Medha Upadhyay

Last Friday’s epic finale to “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” finally made it official: Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson is the new “Captain America.” Unsurprisingly, the decision — and the show in general — has sparked a wave of criticism. While some of the uproar surrounding the show was   blatantly racist , a lot of people took the chance to air out their grievances with the media becoming   “too woke.”   This frustration is not unique to “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”; over the past few years, an increasing number of people are uncomfortable with what they deem an   unnecessary insertion of politics   into their entertainment and are bemoaning the death of escapist cinema. This complaint, however, is insanely strange. The thing is, movies are always political if the audience chooses to watch them with a political gaze. Movies have always been firmly rooted in reality — the political messaging was just somewhat hidden in order to avoid alienating audiences...

Taylor Swift’s re-recording of her sophomore album, “Fearless”, is her latest push to make the music industry a better place, especially for vulnerable artists. Swift is hardly the first artist to face devastation at the hands of their record label, but she might very well be the first one to   fight it so openly . What the public views as a catfight between high-profile celebrities is essentially   a battle for her life’s work ; the very work that the media continues to claim is too personal. In between   slut-shaming   her, the public continues to claim that Swift is a   money-hungry vulture   who masterminded every controversy surrounding her in order to increase profits.    It is completely beside the point to argue that Swift does not need the extra money from her rerecordings – what she is doing is  setting a precedent .  She has expressed her belief that artists should have the rights to their work, or at least be given the opport...

  The following is a satirical article for The DisreGuardian,  The Guardian’s April Fool’s issue.  It’s been a little over a week since Lil Nas X released his newest song, “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. The intricate three-minute video has come as a surprise to many country fans who loved his smash hit “Old Town Road,” myself included. That being said, Lil Nas X can’t even be considered a country singer; no respectable country singer would ever dress like that, or question God’s will in any way.  If you live under a rock and haven’t watched the Montero video yet, do yourself a favor and watch it right now. You need to fully experience the song in its entirety to understand what I’m about to say. Now that you’ve immersed yourself completely in the thrilling saga—back to what I was saying. In the Montero music video, Lil Nas X is about to be inducted to heaven, when he instead decides to pole dance his way down to Hel...

  I think it’s fair to say that I was surprised when I first saw American Idol’s YouTube video titled “ Claudia Conway sings Adele Song and Shocks the World to earn a Golden Ticket ”. There was already a lot to unpack with Claudia apparently being a secret singer, but it was definitely her family theatrics that took the spotlight.  From the awkward fist bump between Claudia and her father, to Katy Perry asking if Claudia’s mother hugs her, the entire audition was horribly, horribly awkward. And while it might seem bizarre and maybe even funny, it’s worth noting just how twisted and sick this entire situation is.  For the uninitiated, Claudia Conway is the daughter of former President Donald Trump’s advisor   Kellyanne Conway and right-wing “Never Trump” lawyer George Conway .   She made a name for herself   starting in June 2020 by posting   incriminating videos   of her mother, urging voters to vote blue, supporting Black Lives Matter, and even l...

  Over the past few days, I’ve found myself double-tapping a lot of   Weeknd memes . While I definitely got a good laugh out of the lackluster effort put into the Super Bowl LV Halftime Show, I can’t seem to shake my uneasiness surrounding the entire situation. With a budget of around   $20 million , $7 million of which The Weeknd contributed out of pocket, this year’s Super Bowl Halftime show felt rather anticlimactic. Whether it was the   hazy camerawork ,   tired costume , or   confusing choreography , the Weeknd’s performance lacked the zing that has animated the Half Time Show stage in prior years.  The Weeknd’s performance fell a little short of the halftime standards established by stars like Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Katy Perry, and Beyonce. These artists all used their performances to showcase their unique aesthetics and talents, as the Weeknd did with the recurring themes of face bandages and his radio-ready vocals. However, these f...

  If you care about pop music, you’ve probably heard Ariana Grande’s smash hit “Positions” by now. The album surged to the top of charts after its release, aided in no small part by the abundance of TikTok trends based on the album. With multiple trends centered around the songs “Positions,” “34+35,” and “pov,” the social media frenzy means that anyone who has been on the internet since the album was released has had these tracks drilled into their head. TikTok has established itself as a breeding ground for a whole new type of social media content, one that relies heavily on music. But rather than finding “new” music on TikTok, we’re just being fed the same thing over and over again until our brain starts to tell us that it might not sound so terrible after all. TikTok doesn’t make  good  music famous; it makes  certain types  of music famous.  TikTok music leans heavily into a few niche categories. Aside from songs that are good for dancing, one such cate...

The Kardashians are not known for being role models; after all, courting controversy is how they remain relevant. But this past week alone, two separate members of the Kardashian-Jenner clan have come under fire for their conduct during the pandemic.  Kim Kardashian’s 40th birthday celebration on a  private island with her friends and family  — complete with multiple rounds of testing and quarantining for all the guests — was heavily criticized as being tone deaf. Many pointed out that the money spent on the trip could have been put to better use helping those who were struggling financially, while others responded with how they spent their pandemic birthdays alone.  Just days later, Kendall Jenner threw a Halloween party that also doubled as a celebration for her 25th birthday — with many A-list stars in attendance, including   Justin Bieber, Doja Cat, and The Weeknd . Despite Kendall’s reported   “no social media” rule ,   clips   of maskless gu...

Masala movies are an integral part of Bollywood; whether you love them or hate them, you cannot escape these blockbusters. Instead of using their influence to bring change, these masala movies serve to perpetuate toxic mindsets, both subtly and overtly. It's reached a point where I can no longer turn a blind eye. As someone who loves the unique blend of cheesy dialogues, slow motion hand to hand combat, and full scale songs, this is particularly painful. Swipe through for my argument + proof I've culminated from various Bollywood movies. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 𝓶𝓮𝓭𝓱𝓪 (@medha.upadhyay) on Jul 15, 2020 at 9:24pm PDT

During trying times, it is not uncommon to turn to entertainment as a way to understand the world around us. However, sometimes, it doesn't feel right to spend time on mind numbing and escapist content. So, here is a list of some wonderful and sorely underrated content creators who have something meaningful to say, and something thought-provoking to add to the daily conversation. Swipe through to see my current favorite creators, and few clips from their best videos! View this post on Instagram A post shared by 𝓶𝓮𝓭𝓱𝓪 (@medha.upadhyay) on Jul 8, 2020 at 8:37pm PDT

Sushant Singh Rajput did not commit suicide. He was murdered. I’m not saying this in order to dramatize his death, but because I genuinely believe that the facts don’t add up and an investigation is needed. Here’s why: All Sources: Sushant Singh Rajput's Fans Stage Protests Sushant Singh Rajput’s ex-manager Disha Salian committed suicide in Mumbai last week Sushant Singh Rajput's Uncle Claims he Was Murdered, Demands CBI Probe Karan Johar Opens Up About His Sexual Orientation Namrata Datta( @candinam ) is a PhD Scholar at Cambridge who mistook Sushant for a Physicist when she met her at the Paris airport,he asked her if he could apply for scholarship to get into Physics. pic.twitter.com/SgVtMSsAxx — siddhant. (@ignoreandfly) June 17, 2020 View this post on Instagram It is important to give talent their due. And if celebrities are struggling with personal and mental health issues, the m...