Americans Abandoning Cities for Small Towns, New "Lord of the Rings" Movies Coming, AI Music Gets SUPER Controversial, The Office Gets a Reboot (The Five for 05/10/24)
Plus, one of the best 90's disaster movies gets a sequel. Pink/Taylor Swift producer works on one of the best country albums this year (from an artist who personally hates me).
Hey, welcome to The Five.
Let’s dive into Culture & Commentary.
[one]
This isn’t a publication to dive deep into the individual personalities of politics…but the downfall of Kristi Noem tells a bigger tale about power, lying…and outright stupidity.
Noem, the likely frontrunner for Trump’s VP just two weeks ago, first came under fire for killing a puppy that killed some livestock and seemed dangerous to her kids. This is tough for me to make a call on, as I’ve seen similar situations growing up in a farming family where a dog becomes truly dangerous to children and livestock. Personally, I shrugged at the controversy and turned my attention elsewhere, because unless you were there, it’s impossible to know if the dog could have been re-homed elsewhere, or was always going to be a threat to life and limb.
But then the news broke that Noem also claimed in her memoir that she met Kim Jong Un…when she clearly didn’t. She’s since gone on a bunch of interviews, and talked around her lie, explained away her lie, and stonewalled when asked about her lie…rather than just fessing up. (Watch the above clip if you like, it’s too long to transcribe).
Noem was likely out of the VP running after the dog story (Americans of all stripes are pretty disgusted at killing a puppy), but her current behavior has likely sunk her long-term political prospects. I doubt we’ll see her again in 2028 or beyond.
It’s worth contrasting Kristi’s blunders with a couple of other examples of apologies. First up is Dana White, President of the UFC. White drunkenly grabbed his wife’s arm and yelled at her while the pair were three sheets to the wind at a bar in Cabo, Mexico for New Year’s Eve.
Shortly thereafter, he went on TMZ Sports and repented:
There is never, ever an excuse for a guy to put his hands on a woman. Now here I am on TMZ talking about it. My wife and I have been married for almost 30 years. We’ve known each other since we were 12 years old, we’ve got three kids together.
We’re more concerned about our kids. People are going to have opinions, and most of their opinions are going to be right.There was definitely a lot of alcohol involved, but that’s no excuse. Whatever people do say, it’s deserved. My wife and I have apologized to each other, and to our kids. I could care what other people have to say about this. We’re more concerned about taking care of our family.
Observations:
A). White made no excuses, and didn’t try to spin the situation. He owned up to the fact that he did it.
B). Dana also didn’t try to argue with his critics and accusers. He agreed with them.
C). Finally, Dana just kept focusing on his family and the future. This killed the story. What else could the media say that he hadn’t already covered?
Another example is Bill Clinton’s apology after being caught in an affair with Monica Lewinsky. To this day, I can’t tell if Clinton is genuinely grieved over this, or just a really good politician, but he sells it well.
Bill Clinton went on to blow Bob Dole out of the water for his second term, spurred on largely by a booming economy, and exit polls showed that half the country found Clinton to be “honest and trustworthy” at the end of his second term. In retrospect, Clinton would pretty much cheat with anything that had an active pulse and was bipedal, so I can’t tell you if he had a real “heart change” or not.
Just as I can’t tell you if Kristi Noem is a goodhearted public servant that said a couple of dumb things in her memoir, or a power hungry psychopath. But what we can be sure of, is that the American public pretty forgiving when a genuine (or seemingly genuine) apology is offered, but tend to remember stacking lies on lies.
[two]
And just like that, AI music came front and center…and raised some big questions.
Unless you’re living under a rock, you’ve probably seen something about two of the top selling rappers, Drake and Kendrick Lamar, taking a series of shots at each other via diss songs. But things really got weird when Drake used AI to recreate the voices of Tupac (who’s been dead since 1996) and Snoop Dogg (who’s alive, but didn’t participate) to diss Kendrick, who idolizes both of the aforementioned artists. Tupac’s relatives are threatening a lawsuit against Drake…as this is a very weird, creepy thing to do to a dead artist to insult Lamar, who was in 4th grade when Tupac was killed in a drive by shooting in Las Vegas. Snoop Dogg sidestepped the AI recreation of his voice by posting “They did what? When? How? Are you sure? I’m going back to bed.”
The thing is…both AI impersonations were pretty good…not perfect, but believable if you’re not paying close enough attention.
Also this week, Randy Travis (who completely lost his voice due to a stroke), release a “new” song that he collaborated on…and had another artist sing. Then, AI mapped his voice (now gone forever), onto the track. And it sounds REALLY good. I can’t tell a difference vs. an authentically sung Travis track, and I’m a lifelong fan.
The President of Randy Travis’ label explains how the sing came about:
‘There’s just so much chatter about all the negative sides of AI. We started with the concept of "‘what would AI look like for us. And the first thing that came to mind was…we would give Randy Travis his voice back.
