do remember outlets like "Entertainment Weekly" making a big deal out of it. Sounds like it was a meaningful scene. Fine. But what impact did it have? How the hell did it shatter narrow beauty standards? Did I miss the issue of "Vogue" that put a wigless Viola Davis on the cover? I guess you had to be there.

*It devotes nearly two pages to tweets of ordinary people.

*It runs an inane piece trying to make a "trend" out of songs about asses, as if the fact that Jennifer Lopez made a video about her butt was some kind of revelation.

*It shrinks yet again its "Critical Mass" chart of movies of the year, which used to be one of the most useful features of the year-end issue.

*It 's snappy choice for "Worst Olympic Event" (paired with Poking Fun at Bob Costas as the Best), maybe because of the formatting of the page as much as the way it's written, makes me spend 3 minutes trying to decipher it. Nothing in this magazine should require 3 minutes to decipher.

*When listing Jack Antonoff as one of music's "breakouts," it lists his accomplishments in 2014 and tacks on "and still found the time to support his Girls-friend Lena Dunham." Supporting Lena Dunham? What the what? Even if we don't see this as the Dunham-obsessed magazine's way of giving her another shout-out, it's a clumsy bit. Better just to say, "Oh, yeah, and he's Lena Dunham's boyfriend!"

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