Flashback to the 90s

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...

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...

Excessive amounts of biopics

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...

Beyoncé takes on country

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...

Spicy book recs for the single and the curious couples

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...

Upcoming Frankenstein films

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...

Prime’s newest project: Hazbin Hotel

Jaylin Hardin | Sports Editor Content warning: this article contains spoilers, mentions of sexual assault, abuse, drug and alcohol use and violence  Amazon Prime is no stranger to streaming shows based around angels, demons and the redemption of sordid characters. When Neil Gaiman’s “Good Omens” premiered on the company’s streaming service, Prime Video, it quickly gained notoriety among subscribers. Prime’s newest show, “Hazbin Hotel,” has been met with similar excitement since its release. In its early days, “Hazbin Hotel” was first posted on a YouTube channel run by the show’s creator, Vivienne Medrano, who went by the handle @vivziepop. Since its initial release on Oct. 28, 2019, the pilot has garnered over 97.1 million views. In 2020, film studio A24 earned the rights to fund and produce the series, but it did not find a home company until Prime Video picked it up for partnership.  “Hazbin Hotel” follows Charlie Morningstar — played by Elsie Lovelock — as she attempts to rehabilitate sinners in her hotel. Working at the hotel with her is the enigmatic Radio Demon, Alastor, bubbly one-eyed Nifty and alcoholic Husk, who act as the hotel’s business partner, housekeeper and bartender respectively.  Together, they work to better the souls of p**n star and addict, Angel Dust, and the loveable loser, Sir Pentious. While attempting this, the hotel residents must prepare to face the coming exorcism, led by none other than the first man himself, Adam, or “the original d**k” as he calls himself.  The show’s first season runs eight episodes, with a runtime of 25 minutes and two songs per episode. It also boasts a well-known cast...

Sustainable masterpieces

Sustainable masterpieces

Written by: Claire Phillips | Entertainment Editor In Campbell Hall’s Cannon Gallery, several artists came together to share their mixed media artworks. The art pieces portrayed different stories of their creators and displayed a wide range of styles. Cannon Gallery currently houses collages, vibrant paintings and elaborate 3-D art. Put together by Linn-Benton Community College faculty, Western’s campus gallery had something new and exciting with every turn. From sexuality and religious imagery to defunding the police, each artist had a unique message to share. Daniel Lopez, an art teacher at Linn-Benton shared his methods of creating minimalistic yet deeply meaningful pieces. “I didn’t buy any of the materials… it’s just recycling… that’s definitely a big philosophy with me, is to keep things as sustainable as possible,” Lopez said. All his acrylics were gifted to him, and he recycled canvases students had left behind. Lopez then shared his advice for anyone who wants to pursue the world of art — “As long as you care about art, you’ll feel the need to do it. The best thing to do as an artist is to live outside of the art. The more interesting of an artist you are, the more interesting your art will be.” Jill R. Baker followed another sustainable route by reusing chicken wire and fabric cording for her multi-colored 3-D pieces. The mixed-media materials made for an eye-catching display. Baker utilized the accessibility of the Oregon rain for her sunshine pieces by allowing the water to make an organic design with the watercolor pencils she used. In the Pacific Northwest, sometimes vitamin D is hard to come by....

Valentine’s with a sprinkle of angst

Valentine’s with a sprinkle of angst

Written by Liberty Miller | Lifestyle Editor Tired of the lovesick wailing on every radio in the first two weeks of February? Try this playlist for a refreshing taste of upbeat and rocky Valentine’s Day angst.  “We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe)” — fun.,  Janelle Monáe “Thnks fr th Mmrs” — Fall Out Boy “Applause” — Lady Gaga “New Romantics (Taylor’s Version)” — Taylor Swift “Blow Me (One Last Kiss) – Radio Edit” — P!nk “Mr. Brightside” — The Killers “Friends” — Band Of Skulls “Hello – Acoustic” — GROUPLOVE “So What” — P!nk “Under You” — Foo Fighters “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” — The Wombats “Shake Me Down” — Cage The Elephant “Crazy Youngsters” — Ester Dean  “Kiwi” — Quarters of Change  “The Middle” — Jimmy Eat World “Governess Shadow” — July Talk “Mistakes” — Sharon Van Etten  “Cough Syrup” — Young the Giant “Seventeen” — Jimmy Eat World  Contact the author at...

Life lessons with Harry Potter

Life lessons with Harry Potter

Written by: Liberty Miller | Lifestyle Editor I, alongside many others, spent my childhood looking through the lenses of the main characters in the novels I read. Having pored over the “Harry Potter” series since third grade, I got to experience a large portion of my developmental years from the perspective of the Chosen One, Harry Potter.  “Harry Potter” is a distinct pop culture personality, who openly defies the government, fights prejudice and is fiercely loyal to his friends. J.K. Rowling also creates a wonderfully dimensional character profile for everyone in the book — rather than making the characters one-dimensionally morally sound or evil, she creates multifaceted characters that make mistakes, have moral gray areas, apologize and evolve as people.  “Harry Potter” makes a relatable variety of mistakes throughout the series, and while being an astute and stubborn personality, also admits when he’s wrong and works to make things right.  Coming from an unsavory background as the humble punching bag of the Dursley family, Harry Potter had the beginnings befitting of a supervillain. Facing daily roadblocks and abuse with no connections or friends, Harry became self-reliant and resentful of his life.  He eventually gained status as a wizard and escaped his life with the Dursleys to attend Hogwarts, a similar path to Voldemort’s. However, Harry chose to defend those less fortunate and befriend characters like Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, who were not the most popular or influential characters but were genuine friends.  He rejected the Sorting Hat’s offer to place him in Slytherin despite being offered power and influence. Throughout the series, he makes conscious decisions to defend...