Mount Hood

Disney announces nine new live action classic movies

By: Ashton Newton

Disney is a smart studio and they generally get things very right. They have Marvel and Lucasfilm under their belt, which have been getting huge amounts of praise and attention, but following the success of “The Jungle Book,” Disney has announced that they are going back to some of their classics.

Disney has announced live-action versions of nine classic tales, and while no official dates have been tied to the films, Disney says the earliest release would be July 2017.

First on Disney’s list is a live-action movie based off of Cruella Deville, simply titled “Cruella” with Emma Stone set to star.

Angelina Jolie is reprising her role as Maleficent in a sequel and Jon Favreau will be returning to direct “The Jungle Book 2.” A “Jungle Book” sequel may get dicey though, with Andy Serkis and Warner Bros. planning a darker version of the film to release next year.

Director Tim Burton is making his return to Disney with a new “Dumbo” film with “Transformers” writer Ehren Kruger penning the script.

Reese Witherspoon will be starring as Tinkerbell in a Tink-centered film, written by “Finding Dory” writer Victoria Strouse.

“A Wrinkle in Time” and “The Nutcracker” films are also being made.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will star in “Jungle Cruise,” a film based off of the popular Disneyland ride. “Pirates of the Caribbean” also started off as a Disneyland ride, which inspired the film series.

Emily Blunt is going take on the iconic role of Mary Poppins for a sequel to the 1964 classic.

This lineup of movies is on top of the huge lineup of Marvel films on the way, including “Captain America: Civil War,” which released May 6, and the six “Star Wars” films Disney hopes to release by 2020.

Lastly, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” is in development, with Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightly all returning. The film is set to release May 2017.

It’s safe to say that Disney knows that they’re doing and have a long-term plan for their films, with both classics and fresh content.

Contact the author at anewton15@wou.edu

Idiot of the week

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

When Johnny Manziel was selected with the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland fans celebrated like they had won the Super Bowl. Cleveland fans had good reason to be excited; Manziel electrified the college football world in his rookie season, becoming the first rookie quarterback in college football history to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards on his way to becoming the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner.

Fast-forward two years and Johnny “Football” is making the headlines every week, but not for the right reasons. In this year’s NFL offseason, Manziel was released from the Browns, his agent, and his sponsors after weekly reports surfaced of Manziel’s excessive partying. Without an NFL team, Manziel’s life looks like a tragedy unfolding right before our eyes.

Manziel recently made the news yet again when the former Texas A&M star turned himself in on a domestic violence misdemeanor stemming from an incident in January involving his ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley. Manziel was subsequently booked and released on a $1,500 bond.

Although Manziel’s stay in jail was brief, he left behind a mugshot that has gone viral. In the photo, Manziel is beaming with a smug, defiant grin. Then, shortly after his release, Manziel took to Twitter to show his defiance yet again by tweeting, “Just thankful I had a shirt this time.” The tweet was deleted shortly after it was posted to his account.

The tweet Manziel posted referenced a 2012 mug shot taken of a shirtless Manziel after he was arrested for disorderly conduct in a bar fight.

Manziel had the potential to be a great professional football player; however, his smug, defiant, and privileged attitude have attributed to his fall from grace. Stay tuned, this most likely isn’t the last time you will see Manziel in the news.

Contact the author at jsmith15@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalsportWOU

Ted Cruz allegedly seen picking up newly dry cleaned Zodiac Killer costume

By: Katrina Penaflor
Managing Editor

In a mom-and-pop dry cleaners in Dallas, Texas, it has been reported—and I use the term reported very loosely—that a man looking oddly similar to Ted Cruz was seen picking up some sort of Zodiac Killer-esque costume on May 5.

The costume, which may or may not be just an oversized black hoodie, was washed by an employee named Robin.

“I was given very specific directions by the man who placed the order to not remove the Cruz 2016 button from the garment. I tried to tell the man it would affect the cleaning, and that Cruz had recently ended his campaign, but he said, ‘leave it on, dammit,’” Robin said.

Robin was unfortunately unable to identify the man beyond saying he had brown hair. When asked what name was left on the order form, Robin showed a copy and under “name” it read “noT the ZoDiaC KiLleR.”

