Saban told reporters Thursday he believes an expansion of the current playoff system would be bad for the sport.
“I think the playoff has become and will continue to become … if it’s expanded, to minimize the importance of those games, maybe to the point where those games won’t even exist,” Saban said. “I’m not sure that is the best thing, overall, for college football.”
The College Football Playoff is currently contracted to four teams through 2026. There has been chatter of increasing the number of teams from four to eight, though that would require a renegotiation of the current television contract with ESPN.
Saban theorized players competing in non-playoff bowl games would begin to skip out on the events to prepare for the NFL draft. He added he thought the trend would ultimately lead to those games phasing out.
“I’m not really for going eight teams in a playoff,” Saban said. “It’s a hypothetical question, that I have enough issues and problems to solve without thinking about something that may or may not happen.”
From a logical standpoint, it’s kind of hard to see where Saban is coming from. There are already bowl games seen as more “important” than the remaining ones—the so-called New Year’s Six. Adding four more teams to the playoffs would simply add two more of those games into the playoff mix each year.
There’s really nothing that changes from the current system, aside from the number of teams in the playoff. Players who skip non-essential bowl games are going to skip them regardless of whether there are four or eight teams playing for a national title.
From a competitive standpoint, Saban’s logic is clear. An eight-team playoff adds another game to his postseason. That’s another chance to be beaten and lessens Saban’s chances at winning national championships.
Clashes between Sudanese anti-riot police and protesters in demonstrations against a rise in bread prices have killed 19 people, including two security force personnel, according to the government.
“Nineteen people lost their lives in the incidents including two from security forces,” government spokesman Boshara Juma said on state television on Thursday, adding that 219 people were wounded.
Sudanese authorities had previously said that eight people have been killed in clashes in Khartoum and several other cities since the protests began on December 19.
Amnesty International – a global rights organisation – has put the death toll at 37.
Earlier on Thursday, a network of Sudanese journalists started a strike in the wake of deadly protests sparked by an increase in bread prices.
“We declare a three-day strike from December 27 to protest against the violence unleashed by the government against demonstrators,” said the Sudanese Journalists’ Network, which advocates free speech, on Thursday.
The independent network said the strike was also a protest against authorities’ “barbaric” assault on press freedoms, including censorship and confiscating newspaper editions.
Journalists in Sudan frequently complain of harassment from the authorities, and the African country has a dire rating on international press freedom rankings.
Entire print runs of newspapers are often confiscated over articles deemed offensive by the powerful National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), which is spearheading the ongoing crackdown on protesters.
Doctors have already been on a strike since Monday.
Activists and opposition groups have called on people to take to the streets again over the next few days.
“We urge the Sudanese people to continue their demonstrations until success is achieved by overthrowing the regime,” the Sudanese Communist Party said in a statement.
Several members of the party have been arrested by security agents since the protests started.
“We also call on all opposition parties to unite and work together to coordinate this movement.”
Protests initially started in towns and villages and later spread to Khartoum, as people rallied against the government tripling the price of a loaf of bread from one Sudanese pound to three ($0.02 to $0.06).
Demonstrators have also been marching against Sudan’s dire economic situation and some have called for the president’s resignation.
After the protests erupted, President Omar al-Bashir, who has been in power since a 1989 coup, vowed to “take real reforms” to tackle the country’s financial difficulties.
Sudan is facing an acute foreign currency crisis and soaring inflation despite the lifting of an economic embargo by Washington in October 2017.
The rate of inflation is as high as 70 percent and the Sudanese pound has plunged, while shortages of bread and fuel have regularly hit several cities.
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With 2018 winding down, it’s safe to say that this year was just as chaotic at the White House as 2017, if not more so. From absurd behavior to jail time for former staff members to the battle with the press, it’s been a year that’s left us trying to catch our breath.
So much of what’s happened in 2018 has been centered around the White House, be it staff turnover or events that actually took place there. So instead of trying to take on the worldwide whirlwind that is Trump himself, we’ve limited our scope to some of the worst White House-oriented events of the year.
Even then it’s pretty hard to capture everything that happened. But here are our picks for the 14 worst White House moments of 2018.
1. Trump’s Jailhouse Rock
For all of Trump’s belly-aching about the Mueller investigation being a “witch hunt,” an awful lot of people from the president’s orbit are going to jail over it. The biggest Trump figure to fall is his former personal attorney Michael Cohen, who was sentenced to three years in prison for a variety of crimes, including violation of campaign finance laws — which Trump is also implicated in — due to making hush payments to two women with whom Trump allegedly had affairs.
