The Western Howl – Page 21 – The Western Howl

Written by: Sierra Porter | Staff Writer

Content warning: this article contains topics of murder and suicide.

On April 10, rap artist Marshall Mathers, better known by the stage name, Eminem, posted an announcement to his official Instagram account stating that he is looking for “Stans” to feature in an upcoming, untitled documentary. This film will be directed by Steven Leckhart and produced by Shady Films alongside Eminem himself.

According to its synopsis, the film is a “…revealing, edgy and disarmingly personal journey into the world of super fandom, told through the lens of one of the world’s most iconic and enduring artists, Eminem, and the fans that worship him.”

The term “Stan” is used to describe an overzealous or obsessive fan and was popularized by Eminem’s famous song of the same name in 2000. The music video made waves as its depiction of an obsessed fan by the name of Stan who took the life of his wife and himself due to his troubled captivation with receiving the attention of Eminem. This dramatic statement made an impact and earned Eminem several award nominations including Best Song, Video of the Year, Best Rap Video, Best Direction and Best Cinematography at the MTV Music Awards. Today, the term is still commonly used among fans of Eminem and multitudes of other online fandom communities.

“Hey Slim, I filled out your survey but you still ain’t callin’?” The announcement was posted to his Instagram and included a link for a questionnaire to fill out. The site reads as follows: “Share your story with the world in an exciting new documentary film produced by Eminem and Shady Films.” The questionnaire contains 27 different questions about being an Eminem super fan. Some of the questions are straightforward and others go to a much deeper level — explaining the reason one is a fan. The first section asks for basic information like name and where one is from.

The next section provides questions about being an Eminem super fan. These questions include the kind of merch one has, how Eminem’s music helped one get past challenges in life, which song hit the deepest on a personal level, whether there are any parts of Eminem’s story that one relates to and more to determine if one is truly a Stan.

The final section is the photo and video section — here, they ask for a photo of the person filling out the survey, requesting one’s face be clearly shown. It also asks for a one-minute-long video explaining “Why you are Eminem’s biggest fan” and sharing anything unique about one as an Eminem super fan.

Shady Films and long-time manager of Eminem, Paul Rosenberg, says “‘Stans’ will be the opportunity for us to turn the camera around and ask the audience about being fans — and in some cases fanatics. This is a study of the relationship between fanbase and artist.”

Little information about the true details of the documentary has been provided, but one thing is for sure, Eminem is calling for all Stans.

Contact the author at howlstaffwriter@wou.edu

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This week in entirely made up horoscopes

The signs watch a horror movie

Aries: imagining themselves as the final girl

Taurus: ‘This is so dumb’

Gemini: laughing at the “scary” parts

Cancer: passed out after the first 5 minutes

Leo: telling everyone they could survive each scenario

Virgo: attracted to the villain

Libra: disgusted by the gore but overall unfazed

Scorpio: oddly fascinated (don’t question it)

Sagittarius: closed my eyes during “Jurassic Park”

Capricorn: complaining about all the inaccuracies in the gore

Aquarius: unbothered- bring them something scarier

Pisces: thinking of their serial killer name

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Aloha from Maui

Written by: Hannah Field | News Editor

In August of 2023, wildfires raked the island of Maui, causing unprecedented damage to Maui County and its inhabitants. Homes, businesses, studios, buildings and more were lost to the fires — devastating not only many lives but also countless lifelines for artists, creators, business owners and creative minds.

Western has since installed an “Aloha from Maui” exhibit in celebration of the artists in Maui, Hawaii, which will be featured through May 3. The exhibit, which can be found in the Cannon Gallery in Campbell Hall, states that, “Through the loss of galleries, studios and art businesses, Maui County artists have persevered. They continue to create and share ways in which art can be healing and bring community together.”

Paula Booth, Western’s Gallery Director and Assistant Professor of Art, led the charge in jurying “Aloha from Maui.” Booth, herself, harbors fond memories of Maui and believes art has the power to heal, leading to the production of “Aloha from Maui.”

The artworks are completely giclee printed reproductions on canvas stretched on a two-inch frame, as, unfortunately, obtaining the artwork of thirty-six different creators crafted, gathered and shipped to Oregon from Maui proved to be difficult.

The historic town of Lahaina, Maui, was particularly ravaged by the disaster. Featured artist, Laurie Robbins Miller, honored two significant Lahaina landmarks: Front Street and the Banyan Tree — an impactful moment for fourth-year student Tati Ala, having been born and raised in O’ahu, Hawaii.

“When we were first going through and picking out (artwork), I cried at like four of them,” said Ala. “Specific ones that are very meaningful.”

