YMTC’s The Music Man Provides Escape Through Performance
To the rest of the country, the state of Iowa is known for three things: Corn production, the Iowa caucuses, and the five time Tony winning show The Music Man. Alongside its major revival in the fall of 2019, Youth Musical Theater Company (YMTC) opened their own stunning production of...
Pixar Fails at LGBTQ+ Representation
Pixar’s new film Onward came out on Saturday, February 29. Set in a fantasy world, the movie follows two teenage elf brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot. They embark on a journey to discover a magical spell to be able to spend one last day with their father, who died when...
Netflix Show I Am Not Okay with This Continues To Fit 80’s Mold
I Am Not Okay with This is a new Netflix series adapted from the graphic novel with the same name. It stars many new faces along with a few familiar ones. The show is centered around Sidney, a teenage girl who deals with many common issues people face, like her...
Reality TV Prioritizes Profit Over Participants’ Well-Being
On February 15, Caroline Flack, an English television and radio presenter, was found dead in her home. Her death was reported as a suicide, and right away, as with any tragedy, people began to search for an explanation, with many people pointing to Flack’s long involvement with the reality TV...
Weinstein Verdict Spotlights Need for Change in Film Industry
On Monday, February 24, a Manhattan jury found Harvey Weinstein guilty of rape in the third degree and criminal sexual assault in the first. In plain language, this means he had sexual intercourse with someone who could not give consent for a reason other than physical force or mental incapability,...
Parasite’s Oscar Takeover Could Turn New Leaf for Ceromony
The Academy Awards come around year after year and usually serve as a reminder of the lack of diversity and recognition in Hollywood. Last year’s big picture winner, Green Book, stirred up controversy because viewers felt the movie had too many flaws to beat out better alternatives that year, including...
Billie Eilish’s Remark History of Music Appropriation
A warm buzz filled the exhibit, accompanied by the scents of dinner being served, as families and friends discussed the student artwork lining the walls. Berkeley High School (BHS) is home to thousands of students with a wide variety of different abilities, interests, and hobbies. On Wednesday, February 12, students...
Impala Album Values Vibe Over Depth
Tame Impala has nothing to do with Chevy or the domestication of antelopes, it is in fact one man, Kevin Parker, an Australian musician. Parker has made four albums under the pseudonym over the past ten years, the latest being The Slow Rush. It comes after a five year hiatus...
AHA Art Presentation Showcases Small School Students Talents
A warm buzz filled the exhibit, accompanied by the scents of dinner being served, as families and friends discussed the student artwork lining the walls. Berkeley High School (BHS) is home to thousands of students with a wide variety of different abilities, interests, and hobbies. On Wednesday, February 12, students...
Slightly Dull Manic Showcases an Authentic Side of Halsey
Halsey is at her best either when she’s angsty and alternative or when she’s sweet and highlighted by instrumentals. She’s at her worst when her music sounds like formulaic pop music designed for the radio. Her new album Manic, released on January 17, 2020, includes songs of all three types....
Goop Netflix Show Needs More Evidence
Goop is a wellness and lifestyle brand created by actress Gwenyth Paltrow, who you may have seen in Iron Man, Shakespeare in Love, or The Royal Tenenbaums. Paltrow now spends her time working on what she calls the “optimization of self,” an attempt to help people lead their best lives,...
Lizzo Proves too Much for Online Trolls
Lizzo is a 31-year-old singer-songwriter, rapper, and flutist whose career exploded in 2019. Although Lizzo’s music is nothing particularly unique or groundbreaking, it’s undeniably appealing for its exuberance and unabashed self-absorption. Most of her songs have themes of self-love and confidence. Lizzo’s popularity has as much to do with her...
After a Decade, Formerly Isolated Rap Genre Influences Pop
In 2018, rap music was the most listened to genre in the United States for the first time. The best selling album that year to fall under the rap label was not Kendrick Lamar’s iconic DAMN, but Ed Sheeran’s Divide. Music pioneered by Black Americans being rebranded by a ginger-haired...
Thought Provoking Our Monologues: A Must-see for all at BHS
After 19 years of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues, directors Mara Halpern and Daphne Eleftheriadou have transitioned this production at Berkeley High School to Our Monologues. This powerful show features monologues written by Berkeley High students, and performed by the Our Monologues cast. In previous years, the cast has been...
Art Subjectivity Continues to Plague Awards Show Nominations
The idea of good and bad art has stirred controversy since art has been enjoyed by the public. While everyone has their own taste, the search for affirmation of what is good art has given rise to a few mechanisms of judgment. One is professional criticism, where someone who is...
Styles Gets Funky on New Album Fine Line
On December 13, 2019, Harry Styles released his second album Fine Line. It flows with energy. His album goes from funky to sorrowful, back to funky, and finally hopeful. It’s full of heartbreak and reflection. Styles’ songs are experimental, drawing inspiration from classic rock stars like David Bowie. To make...
Cats Movie Adaptation is an On-Screen Catastrophe
In the extremely unlikely case that for some reason whoever is reading this did not want to see the movie Cats, let me enlighten you. The movie version of Cats is based on the musical Cats which is based on a poetry collection by the renowned English poet T. S....
Greta Gerwig Deserves an Oscar for Directing Little Women
The 1869 novel Little Women is no stranger to film adaptation. The fourth and latest adaptation was filled with big names — director Greta Gerwig, and actors Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet, Emma Watson, Meryl Streep, and Laura Dern. Little Women follows four sisters coming of age during and after the...