Talk about going out with a bang. Even with a few days left in the year, it’ll be hard to top what happened on Tuesday, December 11, in front of a gaggle of press in the Oval Office. Incoming House Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the leading Democrats in Congress, were sitting with Trump and VP Mike Pence for what Trump clearly hoped was a nice, bipartisan photo op.
What unfolded, though, was a spectacular partisan verbal brawl. Pelosi and Schumer needled Trump over immigration and government funding, resulting in Trump saying he’d take full responsibility for any government shutdown.
Final minutes of incredible Oval Office exchange that ends with Trump promising Schumer he will take responsibility for shutdown if he doesn’t get his money for the border wall. pic.twitter.com/Yo4itDjDxU
It was an astounding meltdown from a president who’s made us almost numb to tantrums. It also sets the stage for an explosive 2019, as Democrats take back control of the House while the 2020 presidential campaign revs up and the Mueller investigation rolls on.
3. Acosta-gate
Trump’s battle with the media came to a head in the final quarter of 2018. CNN’s Jim Acosta has raised the ire of multiple White House officials, including Trump, throughout the current administration’s tenure. The feud exploded in early November when a heated exchange between Acosta and Trump eventually led to the White House revoking Acosta’s press pass.
While it was the clearest punch thrown by the administration in their ongoing fight against the press, things got even weirder when White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders shared a doctored video of the incident sourced to an Info Wars editor to defend the revoked pass, claiming Acosta physically attacked the young White House intern trying to take a microphone from Acosta. Kellyanne Conway made it even weirder with an alternative facts defense.
In the end, the White House backtracked from the physical nature of their original claim (the video was doctored, after all) and said it was because, basically, they thought Acosta was rude. Eventually, Acosta got his pass back, the White House made up (bad) new rules for journalists, and the battle between the free press and the president continues on.
4. A horrifying holiday
In 2018, just as it happened in 2017, First Lady Melania Trump’s Christmas decorations in the White House were met with ridicule. In particular, the giant blood-red Christmas trees that haunted the hallways of the White House were target of jokes and memes this time around.
Maybe next year, she’ll stick with some garland and an inflatable Santa on the lawn.
5. That painful Game of Thrones tweet
We can’t pinpoint any single tweet Trump sends, because really, he sends so many bad ones that we’d never keep up. But this one in particular, this really bad attempt to cash in on the popularity of Game of Thrones, gets its due because it’s very clear someone’s nephew or some lowly underpaid intern stayed up way too late in the White House basement to come up with this bad art.
It’s a perfect example of an inept, out-of-touch administration bringing the thirst. It went viral, alright, but for all the wrong reasons. To mash together two HBO references, if you come at the Night King, you best not miss.
While Trump may have gotten along swimmingly with Nixon, it’s hard to envision either Abe Lincoln or Teddy Roosevelt having too many chuckles hanging out with the president.
The administration said they put a stop to the unconscionable practice after much protest, but trouble lingered as hundreds of children remained separated from their parents into the fall, just as Trump began revving up his midterm election racist rhetoric over a caravan of migrants streaming through Mexico.
8. Donald and Kanye hold court
Trump relishes a spectacle, but this was something else altogether, a meeting of minds that went supernova in seconds. It was such an incredible display of jaw-dropping absurdity, we almost missed the fact Kanye that shared his iPhone passcode with the world.
9. An awkward phone call
Trump’s presidency has, thus far, been a long, strange fever dream, a feeling punctuated by the ridiculously awkward August phone call he had with Mexico president Enrique Peña Nieto. As his speakerphone continued to malfunction, what should have been a dry, pointless diplomatic photo op turned into a comedy of errors. When it got the VEEP treatment, it only served to remind us all that distinction between the HBO satire and the real world was getting blurrier every day.
10. Voting with your groceries
For a president whose administration is hell-bent on destroying voting rights, Trump doesn’t seem to understand how voter ID works. At least, that’s the feeling we got in August when, trying to explain his desire for stricter voter ID laws, the president of the United States said, “You know if you go out and buy groceries, you need a picture or a card — you need ID.” Which is … not true at all, unless you’re buying some sort of alcohol.
