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(CNN)Who are you?
Yes, it's a heavy existential question, but I would reason that it's 1 from which truthful overmuch astir america springs.
We unrecorded successful an epoch wherever determination is overmuch debate, sermon and part implicit individuality politics.
That's wherefore I find the timing of immoderate of the caller amusement releasing this week truthful timely and interesting.
Three things to ticker
'Passing'
This film, adapted by writer-director Rebecca Hall from the famed 1929 caller of the aforesaid sanction by Nella Larsen, won raves astatine this year's Sundance Film Festival.
Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga prima arsenic 2 Black women who tin "pass" arsenic White, with each of them choosing to unrecorded connected other sides of the colour enactment during the tallness of the Harlem Renaissance successful precocious 1920s New York City.
The erstwhile puerility friends are reunited via a accidental encounter, and their lives some go much analyzable arsenic they intertwine.
The communicative was each the much intriguing to me, fixed that my publication nine precocious work "The Personal Librarian" by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. It's a fictitious retelling of the beingness of J.P. Morgan's idiosyncratic librarian, Belle da Costa Greene, an African American pistillate who passed and roseate to large heights.
"Passing" is presently streaming connected Netflix.
'Belfast'
Another movie that is already garnering grant play buzz is "Belfast."
Written and directed by Academy Award nominee Kenneth Branagh, this movie is reportedly partially based connected his ain childhood successful Northern Ireland.
It tells the poignant communicative of a lad increasing up successful the precocious '60s during The Troubles successful that country, erstwhile determination was devastating unit betwixt the Protestants and Catholics of the land.
The movie hits theaters Friday.
'Mayor Pete'
Pete Buttigieg has made history.
The former aspiring Democratic statesmanlike nominee became the archetypal openly cheery US Cabinet subordinate with his assignment arsenic caput of proscription successful February.
"Mayor Pete" documents however helium navigated nationalist authorities arsenic a subordinate of the LGBTQ+ community, bolstered by his unit and those closest to him including his husband.
Come for the politics, enactment for the humanity with this documentary that starts streaming Friday connected Amazon Prime.
Two things to perceive to
Taylor Swift refused to beryllium beaten.
Because of that and the conflict implicit her masters, we get to bask her 2012 "Red" medium each implicit again — with a twist.
Swift is rerecording her medium to get astir that nasty conflict implicit who controls her older music, and the Swifties couldn't beryllium happier.
That's due to the fact that the singer-songwriter seems intent connected not conscionable preserving her philharmonic legacy, but besides improving upon it.
"Red (Taylor's version)" is retired Friday.
You can't support a bully performer down.
Rod Stewart is releasing his thirty-first workplace medium (yes, you work that correctly), titled "The Tears of Hercules."
If anyone understands strength, it's Stewart, who astatine 76 has had immoderate wellness challenges, including cancer and immoderate analyzable orthopedic issues that required surgery.
But look for him to spell connected circuit for the album, which is retired Friday.
One happening to speech astir
What is up with rappers and accelerated nutrient chains?
Restaurant chains person linked up with immoderate of hip-hop's champion and brightest to beforehand their food.
Taco Bell has Lil Nas X, Burger King has enlisted Nelly to beforehand its meals, and McDonald's has had deals with Travis Scott and Saweetie.
The latest is Megan Thee Stallion and her Hottie Sauce astatine Popeyes.
I'm going to theorize that this is each astir capitalizing connected the artists' dedicated — and mostly young — instrumentality bases. Allow maine to besides state this is simply a hip-hop battle, akin to the chickenhearted sandwich war.
Rather than picking sides, I program connected conscionable enjoying everyone's food.
Bonus: Speaking of existent personage beefs, Snoop Dogg and Eminem person present reconciled. But determination are other feuding Hollywood stars who ne'er kissed and made up. Check retired the latest occurrence of my amusement Pop Life Pop Off! in which I dependable disconnected with CNN's Audrey Irvine:
Something to sip on
What happened past play at the Astroworld Festival is not lone a tragedy, but besides a cautionary communicative that should punctual america that, arsenic beingness gets backmost to "normal," it's inactive precise fragile.
Concerts and festivals person been immoderate of the events galore of america person astir looked guardant to during the pandemic.
And portion Covid-19 is inactive here, vaccines person made galore little fearful of attending large events similar the Houston festival enactment connected by Travis Scott.
Authorities are inactive investigating what caused the assemblage surge, 8 deaths, and dozens of injuries. It's present portion of what is unluckily a bittersweet past of deadly euphony events.
So arsenic we question to get retired much and instrumentality to the things we love, delight retrieve to enactment harmless and ever beryllium alert of your surroundings.