Latest news with #Vengeance
Tom's Guide
3 days ago
- Tom's Guide
This RTX 5090 Corsair gaming PC has redefined gaming for me - here's why
I've spent the last two weeks testing the new Corsair Vengeance i8300 ($7,399) gaming PC, and the experience has redefined how I approach playing games. Corsair sells Vengeance gaming PCs in a variety of configurations and prices, but the company sent us its most expensive model for review — and you can feel the luxury you're paying for in how reliably every game I tested on this machine booted up quickly and ran like a dream, with almost zero noticeable fan noise from the case. The case itself is so heavy, however, that I didn't trust any of my desks with it and instead kept it on the floor next to my 4K TV. But since it makes so little noise the Vengeance i8300 actually turns out to be a great gaming PC for the living room, and it's opened my eyes to a new dream: 4K PC gaming on the big screen, from the comfort of my couch. If you can handle the weight and you're willing to pay the eye-watering price, I think the Corsair Vengeance i8300 is easily one of the best gaming PCs I've ever tested. Here's why. Corsair Vengeance i8300 (2025) Price $7,399 CPU Intel Core Ultra 9 285K GPU Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 RAM 64GB DDR5 Storage 2TB SSD + 4TB SSD Ports (front) 4x USB 3.0 Type-A, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C, headphone/mic jack Ports (rear) 4x USB 2.0 Type-A, 2x USB 5Gbps Type-A, 1x USB 10Gbps Type-A, 1x USB-C 10Gbps Size 25.6 x 24.3 x 13.8 inches Weight ~32 pounds I've really enjoyed my time gaming on the Corsair Vengeance i8300, and there are a few key strengths I want to highlight so you know what you're buying. As I mentioned earlier, I decided to leave our Corsair Vengeance i8300 review unit on the floor next to my LG C2 OLED TV for the majority of the review period because I just didn't trust my flimsy sit/stand desk with this 30-pound beast. But that was only part of the reason I kept the Vengeance in the living room — the rest of it was that I wanted to see how the best PC games look running at max settings on a 65-inch 4K OLED display, and I had a hunch this $7,400 gaming PC could handle it. Sure enough, I was blown away by the experience of PC gaming on the couch with the power of an RTX 5090, a top-tier Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU and 64GB of RAM at my beck and call. Games like Alan Wake 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Star Wars Outlaws and Red Dead Redemption 2 ran beautifully, though I had to enable Nvidia's DLSS tech where possible to iron out occasional stutters that caused the framerate to dip below 60 FPS. The results from our testing lab back up my anecdotal experience, as the Corsair Vengeance i8300 performed better in our tests than any gaming PC I've reviewed to date. Alienware Area 51 Corsair Vengeance i8300 Corsair Vengeance a7500 Assassin's Creed Shadows (Ultra High) 76 64 40 Black Myth Wukong (Cinematic) 59 60 32 Cyberpunk 2077 56.7 57.5 29.2 Red Dead Redemption 2 (Ultra) 84.6 64.4 36.6 To show you what I mean, I've charted some key gaming benchmarks above against a cheaper Corsair Vengeance a7500 (AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, 32GB RAM, ~$3,399) and our current pick for best premium gaming PC, the Alienware Area 51 (Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090, 64GB of RAM, $5,699). As you can see, the Corsair Vengeance delivers nearly flawless 60+ FPS performance in some of the latest and most demanding PC games. This is raw performance too, without any upscaling tech like Nvidia DLSS or AMD FSR enabled. When I enabled DLSS on games like Cyberpunk, I was able to enjoy full path-traced lighting and incredible visual effects while framerates hovered consistently in the 70-90 FPS range. But you can also see that despite our Corsair Vengeance i8300 review unit costing thousands of dollars more than our Alienware Area 51 review unit, the Alienware PC actually delivers better performance in some games. And where the Corsair does outperform the Alienware, it's only by a matter of a few extra frames per second, which makes the nearly $2k price difference between the two hard to swallow. However, the Corsair performed better than the competition across the board in our general performance tests. Alienware Area 51 Corsair Vengeance i8300 Corsair Vengeance a7500 Geekbench 6 single-core 3148 3303 40 Geekbench 6 multi-core 21786 23328 32 SSD speed test 1898.2 2480.5 2659.9 Video editing test (mm:ss) 1:53 1:47 3:02 As you can see from the chart of results above, the Corsair Vengeance i8300 outperformed the competition in both the single-core and multi-core Geekbench 6 CPU benchmarking tests, despite the fact that the Alienware Aurora has the same Intel Core Ultra 9 285K CPU. The Vengeance i8300 also burned through our custom video editing test (which times how long the PC takes to transcode a 4K video down to 1080p using Handbrake) faster than the rest, though the far cheaper Corsair Vengeance a7500 actually had