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Veteran entertainment journalists, music columnists and longtime friends Wayne Bledsoe and Chuck Campbell host ”How We Heard It,” a breezy and sometimes offbeat take on how music and movies got to where they are today and where it’s all going.
They break down who are the most promising Generation Z singers one minute and the next they debate who are the most overrated acts from the past. Sexy songs, soundtracks, controversies and weird movies find their way into the discussion, and they also weigh in with recommendations on who to hear and what to see in music and film from the past and present.
Wayne and Chuck have more than 65 years of experience in professional journalism between them, but they don’t waste time indulging in scholarly breakdowns of their institutional knowledge. Instead, they share behind-the-scenes stories about their odd, funny, inspirational and embarrassing encounters with celebrities, managers, fans and readers. And they laugh at themselves and each other. A lot. Because being an entertainment journalist does that to you.
An important third voice in the ”How We Heard It” podcast is engineer John Baker, himself a musician and producer who reins in Wayne and Chuck when they need it. John’s tastes are a little bit Wayne and a little bit Chuck, and he’s a friendly sort.
Wayne’s primary role in his nearly four decades at the Knoxville News-Sentinel was his work as an entertainment writer and critic. He currently hosts ”The Six O’Clock Swerve” weekly radio show on WUTK, 90.3 FM in Knoxville, he’s a former Grammy nominee, and he’s an organizer of the annual concert series ”Waynestock: For the Love of Drew and Rylan.” He’s also an artist and unconventional garden writer - see more at www.waynebledsoe.com.
Chuck started his career in journalism at the Daytona Beach News-Journal in Florida before joining the staff in Knoxville. He has reviewed more than 5,500 albums, and his column was distributed by the New York Times, Gannett, Cox News Service and the Scripps Howard News Service. He was an entertainment and travel editor in both Florida and Tennessee and a regional news planner for Gannett’s South Region.
”How We Heard It” is a Cozy Planet Productions podcast recorded at The Arbor Studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. Send requests, comments and suggestions to HowWeHeardIt@gmail.com
| Episode | Date |
|---|---|
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Here's how (and why) music changed so dramatically in the 1990s
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May 16, 2026 |
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These acts trigger memories of would-be stars, patchouli and blown speakers
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May 09, 2026 |
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Songs about moms (and by moms and for moms)
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May 02, 2026 |
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These stellar song titles made us want to listen
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Apr 25, 2026 |
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These songs about rain are flooded with emotion, from romance to doom
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Apr 18, 2026 |
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Awesome artists made these awful songs!
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Apr 11, 2026 |
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Why we hate these popular movies!
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Apr 04, 2026 |
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What would we do if the world had no music?
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Mar 28, 2026 |
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Here's why young people don't like "classic" rock or pop
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Mar 21, 2026 |
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Why do we give up on new music as we age? (It's not what you think.)
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Mar 14, 2026 |
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How we met ... and other memories triggered by music
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Mar 07, 2026 |
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These are some of the best hooks in music history!
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Feb 28, 2026 |
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What music would you want on a deserted island?
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Feb 21, 2026 |
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Here's why we hate these terrible love songs!
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Feb 14, 2026 |
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Here's a soundtrack for when your life is changing
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Feb 07, 2026 |
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Ranking the movies: History's "biggest" films haven't always been the best ... or even good
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Jan 31, 2026 |
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These are the best, and worst, top-selling music acts from the 1960s to the 2020s
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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Prediction: The Grammys are going to enrage a lot of people
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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Songs for the dead of winter! (It's more complicated than you might think.)
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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Will AI fix music ... or destroy it?
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Jan 03, 2026 |
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Here's why 2025 didn't totally suck
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Dec 27, 2025 |
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What does your music collection say about you?
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Dec 20, 2025 |
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These strange songs came out of nowhere!
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Dec 13, 2025 |
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Here’s our (satirical?) gift list for your favorite performers!
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Dec 06, 2025 |
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Need to cheer up, calm down or blow off steam? Try these songs!
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Nov 29, 2025 |
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This podcast topic took unexpected turns!
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Nov 22, 2025 |
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Controversial singers! ... And why we'll never have another Dolly Parton
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Nov 15, 2025 |
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Sweet, sour and salty: great songs about giving thanks
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Nov 08, 2025 |
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Sometimes words just get in the way
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Nov 01, 2025 |
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Music's biggest feuds - from the vicious to the absurd!
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Oct 25, 2025 |
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What's gotten into everybody? We're possessed!
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Oct 18, 2025 |
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These cover songs might blow your mind!
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Oct 11, 2025 |
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More guilty pleasures and shameless infatuations!
