Mount Hood

So much for (2our) dust…

Written by: Jaylin Hardin | Sports Editor

On Feb. 28, Fall Out Boy kicked off the second North American leg of their “So Much for (2our) Dust…” tour in a sold-out show at the Moda Center in Portland. I had the opportunity to attend this show, something I have wanted to do since middle school. 

Fall Out Boy was opened by Daisy Grenade, The Main and Jimmy Eat World. Even though Jimmy Eat World was an opener, Fall Out Boy, Daisy Grenade and The Main are all influenced by Jimmy Eat World, which was a cool experience for everyone. Starting at 6 p.m., each opening artist had 45 minutes to perform onstage, with Jimmy Eat World finishing their set at 8:45 p.m.

While waiting for Fall Out Boy to come on stage, the sound tech played various popular alternative songs, including “Dear Maria Count Me In” and “Dial Drunk,” before they capped it off with Fall Out Boy’s modern “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” Immediately after, the intro played and out they came.

After playing “Love From the Other Side,” guitarist Pete Wentz gave a brief introduction and they launched into their set. Many of the songs were accompanied by pyrotechnics, smoke screens, fireworks and a fire-covered guitar, played by Wentz. 

During the portion of the show where they played “Sugar We’re Going Down,” “Uma Thurman” and “A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More ‘Touch Me’,” the band had a puppeteered snail on stage, along with inflatable cacti and a crew member wearing a white rabbit suit. The rabbit vibed along with the music onstage, ultimately ending up headbanging with the snail.

The band also eventually brought out an inflatable Doberman head — which was controlled by the same person who wore the rabbit suit — and had a mouth that had full movement to open and shut. During “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race” the mouth was utilized to sing “God d–n” with the audience. 

The setlist was mostly comprised of the band’s own songs from their “Save Rock and Roll,” “Take This to Your Grave” and “So Much (For) Stardust” albums; however, they did perform partial covers: “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne and “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen. The latter was preluded by a piano medley of “Young and Menace” and “What a Catch, Donnie” — “Young and Menace” had not been played since Oct. 10, 2018. 

Overall, it was an extremely enjoyable experience. I have been a fan of Fall Out Boy since middle school, and it has always been on my bucket list to see them in concert. I was partially disappointed that they did not play more from their album “MANIA” or that they didn’t play the song “Save Rock and Roll,” but it was still an amazing experience overall. 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Flashback to the 90s

Written by: Jaylin Hardin | Sports Editor

Songs that take you back to the time before iPods and Spotify. This is the playlist everyone’s parents listened to in their college dorms, filled to the brim with songs that defined the decade.

“Tubthumping” — Chumbawamba

“Mambo No. 5 (a Little Bit of…)” — Lou Bega

“Slam” — Onyx

“Break Stuff” — Limp Bizkit

“End of the Road” — Boyz II Men

“Zombie” — The Cranberries

“What’s My Age Again?” — Blink-182

“You Oughta Know” — Alanis Morissette

“Basket Case” — Green Day

“Ironic” — Alanis Morisette

“Semi-Charmed Life” — Third Eye Blind

“My Name Is” — Eminem

“No Diggity” — Blackstreet, Dr. Dre, Queen Pen

“No Scrubs” — TLC

“Genie in a Bottle” — Christina Aguilera

“What a Girl Wants” — Christina Aguilera

“Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” — JAY-Z

“(You Drive Me) Crazy” — Britney Spears

“Tonight, Tonight” — The Smashing Pumpkins

“Say It Ain’t So” — Weezer

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Celebrating Black authors for Black History Month

Written by: Claire Phillips | Entertainment Editor

As Black History Month comes to an end, here is a list of books written by Black authors to expand one’s reading portfolio. With a mix of thrillers, memoirs and historical fiction, everyone is sure to find something to enjoy. 

“The Color Purple” by Alice Walker This Pulitzer prize winning novel depicts the lives of African American women living in twentieth-century rural Georgia. Though separated while they were young, sisters Celie and Nettie stay loyal to each other across time through a series of letters.

“The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett From the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, racial identities and communities are explored. One twin sister remains in the southern town she once tried to escape, while the other hides her past from her white husband.

“Ace of Spades” by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé — At Niveus Private Academy, the wealthy students strive for nothing less than perfection. When the anonymous texter, “Aces,” brings two students’ secrets to light, everything turns upside down.

“The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas — Starr Carter exists in two worlds — the poor neighborhood where she lives and the suburban prep school she attends. The shaky balance between her two worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the shooting of her best friend.

“Becoming” by Michelle Obama — The first African-American First Lady shares her experiences advocating for young women, creating inclusivity in the White House and changing the ways families pursue the topic of health in her memoir. 

