Entertainment – Page 21 – The Western Howl

Written by: Nicholas Sarysz

TikTok is a wildly popular social media platform that has taken the world by storm, surpassing over one billion active users worldwide in 2021. The app allows users to create and share short, looping videos of themselves or their environments TikTok has a variety of filters, special effects and music tracks, making it easy for anyone to create content that is both entertaining and engaging. It has become a cultural phenomenon — especially among younger generations— and has been credited with launching viral trends, dance challenges and even chart-topping music hits.

Within the past couple of years, the app’s parent company, ByteDance, has been hit with a wave of criticism in regards to user privacy. Specifically, the app has been accused of collecting a wide range of personal information from its users, including their location, browsing history and even biometric data such as facial recognition. Critics have argued that ByteDance’s close ties to the Chinese Communist Party may also be an issue in regard to the safety of Americans.

Most recently, Texas universities have banned TikTok from their networks and restricted access to the social media app on their internet networks. Several state governors, including Greg Abbott, issued executive orders that served as the impetus for the recent wave of campus TikTok bans. The Texas bans were some of the biggest to gain national media attention, as more than half of the U.S. states had already banned the use of the app on government devices and networks, to some degree.

In Congress, there is a large push to ban the use of the app nationwide to some capacity, which could include banning it solely from all government devices, to banning it outright for everyone within the nation’s borders. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, has stated that they have been reviewing the potential risks of data-sharing by TikTok since 2019. On the other hand, ByteDance has spent over five and a half million dollars on American lobbyists for the company in 2022 alone and is looking to do whatever it can to convince the United States government that it is not a security threat.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

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Melody Barrett’s senior art exhibit

Written by: Gretchen Sims

The latest addition to the senior art exhibits in the Werner University Center is blowing viewers away with its stunning colors and cohesive designs. Artist Melody Barrett is the mastermind behind these breathtaking works that currently grace the second floor of the WUC.

When discussing her series, titled “Finding my Artistic Voice,” Barrett addressed the following topics:

Q: What does art mean to you?

A: This is a complicated question, and honestly I’ve been struggling to find an answer because art means many things to me. It’s the act of creating, and also the act of observing something others have created, or that mother nature has created. I can see the art of a tree or landscape as easily as that of a painting or sculpture or other medium. Art is something that touches my soul, makes me stop and pause and really look and feel. It’s one of the things I’ve loved about being here at WOU and working in the Galleries. I love seeing what other people create, what they are giving voice to and how they express themselves and the world around them.

Q: What first got you interested in art?

A: Two things really influenced me. The first of which was my mother. She sewed and crocheted and made a myriad of drawings and crafts throughout her life, yet never thought of herself as an artist. She looked at what she created as being ‘crafty’. It wasn’t until very late in her life that she painted just a few paintings and I was amazed at her talent. I think that is why I viewed my early artistic endeavors as ‘just playing’. I’ve always been creating something but thought ‘being an artist’ was something others did, not me. The second was when I was about 12 years old and my family went to Seattle. At the public market I bought two posters for 25.00 each which was an outrageous amount of my allowance to spend at the time. The first was a surreal image by Dominique Appia entitled Entre Les Trous De La Mémoire. In English Between the Holes in the Memory. It captured my attention and I felt it spoke directly to me. The second poster was a copy of an art exhibit poster, I can’t remember what city now, but it was a pink vase with pussywillow branches out of the top and the faint image of a bird in the center of the vase. Those were my first wall art type purchases, and they went with me everywhere for 20 years.

Q: What would you like others to take from your art?

A: I hope that everyone who sees my art can find something in some piece that they like, that touches them.

Q: What inspires you?

A: Nearly everything! People, places, events, definitely other artists!

Q: What is your “why”? (what makes you the artist you are today)

A: So many things, but it might just boil down to curiosity and the desire to continually try new things. My art is an expression of thoughts, feelings, ideas I have kicking around inside me in an external form.

For the month of February, Western students and members of the community can come to see this display themselves. Be sure to check it out before it’s gone.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

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Sampling or Stealing?

Written by: Mikayla Coleman

Rapper Matthew Raymond Hauri, infamously known by fans as Yung Gravy, has been releasing music since 2016. Hauri began releasing music for fun on SoundCloud while attending college. Since then, Yung Gravy has become a memorable name around college campuses, encapsulating a carefree, laidback attitude often paired with college life and encouraging its audience to not take life too seriously.

With popular songs such as “Mr.Clean,” “Gravy Train” and “C’est la Vie,” Yung Gravy’s music combines modern trap music with callbacks to older, well-known soul songs, creating a unique and fun sound that captivates young audiences today. These borrowed, older songs, while being a pillar of what makes Yung Gravy’s music charming and recognizable, have landed Yung Gravy into some treacherous waters, namely, being sued by “Never Gonna Give You Up” singer, Rick Astley.

The song in question is Yung Gravy’s newest single, “Betty (Get Money),” released in June 2022. Included within the song is a brief hook including a vocal replication that sounds similar to the voice of Rick Astley, as well as an instrumental recreation of Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.”

Astley alleges that Yung Gravy and the studio engineers involved in the song’s creation impersonated Astley’s voice and falsely stated Astley’s approval of the project.

To avoid having to jump through the hoops of getting the song licensed for sampling within “Betty (Get Money),” Yung Gravy and studio engineers involved in the song’s creation attempted to recreate the instrumental.

Yung Gravy explained this thought process in an interview with Billboard in August 2022, “My boy Nick, who does a lot of sample replays and recreating original samples, we basically remade the whole song. Had a different singer and instruments, but it was all really close because it makes it easier legally.”