The second eyewitness, who wishes to be unnamed for obvious reasons, said Cruz entered the dry cleaner wearing a white button down shirt that definitely needed to be tailored, and when he exited the establishment he had the black cloak on and was wearing black framed glasses.

“That’s when I knew it was the Zodiac Killer,” he said. “I also saw him get in a gold minivan that was driven by a blonde woman in a pink pant suit. She even got out of the car and yelled at him to hurry up.”

Another Cruz spotting, which can definitely not be confirmed because I overheard two teenage boys talking about it while I waited in line at McDonald’s, said Cruz was also seen earlier that morning at a nearby Party City.

He allegedly asked an employee where their costume selection was, and quickly grew furious when he discovered they had sold out of their adult size large Zodiac Killer costumes.

He left the store in a rage, accidently punching and elbowing multiple employees and shoppers in the face on his way out.

Contact the author at journalmanaging@wou.edu or on Twitter @JournalKatrina

Wolves postseason run ends at GNAC Championships

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

Western’s softball team found their groove at the right time, finishing out the season with a string of victories that propelled them into the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championships as the No. 2 seed. For the Wolves, every facet of the game seemed to be clicking: their pitching, offense, and defense.

So going into their opening game of the post-season in Lacey, Wash., on April 28, the Wolves had the momentum and the confidence that is needed for a team to win the championship. The Wolves’ first opponent in the opening round was Concordia University, a team Western beat three out of four times at the end of the regular season.

The same success Western found in the regular season against the Cavaliers continued into the postseason, as the Wolves came away with a 3-1 victory.

Junior infielder Kelsie Gardner had two hits and one RBI in three at-bats. Gardner, who is ranked third in the GNAC in batting percentage with a season average of .430, has been one of the Wolves most dangerous offensive weapons all year long.

In the fourth inning, junior catcher Mercedes Green belted her sixth home run of the season to put the Wolves up 2-0. Then later in the inning, Gardner connected for an infield single which stretched the Wolves’ advantage to 3-0.

Western’s starting pitcher, senior Alyson Boytz, had one of her best performances of the season, only allowing the Cavaliers’ offense four hits all game long. Boytz pitched from start to finish, and got herself out a bases loaded situation in the fifth inning on her way to the 3-1 victory.

Then on April 29, the Wolves blanked Saint Martin’s University (SMU) 4-0 in the second round of the playoffs and advanced to the Championship game.
In the second inning, junior infielder Ashlee Lynch crushed a two-out solo home run over the left field wall for her ninth home run of the season. Not to be outdone, in the fifth inning, junior infielder Destiny Kuehl connected on a fastball that went out of the park for her 13th home run of the season which gave the Wolves the 4-0 advantage over SMU.

Boytz followed up her incredible performance just the day before with an even more impressive outing. Boytz again went the distance and only allowed two hits in her shutout.

After the two decisive victories, Western advanced to the finals for a doubleheader against Central Washington University on April 30.

Central Washington clinched the No. 1 seed in the playoffs with a conference record of 18-10. In the regular season, the Wolves played the Wildcats four times and only came away with one victory. The Championship double header played out similar to the meetings between the two teams in the regular season, as the Wildcats stunned the Wolves 11-2 in their first matchup and then 9-3 in their second.

The Wolves finished the season with a record of 31-24 and 16-11 in conference play. Although the Wolves fell short on winning the GNAC Championship, the team gave it their all and proved that looking forward to next season, they are indeed a dangerous team.

Contact the author at jsmith15@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalsportWOU

Obama surprises students

By: Jenna Beresheim
News Editor

On April 28, Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary was busy speaking to a crowd of college journalists gathered in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room when the President of the United States showed up for a surprise visit.
“I hear there’s some hotshot journalists in here,” said President Barack Obama as he approached the podium where Earnest stood. “I heard you guys were around today, so I wanted to stop by and say hello.”
The event, which hosted college journalists from across 28 states, was held in Washington D.C. within the White House itself. Issues relevant to college in the United States, such as Title IX initiatives and student loan debt, were covered as part of the process.
Going with the theme, Obama stated that he had some breaking news for the new generation of reporters.
The President stated that he intends to enroll 2 million more individuals into the Pay As You Earn program. This program caps the amount of student debt loans that a borrower has to repay to 10 percent of their monthly income. This plan would hopefully take place by April 2017.
Community colleges were not forgotten either, being approached as an item that may become free in the future with federal support.
“I’m proud of the work we’ve done in education to make sure that millions of kids who previously couldn’t afford to go to college can,” the President said.
To see the official White House recording of the event, visit http://1.usa.gov/1TuZZN7
Contact the author at Jberesheim11@wou.edu or on Twitter @WOUjournalnews