“Right Where I Left You” by Julian Winters — Isaac Martin is ready to start summer, but not ready to start college without his best friend, Diego. Knowing the summer is limited, Isaac enacts a plan to snatch up a pair of badges for a comic convention — until past friends come into the picture and things become complicated.

“The Taking of Jake Livingston” by Ryan Douglass — Jake Livingston is one of the only Black students at St. Clair Prep School, and to make matters worse, he can see dead people. Most ghosts are harmless, but once Jake meets the vengeful spirit, Sawyer, high school becomes a game of survival that Jake isn’t sure he can win.

“Red at the Bone” by Jacqueline Woodson — On the evening of 16 year-old Melody’s coming of age party, she wears a beautiful dress to celebrate with relatives — a dress made for her mother 16 years prior for a ceremony that never happened. Her family history is unfurled as this book moves both forward and backward in time.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Excessive amounts of biopics

Written by: Lili Minato | Freelancer

In the past year alone, 17 biopics were released in movie theaters and on major streaming services. The most notable of them is, “Oppenheimer,” which is currently nominated for 13 Oscars. Now, in 2024, new biopics are playing in theaters, including: “Bob Marley: One Love,” as well as the trailer for, “Back to Black,” a film about the life of Amy Winehouse. 

Many of the upcoming blockbuster films fall under the category of biographical movies, including a recently announced four-film series about The Beatles. Theaters everywhere are currently being overrun with these biographical retellings. 

Biopics are a genre that attracts a very specific audience. Most films during this day and age attempt to appeal to all viewers, which can cause the movie to fall flat. Biographical films attract an audience that is interested in the people, or person, that the film is about; rather than having to worry about reaching a large audience, the directors only need to worry about making a mediocre film and disappointing the fans. 

By making a film about a subject with adoring and intrigued fans, directors are almost guaranteed a box office hit. They simply have to hire the right actors and writers to depict an accurate story. There is little creativity needed to share the life of another person. 

Biopics are easier to make compared to an original story with an original script and there is less risk. Even if the film doesn’t end up being well-loved, most people will still go to theaters to see their favorite historical figure on the big screen. 

This is the reason for the constant output of biopics. There will always be famous and notable people to make movies about, and there will always be an audience for them. Original scripts and stories don’t have the safety net of a premade story featuring a well-known figure. 

These biographical films will never stop being produced; people will continue to die and movies will continue to be made. While these films hold some substance for sharing the lives of misunderstood individuals who didn’t have a voice like Priscilla Presley in, “Priscilla,” most biopics continue to reshare over-told stories of famous personalities. 

Biopics have their purpose in our society, but after a while, they will soon become old and overused. 

Contact the author at lminato22@mail.wou.edu. 

Beyoncé takes on country

Written by: Libby Thoma | Staff Writer

Beyoncé has announced the second part of her “Renaissance” album, which is a three-act installment. However, this album takes a different approach than her previous ones because it classifies as country; it is said to come out on March 29. Fans are referring to the album as “Renaissance Act II” or “Act II,” although the name of the album remains unknown.

The news was dropped during the Super Bowl halftime show and confirmed to be country. Beyoncé also starred in a Super Bowl commercial with Tony Hail by acting as ‘firsts,’ such as the first female president. The commercial ended with a voiceover stating, “ok, they ready, drop the new music.” Later on the same Super Bowl Sunday, the songs “Texas Hold ‘Em’” and “Act II,” both country, were released and posted to her Instagram.  

However, Beyoncé’s new country album did not come without controversy. A country station, KYKC 100.1, refused to play Beyoncé’s new country music on their station, and Roger Harris, the owner of the station, stated they get a high volume of calls to play Beyoncé’s new songs, which on other stations, played up to eight times a week. 

The release of “Texas Hold ‘Em’” and “Act II” has been met with backlash from country listeners who don’t consider her music ‘real country.’ This has led to many stations facing the problem of receiving hundreds of calls or sticking to more traditional country music. 

Bobby Bone, along with many other Beyoncé fanatics, finds it interesting that there has not been much controversy surrounding Post Malone’s upcoming country album despite the two artists delving into the genre for the first time simultaneously. Fans think that an artist can tackle multiple genres of music. Along with creating attention for Beyoncé, the singer-songwriter has also generated attention for country music. Some say that country music is being more widely talked about now that there is this controversy, and that either way, the controversy is good for the genre. 

It is unknown where the new album will be available for streaming, but the two songs that were released became available on Tidal before Spotify or Apple Music

Beyoncé’s new music has country listeners and Beyoncé fans divided. Although there is this divide, attention is being brought both to the genre and the artist herself. 