Things got weirder when White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee tried to explain Trump’s quote and that, yes, the president knows how grocery shopping works.
Three months later, in November, Trump returned to this line of thought in an interview with conservative website The Daily Caller, saying, “If you buy a box of cereal — you have a voter ID.” This is, again, untrue, as was Trump’s assertion that people voted multiple times using disguises. It’d be ridiculous if the threat of stripping voter rights wasn’t so real.
Turnover is to be expected with any presidency, but the unprecedented rate at which Trump’s administration has seen change is a sign that the White House is in deep disarray.
12. Trump’s notes to self
One thing aides around the White House have to do, apparently, is to remind President Trump to act, well, presidential. That fact isn’t all that disturbing; presidents are busy people and little notes to keep them on track or to remind them of certain things are a necessity.
Except these notes were so simplistic, so seemingly unnecessary that you can’t help but wonder what goes through Trump’s head. Such as the notes that were given to Trump before he met with victims of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting that read like a list of “how to sound like a human being.”
Other times, his notes were either misspelled (“colusion”) or he just straight-up ignored them, such as the time he was told “DO NOT CONGRATULATE” Vladimir Putin and he turned right around and offered those congrats.
13. Lowering the flag
Trump holds grudges. We know this. But it was still shocking to see that twice — TWICE — Trump let those grudges spill out into a time of mourning by dragging his feet on lowering the White House flag.
Following the June 28 shooting deaths of five journalists in the Annapolis, Maryland newsroom of the Capital Gazette, President Trump, no lover of the media, reportedly denied a request to lower the White House flags to half-staff to honor the victims though he had done so several times before to honor victims of mass shootings. Several days of criticism later, the White House relented.
Then, when Senator John McCain, a Trump nemesis who had been the target of Trump verbal attacks, died in August, the White House faced criticism for raising the flag after a day at half-staff and for Trump’s prolonged silence about McCain’s passing. Both of these were remedied, but not before Trump’s pettiness showed through.
14. The “shithole” heard ’round the world
We should have known 2018 was going to be a wild year when, in January, Trump kicked off the year by referring to countries like Haiti, El Salvador, and some African nations as “shithole countries” while discussing immigration with lawmakers in the Oval Office.
I’m a future News Editor. I’m a Journalism & Media Studies Postgraduate Student. I have 3 degrees. I speak 6 languages. I‘m a 2018 Hazelhurst Fellow. I’m a Postgraduate Merit Award holder. I’m from a #ShitHole country pic.twitter.com/DYadcLXNxI
The responses were as inspiring as Trump’s comments were awful. That didn’t take away the stench from the White House, though, another example of the lurking racism of the current administration breaking through the surface to remind us all what dark days these are.
Sharing someone else’s home is about to get even creepier.
The Chinese Airbnb competitor Xiaozhu is rolling out locks that open with facial recognition, according to the South China Morning Post. The locks are reportedly meant to address security concerns. But they will also assist the Chinese government in monitoring the comings and goings of travelers in China.
Xiaozhu is a Chinese home sharing company similar to Airbnb. Alibaba co-founder and executive chairman Jack Ma recently led a $300 million round of investment in the company. The facial recognition software will reportedly be provided by Alibaba.
The facial recognition locks will be part of a pilot program. Approximately 80 percent of Xiaozhu’s home shares in the Chinese city of Chengdu will get the new feature. That will come with security updates like smoke and gas detectors, too.
In addition to security, the report also states that the facial recognition locks are part of the Chinese government’s larger initiative to gain “tighter control” over short-term rentals, “mainly for state security reasons.” In the new year, the Zhejiang province, which is to the East of Chengdu, will be the first in China required to submit host and guest names on home-sharing platforms to the government.
There are plenty of anecdotal horror stories out there about home share break-ins. But it’s not clear whether vacation rental locks currently pose an actual security problem — whether to renters or to short-term landlords.
Meanwhile, keeping tabs on who is traveling where is already proving to be a priority for the Chinese government. The Chinese government was recently implicated for the 4-years-long Marriott security breach, which compromised the personal and travel data of 500 million guests.
Mashable has reached out to Xiaozhu to learn more about its facial recognition plans; we’ve also reached out to the FBI and DOJ, to learn about home share crime statistics; and to Airbnb, to learn whether it is considering facial recognition as well, and how that might play into home share security. We will update this story if and when we hear back.