a faster SSD than the more expensive i8300 I'm reviewing here. So whether you're gaming, editing video or doing other computationally-intensive tasks, you can count on the Corsair Vengeance i8300 delivering best-in-class performance. However, our testing reveals that you aren't actually getting much better gaming performance than our current pick for best premium gaming PC, the cheaper Alienware Area 51. Since I was PC gaming in the living room without headphones it was key that the PC not make too much noise, so I was paying close attention to how loud the Corsair Vengeance i8300 got during intense gaming sessions. After two weeks of testing I'm pleased to report that even after hours of playing Cyberpunk 2077 or Doom with all settings cranked to max, the PC's fans never made more than a low hum. So while there definitely is some fan noise, especially when sustaining peak performance, it's quiet enough that you barely notice the sound from 8 feet away. While I don't expect you would need to upgrade this machine for years to come, I appreciate that our Corsair Vengeance i8300 review unit has an easy-to-access case that's roomy and well-organized inside. To get in you just have to pull the see-through glass panel on one side of the Corsair iCUE 5000T RGB case open, no screwdriver required. You can also pretty easily remove the mesh covering on the top and rear of the case, again with no tools required. Inside the case everything is neatly organized and cables are routed using Corsair's hidden cable channel, which keeps the case clean but does mean you'll have to fiddle with all this stuff if and when you decide to start replacing and upgrading components. RGB LED light strips are practically de rigueur for gaming PCs these days, and while I loved them in the '90s these days I've grown tired of seeing my PC and peripherals lit up like cheap glowsticks. But when I started playing around with the iCue software to control and customizing the 200+ RGB LEDs on the case of our Corsair Vengeance i8300 review unit, I was genuinely impressed. The RGB lighting on this machine stands out to me for two reasons: it has a more eye-catching LED strip layout than most PCs, and the customizable lighting patterns are more beautiful than anything I've seen on other PCs. Obviously none of this matters as much as how capable, quiet and easy-to-access this PC is, but I wanted to also shout out the lighting because I love how the 5000T RGB case looks when the LED strips at bottom and top are running a smooth, shifting pattern. It sort of reminds me of how the engine rooms were lit up in Star Trek, and every time I look over at it I'm happy I have the lighting on — and it's been decades since I felt that way about a PC case. As much as I love our Corsair Vengeance i8300 review unit, I have to admit I have a quibble with (and one serious warning about) this premium 4K gaming PC. Let's get the quibble out of the way first: this beast is hefty and hard to move. Partly that's because it weighs over 30 pounds, and partly it's because the case is roughly two feet tall. The thing is heavy enough that I was scared to leave it on my Uplift V2 standing desk, because even though I'm pretty sure the desk could handle the burden, it wobbled in a concerning fashion every time I raised or lowered it with the Corsair onboard. That said, once you get it set up you probably won't be moving it around as much as I did during the review process. So this is less a serious concern and more a warning: be ready to move a big, hefty box when this thing shows up. Luckily, I will say that the process of unboxing the Corsair Vengeance i8300 was relatively straightforward, thanks to the company's streamlined bag-it-and-box-it approach. The most painful part of buying a Corsair Vengeance i8300 is its eye-watering price tag, so you expect to get best-in-class performance in return for spending over $7,000 on a PC. And for the most part, you get it. As you can see from our test results, our Corsair Vengeance i8300 outperforms almost every other PC I've ever tested, including recently-released gaming PCs that cost thousands of dollars. But as you also saw, the Alienware Area 51 costs almost $2,000 less than the Corsair Vengeance i8300 yet delivers equal or better performance in many games. And where it does fall behind the Corsair, it's only by a handful of frames, which probably isn't worth the premium you're paying for the Vengeance over the Area 51. Now, FPS isn't the only thing that matters when buying a gaming PC. Despite its heft, the Corsair Vengeance i8300 is actually significantly lighter than the Alienware PC and comes with 3x the storage space (6TB vs. 2TB). So there are other benefits you're getting for that sky-high price. But for most of us framerates and graphical performance are the #1 reason to invest in a gaming PC, and our testing reveals you can often get equal or better performance in those areas from the Area 51 for much less cash. If you've read this far you can probably understand why I think our Corsair Vengeance i8300 review