This is part of a weekly series called “Pop Opinions” in which The Lantern offers its take on the week’s pop culture news.
Sugar
Starbucks’ icy, somewhat-coffee beverage is no longer a teen. To celebrate Frappucinos turning 20, Starbucks rolled out six new flavors dubbed “Fan Flavors.” Flavors include Cotton Candy, Cupcake and Caramel Cocoa Cluster (other flavors in the running were Diabetes, Love Handles and Dad Bod).
A couple of these flavors, namely Cotton Candy, were available on the Starbucks “secret” menu which was widely popular on Pinterest. So a good outcome of these new flavors is that customers who just want a grande dark roast won’t have to stand behind a pack of 13 year olds describing a convoluted Pinterest disaster to an uninterested barista.
Maybe for their 21st birthday, Starbucks will start adding Kahlua or Frangelico to the mix.
Spice
On Tuesday, news broke that one of Katy Perry’s songwriters bought the rights last year to a song titled “1984.” What’s so newsworthy about that? Well, princess Taylor Swift got her panties in a bunch because she felt that was stealing her “1989” thunder. Princess Taylor doesn’t just own a year. She owns a whole decade.
Broadcast Music Inc., the performing rights organization behind the sale of “1984,” said they plan to pull the song from their roster. Princess Taylor wins this fight. But I think Katy will win the war since she is hotter. I mean, more talented.
Everything nice
Cartoon Network announced on Tuesday their reinvention of the 90s cartoon “The Powerpuff Girls.” The show is set to premiere next year. The characters have slight tweaks to their appearance — the biggest one being that Buttercup has a cowlick for some reason — and new voice actors behind them.
As with any reinvention, people get upset and say it was better before. Everything was better in the 90s, you know. Kids who weren’t born in the 90s just don’t understand, man. Get over yourself and move out of your parents’ basement.
Harsh? Maybe. But I always identified most with Mojo Jojo anyway.
