*Spoilers ahead*

The Criterion Challenge is an annual film challenge hosted in online communities.

If something left a negative memory, and you were obsessed with a song during that experience, you will likely have bad feelings associated with that song. The inverse of such is also true. This leads me to make a bold, but I believe entirely correct, statement: Minecraft is not a bad game today— you were just younger and happier.

Lately, I have found myself amidst a weird dynamic: every time I'm yearning to watch something new, I find myself reliant on the same array of media— the same genres, the same themes (maybe accompanied by a different writer), and virtually the same story.

With the recent release of the series finale of You (2018–2025), the seventh season of Black Mirror (2011– ), and the second season of The Last of Us (2023– ), it is safe to say that the hunger for new TV has been satiated this spring season.

*Spoilers ahead*

Doctor Who (2023– ) started a brand new season on Saturday, Apr. 12, with a confirmed run of eight weekly episodes this year. Returning for his second season as the Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa is paired with a new character, Belinda Chandra, played by Varada Sethu.

Whipped-cream-bra-wearing icon Katy Perry was once a pop sensation, dominating the charts with five number-one hits on the Billboard 100 from her album Teenage Dream (2010). Those growing up in the 2000s may remember songs such as “California Gurls,” “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.),” and “Firework” on every radio station, hyping up every backyard event, and family car ride. 

Listening to music, attending concerts, blasting movies, televisions, and video games— we rely on sound as a main form of entertainment in this modern age. The introduction of headphones allows us to hear clear, high-quality sound in the most sensitive part of our ears. But when it comes to these activities, do you ever think about the potential risk of early hearing loss? 

*Spoiler warning

The Criterion Challenge is an annual online film challenge hosted by the film-loving community of Letterboxd. Although this is the fifth annual challenge, I am participating for the first time.

In recent years, TikTok has become a common social media space for people to discover new music and artists. Derogatory terms such as “TikTok music taste” and “TikTok artist” are used by many to describe when music is bad or “basic,” which I think should only apply to music made with the intention of going viral for a 15-second segment. 

*Spoilers Ahead*

Doctor Who’s (2023– ) newest season premiered last Saturday, Apr. 12, with the episode “The Robot Revolution,” starring Ncuti Gatwa in the titular role, and introducing Varada Sethu as new character and companion Belinda Chandra.

Coachella, officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, is an annual festival located in the Colorado Desert. Since it spans two weekends— this year falling on Apr.11 through Apr. 13 and Apr. 18 through Apr. 20 —Coachella 2025 is already halfway over, delivering chaos and ground-breaking performances in need of a proper debrief. 

*Spoilers Ahead* 

In less than six months since the show’s sixty-first anniversary, the Doctor Who franchise has returned to television with new episodes. Although this season is officially dubbed “Season 2,” it will be the show’s fifteenth season since its reboot in 2005, and the franchise’s forty-first season overall.

This year, I am participating in the Criterion Challenge, an annual online film challenge. The goal is to watch 52 individual films in the Criterion Collection, with each film fulfilling a weekly prompt, and log them on Letterboxd. Last week, I watched Vertigo (1958) from the Criterion Channel's "all-time favorites” list.

This past weekend of Apr. 12 and 13, Gamers Outreach hosted its annual Gamers for Giving event. For those unfamiliar with Gamers Outreach, it is a non-profit organization, founded by Zach Wigal, that aims to provide video games to hospitals in various ways to “restore a sense of joy and normalcy in the lives of hospitalized children,” as per its mission statement.

Four years after the release of Lorde’s album Solar Power (2021), we finally have new music. Many fans anticipated this announcement as Lorde tends to release new music at four-year intervals. While she has yet to officially announce an album name or release date, Lorde has teased a new song with a 15-second clip.

The Criterion Challenge is an annual online film challenge in which people (mostly Letterboxd users) watch 52 films from the Criterion Collection in a year. I most recently watched Some Like It Hot (1959) to satisfy week 13: films made in the 1950s.

Hailey Bieber, wife of singer Justin Bieber and daughter to famous actor Stephen Baldwin, has been the subject of online hostility. Whether over allegations of mocking and copying Selena Gomez, cultural appropriation, or simply not recognizing her own nepotism, Hailey Bieber cannot catch a break from the endless spew of criticism she has faced since 2019.  

Over the years, Criminal Minds (2005– ) has become a favorite television show for many, featuring beloved cast members like Joe Mantegna, Aisha Tyler, Shemar Moore, and— most importantly —Matthew Gray Gubler. 

In a past edition of The Lamron, I discussed the possibility of season 36 being the final season of new and exciting stories from the titular Simpsons family, coinciding with a somewhat meta— self-referential —season premiere in which Bart Simpson turns 11 after 36 years of being 10 years old.

Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter are celebrated pop stars with a great deal of accomplishments, including sold-out shows, award recognition, and top-charted songs. Because both artists began their careers on the Disney Channel— Rodrigo on Bizaardvark (2016–2019) and Carpenter on Girl Meets World (2014–2017) —the two stars have been in the public eye for quite a long time.