unit is one of the best gaming PCs of 2025, and one of the best ways to play PC games period. I'll be sorry to ship it home after this review goes live, but it really has sparked a quiet revelation in how I think about gaming in the living room. I've owned an Xbox Series X since launch and use it as my main gaming machine since it's quiet, quick to boot and runs games decently on my 4K TV. I know PCs are more capable gaming machines, but I've been leery to build a living room gaming PC because they can be so loud and unsightly. The Corsair Vengeance i8300 is the exception that's given me pause, because despite its size it looks great lit up next to my TV and it runs games far better than my Xbox while remaining whisper-quiet the whole time. Obviously I can't afford a $7,000 gaming PC on a journalist's salary, but I'm seriously considering buying one of these Corsair iCue 500T RBG cases and building a cheaper gaming PC of my own inside. So while I still think you get a better deal out of the Alienware Area 51 and would recommend it over the Corsair for those on a budget (not just a tight budget but any budget), I have to report that the Vengeance i8300 is the best gaming PC I've tested this year.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Why Frank Sinatra was offered Bruce Willis' part in ‘Die Hard'
Fans almost saw Frank Sinatra do it, his way. Although fans know Bruce Willis for playing the iconic role of John McClane in the 1988 action/thriller 'Die Hard,' it turns out that 20th Century Studios was contractually obligated to offer a certain A-list singer the role first. 'Die Hard' was adapted from the 1979 novel 'Nothing Lasts Forever,' written by former detective Roderick Thorp, and was a sequel to his first book, 'The Detective.' Advertisement 6 Bruce Willis in the 1988 action/thriller 'Die Hard.' ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection 6 Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis in 'Die Hard with a Vengeance.' ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection The first novel was already made into a film, the 1968 thriller/crime by the same name which starred Sinatra and Lee Remick. Advertisement Since the movie studio had the rights to the original book and its sequel before they were written for the big screen, they had to ask Sinatra first. He was 70 at the time and declined the part. 'Die Hard' also starred Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson, and William Atherton. Prior to landing the part of John McClane, Willis, 70, was only known for starring in the comedy series, 'Moonlighting,' opposite Cybill Shepherd. 6 Bruce Willis in the film 'Die Hard with a Vengeance.' ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection Advertisement The action star went on to reprise his role in all five 'Die Hard Films,' including: 'Die Hard 2' (1990), 'Die Hard with a Vengeance' (1995), 'Live Free or Die Hard' (2007), and the final installment, 'A Good Day to Die Hard' in 2013. In March, in honor of Willis' 70th birthday, his 'Die Hard with a Vengeance' costar Samuel L. Jackson revealed the advice he received from him on set. 'He told me, 'Hopefully you'll be able to find a character that, when you make bad movies and they don't make any money, you can always go back to this character everybody loves,'' Jackson, 76, told Vanity Fair at the time. 'He said, 'Arnold's got 'Terminator.' Sylvester's got 'Rocky, Rambo.' I've got John McClane.' I'm like, 'Oh, okay.' And it didn't occur to me until I got that Nick Fury role—and I had a nine-picture deal to be Nick Fury—that, Oh, I'm doing what Bruce said. I've got this character now.' 6 Frank Sinatra and his wife Ava Gardner in 1956. Getty Images Advertisement During the Vanity Fair sit-down, Bedelia, 77, who played McClane's ex-wife Holly Gennero in the first two 'Die Hard' movies, also took a moment to reflect on the cult classic. 'I think that he's basically underrated because he was a big box-office star. So that immediately works against you,' she explained. 'I think, in his mind, he always wanted to be an actor and to do interesting work. That's why becoming famous for such a huge, boffo movie was not expected from him.' 'But once he was there, it was kind of like, you know, 'I'm an actor,'' Bedelia continued. 'And I don't think he saw, in terms of the work, a lot of difference between them. One was not more important than the other, because he was getting to work with interesting directors, with interesting scripts.' 6 Frank Sinatra performing. Shutterstock 6 Frank Sinatra takes a break during a recording session. Getty Images Even Willis, who retired from acting in 2022, following his diagnosis of aphasia and then frontotemporal dementia in 2023, didn't know how big him or his 'Die Hard' character would be. 'I never expected to become this famous,' he said in 1990. 'I wanted to be successful as an actor; I never equated that [with being] famous and having your life story in every newspaper in the country. I just never thought that far ahead. And I don't know who does.'
