Free Republic

Hollywood is in desperate need of new ideas. Take Sunday’s Grammy Awards, for example. If there were ever a spectacle that could simultaneously be described as demonic and trite, it would be Sam Smith’s performance of “Unholy,” which rang the final death knell for the satanic-ritual-as-art trope. As Federalist contributor Isabelle Rosini wrote, it was as boring as it was unoriginal. Stiletto-clad devils? Latex pants? Whips? Women in cages? Bursts of flame to signify — in case it wasn’t clear enough — that Smith was singing from the pit of hell? “Been there, done that,” artists ranging from Lil Nas...

Instead of respecting and worshiping fragility, anxiety, and vulnerability, it is time to reconsider stoicism and fortitude. In the last week, a 99-year-old World War II veteran from Yorkshire, England, raised more than 31 million British pounds for the National Health Service by walking around his yard in a challenge that then went viral. He is a member of a certain generation regularly taught that when the bugle calls, one should rally around the tattered banner regardless of who is leading the nation to battle.This sentiment was once ingrained in the bloodstream of every civic-minded individual all over the world:...

In an interview with The Sunday Times, singer Sam Smith says that he considers himself gender non-binary. Now, normal people probably don't know what that is, but it basically means that he refuses to choose between being a man or a woman. Hence the "non-binary." It's neither either/or, it's "and." To prove that he's "non-binary," Smith points out that he loves him some high heels and fur coats: "I've got loads of heels at home... "People don't know this, but when I was 17, I remember becoming obsessed with Boy George and Marilyn, and all that. There was one moment...

Prior to the release of his sophomore album, Thrill of It All, Sam Smith told U.K. newspaper The Sunday Times about his own gender fluidity. "I love a heel," Smith said. "I've got loads of heels at home. … People don't know this, but when I was 17, I remember becoming obsessed with Boy George and Marilyn, and all that. There was one moment in my life where I didn't own a piece of male clothing, really. I would wear full make-up every day in school, eyelashes, leggings with Dr. Martens and huge fur coats – for two and a...

Sam Smith is set to claim the first ever chart-topping Bond theme on Friday with 'Writing's On The Wall'. The Spectre song currently has double the combined sales of its closest competitor, Justin Bieber's 'What Do You Mean?'.

Sam Smith drops MAJOR hint that he's recording the theme song for the new James Bond film Spectre... after previously denying any involvement There was fervent speculation that he was involved earlier in the track this year. And now singer Sam Smith has dropped the first major hint that he will in fact be recording the theme song for the new James Bond film, Spectre. The 23-year-old vocalist took to Instagram on Monday to share a snap of him wearing a ring emblazoned with the Spectre logo.

Please keep in mind, as the governor calls for gun rationing instead of crime control, his budget proposal (which is about priorities) CUT millions of dollars in public safety funding -- including the Attorney General and Blueprint for Safer Philadelphia funds. There are a number of comments by Philadelphia Chief Inspector Joseph Fox, head of detectives. As part of the Committee of the Whole, various media reports were cited. Punishment enhancements or mandatory sentences for the small number of offenders who commit the disproportionate share of the crimes will, by definition, lower crime rates. Efforts by judges and others to...