There’s only one thing that dogs love more than meat scraps: tennis balls.
Kudos to Twitter user @radicalJulianna for understanding her pup on a deep, emotional level, and treating him to a buffet of tennis balls this Christmas.
Look at all that actual joy.
My dog Stella’s favorite toy is tennis balls so naturally for Christmas this year we bought her 24 to see what she would do. Result: She did not know what to do pic.twitter.com/i1ucLYfWi2
Stella, I live in fear of getting smacked by a tennis ball so I applaud your courage.
Few among us will ever reach this apex of happiness.
“Christmas has always been Stella’s favorite holiday!” @radicaljulianna told Mashable. “She loves unwrapping her presents all by herself. Tennis balls are Stella’s favorite toy, and I wanted to see how she would react to so many of them at once! She’s 13 years old, but she does still act like a puppy and gets very excited.”
Stella, we applaud your hunger for life (and ball fuzz).
There could be bad news for the Philadelphia Phillies in their free-agent pursuits of Bryce Harper and Manny Machado.
Per Joel Sherman of the New York Post, neither Harper nor Machado “particularly likes Philadelphia,” and both would prefer to play for the New York Yankees.
The bad news for Harper is the Yankees have shown little interest in seriously pursuing him.
“No time at all all winter have I said I’m looking for an outfielder,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters during the winter meetings. “The Harper stuff … I’m surprised you’re still asking.”
New York already has more outfielders than starting spots available with Brett Gardner, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Hicks on the roster.
MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported last month the Yankees had internal discussions about using Harper at first base if they signed him, but that scenario was described as “unrealistic.”
Machado has been the focal point for the Yankees and Phillies this offseason. The four-time All-Star met with both teams, along with the Chicago White Sox, last week.
The upside for Phillies fans is owner John Middleton doesn’t sound like he’s going to lose out on Harper or Machado by being outbid.
“We’re going into this expecting to spend money,” Middleton told USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale in November. “And maybe even be a little bit stupid about it.”
The Phillies are trying to keep pace with the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals in the National League East. They have already signed Andrew McCutchen to boost their right field production, but they still have their sights set on a bigger prize.
Banking giant HSBC has pulled out its investments in Israeli arms firm, Elbit Systems, after a campaign by pro-Palestinian activists.
Sources within HSBC confirmed the move to Al Jazeera on Thursday, but the bank has not issued an official statement on the decision.
The company says it does not take positions on political issues but “observes international human rights principles” that apply to businesses.
According to a 2017 report by activist group War on Want, HSBC had 3.1m pounds ($3.92m) invested in Elbit Systems.
The group, which says it is committed to rooting out the causes of poverty and human rights abuse, said HSBC had a total of 831.5m pounds ($1.05bn) invested in companies that provided equipment to the Israeli military.
Several of the companies listed, such as Rolls Royce and BAE Systems, had a large civilian customer base too.
Based in the city of Haifa, Elbit produces military and civilian-use equipment, including drones, aircraft, weapon control systems, and artillery.
The company’s customers include the Israeli army, the US Air Force, and the British Royal Air Force.
Elbit also provides the US Customs and Border Protection agency with surveillance equipment for use along the US-Mexico border.
‘Positive first step’
War on Want said more than 24,000 people emailed HSBC with concerns over its investment in Elbit and activists picketed retail branches of the bank in the UK.
Ryvka Barnard, a senior campaigner with War on Want, said the bank had taken “a positive first step” but added that it needed to act further.
“Doing business with companies like Elbit means profiting from violence and human rights violation, which is both immoral and a contravention of international law, ” Barnard said.
“HSBC continues to do business with over a dozen companies selling military equipment and technology used in human rights violation, including Caterpillar, whose bulldozers are used in demolition of Palestinian homes and properties, and BAE Systems, whose weapons are used in war crimes by Israel, Saudi Arabia, and other repressive regimes.”
BDS movement
The BDS (boycott, divestment, sanctions) movement started in 2005, after a call issued by Palestinian civil society groups for “people of conscience” around the world to help end Israel’s abuses against Palestinians, by cutting off cultural, academic, and economic ties with the state.
With the advent of social media in recent years, the movement has gained traction and popularity among supporters of the Palestinian cause.
Its successes have been enough to earn the ire of senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has sought to ban organisations that promote BDS in Israel.
