that one girl who reviews

Many albums don’t need a deluxe version. In fact, it’s pure capitalistic greed from consumers and producers alike that allow artists to create these versions of their albums with only a few extra “never-before-heard” songs (that have definitely been making the rounds on Twitter for months prior), slapping a “deluxe” sticker on the front and calling it a day. 

Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album, GUTS, was fine on its own. Lyrically, it cemented itself as an angsty teenage conceptual body of work, honing in on themes of heartbreak and embarrassment. Production wise, she was reviving the iconic early 2000s pop-punk sound with songs like “ballad of a homeschooled girl” and “all-american bitch.” 

However, in all of its glory, the album was 2-dimensional with songs that sounded too similar to one another and a repetitive theme of talking rather than singing (i.e.: “get him back” and “bad idea right?”). 

Rodrigo released GUTS (spilled) on Friday and, while deluxe releases are usually a cash grab for cult fandoms, it completely elevated the original album. 

Starting with “obsessed,” the singer recounts the age-old tale of obsession and delusion. Taking the role of the current girlfriend, she talks about how often she thinks of her boyfriend’s ex regardless of how much he reassures her that he’s over that.

The song is a pop-punk anthem that truly cements Rodrigo as someone who is leagues ahead of her peers, both lyrically and production wise. 

It then transitions to a more stripped back sound with “girl i’ve always been,” an acoustic ballad with a bit of a country twang, something currently unexplored in Rodrigo’s discography. If this song is any indication of how she might sound should she choose to make a genre switch, it’s clear that she could easily dominate any field she chose to jump to. 

The song explores the idea of someone saying “you’ve changed.” While Rodrigo may have found herself in unprecedented situations given her newfound stardom, she knows at her core that she hasn’t changed, ergo she’s still the girl she’s always been. 

“scared of my guitar” is a slower track with a soft and dreamy guitar to help drive home the point of the song. While Rodrigo may be able to lie to her partner about how she truly feels, her guitar is able to see right through her. It might sound silly but similar to songwriting, these inanimate objects have a way to bring out the truest emotions in a person. 

The song ascends toward the bridge and with that, the listener is left with the lingering idea of pretending something is love because you’re afraid you’ll never be able to find anything better.

The penultimate track, “stranger,” is another twangy country sound, similar to “girl i’ve always been” but a bit softer and a lot more forgiving. She sings, “you’re just a stranger I know everything about,” which, while rather simple, is truly a devastating lyric. Someone you once knew like the back of your hand is now longer a part of your life.

But Rodrigo doesn’t sing about how hurtful that idea might be. Instead she sings a song of revival and healing. They might be a stranger now, but so are all the harmful memories they brought with them and she’s okay with leaving all of that in the past. 

GUTS (spilled) ends with “so american,” the song that truly made me feel like a deluxe album was necessary. GUTS covered most emotions and universal experiences that people go through. Jealousy, embarrassment, heartbreak, confusion, the whole nine. However, Rodrigo had never delved into a running theme that causes all of these emotions: love.

“so american” marks the singer’s first ever love song (that wasn’t part of the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series soundtrack). Going back to that upbeat pop-punk sound from “obsessed” and other GUTS tracks, “so american” talks about how she’s finally found someone who appreciates her and thinks she’s “so american.” 

Prior to the deluxe, GUTS was an album that centered around the idea of spilling everything you have inside of you. But without love, how could you do any of that? 

GUTS (spilled) actually represents this fully and unapologetically, showcasing her impressive pen while also allowing her to explore different sounds, proving that Rodrigo is a force to be reckoned with in the music industry.

Every year, on one fateful Sunday in March, actors and actresses alike put on their best (and worst), getting ready for what’s bound to be one of the most exciting nights of their career. But for some, (I’m looking at you, 12-time Oscar loser Bradley Cooper), it’s just another Sunday.

On March 10 at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, hundreds of stars gathered for film’s biggest night. Jimmy Kimmel returned to the stage for the fourth time, giving the audience the mediocre show he’s almost always guaranteed to provide.

The night started off strong with past “Best Supporting Actress” winners Jamie Lee Curtis, Regina King, Lupita Nyong’o, Rita Moreno and Mary Steenburgen teaming up to present The Holdovers Da’Vine Joy Randolph the award. Randolph accepted her award in tears, giving a riveting speech about how she “didn’t think she was supposed to be doing this as a career” and ending it by thanking her publicist (someone many celebrities could benefit from having).

“Best Supporting Actor” went to Robert Downey Jr. for his role in Oppenheimer, the star’s first ever Oscar in his 54 years as an actor. He thanked his troubled childhood and the Academy “in that order.”

Oppenheimer went on to win seven awards during the evening, including the coveted “Best Picture,” “Best Director,””Best Cinematography,” “Best Editing,” and “Best Original Score.” Cillian Murphy took home the Oscar for “Best Actor in a Leading Role” for his portrayal of the titular character.

Emily Blunt, who also starred in Oppenheimer but lost out to Randolph earlier in the evening, and Barbie’s Ryan Gosling delivered possibly the funniest bit of the night with their witty banter about the “Barbenheimer” rivalry (or as Blunt put so eloquently, their lack thereof given the awards season turnout).

Gosling then went on to completely steal the show with his iconic performance of “I’m Just Ken” from the Barbie movie. Accompanied by 65 male backup dancers, four of which starred as Ken alongside Gosling in the film, Gosling dazzled the crowd with his smooth vocals and “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” inspired performance, ending with a sea of celebrities singing about how they are “kenough.”

