Editor’s picks: Summer edition

There’s no better place to keep a finger on the pulse of arts and entertainment happenings than Los Angeles. The A&E world is alive – it’s always buzzing, sometimes ready to implode with a hint of a surprise album or a celebrity’s controversial statement. Each week, the Daily Bruin A&E editors will discuss their views on recent topics and trends in pop culture.

Taylor Swift solidifies her cinematic style in “Wildest Dreams”

In her latest music video “Wildest Dreams,” dark-haired Taylor Swift portrays the actress in “Out of Africa,” falling in love with her co-star on a set of the savanna.

It has all the hallmarks of a Swift hit with a romance story, fierce lipstick and themes of stardom, but it fell short of my high expectations – it’s telling that my first thought was, “That is such a bad wig.”

Unlike the artist’s smash videos this year, including the star-studded “Bad Blood,” Swift’s latest does nothing new artistically. She’s the same character – a slaying independent woman who leaves her man in the street. By remaking an old hit, Swift also mimics Iggy Azalea’s tactic of basing her “Fancy” music video on the film “Clueless.”

Swift also copies her own videos at times, from the neurotically flashing clips that nod to the editing of “Style” or the angry shove and head jolt she directs at Scott Eastwood, her male co-star, reminiscent of her crazy persona in “Blank Space.”

While it’s entertaining, Swift takes it too far. She’s even facing criticism for glorifying white colonialism.

The “Wildest Dreams” video, though a fitting play on words and once again a dramatic production, is not very original or realistic. However, Swift showed me she has developed an unwavering style that will likely be the signature of her new pop star alter ego, complete with lipstick, lightning and lions galore.

– Lindsay Weinberg

Miley Cyrus is back with another grown-up album

On first listen, “Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz” sounds like a strange fantasy, filled with outer space, stars and other stuff the singer’s dreams are made of. If Cyrus’ Instagram feed had a soundtrack, this would be it.

However, a deeper inspection into the album’s confident mood yields something magical: Cyrus has solidified her own image, shaky since her first grown-up album “Bangerz,” and freed herself from her intensely packaged child-star facade.

Cyrus’ rebellion is nothing new. After all, we grew up with her – I remember watching her transform into an innocent pop-country diva on Disney Channel. I then watched her princess mask shatter with the 2013 release of “We Can’t Stop.”

Two years ago, I was shocked. Now, I think I understand where she’s coming from – she just wants to do what she wants to do.

Instead of bashing on how she changed, we should sit back and focus on other things, like her tender voice in “The Floyd Song (Sunrise)” or “Karen Don’t Be Sad” from her latest album.

Even though she’s not Hannah Montana anymore, Cyrus is still a talented singer whose voice still breaks hearts. We should be taking that quality seriously.

– Shreya Aiyar

“Black Mass”: A return to form for Johnny Depp?

It’s been a while since Johnny Depp gave a good performance in a movie that wasn’t animated. However, with the upcoming release of his latest film “Black Mass” on Sept. 18, there are rumblings in the film world that Depp may be close to recapturing the heights of his performances in “Edward Scissorhands” or “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.”

If you look back over the last five years of Depp’s career, you see a kaleidoscope of performances ranging from wooden to headache-inducing. Take “The Tourist” for instance, in which Depp plays a boring American mathematics teacher from Wisconsin. Granted his character is supposed to be dull, the problem is that Depp fails to be convincing for one second.

However, the nadir of Depp’s career was “Mortdecai,” in which he plays the titular Lord Charlie Mortdecai. Depp adopts a pantomime British accent with disastrous, painfully unfunny consequences.

In “Black Mass,” Depp plays notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger, and the early signs from the film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival are positive. The trailer certainly suggests that Depp brings the necessary sociopathic qualities to the role, although only time will tell if his performance shows the depth we know he is capable of.

– William Thorne

Nicki Minaj and Kanye West’s deliciously bold speeches

Out of the chaos that was the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards came two bold and inspiring moments: Nicki Minaj and Kanye West’s acceptance speeches.

During her acceptance speech for Best Hip-Hop Video, Minaj called out Miley Cyrus, who, in an interview with New York Times, criticized Minaj for tweeting her disappointment on her VMA snub. The speech was deliciously bold and exciting, and it made headlines on media outlets.

However, some headlines painted Minaj as the “angry black woman” caricature, failing to see the essence behind her words. When Minaj said “Miley, what’s good?” she was not starting “beef,” she was standing up for herself.

In similar fashion, West did not disappoint when he took the stage to accept the Video Vanguard Award that celebrates his career. The hip-hop star confidently, yet vulnerably spoke about his disapproval for award shows and announced his bid for the 2020 presidency. Most importantly, he championed artists throughout his nearly 12-minute speech.

“I will die for the art, for what I believe in and the art ain’t always gonna be polite,” said West, reflecting his and Minaj’s fearless mentality that was evident in their speeches.

I printed out the quote and taped it on the wall of my bedroom, where it will stay for a long time.

– Gail Acosta