Entertainment – Page 7 – The Western Howl

Written by: Jaylin Hardin | Sports Editor

The death of actor Bernard Hill was announced on May 5, 2024 by a representative of Lou Coulson Associates, the British talent agency of which Hill was a member. The agency’s statement did not include or mention his cause of death since Hill led a private life, despite his roles in major blockbusters. He was 79 years old.

Hill was a well-known actor in British television, specifically on the British Broadcasting Channel, BBC, but his biggest roles were that of King Theoden in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and Captain Edward Smith in “Titanic.”

Hill is considered a movie icon by many. “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” and “Titanic” earned one billion dollars at the global box office: Hill was the first person to be in two movies that achieved these numbers. “The Return of the King” and “Titanic” both won 11 Oscars, which means Hill starred in two out of the three movies ever to achieve such success — the 1959 film “Ben-Hur” is the third.

Former co-stars of Hill’s took to social media to share their grief for the loss of the actor.

“So long to our friend, our king, Bernard Hill. We will never forget you,” actor Elijah Wood posted to X, previously Twitter. Wood then quoted “The Return of the King:” “For he was a gentle heart and a great king and kept his oaths; and he rose out of the shadows to a last fair morning.”

Karl Urban also shared his grief for Hill on Instagram, “To the King. Rest in peace, Bernard.”

Urban and Wood starred in “The Lord of the Rings” alongside Hill, Urban playing Eomer, the nephew of King Theoden, and Wood playing Frodo Baggins, the trilogy’s main protagonist. Hill’s Titanic co-stars did not comment on the actor’s passing.

Hill worked for years in British theater and television. Those close to him said he would often claim his role as Yosser Hughes, from the 1980 movie “The Black Stuff,” as the role that changed his life. He would go on to reprise this role in a miniseries, “Boys from the Blackstuff.”

Hill was set to reprise his role in the BBC drama “The Responder,” starring alongside Martin Freeman, another actor in the Middle-Earth Cinematic Universe — Freeman played Bilbo Baggins in “The Hobbit” trilogy.

“I don’t think anyone spoke Tolkien’s words as great as Bernard did,” said actor Billy Boyd, who played Peregrin “Pippin” Took in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. “He will be sorely missed.”

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

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Beachy tunes

Written by: Ruth Simonsen | Digital Media Manager

“The Song You’ve Been Waiting For” — Coast Modern

“All Your Life” — Still Woozy

“Little Foot Big Foot” — Childish Gambino

“Lucky” — Rainbow Kitten Surprise

“Be Sweet” — Japanese Breakfast

“Guru” — Coast Modern

“Roly Poly” — Mt. Joy

“Why Do You Feel So Down” — Declan McKenna

“Summer’s Over” — Jordana, TV Girl

“Cinderella” — Remi Wolf

“Dive” — Coast Modern

“My Kink Is Karma” — Chappell Roan

“Feel It” — d4vd

“OMG” — Suki Waterhouse

“Westcoast Collective” — Dominic Fike

“1st Time” — Bakar

“Is It True” — Tame Impala

“Talk” — beabadoobee

“See The Light” — Stephen Sanchez

“Weekend Friend” — Goth Babe

“Sexy Villian” — Remi Wolf

“Window” — Still Woozy

“Hollow Life” — Coast Modern

“Alive!” — Bakar

Contact the author at howldigitalmediamanager@mail.wou.edu

The Western Howl

Home » Entertainment

Schneider suing “Quiet on Set producers

Written by: Taylor Duff | Staff Writer

Content warning: this article contains mentions of sexual assault.

Dan Schneider, former Nickelodeon producer and writer, is suing the producers of “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” stating that the show implies sexual assault of young actors with whom he routinely worked.

Schneider is suing Warner Bros, Discovery, Maxine Productions and Sony Pictures Television, who worked on the production of the series. The case will be brought before the Los Angeles Superior Court on the grounds of alleged defamation with misleading allegations of sexual abuse against child actors.

Schneider’s lawyers declared that the alleged false statements and implications harmed his reputation and legacy at Nickelodeon. The first four episodes of “Quiet on Set” premiered on March 17 and 18, 2024 while the fifth episode was released on April 7, 2024.

Schneider responded to the docuseries with a YouTube video titled, “Dan Schneider Talks about Quiet on Set” on Schneider’s YouTube channel, “DanWarp.” In the video, Schneider sits with BooG!e, born Bobby Bowman, who plays T-Bo on one of Nickelodeon’s hit shows, iCarly, that Schneider produced.

In this video, BooG!e recounts the docuseries and Schneider addresses allegations raised, such as pressuring female employees to perform massages, constant harassment and making co-writers uncomfortable in the writer’s room.

Concerning the alleged massages, Schneider said, “It was wrong that I ever put anybody in that position… I’d never do it today, I’m embarrassed… I apologize to the people who were walking around Video Village or wherever it happened because there were lots of people there who witnessed it who also may have felt uncomfortable so I owe them an apology as well.” Regarding writers, Schneider stated, “No writer should ever feel uncomfortable in any writer’s room ever, period, the end.”