-Cris Lacy, Warner Music Nashville
Already the state of Tennessee (which depends heavily on music for it’s economy), has banned the use of AI voice recreation without permission from the artist…or the estate of the artist.
From WVLT Knoxville:
The ELVIS Act is a new state law that protects musicians from AI abuses. Lee signed the act into law in March.
The Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security (ELVIS) Act would prohibit people from using AI to replicate a performer’s voice, without their permission. It adds the artist’s voice to existing image and likeness protections in Tennessee.
Governor Bill Lee says Tennessee is leading the way in protecting the music industry.
Country music YouTuber Grady Smith points out where this could go, “let’s say you’re a big singer in rehab, and the album needs to get done, maybe you use AI. Or maybe you’re Mariah Carey and can no longer hit the ‘whistle tones,’ it might be tempting to use AI to use them in a new recording.”
This is where I get sad about AI in music…the cracks, imperfections and wear on the voice later in an artist’s career sometimes IS the art.
The absolute best example I can point to is Johnny Cash’s unlikely smash hit, “Hurt,” taking an industrial/metal song from Nine Inch Nails, and turning it into an acoustic ballad that reflects on his year’s of drug addiction, time spent in jail…and very public failed first marriage.
The song only had power BECAUSE Cash’s once powerful baritone has worn down to a gravelly, broken vocal instrument. Some of the songs on Johnny’s final albums (American IV, V, VI) were captured in one take, because the Arkansas’ native’s fingers were so gnarled from arthritis he could hardly strum the guitar…and his voice was close to failing permanently.
Cash died just five months after his wife, June Carter, and he used his last bit of strength to record his final 30 songs during his brief summer as a widower, before giving up the ghost himself. This physically painful final push gave us two posthumous albums that stand as his final musical will and testament, a last gift to the public who loved him for more than 50 years.
But we now live in a world where those last albums might be “fixed” to make them more appealing radio play, which would be akin to slapping stickers on a renowned oil painting.
[three]
Well, this is going to get confusing. Obviously, Lord of the Rings is one of the bestselling book and movie franchises of all time…and there’s still a LOT of Tolkein’s tales of Middle Earth that can be put to film.
However, the LOTR TV show for Amazon was…pretty mid…as the Gen Z’ers say, although I’m hopeful that it can improve for season 2 (likely releases in Q3/4 this year). But it’s important to point out that the LOTR show on Prime Video has nothing to do with more LOTR movies, which are now confirmed.
Warner Bros. will release the first of its new batch of live-action “The Lord of the Rings” films in 2026, which will focus on Andy Serkis’ Gollum.
Original “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy filmmaker Peter Jackson and his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are producing the movie and “will be involved every step of the way,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said during an earnings call Thursday.
The project is currently in the early stages of script development from writers Walsh and Boyens, along with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou, and will “explore storylines yet to be told,” Zaslav said.
In a press release from Warner Bros. later Thursday morning, the studio revealed that the working title for the film is “Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,” and it will be directed by and star Serkis in his iconic titular role. The film will be executive produced by Ken Kamins, with Serkis and The Imaginarium’s Jonathan Cavendish.
On one hand, cool. I like the world Tolkein built, even when it turns into so/so TV. On the other hand, there are a couple of major issues here:
A). This may be highly confusing to casual fans…as to why the original films, TV show and new movies have different actors playing the same characters (such as Galadriel, who lives like 3,000 years in the books). To further add to the confusion, there’s an animated LOTR movie coming out later this year, which may (or may not) tie into thew new films.
B). Errr…the best LOTR story has already been told in the original trilogy. Defeating Sauron is the big story, and everything else is just myth and side quest. So, the average movie goer and hardcore fans alike may have sky-high expectations….only to be deflated that these new projects…just don’t don’t hit as hard as the originals.
But hey, maybe the new movies can overcome those obstacles and be great…Peter Jackson’s involvement could bring some of the magic back that dominated the box office from 2000-2003. We’ll find out in 24 months or so.
[four]
Cities are dying, small towns are winning…for the first time since the 1970’s.
Score a victory for Mayberry. America’s small towns, like the iconic setting of television’s The Andy Griffith Show from the 1960s, saw more in-migration in 2023 than larger areas for the first time in decades.
The remote work boom that prompted Americans to flee urban areas for mountain hamlets and seaside towns during the pandemic continued at least through last year, according to University of Virginia demographer Hamilton Lombard. An estimated 291,400 people last year migrated from other areas into America’s small towns and rural areas, which Lombard defines as metropolitan areas with 250,000 people or fewer.
That number exceeded net migration into larger areas for the first time since at least the 1970s, estimated Lombard, who works with the university’s Demographics Research Group.
Open-air drug use and violent crime are obvious explanations as to why people are leaving cities like New York, San Francisco and LA…but also, most Americans just can’t afford to buy a home in the coastal states. A whopping 90.5% of people in California are unable to buy a home.
[five]
As always, let's head into the weekend with a pop culture roundup.
