ALBUMS

THEN:

Bangerz—Miley Cyrus

You’re used to this by now—I just keep talking about albums until you pay attention and do what I tell you. Now that everyone’s gotten over their pearl-clutching about Miley’s “behavior,” it’s a good time to go back and listen to Bangerz with fresh ears and realize “Ohhh okay, so she’s NOT a she-devil incarnate come to destroy young innocent girls…she’s kind of great.”

 

NOW: 

Joanne—Lady Gaga 

Lady Gaga invents herself again for a deeply personal album dedicated to the memory of her father’s sister who died at 19 of lupus. The album features collaborations with Florence + The Machine, Beck and Father John Misty, and a rumored collaboration with Elton John.  

 

BOOKS

THEN: 

The Cases That Haunt Us by John Douglas

John Douglas is a veteran of the FBI and literally invented what we now know as “criminal profiling.” In this collection, he turns his expert eye to the unsolved cases throughout history, from Jack the Ripper and Lizzie Borden to the tragic Lindbergh baby kidnapping and the JonBenet Ramsey murder. 

NOW:  

 The Valley of the Shadow of Death: A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption by Kermit Alexander

Kermit Alexander was a pro-bowl defensive back for the San Francisco 49ers from 1963-1969. In 1984, Alexander’s entire family—his mother, sister and two young nephews—were murdered in a brutal home invasion. In this deeply personal memoir, Alexander recounts the tragedy, his desperate search for the killers, his downward spiral and his quest for peace…for himself and the memory of his family.  

DVDs

THEN: 

Die Hard 2: Die Harder

After Bruce Willis and John McTiernan yippie-kay-yayed the crap out of Nakatomi Plaza, how could you possibly top that with a sequel? Enter director Renny Harlin and a mediocre sequel. There’s probably a pocket of Redbull-fueled internet fanboys who swear that Die Hard 2 is the best movie of all time; but for the rest of us it’s just boring Die Hard in an airport and no-one needs that in their life. 

NOW: 

Star Trek Beyond

 When Fast & Furious director Justin Lin took the reins from JJ Abrams for the third Star Trek movie, fans clutched their tricorders in shock. But it was not the meathead travesty we proud nerds were bracing for; Lin’s sequel is fun, funny and enjoyable, and in true Lin fashion it’s one heck of a spacecoaster that definitely requires seatbelts. 

by Sharon Penny