The Useless Critic 2.0

Yes, I know I'm a little late on this one, but I've been super busy and stuff. Anyway, Marvel's next Netflix original series, Jessica Jones , is set to premiere with 13 one-hour episodes on November 20 at 12:01 a.m. PT in all territories where Netflix is available. Jessica Jones is t he second of Marvel's four Netflix-exclusive live-action series leading up to the crossover miniseries The Defenders , and stars my beloved Krysten Ritter in the titular role, who tries to rebuild her life as a private investigator in New York City, following a tragic ending to her short-lived superhero career. Watch the first teaser below: And here are some of the first photos unveiled: I'm so excited! Given the success of its predecessor Daredevil , I really hope Jessica Jones will follow suit. Ritter is a terrific (and criminally overlooked) actress and deserves every bit of success. I'm forever mad that those assholes at ABC canceled her show Don't Trust

So Ryan Adam's long-awaited (well, like, a month or so) version of Taylor Swift's "1989" is now upon us. Huzzah! I listened to it this morning - it's a pretty strong effort for the most part. At its very worst, it sounds like some forgettable acoustic thing you'd hear in the background of a Starbucks. And at its finest? At its absolute peak finest , he makes Taylor's recent pop masterpiece (I SAID IT, YOU WERE THINKING IT TOO) his very own. The cover of the Katy Perry-bashfest, "Bad Blood," is receiving the most attention - and rightfully so. He takes this song that was meant to be empowering in some shape, if not totally malicious is another, and revitalizes it into this heartbroken realization. The hurt is real, friends. Have a listen:     So far, my other favorite part of this sweet little love letter to Taylor Swift is how he reinvents " Style," littering it with '90s alt-rock images. Ha! "Daydream Nation" fo

Hey! As promised, I am back with a new edition of "You Need to Hear This." Pretty sure I have been doing this for the past seven years on and off, which is nuts to sit there and think about. How funny that this website transitioned from something I daydreamed about in college to something I still maintain, a world away and on the brink of 30.  Onwards! 1.) Class Actress Responded to the Weeknd Because She Can So I meant to post this a while ago, but I'm pretty busy with work and tryin' to be a human most of the time. Which, seeing as I am really a triceratops, is a pretty tall order.  Class Actress - who is not genuinely an "old friend" per se, but someone I have posted about religiously through the years - released her "response" to the Weeknd's "The Hills" earlier this summer. And at first I worried it'd be a gimmicky stab at fame, it's actually not. It's hot. It works.  Listen to  “The Hills (Answer to Th

I haven't done this in a while, so hello there. Let's do this! 1.) Little Red Lung An art-rock band based out of Los Angeles with a new full-length album on the horizon. They put on a GREAT live show, and the lead singer kicks ass. This was my favorite song I've heard by them, "50 Fingers." I saw them recently in Phoenix, hence dat AZ connection. 2.) decker. decker. hails from the red mystical rocks of Sedona. He's really quite talented. Very folky vibe going on, but even that label isn't quite accurate. Still - have a listen. This dude is headed places. 3.) Okilly Dokilly Oh my God, the Phoenix Ned Flanders metal band. I'm not evena  metal fan but ... wow. I kind of wish I didn't miss their show this past weekend. Live and learn, kids! They'll be at the Rebel Lounge on Sept. 25. Coming Soon: Old Friends Edition! Stand by. :) 

YAAAAASSSSSS WERK IT QUEEN!!! Jimmy Choo has debuted the ad for its new fragrance Illicit, which stars queen Sky Ferreira. The 40-second ad sees the singer return to her platinum roots as an ethereal, flawless, fierce goddess, set to a dubstep-ish remix of her amazing 2013 single " You're Not the One ." Ugh, can you say hair-gasm? Speaking of singles, when the hell is " Guardian " coming out? You said August, bish! In other news, today is the 34th birthday of another queen – Beyoncé. Happy b'day, Queen B! Seriously, this year's VMAs were such a snoozefest without you and Lady Gaga.

Brilliantly moody, brilliantly wistful, brilliantly Lana. This song pays tribute to David Bowie's "Space Oddity," which you've probably read by now. I'm late to the game on this one. I KNOW I'M SORRY.  It sounds a lot like lost love - the kind of love that is painfully slow to move on - but I've read theories it's about David Bowie's late brother. You can read about Terry, David's deceased brother, here . I'm honestly not sure what this song is about, but the sad image of someone sitting in front of a radio or a TV or a computer (really) pining for someone long gone - by choice or by death or by whatever - is a pretty lonely, tender thing to ponder.  As "Honeymoon" approaches, I get more and more excited about Lana's third (really fourth) album. This song just stoked the flames more.