How Rolling Stone's top 20 albums of 2017 fared with critics

Rolling Stone released their annual top 50 albums of 2017. This is the top 20 along with the album's Metacritic score, which shows how well each album was received by critics. A score of 80 or above indicates the album was critically acclaimed. A score from 61 to 79 indicates the album was positively received.

20. SZA - Ctrl
Ctrl has a Metascore of 86, a big improvement over her previous release Z, which had a score of 66.

19. Father John Misty - Pure Comedy
Metascore 85. All Father John Misty releases have scores in the mid 80's 

18. St. Vincent - MASSEDUCTION
Metascore 88. St. Vincent's lowest score is still an impressive 78. 

17. Harry Styles - Harry Styles 
Metascore 68. This is a pretty low score for top 20 on a best of list. It's positive but 13 points away from critically acclaimed.

16. Margo Price - All American Made
Metascore 82. Her previous album has a score of 86.

15. Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile - Lotta Sea Lice 
Metascore 79. Courtney's previous album has a score of 88. Kurt's albums have ranged from 59 to 83. 

14. Waxahatchee - Out in the Storm 
Metascore 80. Previous albums were 81 and 79.

13. Randy Newman - Dark Matter
Metascore 82. Previous releases were 81 and 86. 

12. JAY Z - 4:44 
Metascore 82. That's a big improvement over a previous score of 60. Jay Z's scores have been very mixed with some in the 60's and others in the 80's. His career average is a respectable 74. 

11. The National - Sleep Well Beast
Metascore 85. Other than a score of 78, all of The National's albums are critically acclaimed.

10. Sam Smith - The Thrill of It All 
Metascore 72. This is another that I'm surprised to see so high on the list because it's critical reception was decent. 

9. Migos - Culture 
Metascore 79. That's a big improvement over a previous score of only 67. 

8. Queens of the Stone Age - Villains 
Metascore 81. The band's scores range from 75 to 89.

7. Taylor Swift - Reputation
Metascore 71. That's a decent score but the album likely made it this high on the list because Taylor's is such a big name. It's her most poorly received album critically. Her highest scores are two 77's.

6. Khalid - American Teen
No Metascore. The album didn't receive enough reviews from major publications to receive

a score. But considering the success he's having, his next album will likely have one.

5. LCD Soundsystem - American Dream
Metascore 86. Other than a score of 75, all of LCD Soundsystem's albums have been critically acclaimed.

4. Kesha - Rainbow
Metascore 81. Previous two releases were in the low 70's.

3. U2 - Songs of Experience 
Metascore 77. U2's albums range from 64 to 90. 

2. Lorde - Melodrama 
Metascore 91. Lorde managed to top her debut Pure Heroine, which scored 79, by 12 points.

1. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN
Metascore 95. Kendrick has had three albums with scores in the 90's and two in the 80's. His career score is a very impressive 90.

The Star Wars movies ordered by critical reception

In just a few weeks, we'll know how well the new Star Wars movie The Last Jedi will be received by critics. Reactions to other movies from the franchise have been mixed based on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic scores. These two major aggregaters of movie reviews use a different approach.

Rotten Tomatoes uses a simple thumbs up and thumbs down to determine if a movie is rotten or fresh. Metacritic is similar to grades in school. A movie can receive a Metascore from 0 to 100. A Metascore above 81 is critically acclaimed, between 61 and 80 is positive, 40 and 60 is mixed, and anything below 40 is negative. This is how the movies in the Star Wars franchise rank on both Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic.

Rotten Tomatoes Ranking:

• The Empire Strikes Back - 94%
• A New Hope - 93%
• The Force Awakens - 93%
• Rogue One - 85%
• Return of the Jedi - 80%
• Revenge of the Sith - 79%
• Attack of the Clones - 66%
• The Phantom Menace - 56% (Certified Rotten)

Metacritic Ranking:

• A New Hope - 92% (Critically Acclaimed)
• The Empire Strikes Back - 81% (Critically Acclaimed)
• The Force Awakens - 81% (Critically Acclaimed)
• Revenge of the Sith - 68% (Positive)
• Rogue One - 65% (Positive)
• Attack of the Clones - 54% (Mixed)
• Return of the Jedi - 53% (Mixed)
• The Phantom Menace - 51% (Mixed)

The top 3 movies are the same for both although the positions for the Empire Strikes Back and A New Hope are flipped. Revenge of the Sith beats Rogue One and Return of the Jedi on Metacritic but is behind them on Rotten Tomatoes. The Phantom Menace trails the movie above it by a whole 10 points on Rotten Tomatoes but by just two points on Metacritic. On Rotten Tomatoes 7 of the 8 movies were positively received with a fresh certification. But only 5 out of 8 were positively received on Metacritic. We'll find out soon where The Last Jedi will be in both rankings.

How Justice League's opening weekend at the box office compares to other DC movies

Justice League places last in opening box office takes for recent DC movies.

Batman v. Superman - $166 million
Suicide Squad - $133 million
Man of Steel - $116 million
Wonder Women - $103 million
Justice League - $94 million

The movie earned $185 million at the international box office for its debut weekend. $51.8 million of that was from the Chinese market. $200 million was the expected opening number.

The question now is whether or not positive word-of-mouth from viewers can save the movie during the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend. While Justice League has a Rotten Tomatoes score of only 40% from critics, the audience score is 85%. That's just 4% less than Thor:Ragnarok's score of 89%.  

Top 10 highest opening weekends for movies in 2017

The end of the year is almost here. These are the top 10 highest opening weekends for movies in 2017 so far. Other than Star Wars: The Last Jedi coming in December, this list won't change much.