Contact the author at ethoma23@mail.wou.edu

Spicy book recs for the single and the curious couples

Written by: Jaylin Hardin | Sports Editor, Salyna Woods | Freelancer

This selection of romance and smut books was created for those who may be lonely or for couples looking for new things to try in the bedroom.

Fluff — plot oriented, light spice

“Ice Breaker,” “Maple Hills Series” Book One by Hannah Grace — When the hockey and figure skating teams at Maple Hills University are forced to share the same rink — and Anastasia Allen’s skating partner gets hurt in the aftermath — hockey player Nathan Hills finds himself trading his stick for tights.

“The Deal,” “Off-Campus Series” Book One by Elle Kennedy — Hannah Wells would do anything to get her crush’s attention — even tutor the cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date. All Garret Graham wants to do is play professional hockey, but his dropping GPA is threatening everything. If fake dating a girl to help make some guy jealous will help him secure a position on the team, so be it. 

Spicy — less plot oriented, medium spice

“Twisted Love,” “Twisted Series” Book One by Anna Huang — Alex Volkov is a devil blessed with the face of an angel and a cursed past; Ava Chen is a free spirit trapped by nightmares of a childhood she can’t remember. Their love is one that was never supposed to happen, but when it does, it unleashes secrets that could destroy them both and everything they love.

“Things I Wanted to Say But Never Did,” “The Lancaster Prep Series” Book One by Monica Murphy — Whit Lancaster is a menace on campus, but his primary target is Summer Savage. When she finds him one night, broken and bloody, she sneaks him to her room and cleans him up, then falls for his lies. When he leaves, he takes her journal and promises to let her secrets out. Summer strikes a deal with the Devil — and lets him ruin her behind closed doors.

Spicier — hardly any plot, heavy spice, mature audiences only

“Priest,” “Priest Series” Book One by Sierra Simone — There are many rules a priest can’t break: he cannot marry, abandon his flock or forsake his God. Father Tyler Bell has always been good at following the rules set for him, but six months ago he broke his vow of celibacy on the altar of his own church. And God help him, he’d do it again.

“Neon Gods,” “Dark Olympus Series’” Book One by Katee Robert — Persephone Dimitriou plans to flee the glittering socialite life in the City of Olympus, but when her mother ambushes her with an engagement to Zeus, she is forced to flee to the undercity. There, she makes a devil’s bargain with a man she had originally thought was a myth. Hades never intended to step into the spotlight, but he finds that Persephone can offer the revenge he’s been craving. Every night they spend together has given Hades a taste for Persephone, and he’ll go to war to keep her close to him.

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Upcoming Frankenstein films

Written by: Lili Minato | Freelancer

Content warning: this article contains mentions of suicide

The iconic story of “Frankenstein” has been retold upwards of 114 times through the artistic media of film, the first recorded example being a movie by the same name made in 1910. Now, there are two new “Frankenstein” adaptations coming to the big screen in the upcoming year and a “Frankenstein”-inspired film that is up for an Academy Award. 

These three movies all follow the general themes and plot of “Frankenstein,” while also bringing their own original ideas to the table. From original stories to stylistic elements and cinematography, the classic story continues to spark new life in these adaptations. 

“Poor Things” is an artistic blockbuster that premiered in December of 2023. The story, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, follows a suicidal pregnant woman — played by Emma Stone — who is resurrected with her brain switched with the underdeveloped brain of her unborn child. She then goes on to explore the world through those new set of eyes. 

While not technically a publicized reproduction of the original story, it takes many elements from the stereotypical depictions of “Frankenstein” — a mad scientist and the resurrection of a new organic creature as well as the exploration and the understanding of society by said creature. The connections to the original Mary Shelley novel are abundant. 

The upcoming film, “Lisa Frankenstein,” takes a different approach to the generic recurring plot points of past “Frankenstein” adaptations. Described as a “coming of rage love story” by IMDb, the plot consists of a teenager in the 80s bringing a corpse — who happens to be her crush — back from the dead. They go on a joint mission to find missing body parts which results in murder, love and possibly happiness.

Even though this isn’t a completely original retelling of the novel, the film seems to be taking on something new with a campy and gothic style that will be loved by younger and older audiences alike. 

Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” is a remake of the 1931 classic by the same name. From what the public knows, this film doesn’t seem to stray as far from the original story compared to the other two films mentioned. 

However, audiences shouldn’t expect another repetitive “Frankenstein” movie — del Toro’s past films should inspire viewers to still expect an elevated level of beautiful, stylistic work. Combined with the acting skills of Oscar Issac, Mia Goth and Jacob Elordi, fans of del Toro and “Frankenstein” should anticipate creativity and beauty from this upcoming film.

Contact the author at lminato22@mail.wou.edu