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
R-Truth Reveals What He Considers To Be The Pinnacle Of His Career
WWE Superstar R-Truth considers his 2011 Survivor Series tag team match as the highlight of his career. In 2011, R-Truth turned heel by attacking his friend John Morrison, adopting a more aggressive persona. This heel turn also involved him smoking a pack of cigarettes in Morrison's face, a stunt Vince McMahon encouraged. Advertisement After turning heel, R-Truth showed a more aggressive side and introduced 'Little Jimmy,' an imaginary friend who quickly became popular. He also faced John Cena for the WWE title at Capitol Punishment. While R Truth failed to capture the WWE Championship. A few months later, R-Truth teamed up with The Miz to form 'Awesome Truth.' Their team became notorious for interfering in matches and storylines, notably costing Cena the WWE Championship at Vengeance against Alberto Del Rio. After costing John Cena the WWE Championship, Awesome Truth were challenged by Cena to a tag team match. This led to the main event match at Survivor Series 2011 at Madison Square Garden, where they faced John Cena and the returning Rock. Reflecting on the moment, R-Truth mentioned during his appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet that the experience marked the pinnacle of his career. Advertisement 'I felt like that was the pinnacle. You don't go no higher than that, right? In the ring with The Rock and John Cena, that's an unforgettable moment I won't forget.' The highly anticipated tag team match saw John Cena and The Rock pick up the win, serving as a buildup to their 'Once in a Lifetime' showdown at WWE WrestleMania 28. Read More: R-Truth Names His Favorite Comedy Moments in WWE The post R-Truth Reveals What He Considers To Be The Pinnacle Of His Career appeared first on Wrestlezone.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A Hilarious Movie That Understands the South
This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. Welcome back to The Daily's Sunday culture edition, in which one Atlantic writer or editor reveals what's keeping them entertained. Today's special guest is Annie Joy Williams, an assistant editor who has written about the end of Hooters and the Republican leaders who once thought January 6 was 'tragic.' Annie Joy enjoys listening to Michael Martin Murphey with her father, recommends watching Vengeance for some proper honey-butter-chicken-biscuit appreciation, and is a proud Alex Cooper apologist. But first, here are three Sunday reads from The Atlantic: Trump's tariffs are designed to backfire. The curse of Ayn Rand's heir Ashley Parker on miscarriage and motherhood The Culture Survey: Annie Joy Williams A musical artist who means a lot to me: Michael Martin Murphey. I have to thank my father for introducing me to him. My father was a pilot, so he was constantly traveling when I was growing up outside of Nashville. When he was in town, it was a special treat for me and my sisters to get picked up in his GMC truck, which was equipped with crank windows and decorated with enough bumper stickers to cause some serious fights with my mom. There was always a Michael Martin Murphey tape in the cassette player. His song 'Wildfire' brought my dad to tears. My personal favorites were 'Vanishing Breed' and 'Children of the Wild World.' When he played 'Pilgrims on the Way,' my dad would slap his Wrangler jeans in time with the lyric 'The cowboy slaps the dust away.' Some combination of hay, dirt, and dust would fly into the air (he moonlighted as a farmer), and I thought it was hilarious. He and I went on a trip to Montana this past winter, and Murphey was once again our soundtrack, for the first time in about 15 years. We both cried as we looked out the window. My favorite movies: La La Land, Greta Gerwig's Little Women, and (500) Days of Summer are all top films for me. A less widely known film that I just adore is B. J. Novak's Vengeance. I find that many films about the South are offensive to those of us who hail from there. And I get it, it's easy to make southerners the butt of the joke—we really tee it up for people sometimes. Rarely do I find a film that adequately captures both the good and the bad of a place so storied and complex. Novak spent substantial time in West Texas before filming to better understand its people. 