Worth noting:
The Office is getting a reboot on Peacock.
If you’re in the mood for sci-fi, the new Apple TV+ show Dark Matter featuring Joel Edgerton (Warrior) and Jennifer Connelly (Top Gun: Maverick) is out now, and getting strong reviews.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is out if you’re looking for a movie theater trip, the 4th movie in the rebooted franchise, is getting decent reviews, worth checking out if you’re a fan.
UFC has a pretty good lineup for Saturday night in St. Louis, including Derek “Black Beast” Lewis headlining…streaming on ESPN/ESPN+. The notoriously dough-y heavyweight Tyson Fury looks to be in the best shape of his life fights Saturday in Britain on DAZN for the undisputed heavyweight title. And the NBA playoffs continue in the semi-finals (bracket, times).
If you’ve got little ones, my five-year-old is obsessed with Knuckles, the Sonic the Hedgehog spinoff on Paramount+ (see trailer).
I recently finished The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haight, about what phones and social media are doing to childhood and adolescence. It’s the best book I’ve read in 2024, by far.
Underground indie rock musician/famed engineer Steve Albini died this week. The Chicago-based creative worked with Nirvana, Cheap Trick, Bush, Chevelle, and Led Zepplin’s Jimmy Page, among thousands of other albums he produced, with his heavy emphasis on drums in the overall mix, and a distinct style of recording known as “elevated realism.”
Most every red blooded Midwesterner is more enthralled by tornados than scared of them, which is why I’m thrilled the 1996 film Twister get a sequel, which is pretty much just the same movie with an “s” on the end, and new actors. If this is a hit, it may confirm Glen Powell (Anyone But You, Top Gun: Maverick) as one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood.
Fellow Millennials, book the babysitter now for July 19th…our beloved childhood disaster flick is blowing back into theaters.
Director Francis Ford Coppola has worked on some of film’s all time classics, including Apocalypse Now, The Secret Garden, Lost in Translation The Godfather Trilogy, The Outsiders, Lost in Translation and…a lot of mediocre crap (Jeepers Creepers 2). But the Octaganarian hasn’t done…much at all worth seeing since the Dubya administration, so we’ll see if he’s still got the Midas touch for Megalopolis, an Adam Driver (Girls, Star Wars VII-IX) that feels kinda Inception-ish with it’s time-bending.
It looks cool…but the fact that this hits theaters in a week and there hasn’t been much buzz…probably doesn’t bode well for what’s probably the Swan Song of one of Hollywood’s most iconic directors.
I loved the Daily Wire’s Lady Ballers comedy last fall, and had high hopes for Mr. Birchum, the conservative conglomerate’s stab at doing a Simpsons/South Park/Family Guy style irreverent comedy in animated form about an old school shop teacher trying to make sense of the modern world.
But despite a cast that includes Danny Trejo (From Dusk Till Dawn, Machete), Jay Mohr (Jerry Maquire, Pay it Forward), Rob Riggle (21 Jump Street, The Hangover) and Roseanne Barr (Roseanne), Patrick Warburton (Seinfeld, Family Guy) and the in-house/affiliate cast of Conservative talkers, including Megyn Kelly, Brett Cooper and newly-fired former ESPN host Sage Steele…this just looks like an also-ran show that would quickly get canceled on Fox.
Catch it free Sunday night, before the rest of the series goes behind a paywall.
[new music]
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music
Most people probably know P.O.D. from their mega-hit single “Alive”, which was recorded before 9/11, but perfectly captured the renewed American spirit and appreciation for life in the wake of the Twin Towers collapsing. (The music video, which features a car accident in slow motion, is incredible).
The San Diego natives avoided the bro-y-ness cringe of the Nu Metal scene, and just continued to stomp along, album after album, even when mixing elements of reggae, and Mexican folk guitar, funk and hip-hop was no longer “cool” in the rock scene, staying true to the cultural mashup of sounds they grew up on in south San Diego.
Now that Nu-Metal is being discovered by Gen-Z and enjoyed by nostalgic Millennials alike, the California trio has turned in one of their strongest projects in years with Veritas. It’s an album that sticks close to their signature sound, and doesn’t try to copy current radio hits to be “relevant.” And that’s what makes it great.
And finally, I’ll recommend someone who absolutely hates me. Independent country artist Adeem the Artist just released a new project produced by Butch Walker (Taylor Swift, P!nk, Sevendust, Avril Lavigne), and it’s one of my favorite albums this so far this year.
Adeem tweeted about Elle King falling down drunk at the Grand Old Opry, saying something like “if only country music fans cared this much about racism” or some such nonsense. I pointed out that people were pissed because they paid money to see a singer, and she was too hammered to do her job, which is worth being upset about. This prompted a legion of Adeem’s fans to attack me on Twitter for a week or so.
Whatever, a good record is a good record, including if it’s made by an emotionally fragile singer with idiot fans. Highly recommended.
Until the next one,
-sth