Unfortunately, Yung Gravy’s understanding of this system may have been mistaken. Astley is seeking an unspecified amount of money for damages, including all gains and profits of their violation and attorney’s fees. It is expected that the lawsuit will amount to millions.

The ruling of this case will set the precedent for artists that use sampled music or recreations within their work, a fairly common practice, especially in less popular music circles.

Contact the author at howleditor@wou.edu

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For the Love of Entertainment

Written by: Gretchen Sims

The Western Howl wants help catering content to students. After this edition, the Entertainment Editor will be taking submissions via email to be considered for inclusion in the Entertainment section. Anything from an article suggestion to a freelanced piece is very appreciated.

Freelanced pieces should be between 350 and 400 words. The author does not have to adhere to AP style editing — editing will be provided by Howl staff to make sure it fits into our house style, with the permission of the author.

Entertainment articles typically cover music, art, social media, new movie releases and performances both on and off campus. Articles and idea submissions can be sent to gsims20@mail.wou.edu and made out to Gretchen Sims.

Submit to see one’s favorite topics in the Howl today!

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Jammin’ at the Gym

Written by: Gretchen Sims

“No Excuses” — NF

“So What” — P!nk

“Me Enamoré” — Shakira

“La La La” — Shakira

“Any Way You Want It” — Journey

“Separate Ways” — Journey

“Fine By Me” — Andy Grammer

“Alone” — Nico Collins

“Cheap Thrills (feat. Sean Paul)” — Sia, Sean Paul

“Centuries” — Fall Out Boy

“Call Me Tonight” — Ava Max

“Epiphany” — Dvicio, Nil Moliner

“Bones” — Imagine Dragons

“Locked out of Heaven” — Bruno Mars

“I Ain’t Worried” — OneRepublic

“Gospel (with Eminem)” — Dr. Dre, Eminem

“Remember the Name (feat. Styles Of Beyond)” — Fort Minor, Styles Of Beyond

“One More Night” — Maroon 5

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Student Print Exhibit

Written by: Gretchen Sims

Western Galleries continue to feature student artists by displaying class projects in the Instructional Technology Center. This month’s exhibit followed the Cannon Art Gallery’s lead and showed off the student printmaking class.

The show titled “Creativity in Copper” shows off Western students’ exemplary artistic ability.

The prints are created by first etching an image on a slab of copper — if the pieces are in color, they may require multiple layers.

Many students’ works are currently on display in the ITC building. Artists and their perspective prints included:

“Pond Side” by Violet Babbitt, “Ball Python” by Leo Bazemore, “Eye of the Storm” by Annabelle Bullock, “The Forest Savior” by Ashlee Ellis, “Aphrodite” by Domminik Griffith, “Cove Sun Reflection” by Jake Hampson, “ Lotus Flower” by Xiaomi He, “Dinner and a Show” by Abi Lowther, “Raindrops” by Becca McCannell, “Held” by Ressi Miller-McKinney, “Untitled” by Lucas Montpart, “El Bosque del Conejo” by Maria Ortega Osorno, “Allure” by Annabella Ramey, “Untitled” by Jackie Ramos Garibay, “Gentle Assassin” by Carrie Visuaño, “Lovely View” by Yuxin Xiao and “Cat and Flowers” by Qiao Zhang.

Similar to the previous watercolor exhibit, the works displayed in the exhibit are the result of an entire term of hard work. Though the prints began as a class assignment, each piece grew to be extremely individualistic and beautiful.

The students perfectly exhibited how one assignment can be interpreted in so many different ways — each perfectly resembling their maker.

There was an artist reception on Saturday Feb. 11 where artists shared about the class and chatted with attendees regarding the pieces that they made. Although this show has wrapped, be sure to check out pictures from it on Instagram @wougalleries and support fellow student artists.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

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Puss and Boots: in it’s last life?

Written by: Gretchen Sims

Content warning: this article contains spoilers

When “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” came to theaters on Dec. 21, 2022, most people glanced over it — not expecting much from a children’s movie. It has been eleven years since the first spinoff of the Shrek franchise was released, but once the Netflix adaptation became popular, DreamWorks went for that cash cow.

Starring Antonio Banderas as the voice of Puss in Boots, Salma Hayek as Kitty Softpaws and Harvey Guillén as Perrito, “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” became a smash hit not only for its nostalgia, but also for its revolutionary animation.

Because of a perceived cash grab, expectations were low for the film, but as soon as audiences were met with the opening scene — a blossoming flower — eyes and ears perked up. The animation style of “The Last Wish” is uncharacteristic of anything we have seen from the Shrek franchise, or even DreamWorks itself, thus far.

Reminiscent of an Americanized adaptation of the Japanese animation style, the film was filled with action-packed scenes and bright colors that wowed the spectators.

As is characteristic of a DreamWorks film, “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” had the audience roaring in laughter at its witty humor and bawling their eyes out at its touching, heartfelt moments.

However, art and nostalgia aside, there was one aspect of this film that made it stand out above all others — it’s “better than life” villain. While the main villain of the show, Big Jack Horner, is terrifying in his own right, the secondary villain, Death, is enough to send chills down the spine of a hardened horror veteran — his eerie whistle piercing through the theater like a winter’s wind.

This movie had the perfect balance between nostalgia, humor, beauty and horror. People of all ages, not just children, should add “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” to their movie watch list.

8.5/10

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

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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.

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TikTok faces more privacy concern

Melody Barrett’s senior art exhibit

Sampling or Stealing?

For the Love of Entertainment

Jammin’ at the Gym

Student Print Exhibit

Puss and Boots: in it’s last life?

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