'I want this to be Texans' favorite movie,' he told Texas Monthly. The film is hilarious. I saw it in D.C. with a group of friends I once lived with in Texas, and we kept saying how its portrayal of the North-South disconnect is spot-on. Plus, it pays proper homage to the honey-butter chicken biscuit, which I appreciate. [Related: The podcast spreading the love of cowboy culture] The last museum or gallery show that I loved: The Alvin Ailey exhibit at the Whitney Museum of American Art, in New York City. As a dance teacher, I've always admired the contributions Ailey made to modern dance. He was a gay Black man from rural Texas who used choreography as a form of protest during the civil-rights movement. He eventually became a household name in New York, showcasing routines inspired by the river baptisms and gospel music of his Texas childhood. My favorite part of the exhibit was the collection of notes he wrote to himself, a mix of manifestos and eight-count choreography. I visited the exhibit with my mother, who sacrificed a lot to put me through dance classes and endless competitions, so experiencing that together was sweet. A quiet song that I love, and a loud song that I love: I'm more of a quiet-song person myself, so I'll give you three: 'Boyhood,' by the Japanese House; 'Bathroom Light,' by Mt. Joy; and 'Into the Mystic,' by Van Morrison. A loud song that I love is 'Love It if We Made It,' by the 1975. Also, 'Yoü and I,' by Lady Gaga. Makes me wish I was from Nebraska. A cultural product I loved as a teenager and still love, and something I loved but now dislike: It wasn't so much a cultural product as it was a cultural moment, but I'd like to think I grew up in the era of peak Disney Channel. My sisters are firmly Millennials, so I got to bear witness to the greats of their generation, such as Lizzie McGuire and Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, as well as those of my generation—Hannah Montana, The Cheetah Girls, and, perhaps most notably, Disney Channel Games. I might have been too cool to love this stuff by my teenage years, but I've recently returned to these classics. My best friend and I discovered a Disney Channel Original Hits dance class at a studio in Brooklyn. We've gotten really close with the instructor, and it's quickly become the highlight of our week. Now, the concealer lips, ultra-thin eyebrows, and extreme side parts from that era? We can leave those in 2005. [Related: What tween TV teaches kids] A favorite story I've read in The Atlantic: 'Jenisha From Kentucky,' by Jenisha Watts, and 'The Day I Got Old,' by Caitlin Flanagan. An online creator whom I'm a fan of: Look, say what you will, but Alex Cooper is a mastermind. I used to be a skeptic. The first time I listened to Call Her Daddy, I was stunned. It was 2019, and she was still tag-teaming the podcast with Sofia Franklyn. The episode was truly one of the most vulgar things I'd ever heard. Now I know she was scheming from the start. Cooper grabbed the world's attention through her sex-forward crassness, and right when the public was ready to cast her out as a buxom blonde with little more to her than sex tricks and a pretty face, she showed her smarts. In the new, sans-Franklyn version of her show, she often gets rare sit-downs with pop-culture phenomenons, political candidates, and renowned actors. And they actually share revealing things with her because they're thinking: This girl was just detailing her sex life in front of the whole world—she can't judge me. Her unconventional openness invites openness from anyone sitting across from her. Not every interview is groundbreaking, but at least she's getting every interview. Is her approach my style? Maybe not, but I'm a proud Alex Cooper apologist. A poem that I return to: I'd like to think that I'm above bias here, but my sister is a poet, and I have spent my life trying to be half the writer she is. I always come back to this one poem she wrote about our experience as girls in church. Now we watch our nieces grow up and discover God. God was not a girl. The earth he made with apples seeds, the heavens with half-priced glitter. We danced, and God smiled. Drop the crayon, take a tampon. Sundays are for silver crosses and I'm sorry, prayer groups circling rumors. God is purity vow and camp deposit. God is a one-piece swimsuit. God is not a girl. Our hips he made with hunger, our tongues with minty silence. We kneel, and God tells us to smile. The Week Ahead Warfare, a film based on the co-director Ray Mendoza's experiences during the Iraq War (in theaters Friday) Season 7 of Black Mirror, a satirical sci-fi series (premieres Thursday on Netflix) Authority, an essay collection by the Pulitzer Prize–winning critic Andrea Long Chu (out Tuesday) Essay Why You Should Work Like It's the '90s By Chris Moody One Friday afternoon 10 years ago, Andrew Heaton, then a cable-news writer, joined his colleagues for a meeting. The show's producer asked the staff to keep an eye on their email over the weekend in case they needed to cover a breaking news event. No one seemed to mind—working full days in person