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Oct 04, 2025 |
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These albums changed who we are
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Sep 27, 2025 |
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Songs about fall: the sweet, the sad and the strange
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Sep 20, 2025 |
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Here are the best men singers from the past 60+ years
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Sep 13, 2025 |
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These are the best women singers in modern music
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Sep 06, 2025 |
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Songs about friends: They'll have your back and stab it, too
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Aug 30, 2025 |
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Musicians use these secret tricks to win your love
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Aug 23, 2025 |
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On second thought, these acts don't suck
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Aug 16, 2025 |
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These teen movies make us laugh, squirm and cringe
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Aug 09, 2025 |
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Death sucks: Here are artists we lost too soon
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Aug 02, 2025 |
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Music's greatest duets: when two is better than one
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Jul 26, 2025 |
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Music for travelers - and escapists!
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Jul 19, 2025 |
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These are the most underrated - and overrated - actors!
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Jul 12, 2025 |
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Fantastic band names! (also: racy, gross and boring ones)
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Jul 05, 2025 |
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'Hold me closer, Tony Danza' and other misheard lyrics
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Jun 28, 2025 |
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Surprises we've learned about you, and ourselves, in year one
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Jun 21, 2025 |
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Mixtapes?! What were we thinking?
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Jun 14, 2025 |
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These blockbuster albums were unlike any other
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Jun 07, 2025 |
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Album covers inspire, shock and tease
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May 31, 2025 |
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Cheaters! These songs about them have us shook
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May 24, 2025 |
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How do you want to be remembered?
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May 17, 2025 |
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These summer hits catch us at our happiest
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May 10, 2025 |
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Remember these one-hit wonders? (We sure do, for better and worse.)
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May 03, 2025 |
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Get your paws on these great songs about animals!
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Apr 26, 2025 |
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These songs will help you get over your ex
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Apr 19, 2025 |
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We never want to see these movies again!
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Apr 12, 2025 |
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The highs and lows of drugs and alcohol in music
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Apr 05, 2025 |
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Why do these great mean songs feel so good?
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Mar 29, 2025 |
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Here are our favorite singers and bands from around the world!
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Mar 22, 2025 |
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Music trends we hate!
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Mar 15, 2025 |
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When terrible people make good art
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Mar 08, 2025 |
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We react to reaction videos: the good, the bad and the WTF
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Mar 01, 2025 |
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God, it's brutal out here
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Feb 22, 2025 |
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These are the best comedians working today (plus some dead ones)
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Feb 15, 2025 |
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Here are our favorite love songs!
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Feb 08, 2025 |
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Great short songs and why we love them
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Feb 01, 2025 |
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Grammy preview: Taylor Swift vs. Beyonce, or will someone else shine?
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Jan 25, 2025 |
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Humor and music: the union we all need
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Jan 18, 2025 |
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These great ballads are good for the soul
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Jan 11, 2025 |
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How Hollywood can fix the movie industry
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Jan 04, 2025 |
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Brace yourself, music is going to change again
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Dec 28, 2024 |
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When should songs be censored or banned?
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Dec 21, 2024 |
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When musicians lie to the media ... and when journalists don't know what's going on
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Dec 14, 2024 |
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What's up with all the gibberish that singers use?
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Dec 07, 2024 |
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Stop watching those stale Christmas shows!
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Nov 30, 2024 |
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Best debut albums?
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Nov 23, 2024 |
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Here's some holiday music you'll like for a change
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Nov 16, 2024 |
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Best breakup songs!
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Nov 09, 2024 |
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Why aren't they bigger?!? (Acts you may have missed)
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Nov 02, 2024 |
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'Nepo babies' in music: the good, the bad and the unexpected
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Oct 26, 2024 |
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Here are the cover songs that got it right (and wrong)
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Oct 19, 2024 |
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How to use music to get what you need
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Oct 12, 2024 |
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Songs we never want to hear again!
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Oct 05, 2024 |
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Creepy songs need love too
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Sep 28, 2024 |
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Horrors! Have you missed these scary movies?!
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Sep 21, 2024 |
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Taylor Swift vs. Beyonce again? Get ready for more Grammys drama
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Sep 14, 2024 |
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How MTV and YouTube changed culture forever
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Sep 07, 2024 |
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'Big stupid shirtless men' and other stories
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Aug 31, 2024 |
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The gritty world of concerts, from Madonna to Tool
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Aug 24, 2024 |
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Sexy songs! When does music turn us on?
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Aug 17, 2024 |
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Behind the scenes with Dolly Parton, Liam Hemsworth, Kristen Stewart, Joan Jett, Randy Travis, Tanya Tucker and more!
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Aug 10, 2024 |
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Score! How soundtracks bring music nerds and movie geeks together
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Aug 03, 2024 |
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Don't take this the wrong way
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Jul 27, 2024 |
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Guilty pleasures
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Jul 20, 2024 |
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Are your music tastes a red flag?
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Jul 13, 2024 |
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Overrated!
|
Jul 06, 2024 |
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Kicking it off with Taylor Swift
|
Jun 30, 2024 |