We’re now seven months into 2016, and it’s already been a year of pop culture moments. We’ve seen artists come back in a big way, new albums from famous bands and actors become household names. Here’s what we know about 2016 so far:
The 80s music scene is totally hot right now.
New Wave music has found a new audience in millennials, and many of the most popular artists are touring all over the world. The best part? They’re not just playing to older fans; they’re actually getting young people excited about their music!
John Hughes is back with a vengeance.
Not only have some of his films (like “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”) been restored for Blu-ray release, but several others are being remade for today’s audiences. For example, “Sixteen Candles” has been turned into an all-new movie called “Sisters” starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as two sisters who discover their parents have sold their house out from under them on Christmas Eve…and need somewhere else to party!
In the 80s, electronic music was all the rage. There were new instruments and the synthesizer was up and coming. It was the decade of big hair, excess and pastel suits with pointy shoes. But in the 90s grunge quickly took over.
The 80s also saw some incredible movies. In 1983 Ridley Scott released Return of the Jedi, a movie that would go on to be one of the most successful films in history. In 1984, Michael J Fox starred in Back to the Future. It is still considered one of the best films ever made.
The 80s were a great time for music and movies. The 90s saw a decline in both genres but there was still some quality entertainment being produced.
The ‘80s were a phenomenal time for aficionados of the hideous. There were bad clothes. Bad hair. Bad makeup. Bad music. And, of course, bad movies.
The early part of the decade was especially rich in atrocious films and terrible tunes. So much so that it seems hard to believe that the same 12 months that brought us “Ghostbusters” also delivered “Footloose” and “Flashdance.” It’s like there was a celestial force that decreed we get one great movie for each truly dreadful one.
That same year saw the release of “Return of the Jedi,” which is an awesome film, but its soundtrack was not on par with a galaxy far, far away. Come on, what child of the 1980s doesn’t want to hear an Ewok sing? And then there was David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance,” one of his best albums ever . . . unless you consider it alongside the Pixies’ “Surfer Rosa,” Talking Heads’ “Speaking in Tongues,” and Depeche Mode’s “Construction Time Again.
For about a decade, it seemed like most of the big names in experimental electronic music were born in England. But now, the focus has shifted to Germany. The German-based International Music Council has released a list of the country’s hottest dance artists of 2014, and a quick glance reveals that all three are from Berlin — or, as we call them, “dance-music moguls.”
The top German dance artist on the list is dubstep duo Röyksopp (also known as Jonas Björkman and Sigrid Klevjärv), which has been cranking out tracks since 2005. Röyksopp has released three albums under its own name — including the 2012 release “The Last Stand” — and one with Björkman’s side project, The Knife.
Björkman and Klevjärv have performed at festivals such as SXSW and Glastonbury, and they have collaborated with artists such as Skrillex, Deadmau5, Calvin Harris, Major Lazer and Major Lazer’s side project Major Lazer Presents: The Knife.
The ’80s were a decade when the one-hit wonders and the pop stars of the day reigned supreme on MTV. But it was also a time when a new kind of music was being created in the underground, thanks to advancements in technology that put synthesizers and drum machines at the forefront of many hit songs.
The term “synthwave” refers to a genre of electronic music that mimics the soundtracks of 1980s video games, movies and TV shows. The genre has its roots in France, where electronic musicians began making synth-heavy rock songs influenced by Julian Winding’s soundtrack for “Drive,” along with other songs from artists such as Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk.
It wasn’t until 2010 that the genre caught on in the United States. Since then, it has become popular among fans of video games, science fiction, fantasy and horror — genres that were all popularized during the 1980s.
While there are plenty of dark undertones in synthwave music — many songs have been used as movie trailers for action/horror films — some artists have taken a more upbeat approach to creating music that sounds like it came straight from an arcade. Artists like Kavinsky and
For years now, the line between film and TV has been blurring. Movie stars have migrated to television with increasing frequency, while television stars make the jump to the big screen. The latest installment of this trend is a new series coming to Cinemax in February called “Outcast.” The show, created by Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead), is based on his comic of the same name, which Kirkman described as “a horror drama about possession and people living with their demons.” During a panel discussion at New York Comic Con, Kirkman said that the show would be “a little bit scarier than The Walking Dead.” The trailer for the show was released today, and it looks like a creepy ride.
Kirkman will executive produce the series alongside David Alpert (The Walking Dead) and Sharon Tal Yguado, Head of Scripted Programming for Fox International Channels (FIC). FIC will also distribute the series worldwide outside of the U.S., where it will air on Cinemax.
Cinemax has been aggressive recently in its push into original programming. Outcast will be its second new series since it greenlit Outcast last June; last week it premiered an action-drama