while remaining on call in the evening and on weekends has always been a standard practice in the news business—but Heaton had a simple request. He said he would be happy to go in but asked if his boss could call him on the phone instead of emailing him. He didn't want to spend his time off continually monitoring his inbox for a message that might not even come … Heaton was onto something. Read the full article. More in Culture The new singlehood stigma Jonathan Majors is looking for redemption. Will he find it? The world still needs Ringo Starr. Why we're still talking about the 'trauma plot' Who needs intimacy? What to make of miracles Catch Up on Peter Wehner: Trump is gaslighting us. Laura Loomer is a warning. Why it's so hard to protest Trump 2.0 Photo Album Take a look at these photos of the week, showing Eid al-Fitr celebrations around the world, a new volcanic eruption in Iceland, the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in Myanmar, unrest at a town hall in Indiana, and more. When you buy a book using a link in this newsletter, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting The Atlantic. Article originally published at The Atlantic
Atlantic
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Atlantic
A Hilarious Movie That Understands the South
This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. Welcome back to The Daily's Sunday culture edition, in which one Atlantic writer or editor reveals what's keeping them entertained. Today's special guest is Annie Joy Williams, an assistant editor who has written about the end of Hooters and the Republican leaders who once thought January 6 was 'tragic.' Annie Joy enjoys listening to Michael Martin Murphey with her father, recommends watching Vengeance for some proper honey-butter-chicken-biscuit appreciation, and is a proud Alex Cooper apologist. But first, here are three Sunday reads from The Atlantic: The Culture Survey: Annie Joy Williams A musical artist who means a lot to me: Michael Martin Murphey. I have to thank my father for introducing me to him. My father was a pilot, so he was constantly traveling when I was growing up outside of Nashville. When he was in town, it was a special treat for me and my sisters to get picked up in his GMC truck, which was equipped with crank windows and decorated with enough bumper stickers to cause some serious fights with my mom. There was always a Michael Martin Murphey tape in the cassette player. His song 'Wildfire' brought my dad to tears. My personal favorites were 'Vanishing Breed' and 'Children of the Wild World.' When he played 'Pilgrims on the Way,' my dad would slap his Wrangler jeans in time with the lyric 'The cowboy slaps the dust away.' Some combination of hay, dirt, and dust would fly into the air (he moonlighted as a farmer), and I thought it was hilarious. He and I went on a trip to Montana this past winter, and Murphey was once again our soundtrack, for the first time in about 15 years. We both cried as we looked out the window. My favorite movies: La La Land, Greta Gerwig's Little Women, and (500) Days of Summer are all top films for me. A less widely known film that I just adore is B. J. Novak's Vengeance. I find that many films about the South are offensive to those of us who hail from there. And I get it, it's easy to make southerners the butt of the joke—we really tee it up for people sometimes. Rarely do I find a film that adequately captures both the good and the bad of a place so storied and complex. Novak spent substantial time in West Texas before filming to better understand its people. 'I want this to be Texans' favorite movie,' he told Texas Monthly. The film is hilarious. I saw it in D.C. with a group of friends I once lived with in Texas, and we kept saying how its portrayal of the North-South disconnect is spot-on. Plus, it pays proper homage to the honey-butter chicken biscuit, which I appreciate. [ Related: The podcast spreading the love of cowboy culture ] The last museum or gallery show that I loved: The Alvin Ailey exhibit at the Whitney Museum of American Art, in New York City. As a dance teacher, I've always admired the contributions Ailey made to modern dance. He was a gay Black man from rural Texas who used choreography as a form of protest during the civil-rights movement. He eventually became a household name in New York, showcasing routines inspired by the river baptisms and gospel music of his Texas childhood. My favorite part of the exhibit was the collection of notes he wrote to himself, a mix of manifestos and eight-count choreography. I visited the exhibit with my mother, who sacrificed a lot to put me through dance classes and endless competitions, so experiencing that together was sweet. A quiet song