Status Update: 3/8/21

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Hello everyone,

Once again, thank you so much for your patience while I was unexpectedly away on hiatus, and I hope you have all been doing well as, for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, winter will soon be coming to an end.

I just wanted to give you a quick update on my upcoming posts:

• Disney Live-Action Remakes
  • This is a movie marathon I was hoping to do before the release of 2020’s Mulan, but with the ever-expanding release schedule of these live-action remakes of Disney animated films, it seems that I am in no hurry to offer my thoughts on what’s been released so far.  I would like to have the ranking ready by the end of the month, and that is because I am simultaneously working on another movie marathon…
• Marvel Cinematic Universe
  • That is right, and I am finally working on my most highly requested movie marathon ranking.  I know I initially stated that I would be working on the X-Men franchise first, but with MCU’s Phase 4 approaching, I figured it might be better to start my superhero film franchise rankings with “The Infinity Saga.”  I was very close to doing the DC Extended Universe instead, as I thought about having that done in time for the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, but I think that can wait a bit (that might be my next superhero movie marathon).  As with the Disney Live-Action Remakes, expect this one by the end of the month.
• 2021 Grammy Awards Predictions
  • To be honest, I really don’t want to do this anymore.  I just haven’t been listening to a lot of recent music, and I have very little interest in doing so.  I’ve listened to most of the albums and songs nominated in the GENERAL category, so I can just offer my quick, fairly uniformed thoughts here:
    • RECORD OF THE YEAR
      • Should Win: “Say So” by Doja Cat
      • Will Win: “Don’t Start Now” by Dua Lipa
      • Could Also Win: “Everything I Wanted” by Billie Eilish
    • ALBUM OF THE YEAR
      • Should Win: Women in Music Pt. III by Haim
      • Will Win: Folklore by Taylor Swift
      • Could Also Win: Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa
    • SONG OF THE YEAR
      • Should Win: “The Box” by Roddy Ricch
      • Will Win: “Everything I Wanted” by Billie Eilish
      • Could Also Win: “Don’t Start Now” by Dua Lipa
    • BEST NEW ARTIST
      • Should Win: Kaytranada (even though he isn’t really a “new” artist, but if I could choose from an actual “new”-ish artist, I would go with Megan Thee Stallion)
      • Will Win: Phoebe Bridgers
      • Could Also Win: Megan Thee Stallion

If I had written a full post about my Grammy predictions, I would have spent 3+ paragraphs explaining the following points:

1. The music industry has a lot of issues, and the Grammys, by nature of being created by and for the music industry, also has a lot of issues.  Fundamentally, the Grammys is just this:

2. While I acknowledge the efforts of the Recording Academy to resolve its issues with representation in genre/gender/racial/etc. diversity, I do not think they will lead to the sufficient and sustainable change that they or, more importantly, their critics would like to see.  This is because, again, the Grammys is tied to the music industry, which itself has a lot of problems. That is not to say that I am against these efforts, but if the music industry is still fundamentally the way it is, I can’t help but be pessimistic.

3. For the general public, the Grammys may matter for symbolic/representation reasons, and for artists and record labels, the Grammys can help with career opportunities and prestige.  However, there are far greater issues in the music industry than whether or not a top artist wins a top award from the top of the industry.

4. My key takeaway: the importance of not giving the Grammys power to determine what is or isn’t the “best” in music – something that I already think most people do

Other than all that, I may upload some “surprise” rankings in the meantime!

Take care,

Miles