Mount Hood

Instrumental beats

Written by: Gretchen Sims

“Satellites” — Cavement

“Out For a Walk” — Same as Different

“Sidewalking” — Jazzdroid

“humify” — hope mona

“When You’re Gone” — Piano Guys

“Purple love” — Discant Of Venus

“Titanium – David Guetta” — Eklipse

“Happy Ending” — rjoseph

“A Thousand Miles” — Josh Vietti

“Travel by Night” — Itsuju

“Time After Time” — Celestial Aeon Project

“All of Me” — The Piano Guys

“For the Love of a Princess” — 2CELLOS

“Soul Dreaming” — Zmeyev, flowless

“Afterglow” — AWL

“Close To You” — Tang Jia

“Curious” — Lushi

“The Martian Nextdoor” — Keyser

“10,000 Hours (Instrumental Version)” — Laura Sullivan 

“Pirates of the Caribbean” — 2CELLOS

“Angel of Music” — Laclede Quartet

“All I Ask of You” — Laclede Quartet 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Ghibli in theater

Written by: Gretchen Sims

Anime fans across campus listen up. It is everyone’s dream to go back in time and be able to watch their favorite anime for the first time all over again. What if one is now able to achieve the next best thing?

Studio Ghibli movies are often a staple, almost a gateway drug, for most anime fans — usually the first film an experienced viewer will recommend to an anime viewer. These heartwarming films may even be a core memory in many childhoods. What if the fantasy of traveling back in time to watch one’s favorite Studio Ghibli film for the first time is practically achievable?

Fathom Events, a leader in the entertainment industry and a top distributor of content to movie theaters, hosts an annual Studio Ghibli Fest to showcase all the groundbreaking films by Hayao Miyazaki. This Fest is meant to celebrate the ongoing impact that Studio Ghibli continues to have on the animation industry. These unique and beautiful animes are beloved by fans across the world.

This year, Studio Ghibli Fest 2023 is showing at local cinemas. Here is a list of one’s favorite Studio Ghibli films that one can attend as well as their showing times.

“SPIRITED AWAY: Live on Stage” — April 23 and 27

“Ponyo 15th Anniversary” — May 7, 8 and 10

“Kiki’s Delivery Service” — June 11, 12 and 14 

“Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” — July 9 and 11

“Castle in the Sky” — July 10 and 12

“Princess Mononoke” — Aug. 5, 7, 8 and 9

“Porco Rosso” — Aug. 20 and 22

“The Wind Rises 10th Anniversary” — Aug. 21 and 23

“Howl’s Moving Castle” — Sept. 23, 24, 25 and 27

“Spirited Away” — Oct. 28, 29, 30, 31 and Nov. 1

Showings may either be in Japanese with English subtitles or dubbed. Depending on one’s preference, be sure to check out these showings in a theater near you or visit Fathom Event’s Studio Ghibli Fest homepage at fathomevents.com/series/studio-ghibli-fest.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Spring reads

Written by: Jude Bokovoy

Reading gives one the ability to relax, calm the mind, enhance their vocabulary and learn depending on the book. Start this spring off fresh with a new book and reading spot. Fellow students gave suggestions on what to read and ideal reading locations now that the sunshine is out. 

Books

“The Pilot’s Wife” by Anita Shreve — A widow searches for an answer to why her late husband’s plane crashed. Was it an accident, intentional, or even worse?

“Verity” by Colleen Hover — A struggling writer accepts an exciting yet unusual job offer to get her out of her financial burden. 

“How Will You Measure Your Life” by Clayton Christensen — This book will show one how to maintain motivation at work, find happiness in the world and shift one’s focus to what is truly important.

“So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love” by Cal Newport — Western Oregon University Center for Professional Pathways book of the month is about finding appreciation within your work, instead of searching for work that fits your current passions. It often begs the question: is one’s mindset “what can this job offer me” or “what can I offer the world?”

Places to read in Monmouth, Corvallis or Salem. 

Parks — Take a moment to breathe in the fresh air, soak in some sunshine and read a good book. This could be on a park bench, in front of a view or on a blanket alongside a picnic. Parks not too far from campus include Riverview Park, Madrona Park, Bush’s Pasture Park, Riverfront City Park, Avery Park & Natural Area and the Riverfront Commemorative Park. 