1. Beauty and the Beast - $174M
2. Guardians of the Galaxy 2 - $146M
3. IT - $123M
4. Thor: Ragnarok - $122M
5. Spiderman: Homecoming - $117M
6. Wonder Woman - $103M
7. Fate of the Furious - $98M
8. Justice League - $93M
9. Logan - $88M
10. Despicable Me 3 - $72M

There is no "accuser" in the Sylvester Stallone sexual assault allegations

In all the stories we've heard about people coming out with sexual assault accusations against well known names like Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Roy Moore, and Al Franken, there have always been one or more men or women making accusations. The Sylvester Stallone allegations are different. An accuser has not come forward now with these allegations. The Daily Mail found a police report from 1986 in which a 16 year old girl said she felt pressured to have sex with Stallone and his bodyguard. She also alleged that they threatened to "beat her head in" if she told anyone.

According to Vulture, the teen in the case didn't actually report the incident to the police. A friend reported it to a hotel employee who reported it to authorities. The police then contacted the alleged victim who said she was too "humiliated and ashamed" to file charges. The girl didn't seem to want to have the police involved and was willing to forgo her right to file charges. Stallone through a rep claims the allegations are false and that he was never contacted by authorities. 

#SylvesterStallone accused of forcing teen into threesome https://t.co/H7dxJCw1h8 via .@MailOnline pic.twitter.com/bGeGSp8uD0

— Rex Doctor (@RexDoctor) November 16, 2017

Amazon editors pick the top 20 best children's books of 2017

These are the top 20 books of the year for readers of all ages according to editors at Amazon.

1. Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
   A cursed girl escapes death and finds herself in a magical world--but is then tested beyond her wildest imagination
2. The Antlered Ship by Dashka Slater
   An inquisitive fox sets off on a seafaring voyage with a crew of deer and pigeons in this enchanting tale of friendship and adventure.
3. Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties: From the Creator of Captain Underpants (Dog Man #3) by Dav Pilkey
   The newest hero from the creator of Captain Underpants, hasn't always been a paws-itive addition to the police force.
4. The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore
   A boy tries to steer a safe path through the projects in Harlem in the wake of his brother’s death in this outstanding debut novel that celebrates community and creativity.
5. We're All Wonders by R. J. Palacio
   Taps into every child’s longing to belong, and to be seen for who they truly are.
6. Malala's Magic Pencil by Kerascoët, Malala Yousafzai
   As a child in Pakistan, Malala made a wish for a magic pencil. She would use it to make everyone happy, to erase the smell of garbage from her city, to sleep an extra hour in the morning. But as she grew older, Malala saw that there were more important things to wish for.
7. Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani
   Priyanka Das has so many unanswered questions: Why did her mother abandon her home in India years ago? What was it like there? And most importantly, who is her father, and why did her mom leave him behind? But Pri’s mom avoids these questions―the topic of India is permanently closed.
8. Professional Crocodile by Giovanna Zoboli, Mariachiara Di Giorgio
   Mr. Crocodile loves his job. Every morning he gets up with an alarm. He brushes his teeth. He chooses the right tie to match his outfit, eats a quick slice of toast, and heads off to work on a crowded train. But what exactly is his job?
9. See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng
   A space-obsessed boy and his dog, Carl Sagan, take a journey toward family, love, hope, and awe in this funny and moving novel for fans of Counting by 7s, Walk Two Moons, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
10. Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, Book 3 The Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan
    Magnus faces his most dangerous trial yet. His cousin, Annabeth, recruits her boyfriend, Percy Jackson, to give Magnus some pointers, but will his training be enough?
11. Refugee by Alan Gratz
    Three kids go on harrowing journeys in search of refuge. All will face unimaginable dangers -- from drownings to bombings to betrayals. But there is always the hope of tomorrow.
12. Mighty, Mighty Construction Site by Tom Lichtenheld, Sherri Duskey Rinker
    All of our favorite trucks are back on the construction site—this time with a focus on team-building, friendship, and working together to make a big task seem small!
13. The Secret of Nightingale Wood by Lucy Strange
    Henry discovers that Hope House is full of strange secrets: a forgotten attic, ghostly figures, mysterious firelight that flickers in the trees beyond the garden.
14. Wishtree by Katherine Applegate
    Red is an oak tree who is many rings old. Red is the neighborhood "wishtree"―people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red's branches.
15. Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall
    Working up the courage to take a big, important leap is hard, but Jabari is almost absolutely ready to make a giant splash.
16. The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine by Mark Twain, Philip C. Stead
    A never-before-published, previously unfinished Mark Twain children’s story is brought to life by Philip and Erin Stead, creators of the Caldecott Medal-winning A Sick Day for Amos McGee.
17. Creepy Pair of Underwear! by Peter Brown, Aaron Reynolds
    Jasper Rabbit is NOT a little bunny anymore. He’s not afraid of the dark, and he’s definitely not afraid of something as silly as underwear. But when the lights go out, suddenly his new big rabbit underwear glows in the dark.
18. Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers, Shawn Harris
    If you had to name a statue, any statue, odds are good you'd mention the Statue of Liberty. Have you seen her?
19. Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk
    Twelve-year-old Crow has lived her entire life on a tiny, isolated piece of the starkly beautiful Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts. Abandoned and set adrift in a small boat when she was just hours old, Crow’s only companions are Osh, the man who rescued and raised her, and Miss Maggie, their fierce and affectionate neighbor across the sandbar.
20. The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
    When Ada’s clubfoot is surgically fixed at last, she knows for certain that she’s not what her mother said she was—damaged, deranged, crippled mentally as well as physically. She’s not a daughter anymore, either. Who is she now?