While Gosling’s charming-as-ever personality might have been enough to win over the crowd, it was certainly not enough to win over the Academy, seeing as Barbie walked away with only one award which was won by Billie Eilish and FINNEAS for “Best Original Song” for “What Was I Made For?”

Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Things starring Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo was another big winner last night taking home “Best Costume Design,” “Best Production Design,””Best Makeup and Hairstyling” with Stone winning “Best Actress in a Leading Role” for her portrayal of Bella Baxter.

Movies like Bradley Cooper’s Maestro and Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon walked away with no awards with many people shocked at the Academy seemingly snubbing Lily Gladstone for “Best Actress” after making many statements about how she would make history if she were to win.

No one cared much about Cooper’s losses.

However, regardless of snubs and non-snubs, the Oscar’s, as always, was an event-filled night with gorgeous people doing nothing but looking pretty and wearing questionable things. A great evening of television for those who also wear questionable things but lack the grandeur to make it ironically chic.

Perhaps next year’s Oscar’s will bode better for some familiar faces. But for some, it will, once again, just be another Sunday.

In a world pre-Katniss and Peeta, it’s hard to believe that anyone would really take interest in characters we’ve yet to meet and don’t really want to know (I’m looking at you Coriolanus Snow). Yet, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes provides not only a beautifully deep backstory to the wretched President of Panem, it also tells us the story of Lucy Gray, one of Snow’s first victims. 

Although the movie does cut some parts of the book that are a bit important when it comes to the normal Hunger Games timeline (i.e.: how they got the Victor’s Village and monetary prizes), Francis Lawrence does a splendid job of staying true to the novel, pulling direct quotes from all the characters. 

Tom Blyth, who portrayed the villainous Snow, delivered a wonderfully complex performance, truly captivating the audience with the way he was able to show the descent into madness. Snow was not born evil, but rather a product of the environment he grew up in similar to Lucy Gray, played by Rachel Zegler, who’s inherent nature was always on the move given her history as part of The Covey. 

While Blyth and Zegler both delivered stellar performances in their own right, when they were on screen together, there was much to be desired. Blyth seemingly had more chemistry with Hunter Schafer, who played his cousin Tigris, and Josh Andrés Rivera, who played his best friend Sejanus. 

In addition to this, Schafer and Rivera also entirely outperformed the leads in many ways. Rivera gave a heart wrenching performance as the poor Sejanus, whose life was destined for misery and grief given his district-turned-Capitol family. Schafer, with what little screen time she had, absolutely stole the show with her ability to captivate the audience with her childlike innocence yet motherlike instincts for her younger cousin, only to be crushed by the realization that Snow had become exactly like his father. 

Viola Davis gave a terrifyingly insane performance as the equally terrifyingly insane Dr. Gaul and perhaps, an underrated hero of the movie was Jason Schwartzman as Lucky Flickerman, the light-hearted and tone-deaf host of the 10th Hunger Games. 

Although Zegler may not have been able to convince the audience of her relationship with Blyth’s Snow, there is no doubt that she can certainly hold the audience with her vocals. The songs in the movie not only served the narrative well, they also allowed Zegler to shine through in ways that acting had not. 

With beautiful imagery and stroke-inducing foreshadowing, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes cements itself as one of the best Hunger Games films. If you were worried about the lack of Katniss throughout the film, Lawrence assures you that she’s been there since the very beginning of President Snow’s reign.

From multiple album releases a year to a worldwide tour and now a remarkable concert film, Taylor Swift has taken what only an artist can dream of and made it into a reality. 

The Eras Tour is the one place everyone wants to be, and yet, Ticketmaster made it almost impossible for fans to get tickets to the show. But, Swift has taken matters into her own hands, releasing a movie version of the critically acclaimed tour so more people can enjoy what she has so delicately created. 

With a two hour and 45 minute runtime, director Sam Wrench allows you to immerse yourself in the magic that Swift has so effortlessly crafted, taking the viewer on a wondrous ride through 17 years of her musical career. 

Going from era to era, Swift and Wrench make sure that the audience never gets left behind with visuals that leave the viewer on the edge of their seat as Swift embarks on her next set. 

A particular favorite of mine was the “reputation” set which, compared to the actual concert, was only elevated by Dom Whitworth’s crafty editing.

With sheer intensity, cutting back and forth from shot to shot, the “reputation” set seems to encapsulate the vibe that the album exudes. Choosing hit singles like “…Ready for It?” and “Look What You Made Me Do” and fan favorites such as “Delicate” and “Don’t Blame Me,” Swift puts on a performance that everyone can enjoy, fan and casual listener alike.

The same can be said for a particular song from the “folklore” set. An emotionally devastating performance in person that is only improved once moved to the big screen, “my tears ricochet” is taken to a whole new level in the movie. 

With beautiful visuals and stunning choreography, the song has cemented itself as one of her best. Wrench puts you right on stage with her as she sings about love, loss and betrayal, allowing the audience to feel as though you’re singing with Swift herself. 

While the movie might not seem intriguing for those who have already seen the concert given the lengthy runtime and the lack of anything new, it allows those who didn’t get tickets to have the same experience, trading friendship bracelets and singing along to some of her greatest hits.

The movie also abides by SAG-AFTRA guidelines given that she worked directly with AMC to distribute the movie, producing it entirely on her own, rather than through a large production company. Beyoncé followed suit for her concert film, coming out in December. 

The movie surpassed $100 million at the box office on opening weekend and is actually expected to boost AMC’s holdings given its wild popularity and unprecedented success.  Swift is no longer playing with her musical classmates when it comes to her craft. Instead, she’s playing beyond her years with The Eras Tour movie only solidifying her mark on the music industry and pop culture.