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Look closer at this notorious pro-Trump Twitter bot
OTHER LIFE-FORMINGS at Blackwood Gallery (3359 Mississauga). To March 7. Free. blackwoodgallery.ca. Look Closer is a column in which a writer visits museum, gallery or public... -
Review: BTS show the full cross-platform power of pop music
In 2018, BTS's Suga was asked if he thought of K-pop as a genre. "I think a better approach would be ‘integrated content’,” he replied. The... -
The evolving meaning of the shrug emoji
To understand how we got to the memoji present, it’s worth rewinding to the emoticon past. In 1982, Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor Scott... -
TV review: Justin Bieber: Seasons is tailored for hive-mind consumption
JUSTIN BIEBER: SEASONS (Michael D. Ratner). Four episodes premiere Monday, January 27, on YouTube Premium. New episodes Mondays and Wednesdays. Rating: NN There’s a rare,... -
Was 2019 the year fandom turned toxic?
This summer I finally had a close encounter with the Arianators. At Ariana Grande’s sold-out Sweetener world tour stop at Scotiabank Arena in June, they... -
Review: Harry Styles is a more responsible Internet Boyfriend on Fine Line
Rating: NNNN When I arrive on Monday for the Fine Line listening session at British pub the Oxley in Yorkville, I hear a familiar sound:... -
Review: Sasha Velour’s Smoke & Mirrors is cerebral to a fault
SASHA VELOUR'S SMOKE & MIRRORS at the Danforth Music Hall on Monday, November 18. Rating: NNN “Don’t you hate how drag has become costume, props... -
How movies use Blackface to create nostalgia for the past
CHERYL THOMPSON ON BLACKFACE IN HOLLYWOOD: PAST AND PRESENT on November 20 at TIFF Bell Lightbox (350 King West). 6 pm. Free. tiff.net. When old... -
Look closer at this 19th-century photo of a Congolese woman
THE WAY SHE LOOKS: A HISTORY OF FEMALE GAZES IN AFRICAN PORTRAITURE at Ryerson Image Centre (33 Gould). To December 8. Free. ryersonimagecentre.ca. Look Closer... -
Review: Ariana Grande celebrates her 26th birthday at Scotiabank Arena
ARIANA GRANDE at Soctiabank Arena, Wednesday, June 26. Rating: NNN Ariana Grande is 26 years old. I know this because last night, I was among... -
Review: Zayn grapples with toxic masculinity on Icarus Falls
Rating: NNNN Zayn is a hard guy to stan. Sometimes it seems as if the elusive 25-year-old pop star, who shrugged off teen idolatry as... -
Holiday Gift Guide 2018: The best fan art presents for the stans in your life
BTS STREAMING PARTY Whether they’re a new BTS fan or full-on Army, one of the joys of K-Pop fandom is participating in “charting,” where the... -
Review: Shawn Mendes is a pop star from a simpler time
SHAWN MENDES at Mod Club on Monday, June 18. Rating: NNN “A little prince!” This was the direct message I got this morning from a... -
What it was like attending the Toronto Kpop Conference with a 10-year-old
K-pop is finally hitting the mainstream, and what better way to understand its fandom than by attending the Toronto Kpop Con? Taking place over the... -
Review: As a solo star, Camila Cabello is a work in progress
CAMILA CABELLO at Sony Centre, Friday, April 27. Rating: NNN Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, ZAYN, and now, Camila Cabello. When a pop star goes solo after...