You should be watching for “”Overwatch””

By: Ashton Newton
Staff Writer

In the modern world of video games, the studio Blizzard stands out for some of the most memorable games around. Games like “World of Warcraft” and “Diablo” are some of the most popular in recent years, so when Blizzard comes out with something new, it’s going to be big.

“Overwatch” is just that. Announced at BlizzCon 2014, “Overwatch” excited first person shooters and Blizzard fans alike with a stunning cinematic trailer.

“Overwatch” is a team-based competitive first person shooter. The game features 21 playable heroes with all different abilities and play styles. Characters break down into four broad categories: offense, defense, support, and tank.

Cooperation is highly encouraged. Players can switch heroes during the game, so it’s advised to switch things up often and find a perfect balance of offense, defense, and support to have an advantage over the opposing team.

Each character can be individually customized with voices, emotes, and skins, unlocked with level ups and coins won in game. This gives players a chance to express themselves in game and look way cooler than everyone else. Luckily, all customizations are purely cosmetic, so no player has an unbalanced advantage.

“Overwatch” has three objective based game modes, instead of the standard “team deathmatch” style modes. This forces players to work together in order to complete objectives like capturing control points and escorting vehicles across the map.

Game developer Chris Metzan said that “Overwatch” “promotes teamwork and relationship and having fun with your friends.”

Last week, “Overwatch” had an open beta test for players to jump in and get a feel for the game before its May 24 release.

I got a chance to play the beta for a few hours and I found it to be an outrageously fun experience. The game played smooth and people were cooperative and sincere.

Blizzard has also been releasing mini comics and animated shorts to immerse players into the world of “Overwatch” before release. These can be found on the “Overwatch” website, as well as YouTube.

The general plot of “Overwatch” is that an “Omnic” artificial intelligence crisis led to an uprising of robots around the globe in a near future Earth. Because of this, the UN creates a task force to protect Earth called “Overwatch.”

“Overwatch” also has its own Reddit community where players can share tips, strategies, and original artwork, all while sharing the excitement of the game.

“Overwatch” releases May 24 for Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC. No Mac release is planned. Blizzard has talked about adding cross play between platforms, so all players could play together, much like the game “Rocket League.”

Contact the author at anewton15@wou.edu

Horoscopes

Screen Shot 2016-05-09 at 4.14.23 PMAries 3/21-4/19
I’ve got a special treat for you this week, Aries. Orange mocha frappuccinos!

Taurus 4/20-5/20
There is a very adorable caterpillar in your pocket.

Gemini 5/21-6/20
The moons be dancin’ and singin’ in your favor, Gemini. You will not be hungover on May 14.

Cancer 6/21-7/22
My recommendation for you, Cancer, is to only buy Vlasic brand pickles from here on out.

Leo 7/23-8/22
Piff the magic dragon.

Virgo 8/23-9/22
You think you’re an Evian, Virgo, but you’re really more like a Dasani or an off-brand generic bottle of water.

Libra 9/23-10/22
Libra, the moon told me she burned her toast this morning and the char looked just like your face.

Scorpio 10/23-11/21
You will be attacked by a garbage squirrel in front of the WUC. Totally unavoidable.

Sagittarius 11/22-12/21
This content is currently unavailable in your country.

Capricorn 12/22-1/19
A falcon will fly into your window at 5 p.m. this Sunday. Her name is Emma and she will be glorious.

Aquarius 1/20-2/18
All Aquarians remind me of my uncle Rodger. Cool guy.

Pisces 2/19-3/20
It was Vanessa Hudgens. She did it.

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