Reels, Notes & Takes: Week 3

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.

Karaoke with Adele

“Adele Carpool Karaoke” is the stuff my road trip sing-along dreams are made of.

When Adele jumped in the passenger seat next to James Corden, I knew I was in for an experience. The duo, with their playful sibling-like chemistry, sang hit songs as they drove down a rainy English street.

Adele revisited her discography with “Someone Like You,” “Rolling in the Deep” and new material like “All I Ask,” my favorite song off “25.” Behind the wheel, Corden was the hilarious back-up singer, shocking the singer as he hit high notes.

Besides her powerful voice, Adele’s eccentric personality shone brightly in the video. She cracked jokes, told tales of her drunken nights during the holidays and downed tea after spilling on her out-of-budget coat. It was delightful to see her high spirits when the world, including me, knows her for her heart-broken, cathartic songs.

The best part: her rapping Nicki Minaj’s epic verse in “Monster.” I would have loved to be in the back seat rapping with Adele.

Corden also presented a brilliant pitch to Adele: the formation of her own squad consisting of Beyonce, Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Schumer and Emma Stone. Adele’s squad would rival that of Taylor Swift. One thing’s for sure: I want to be a part of Adele’s squad. I’d gladly bring them coffee, carry their bags or roll lint off their clothes.

– Gail Acosta

Rest in peace, Alan Rickman

I distinctly remember when I was six the first time I heard Alan Rickman’s signature nasal, drawling voice.

As he drew his black robes around himself, cloaked in villainy and mystery, he said, “I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper in death.”

To this day, those words send a shiver down my spine and remind me of my first encounter with the late, great Alan Rickman.

Though he was undoubtedly most renowned for his portrayals of poisonous, slimy villains (none more iconic or scene-stealing than Professor Snape in “Harry Potter”), Rickman demonstrated his subtle, versatile acting style in many different roles over the years.

My personal favorite was his performance as Harry, an unfaithful husband to Karen (Emma Thompson), in the 2003 British rom-com “Love Actually.” My mother and I must have seen the movie at least 20 times (it’s almost an unofficial Thorne family Christmas tradition), but seeing Rickman’s character fall for his younger, racier assistant still breaks our hearts every time.

Rickman’s performance is restrained, yet in his slightly wavering voice and darting black eyes there is a dose of insecurity, making Harry a thoroughly believable, conflicted character.

By the time Karen discovers her husband’s infidelity, tissues are strewn all over my couch and resentful feelings against Rickman’s character bubble up inside. But that’s why I love movies and why I loved Alan Rickman. They both have the power to hook you into a story and allow emotions like empathy and resentment to flow through you.

I will miss Alan Rickman’s screen presence dearly and I wish he really had found a way to “put a stopper in death.”

– William Thorne

Plizzanet Earth

I’m legitimately crying. I just watched the funniest thing ever. No, it’s not a cat video on my Facebook feed, although that would be a close second.

It’s Snoop Dogg narrating an installment of the Jimmy Kimmel Live! segment “Plizzanet Earth.”

In “Plizzanet Earth,” Snoop Dogg, the man, myth and legend of old-school hip-hop, puts a spin on the popular nature documentary “Planet Earth” by narrating the animal encounters in his trademark laid-back and smooth voice. Snoop Dogg, however, seems to have no idea what the animals are or what they’re doing.

One segment follows a romp of river otters threatened by a crocodile, which is pushed back into the water after the otters appear to overwhelm it. Throughout the video, Snoop Dogg mistakes the otters for mongooses and inserts a gangsta-like persona on the otter crew – “I ain’t never seen no ‘gator being punked by no mongooses” – as the showdown continues.

I love Snoop Dogg’s chill personality. I love how he’s such a good sport and doesn’t take things seriously. I love how he knows he’s funny and is willing to be the joke.

Long live Snoop Dogg.

– Shreya Aiyar

Gender-swapped “Gone With the Wind”

“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn” is famously uttered by Clark Gable to Vivien Leigh in the 1939 film “Gone With the Wind.” On Tuesday, 29 celebrities performed in a mock casting call and recited the well-known dialogue – but with a twist. The actors gender-swapped the lines, so men feebly said, “Where shall I go? What shall I do?” and the women retorted the most famous words of all.

I suppose W Magazine released the video to point out the inherently gendered lines, since Leigh’s words are perceived as traditionally feminine or weak, while Gable’s are independent and strong. The video stood out to me for its exhibition of acting skills or lack thereof.

Eddie Redmayne stole the show when he channeled “Les Misérables” with glazed eyes and impactful pauses in his emotional dialogue. Otherwise, the women gave more entertaining performances than the men – including Amy Schumer’s loud delivery with an uptight accent, Cate Blanchett’s nervousness of failing and Kristen Wiig’s clever interpretation by interrupting herself.

Blanchett said she thinks the video was released to show how women can’t reproduce the line as well as men. In fact, I took away the opposite, though perhaps it matters not who says the line, but the line itself.

– Lindsay Weinberg