Cafes and bakeries — What’s better than reading in a relaxing space while drinking or eating a handmade good? Sip and skim at these nearby cafes and bakeries: The Sippery, Starbucks, Rick’s Place, Brew Coffee & Taphouse, Panera Bread, Ovenbird Bakery, Karma Coffee Bar & Bakery and New Morning Bakery.

Libraries — Why not go to the home of books? Libraries on and off the Western campus include the Hamersly Library, Salem Public Library and the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library. 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu

Video essay recommendations

Written by: Mikayla Coleman

In an ever changing and expanding digital space of content creation, the video essay has become a staple genre on video-sharing websites such as Youtube. 

A video essay is an essay in video form that aims to persuade, educate or critique and analyze a specific topic, theme, person or thesis. This open-ended definition leaves a lot of freedom for creators to artistically express themselves and their opinions in a unique way that can be as academic or as casual as one desires. 

Use this list as a jumping off point for getting into the diverse, fascinating and passionate world of video essays on Youtube.

Ro Rambdin — Ro Rambdin is a 20 year old Tiktok and Youtube influencer from Seattle, Washington who creates incisive commentary videos on a wide variety of subjects pertaining to present and past youth-cultural events. 

  • “Do We Need S*x Scenes? – Penn Badgley and Intimacy in Media” 
  • “Elon Musk and Grimes: A Retrospective” 
  • “Chick Tracts: An American Tragedy” 

Philosophy Tube — Created in 2013 by Abigail Thorn, a British content creator and playwright. , Philosophy Tube seeks to provide free lessons in philosophy after the 2012 increase of tuition in the United Kingdom. Thorn’s videos are inquisitive, hilariously scripted and visually interesting with different elaborate costumes and sets to match each video’s contents. Thorn has also documented their story of coming out as transgender and uses their platform to advocate for better health care and treatment of transgender people around the globe. 

  • “The Rich Have Their Own Ethics: Effective Altruism & the Crypto Crash (ft. F1nn5ter)”

  • “I Emailed My Doctor 133 Times: The Crisis In the British Healthcare System”

  • “Capital Punishment (& Prison Abolition) | Philosophy Tube”

Mina Le — Mina Le is a Vietnamese-American content creator whose work focuses on modern and historical culture of fashion and film. Le’s unique style dominates her videos, making the viewing experience not only intellectually stimulating, but incredibly visually appealing.  

  • “THE CULT OF CLEANLINESS” 

  • “‘toxic’ femininity: what’s up with girlbloggers, female manipulators, and femcels?”

  • “WHY EVERYTHING IS SO UGLY: The Curse of Modernism” 

Izzzyzzz — Internet personality Izzzyzzz, or simply Izzy, is a New Zealand-based video essayist who creates videos on modern and historical internet culture, pertaining mostly to childhood nostalgia. Izzy lightheartedly uses a combination of both subjects to deep dive into niche experiences of growing up while internet usage became more accessible, allowing viewers to be once again immersed in the fun and often-times clunky experiences of early 2000’s computer games and internet culture. 

  • “Exploring the Lore of Purble Place” 
  • “The Horror of Anti-Piracy Screens” 
  • “A Deep Dive into Animal Crossing” 

The Leftist Cooks — Formerly named “The Leftist Cook,” The Leftist Cooks is a collaborative Youtube channel between Irish creators Neil Farrell and Sarah Oeffler focusing primarily on leftist topics, including but not limited to LGBT+ and gender issues, workplace conditions and personal near-death experiences. 

  • “This is Not a Video Essay” 
  • “Polyamory and the Family” 
  • “Capitalism and the Body” 

Contact the author at howleditor@wou.edu







Spring bops

Written by: Mikayla Coleman

“Spring Has Sprung” — Skegss

“Back Pocket” — Vulfpeck, Vulf

“Hutch” — Barrie

“Don’t Trust Me” — the booyah! Kids

“Where’d All the Time Go?” — Dr. Dog

“Golden” — Hippo Campus

“A Bird’s Last Look” — Macabre Plaza

“Cinnamon” — Palehound

“Back in Your Own Back Yard” — Sun Ra

“Vacation” — Honeywhip

“Running Wide Open” — Coma Cinema 

“Afternoon Of A Swan” — Speedy West

“Over the Hill” — Ginger Root

“Ladyfingers” — Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

“Oh, Pretty Woman” — Pomplamoose 

“Morning” — Azymuth 

“Prism” — Say She She 

“The Flower Called Nowhere” — Stereolab 

“Masterpiece” — Big Thief

“Linger” — The Cranberries 

Contact the author at howleditor@wou.edu

 