Time must move differently in K-pop. That’s the only logical explanation for how BTS, some of the busiest and most famous Korean artists on the planet could put out two albums (Love Yourself: Tear and Love Yourself: Answer) — in addition to their third Japanese studio album, Face Yourself — two mixtapes (J-Hope’s Hope World and RM’s mono), release their first-ever English track with Steve Aoki (“Waste It On Me”), embark on a sold-out world tour, film multiple music videos, and drop a fire diss track and remix on Soundcloud all in the span of 12 months.
Or how NCT’s Mark Lee, a 19-year-old Korean-Canadian with an effortless flow, could participate in a whooping nine comebacks, or new releases, this year between Neo-Culture Technology’s many units: NCT 127, NCT Dream, NCT U, and NCT 2018.
SM Entertainment
Mark Lee, the hardest-working guy in NCT
In the world of K-pop, things move fast and furious. And the next release — complete with its own concept (or visual theme) and album — is just around the corner. As such, it’s so easy to miss the real gems in an artist’s or group’s total work because the lead single is the only song that ever gets any real promotion. So much has been said about 2018 being a breakthrough year for K-pop, thanks to its growing visibility and credibility in the U.S. — and that’s certainly true! — but this year was also a great year for Korean music, period.
EXO made their triumphant return with Don’t Mess Up My Tempo, a layered album full of crystalline pop, and SHINee released The Story of Light, a prismatic trilogy that celebrated the group’s fizzy aesthetic and eclectic sound. Meanwhile, Red Velvet refused to be put in a box with The Perfect Red Velvet, Sunmi explored the complexity of human emotion on the moody Warning, and NCT 127 continued to break the rules of convention with their first full-length album, Regular-Irregular.
So let’s take a look at the work that often goes overlooked with some of the best K-pop B-sides of 2018 (in no particular order):
“All Day All Night,” SHINee
SHINee have been churning out pristine pop and rhythmic bangers for the past decade, so it should come as no surprise that The Story of Light Episode 1 — the first EP in the group’s Story of Light trilogy — kicks off with this explosive, future-bass bop. The song opens with chirping birds, intimate chords, and pretty vocal riffs from singers Onew and Taemin — signaling the dawn of a new day — before erupting into a seismic chorus, and oh my God does it soar.
“Paradise,” BTS
British songwriter MNEK brought some of his traditional R&B sensibilities to “Paradise,” a song that truly stands out among all of the work BTS have produced this year because of its catchy, melodic hook and important message. The track preaches a familiar theme found throughout the group’s work: that you don’t need to live life chasing a dream that isn’t yours. “It’s alright to not have a dream,” vocalist Jin sings on the chorus. “If you have moments where you feel happiness for a while.” It’s a nice reminder to stop and reflect on life’s simple joys — and it slaps.
“Gravity,” EXO
“Gravity” is like a Choose Your Own Adventure novel — you never quite know where it’s going but the journey is all the fun. It’s a modern synthwave song that delivers powerhouse vocals and keeps building until you reach nirvana (that happens somewhere between Chanyeol’s first rap break and Baekhyun’s bridge, or maybe it’s between Sehun’s second rap break and Chen’s high note). EXO have already proven themselves as a formidable force in K-pop, but “Gravity” is still a major flex — even for one of the biggest groups to have ever taken the mantle.
“Good Good,” Key
As a member of SHINee, Key has long established himself as a versatile performer — a singer, rapper, dancer, visual artist, and certified strong personality — but with his debut solo effort, Face, the pop chameleon proves that he still has a few tricks up his sleeve. While a song like “Chemicals” might be what we’ve come to expect from an artist like Key, with its thumping dance beat and highly addictive chorus, “Good Good” is the bold choice. Sonically, it’s a little bit of everything, but when that chorus kicks in, Key’s falsetto rising above the alchemy of keyboard synths and heavy bass riffs, it’s pure pop-star magic.
“Come Back,” NCT 127
The B-side that really should have been the lead single, “Come Back” has all the elements of a hit K-pop song. After all, it’s a formula SM Entertainment has perfected for years with groups like SHINee and EXO. It’s loud, but not too loud; it’s instantly catchy, the kind of song that will have you singing along to its bouncy chorus after one listen; and it’s just an upbeat banger driven by amazing vocals. Maybe that’s why NCT 127 went with “Regular,” a Latin-trap track with limitless bravado that lets rappers Taeyong and Mark shine, instead. NCT’s Seoul-based group are anything but conventional — but sometimes the people just want a good pop song. Presumably, SM knew that too because the group prepared an impressive live stage for the song while they were promoting “Regular.”