During the fires, Ala was in Hawaii that summer and had been in Maui earlier that year. “I was crying the entire time — we had family and friends there, and I’m very grateful nobody passed away and everyone we know was safe. But there were a lot of people who didn’t have that.”

“This is an important celebration of their work and their livelihoods and it connects what they do to a wider audience,” explained Booth. “This is a very colorful, engaging and fun show — there really is something in it for everyone.”

“It has been really great to have the opportunity,” said Ala. “It’s close to home.”

Contact the author at howlnews@mail.wou.edu

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Nunsploitation horrors: An immaculate review

Written by: Lili Minato | Freelancer

Content warning: this article contains spoilers and discusses dark themes involving pregnancy and religion.

The infamous nunsploitation genre is back with two new blockbuster films that have left audiences rattled and disturbed.

Nunsploitation is a film subgenre that involves the exploitation of nuns in a horror or thriller setting. Some of the most popular films of this genre come from “The Conjuring” universe, specifically the movies “The Nun” and “The Nun II.”

“Immaculate,” which hit theaters on March 22, gave audiences a more artistic approach to the often repetitive and predictable horror subgenre. “Immaculate” follows an American nun, played by Sydney Sweeney, who joins a hospice convent in Italy. Besides the slightly off-putting comments and actions by the elderly nuns who are cared for in the convent, Sweeney’s character, Sister Cecilia, considers the Italian countryside her new home.

As the days and weeks pass, Sister Cecilia notices more odd and unusual occurrences around the convent, corresponding with her worsening health. Cecilia becomes increasingly more ill and requests to see a doctor. In return, she gets a checkup by the convent’s appointed physician,

where the devout nun finds out about her pregnancy. There is nothing that has caused the said pregnancy so it is ruled to be an immaculate conception. Sister Cecilia was going to give birth to the next baby Jesus.

The first half of “Immaculate” is predictable and filled with plot holes; there is nothing too unique about it. As the film progresses, though, the artistic values start to show.

The final scene provides a beautiful “Rosemary’s Baby” finale for the film.

Sister Cecilia has just escaped her captors and is free from the convent. She stands outside, surrounded by the beautiful countryside, but the beauty starts to deteriorate as she goes and squats by a tree. The camera moves up close to Cecilia’s bloody face as she begins to scream.

The screaming lasts for multiple minutes without any camera cuts. After a while, a crying baby can be heard. The camera then pans out and follows Sister Cecilia as she goes and grabs a heavy rock, she brings it toward the crying infant who is out of the frame. She holds a rock above the baby and drops it. With that, the film ends.

Sweeney gives an excellent performance that proves she has the pipes to be the next big scream queen.

Along with “Immaculate,” another blockbuster nunsploitation film was released two weeks after the former. “The First Omen” is the sixth installment in the “Omen” franchise and shares a very similar synopsis with “Immaculate.”

“The First Omen” also revolves around an American woman sent to Italy who becomes suspiciously pregnant on arrival. The only difference is that the main character faces an arguably more sinister birth than Sister Cecilia did.

Both films are currently in theaters with “The First Omen” getting slightly better ratings than “Immaculate.” For nunsploitation fans, both seem to be worth the watch.

7/10.

Contact the author at lminato22@mail.wou.edu

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Live action: take two

Written by: Gretchen Sims | Editor-in-Chief

Content warning: this article contains spoilers.

When Netflix announced that they would be re-remaking “Avatar: The Last Airbender” as a live-action series, expectations were high. As a childhood favorite to many, another failed remake was all that was on fans’ worried minds.

Starring Gordon Cormier as Aang, Kiawentiio as Katara, Ian Ousley as Sokka and Dallas Liu as Prince Zuko, the release of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” was, unfortunately, met with mixed feelings.

When the show was set to hit production, Netflix announced that the original creators of the Nickelodeon cartoon, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, would work as executive producers on their live-action remake. This news excited fans who were, not long after, met with the disappointing news that DiMartino and Konietzko had departed from the show, citing creative differences — the two received writing credits for the first and sixth episodes. This disheartening turn of events raised questions regarding the show’s integrity to the original cartoon.

First, I want to preface with the fact that this new remake was nowhere near as awful as the first attempt, which went as far as to mispronounce its character’s names. It was not as good as the original, I think anyone could have guessed that, but it wasn’t horrible. However, there were a few aspects of the remake that caused it to fall short of the cartoon.

Growing up, Katara was always my favorite character. As a sister to annoying siblings, who often took on an authoritative position in their lives, I felt myself relating to her. In the Netflix remake, I didn’t get any of that. I felt like the energy and life Katara brought to the cartoon were lost in the live-action — it was as though she were flat and two-dimensional.

Additionally — and there has been a lot of online discourse surrounding this — Sokka’s sexist character arch was cut from the adaptation. In the Nickelodeon series, Sokka starts the show with very sexist views that were instilled in him throughout his childhood, but he slowly loses them as he meets strong women throughout their quests.