The docuseries also features two writers, Christy Stratton and Jenny Kilgen, who remember Schneider illegally forcing the women to split their payment “I have nothing to do with paying writers, I never have. I’ve never made a writer’s deal and of all the writers I’ve been in a writer’s room with, I never even knew how much most of them were getting paid… it’s very simple, there’s a common practice in television when hiring… writers for your first job are willing to share a salary, you can both have the job (and) they have the opportunity to say ‘Yes, that sounds good’ or ‘No, no thank you,’” Schnieder said.

Back in 2000, Kilgen filed a lawsuit against Schneider for gender discrimination because of the alleged harassment and illegal payment, prompting an internal investigation. The lawsuit settled for an undisclosed amount.

Schneider states as the lawsuit is served to the producers of “Quiet on Set,” “… I sadly have no choice but to take legal action against the people behind it. In their successful attempt to mislead viewers and increase ratings, they went beyond reporting the truth and falsely implied that I was involved in or facilitated horrific crimes for which actual child predators have been prosecuted and convicted…”

Contact the author at tduff23@mail.wou.edu

The Western Howl

Home » Entertainment

Sleeping at Last album pairs with personality test

Never Retallack | Entertainment Editor

The human mind is a complicated system of neurons firing, but does it affect one’s personality?

Over the decades, there have been countless personality tests, some successful — such as the Myers Briggs test — and some not as successful, like the Rorschach Inkblot test.

The Enneagram test is something quite interesting; it was originally used in the 1950s by Oscar Ichazo on spiritual development. Within this test, there are nine dominant personality types — most people identify strongly with one, but after completing the online test, it lists which types you had the highest percentage in. It is believed that the three highest in a person’s score is their personality.

The test itself is fun and eye-opening, but the band Sleeping at Last compiled an album where each song is sung through the perspective of each personality type, creating powerful tunes. The album is called “Atlas: Enneagram” and the songs are simply titled “One” through “Nine.”

I am a type two, and when I first heard of the album I didn’t think much about it. However, listening to the song “Two” brought me to tears. The lyrics are touching and perfectly captured how I feel. Sleeping at Last is a folk-indie band with soothing vocals and haunting melodies, and they impressed me with this album.

I made my closest friends and family take the test and listening to their songs I was touched and so were they. Each song perfectly captures how each type feels in a surprisingly emotional way.

The Enneagram test is, of course, flawed just like any personality test, but for those who are interested in learning their types and crying to their song, the test can be taken at http://9types.com/.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photos courtesy of sleepingatlast.com

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Home » Entertainment

A Closer Look at Lana Del Ray

Written by: Nicholas Sarysz

Lana Del Rey is an American singer, songwriter and record producer, whose real name is Elizabeth Woolridge Grant. Del Rey rose to fame in 2011 with her debut single “Video Games” and, shortly after, the album “Born to Die.” She is most well known for her melancholic style of pop music.

The artist was born into an upper-middle-class family in upstate New York in the 1980s. Growing up singing in church, Del Rey was later sent to a boarding school as a teenager for her deviant behavior. It wasn’t until a couple of years after she finished school that she started her music career.

Del Rey has received both critical acclaim and criticism throughout her career. Many dislike her because of her image and persona — which they view as inauthentic or manufactured. Others take issue with her lyrics and the themes she often explores, such as Hollywood glamor, sadness and drug use.

Del Rey’s biggest criticism early in her career came from many questioning her authenticity. Despite being labeled as an indie artist, her 2008 debut EP, released under the name “Lizzy Grant,” was produced by well-known figure David Kane. When she later changed her stage name to Lana Del Rey and moved to London after a failed album in 2010, the internet quickly flooded with claims of her new persona being fabricated by label executives.

Despite the criticism, Lana Del Rey has grown to become an incredibly successful and influential artist. Her music has been praised for its haunting beauty, melancholic lyrics and vintage aesthetic. Her albums have topped the charts in multiple countries and sold millions of records worldwide. She has won several awards and has gone multi-platinum with many of her albums — solidifying her place in the music industry.

Whether or not Lana Del Rey’s image and persona are authentic is irrelevant. What matters is the impact she has had on the music industry and the emotions her music evokes in her listeners. Love her or hate her, there’s no denying that Lana Del Rey is a unique and impactful artist.

Contact the author at howlstaffwriter@wou.edu

The Western Howl

Home » Entertainment

Welcome home, neighbor

Written by:Mikayla Coleman

Content warning: this article contains themes pertaining to psychological horror

Nostalgia — derived from the Greek words “notos,” meaning return, and “algos” meaning pain — has been a hot commodity in the contemporary art, horror and gaming scenes. Modern games such as “Five Nights at Freddy’s” and “Undertale” have enthralled audiences with the feeling of longing for the past and simultaneously terror-filled experiences. A new alternate reality game has hit the scene with a wonderful harmony between the horrific and the familiar — “Welcome Home.”