“All Right,” Red Velvet
Red Velvet have often been described as the Queens of B-sides because a lot of their best, most interesting work isn”t usually their title tracks. (Except for you, “Bad Boy.”) Their artistic DNA is written into their name, with “Red” signifying their vivid pop aesthetic and “Velvet” reflecting a slower, R&B sound. “All Right” falls somewhere in the middle: It’s a bright, ’80s-style synth-pop track with a funky bass line, but the group’s vocal charms and distinct harmonies elevate it to something irresistible.
“Grease,” Jonghyun
It’s impossible to distill the entirety of Jonghyun’s distinct artistry and musicality into one song — but “Grease” comes close. Featured on his second solo album, Poet | Artist — released posthumously in January following his death late last year — “Grease” is a divine contradiction that combines the SHINee vocalist’s smooth, soft legato with a slick, wobbling rhythm. Written and arranged by Jonghyun, the song describes a past lover who just won’t go away, like a grease stain. “I want to clean it up (clean it up) / I want to fix it up (fix it up) / Let’s say this never happened,” he sings on the pre-chorus, before jumping several octaves on the bridge. Even when he was dragging you, Jonghyun turned it into something beautiful.
“ADDICT,” Sunmi
There’s something sinister about “ADDICT,” the introductory song on Sunmi’s critically acclaimed EP, Warning. It makes a bold statement. On each track, the ex-Wonder Girls vocalist issues a warning to a hypothetical lover, and “ADDICT” is no exception. It’s a moody reminder that she’s “running the show” in this relationship. It’s that confidence that makes Sunmi so seductive, and her music so darkly captivating. “I’ll be shining on you, everywhere, day and night,” she talk-sings in English over an hypnotic beat. She knows she’s a queen, and there’s nothing sexier than that.
“Drippin’,” NCT Dream
“Drippin’” is a dirty song, both in its trap-infused production and in its lyrical content — the idea being that these seven teenage boys want to “soak you” with their love (in a very PG-13 way) — but that’s what makes it so undeniably fun. Co-written by rapper Mark, it’s the kind of bass-heavy banger that’s not only signature NCT, but it’s also a track you can imagine an 18-year-old boy writing, thinking he’s being slick. It’s endearing, really. “It’s awkward that [NCT] Dream sings these lyrics,” main vocalist Haechan, then 17, said in response to the song. “But I wanted to do it eventually.” They’ve come a long way since the sickly sweet days of “Chewing Gum,” and a song like “Drippin’” makes me excited to see where they go next.
“Twilight,” ATEEZ
ATEEZ is an eight-member rookie group that made quite an impression with their pre-debut song, “Pirate King,” earlier this year. But “Twilight” is the real hidden treasure on their first EP, TREASURE EP.1: All to Zero. The polished trop-pop song is an upbeat ode to the colorful glow that love and happiness bring. It’s rather innocuous, sure, but lovestruck boys happily mooning over the objects of their affections will never get old. It’s Pop 101.
“When It Rains At Night,” Pentagon
It’s hard to imagine any song doing more for Pentagon than their wildly catchy 2018 single, “Shine” — a song that should rightfully be on everyone’s Best of 2018 lists — but “When It Rains At Night” is the emotional pop ballad your soul really needs. For a group that isn’t known for their ballads, Pentagon are a stacked band of vocalists. But “When It Rains At Night” isn’t just a song for Jinho and Hui to flex; it also allows their more raspy-voiced rappers, Wooseok and Yuto, to really, uh, shine.
“Moonwalker,” Seventeen
Seventeen are the ultimate mood-makers of K-pop, so it’s hardly surprising that their performance unit (known for their dancing and overall ace performance skills) — Hoshi, Jun, Minghao (I’m sorry, but you can’t make me call him “The8”), and Dino — turned out “Moonwalker,” a vibey song with a heavy synth bass that could best be described as a BIG MOOD. And it just makes you want to dance.