that I love, and a loud song that I love: I'm more of a quiet-song person myself, so I'll give you three: 'Boyhood,' by the Japanese House; 'Bathroom Light,' by Mt. Joy; and 'Into the Mystic,' by Van Morrison. A loud song that I love is 'Love It if We Made It,' by the 1975. Also, 'Yoü and I,' by Lady Gaga. Makes me wish I was from Nebraska. A cultural product I loved as a teenager and still love, and something I loved but now dislike: It wasn't so much a cultural product as it was a cultural moment, but I'd like to think I grew up in the era of peak Disney Channel. My sisters are firmly Millennials, so I got to bear witness to the greats of their generation, such as Lizzie McGuire and Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, as well as those of my generation— Hannah Montana, The Cheetah Girls, and, perhaps most notably, Disney Channel Games. I might have been too cool to love this stuff by my teenage years, but I've recently returned to these classics. My best friend and I discovered a Disney Channel Original Hits dance class at a studio in Brooklyn. We've gotten really close with the instructor, and it's quickly become the highlight of our week. Now, the concealer lips, ultra-thin eyebrows, and extreme side parts from that era? We can leave those in 2005. [ Related: What tween TV teaches kids ] A favorite story I've read in The Atlantic: ' Jenisha From Kentucky,' by Jenisha Watts, and ' The Day I Got Old,' by Caitlin Flanagan. An online creator whom I'm a fan of: Look, say what you will, but Alex Cooper is a mastermind. I used to be a skeptic. The first time I listened to Call Her Daddy, I was stunned. It was 2019, and she was still tag-teaming the podcast with Sofia Franklyn. The episode was truly one of the most vulgar things I'd ever heard. Now I know she was scheming from the start. Cooper grabbed the world's attention through her sex-forward crassness, and right when the public was ready to cast her out as a buxom blonde with little more to her than sex tricks and a pretty face, she showed her smarts. In the new, sans-Franklyn version of her show, she often gets rare sit-downs with pop-culture phenomenons, political candidates, and renowned actors. And they actually share revealing things with her because they're thinking: This girl was just detailing her sex life in front of the whole world—she can't judge me. Her unconventional openness invites openness from anyone sitting across from her. Not every interview is groundbreaking, but at least she's getting every interview. Is her approach my style? Maybe not, but I'm a proud Alex Cooper apologist. A poem that I return to: I'd like to think that I'm above bias here, but my sister is a poet, and I have spent my life trying to be half the writer she is. I always come back to this one poem she wrote about our experience as girls in church. Now we watch our nieces grow up and discover God. God was not a girl. The earth he made with apples seeds, the heavens with half-priced glitter. We danced, and God smiled. Drop the crayon, take a tampon. Sundays are for silver crosses and I'm sorry, prayer groups circling rumors. God is purity vow and camp deposit. God is a one-piece swimsuit. God is not a girl. Our hips he made with hunger, our tongues with minty silence. We kneel, and God tells us to smile. The Week Ahead Warfare, a film based on the co-director Ray Mendoza's experiences during the Iraq War (in theaters Friday) Season 7 of Black Mirror, a satirical sci-fi series (premieres Thursday on Netflix) Authority, an essay collection by the Pulitzer Prize–winning critic Andrea Long Chu (out Tuesday) Essay Why You Should Work Like It's the '90s One Friday afternoon 10 years ago, Andrew Heaton, then a cable-news writer, joined his colleagues for a meeting. The show's producer asked the staff to keep an eye on their email over the weekend in case they needed to cover a breaking news event. No one seemed to mind—working full days in person while remaining on call in the evening and on weekends has always been a standard practice in the news business—but Heaton had a simple request. He said he would be happy to go in but asked if his boss could call him on the phone instead of emailing him. He didn't want to spend his time off continually monitoring his inbox for a message that might not even come … Heaton was onto something. More in Culture Catch Up on The Atlantic Peter Wehner: Trump is gaslighting us. Laura Loomer is a warning. Why it's so hard to protest Trump 2.0 Photo Album Take a look at these photos of the week, showing Eid al-Fitr celebrations around the world, a new volcanic eruption in Iceland, the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in Myanmar, unrest at a town hall in Indiana, and more.