While there is an argument for cutting this arch, I think that writing Sokka’s initial sexism out of the show erased an important lesson the original writers wanted to portray. Talking about sexist themes is crucial to fighting gender biases — especially in children’s TV shows.

The show’s creators stated that they wanted to make things darker to make the series not only for kids but “…people who are big fans of ‘Game of Thrones’” as well.

This attempted direction fell more than short and left viewers with a weirdly “edgy” feel — in a “not at all edgy” sort of way.

The cartoon was supposed to be lighthearted to appeal to children, while also teaching valuable lessons to this younger audience. Because this was executed so well, the original “Avatar: The Last Airbender” show was a hit among all ages. Sadly, this new remake does not quite reach this mark — completely overlooking the essence of the original show.

If one is debating whether it is still worth a watch, it is important to ask oneself why they fell in love with the original in the first place. Like I said in the beginning, it’s not horrible, it just leaves out some key components that can leave a returning viewer wanting more.

6.5/10.

Contact the author at howleditorinchief@wou.edu

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It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine

Written by: Claire Phillips | Entertainment Editor

“It’s The End Of The World As We Know It” — R.E.M.

“Skyfall” — Adele

“In a Week” — Hozier feat. Karen Cowley

“Seven Devils” — Florence + The Machine

“Apocalypse Please” — Muse

“Everybody Wants To Rule The World” — Tears For Fears

“(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” — Blue Öyster Cult

“As the World Caves In” — Sarah Cothran

“Exit Music (For A Film)” — Radiohead

“Blue Spotted Tail” — Fleet Foxes

“Losing My Religion” — R.E.M.

“Who Wants To Live Forever” — Queen

“Enjoy the Silence” — Depeche Mode

“Time is Running Out” — Muse

“Bottom of the River” — Delta Rae

“Stare at the Sun” — Mutemath

“I Know It’s Over” — The Smiths

“Alone Again Or” — The Damned

“The Sound of Silence” — Simon & Garfunkel

“Everybody Loves You When You’re Dead” — The Stranglers

“Victory Dance” — My Morning Jacket

“Highway to Hell” — AC/DC

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

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NCAA women’s basketball champions

Written by: Jaylin Hardin | Sports Editor

The University of South Carolina’s women’s basketball program recently beat the University of Iowa, clinching their third national title and second title in three years. After losing to Iowa in the Final Four last season, the South Carolina Gamecocks have not lost a game since — the tenth perfect season in National Collegiate Athletic Association women’s basketball history.

Iowa started in the lead for the game, with Caitlin Clark adding 18 points on the board for Iowa and another record to her name. Clark was the NCAA Division One all-time point scorer across both men’s and women’s basketball.

But even Clark could not stop the powerhouse that was the Gamecocks’ basketball program. After ending the first half up by three, South Carolina paced the game and Iowa could not pull ahead. Some South Carolina players called the road to the championship a “revenge tour.”

Tess Johnson led the Gamecocks with 19 points on the night, but senior Kamilla Cardoso was truly the most valuable player of the game, boasting a double-double of 15 points and 17 rebounds. Te-Hina Paopao and Chloe Kitts both followed closely with 14 and 11 points on the night.

Clark was not the only one who broke records — the game itself was a record breaker. Airing on network television for the first time since 1995, the game surpassed the men’s game by 4.1 million views — 18.9 million and 14.82 million views respectively.

“You’re seeing the growth in many places: attendance records, viewership and social media engagement surrounding March Madness,” University of California, Los Angeles coach Cori Close said. “I don’t think you can attribute it just to Iowa, though. A rising tide does lift all boats. But I think all those boats have been on many different waterways. The product is really good, and the increase of exposure is getting rewarded.” UCLA lost to third-ranked Louisiana State University in the Sweet Sixteen.

This game was also one of the most watched non-Olympic women’s sporting events on United States television, second only to the 2015 Women’s World Cup final between the USA and Japan.

This year boasts a large class of players who have amassed large followings and prospects to go professional: LSU’s Angel Reese, Cardoso and Clark are all top prospects for this year’s Women’s National Basketball Association draft.

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Western Oregon University’s Land Acknowledgement
Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR is located within the traditional homelands of the Luckiamute Band of Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 (Kalapuya etc. Treaty), Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to reservations in Western Oregon. Today, living descendants of these people are a part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.

Accessibility Public Records Privacy Student Consumer Information

WOU prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by WOU.

Calling all “Stans”

This week in entirely made up horoscopes

Aloha from Maui

Nunsploitation horrors: An immaculate review

Live action: take two

It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine

NCAA women’s basketball champions

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