“Myself,” Monsta X
It’s not that “Shoot Out” wasn’t a great lead single — between the darker concept and meme-able choreography, you could argue that it was the perfect lead single — but it’s hardly best song on Monsta X’s second full-length album, Take 1: Are You There? In fact, if you’re looking for a turn-up song with real allure, listen to “Oh My.” And then there’s “Myself,” a song that stands unparalleled in the group’s body of work. With its unique drum and guitar line, there’s a softer ’90s alt vibe to it — something you don’t hear often in modern K-pop, especially from a group who excels at house and dance music like Monsta X.
“CHILLAX,” TWICE
When people unfamiliar with K-pop think of the genre, they most likely picture a group like TWICE — a group of honey-voiced girls with a cutesy concept and an entire catalog of deliriously cheery pop songs. But what’s so wrong with that? “CHILLAX,” a B-side off the group’s Summer Nights album, is a happy trop-pop track about slowing down and taking time for yourself. “My mind says, I want to go slower,” Jihyo sings. Honestly, same! Perfect for any season, this is the kind of song to play when you’re in a funk and in desperate need of a mood enhancer.
“Dear Sun,” Jung Jinwoo feat. SOMA
K-pop is such a broad term, especially with so many groups and artists experimenting with hip-hop and R&B. Solo singer Jung Jinwoo does a bit of both — exceptionally well — on his first album, Rotate. But “Dear Sun,” featuring Korean singer SOMA and produced by Jinwoo’s Planetarium Records label mate Villain, is a true standout. Between Jinwoo’s tender vocals and Villain’s dreamy production, this soft R&B duet will have you smiling ear to ear and most likely body-rolling into next week.
“Vroom Vroom,” EXO-CBX
EXO-CBX — a subunit of EXO featuring members Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin — sneakily released one of the best K-pop albums of the year with Blooming Days, a week’s worth of songs for ever occasion (that’s the concept of the seven-track EP). “Vroom Vroom” is the passionate Friday night song, a funky synth-pop track that highlights the trio’s velvet-smooth vocals and playful harmonies. And that “vroom vroom vroom” on the disco-beat hook is so addictive.
“Rude Boy,” Mamamoo
The four women of Mamamoo don’t do “cute,” and that’s what makes them stand out. Their sensual sound leans heavily R&B, which is what makes “Rude Boy” equal parts predictable and unexpected. Their smooth vocals are on point, as per usual, but it’s the trap beat and rapper Moonbyul’s flow in the second verse that propel the song into something truly singular. If Moonbyul tells you to ditch your cheating man, you better listen to her.
“everythingoes,” RM feat. NELL
RM’s seven-track playlist, mono, is a warm blanket for a tired soul. On mono, BTS’ leader and main rapper gets vulnerable, laying his deep insecurities bare on songs like “Tokyo” and “Seoul” (produced by electronic duo Honne). It’s equal parts wistful and weary, and the theme of loneliness is constant throughout. But the mood breaks on “everythingoes,” a collaboration with Korean artists Nell that highlights the resilience of the human spirit. “It will pass, someday, for sure, for certain,” RM sings softly. The refrain plays like a nursery rhyme, a powerful reminder that everything in life, even the pain you feel right now, is temporary.
Take a deep breathe, Instagram users. Your timeline will now revert back to normal.
Outrage spread throughout social media on Thursday as Instagram users were greeted by a major interface change that completely transformed the way their timeline worked. However, the design overhaul that was widely rolled out is now being rolled back.
Sorry about that, this was supposed to be a very small test but we went broader than we anticipated.
According to Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, the big Instagram change was a test accidentally launched to a much wider audience than intended.
The horizontal scrolling timeline change was meant to be shown to only a small test audience.
Users saw this message on their phone screen before viewing the new timeline.
Image: Instagram
Instagram users that had received the UI update opened the app and found they were now forced to tap left and right to see a new post instead of scrolling up and down through their feed. The new horizontal scrolling timeline also allowed for only a single piece of content to show at a time.
The Facebook-owned social network usually announces major updates with a blog post. This wasn’t the case this time around. Users were also not given a choice to avoid the new interface as an app update wasn’t required to see the timeline change.
Should already be rolled back. If you’re still seeing it you can simply restart your app and you should be good to go.
If you’re still seeing the new timeline, Mosseri recommends restarting the app.
UPDATE: Dec. 27, 2018, 12:16 p.m. EST: Instagram sent Mashable the following statement:
“Due to a bug, some users saw a change to the way their feed appears today. We quickly fixed the issue and feed is back to normal. We apologize for any confusion.”
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