Sequel equals

Wrtten by: Gretchen Sims

A tale as old as time, a classic — but what happened before, or after, one’s favorite films? This is where sequels and prequels come in. Normally occurring in groups of three, movie franchises are becoming increasingly popular among filmmakers. 

Nearly every movie that does well at the box office is followed up with one or two movies that extend the storyline. However, it is well known that these sequels and prequels rarely live up to the original fan favorite. So are these additional movies just a cash grab for producers? Or are they genuinely produced with the writers and directors passion and with the fans in mind? 

Many larger movie-producing corporations have been repeatedly slammed for this. Producers can easily profit off of nostalgia and love that fans have for their favorite movies, though without living up to fans expectations. From a producing perspective, this can be seen as a win-win. Making a sequel to a popular movie is a fantastic way to make money and make sure fans are eating out of their hands. 

So why has there been so much backlash about these franchises? 

Mainly because the sequels and prequels are usually terrible. Not only are producers making these movies to turn an easy profit, but they also don’t seem to care about the quality of the film. No matter how terrible the movie is, fans will go see it.

However, audiences might be in for a significant change. Due to new streaming sites, it is becoming increasingly more difficult for companies to release low quality sequels and get away with it. Now that physical movie theaters are becoming less popular and many movies are released directly to Netflix, HBO Max and Disney+, producers can not rely on box office sales for their cash grab. If audiences hear a sequel is bad, they simply won’t watch it. 

While sequels in the past have been disappointing fans for decades, this trend may be coming to an end. As long as sequels lose their profitability, franchises will be prolonged in a way that excites fans and keeps them wanting more. Hopefully, the cash cow that fuels sequels will benefit both filmmakers and fans in the near future. 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu   

Pedro Pascal, daddy of all

Written by: Gretchen Sims

By now, the entirety of the internet is aware that Pedro Pascal has been appointed the daddy of the internet. From memes to interviews, Pedro Pascal has seemingly appeared out of nowhere to grace his fandom with wild performances and out-of-pocket comments. Where has this daddy-ness come from? And why has Pedro Pascal gained so many children seemingly overnight? 

Pascal has been in the acting business for quite some time now. José Pedro Balmaceda Pascal was born in Chile in 1975 and worked small acting gigs for nearly two decades before rising to stardom with his portrayal of Oberyn Martell in “Game of Thrones.”  

Pascal also amassed fame for his role in the Netflix series “Narcos” before taking on his most popular roles as the Mandalorian in “The Mandalorian” and “The Book of Boba Fett,” as well as Joel Miller in “The Last of Us.” 

According to Pascal, his parents Verónica Pascal Ureta and José Balmaceda Riera, were devout followers of the socialist president, Salvador Allende. Their activity in the resistance against Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship led Pascal’s family to flee Chile when Pedro was just nine months old. Ultimately the Balmaceda’s would end up in Orange County, California.

Pascal was a competitive swimmer before he developed a love for acting and ended up attending the Orange County School of the Arts where he graduated from in 1993. Afterwards, he continued his education at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts — graduating in 1997 — to begin his acting career. 

In 1995, Pascal’s father was indicted by a federal grand jury due to a scandal at the fertility clinic he was employed at. Shortly after, the rest of Pascal’s family returned to Chile where his mother ended up committing suicide in 1999 — Pascal was his mother’s family name that Pedro took on professionally to honor her.  

Early on, Pascal worked smaller gigs in well known TV franchises such as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “The Mentalist,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “The Good Wife,” “Homeland” and “Graceland,” before making his big break in “Game of Thrones.” 

Besides acting, Pascal has written and produced works as well. He even performed on Broadway — debuting in “King Lear” in Feb. 2019. 

In the end, his charismatic personality and ability to maintain relevance among younger generations — despite his age — has made audiences everywhere fall in love with him, waiting to see what he will do next.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

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