“Welcome Home” is an interactive horror alternative reality game, or ARG, where users explore a website by clicking, highlighting and isolating images to unravel the mystery surrounding a beloved and forgotten 1970s children’s television show.

“You are to accompany a colorful cavalcade of puppets as their beloved neighborhood begins to skew and distort into a nightmarish memory that they can barely recall. Through illustrated books, recordings and an array of old merchandise, you will find what dwells within this colorful home,” says the project’s creator, Clown.

Despite its bright and friendly appearance, through exploring, audiences will become attuned to the dark underbelly of the world of the neighborhood.

The game’s cast consists of several muppet-inspired characters with their own unique quirks, including Eddie Dear, Howdy Pillar, Barnaby B. Beagle, Frank Frankly, Julie Joyful, Sally Starlet, Poppy Partridge and the series’ beloved main character, Wally Darling. A thorough description of each character, detailing their individual attributes, interests and relationships, is listed on the project’s website, which can be accessed at www.clownillustration.com/welcomehomeyou.

Clown, the artist behind ClownIllustrations, is a Northern Californian artist specializing in illustration and character design. Clown is currently working towards a Bachelor of Arts degree in studio arts. Their artistic interests are vast, including sewing, building puppets and creating stories and art that blur the line between macabre and delightful topics.

“Welcome Home is a way to explore what I can do as an artist and try out new things, especially with limited materials” says Clown.

The production of “Welcome Home” has been in progress since 2018, and with good reason. Clown’s immense attention to detail is what gives Welcome Home an immense amount of utterly-70s charm and believability.

Recently, “Welcome Home” has gone viral on a multitude of social media platforms, particularly Tiktok and Youtube, where fans of the game have shared their theories and findings while poking around on the project website. The project is still in-progress, but has a massive audience waiting for the continuation of the friendly and freaky friends that make up “Welcome Home.”

Contact the author at howleditor@wou.edu

The Western Howl

Home » Entertainment

John Wick movies ranked

Written by: Mirella Barrera-Betancourt

Content warning: contains spoilers for “John Wick: Chapter 4”

The “John Wick” movie universe returned on March 24 with the release of the fourth installment, “John Wick: Chapter 4,” which left audiences reeling with unexpected shock. Here are all four movies in the franchise — ranked from worst to best, by the News Editor — as audiences question whether or not to mourn the beloved protagonist.

4 — “John Wick: Chapter 2” (2017)

Ranking on Rotten Tomatoes: 89%

The second installment of the franchise continues right after the violent events of the previous movie, which arrive to haunt John Wick and permanently kick him out of retirement. As far as sequels go, I thought the movie was good. There were significantly fewer action sequences than in the first installment, which was disappointing. Frankly, the middle of the movie left me on the brink of snoring. However, I have to give them credit for the fight sequence in the mirror cabinet, as well as the shocking and bleak ending that plagued me for weeks.

3 — “John Wick” (2014)

Ranking on Rotten Tomatoes: 86%

The inaugural movie which introduces the audience to the character of John Wick received mixed critic reviews. This was the film that established John Wick as the bada–, titular character known as “Baba Yaga,” successfully managing to instill fear amongst audiences and the assassin underworld. Even though it was the lowest-rated movie in the franchise, the movie was heavily packed with both action and emotion, which I believe makes it a strong contender for the position as one of the top three movies in the series.

2 — “John Wick: Parabellum” (2019)

Ranking on Rotten Tomatoes: 89%

This movie cements the legacy of the John Wick universe as possibly the best action or neo-noir film series. In my opinion, the most daring and unrestrained movie in the series — “John Wick: Parabellum” goes heavy with gore and violence, which functions well in adding to the thrilling intensity of the stakes at play. This was the film that truly left me terrified for John Wick’s survival.

1 — “John Wick: Chapter 4” (2023)

Ranking on Rotten Tomatoes: 94%

In the alleged “final” installment of the franchise, “John Wick: Chapter 4” follows John Wick on the run from the villainous “Powers That Be” — the High Table. The movie put to rest a long-standing debate regarding the shocking betrayal by the character of Winston Scott, the manager of The Continental Hotel, in the third film. This was the perfect movie to wrap up the beloved franchise, as well as the story of the weary and heartbroken but formidable assassin — even if, at times, I felt the long runtime to be excessive. Moreover, the fight scenes and long-range shots were excellent, appearing straight out of a video game.

Keanu Reeves is a fantastic actor, and a perfect casting for a character in a franchise that grew with time in size, scope and success. I am content with the ending of the series. However, if Keanu Reeves decides to return with the mantle, I will happily line up to watch him in theaters once again.

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

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Actor Bernard Hills dies at 79

Beachy tunes

Schneider suing “Quiet on Set producers

Sleeping at Last album pairs with personality test

A Closer Look at Lana Del Ray

Welcome home, neighbor

John Wick movies ranked

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