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Mean Girls Returns with a Musical Twist
By: Michaela Dest
On January 12, 2024, ‘Mean Girls’ was released to theaters, creating some controversy over its unexpected musical elements and reimagined characters. Many viewers stepped into the theater expecting a remake of the original film ‘Mean Girls’, which came out April 30, 2004. Instead of a remake, fans saw more of a reimagining of the hit Broadway musical that incorporated smaller elements taken from the original film. Because the movie was not widely advertised as a musical, many were shocked upon viewing. The streaming service, Paramount, defended their disclosure, saying that they wanted to “appeal to a broader audience and avoid potential bias against musicals.”
Despite this confusion, many viewers were pleased with the performance of Renee Rapp as Regina George. Even the original Regina George, Rachel McAdams, gave the film her stamp of approval. She stated in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, “I don't think she can do anything wrong, she is amazing.”
While such positive words came from Rachel McAdams, Lindsey Lohan, who played Cady Heron in the original film, had quite the opposite reaction after watching the film. Her father, Michael Lohan, released a rather negative statement claiming that after watching, Lindsay was “...very hurt and disappointed by the reference in the film.” Their negative reaction steamed from the use of the line, “Y2K fire crotch is back,” which was said by Brandon Davis as an insult towards Lindsey back in 2006. Some fans even stood up for Lindsey, stating that the disrespect was “insane because she was the only member of the original cast to show much support for the film in its early stages, even when making a cameo in the 2024 film.”
More controversy arose when the ‘Mean Girls’ star, Avantika Vandanapu, received many racially motivated hate comments towards her role as Karen Smith, who was played by Amanda Seyfriend in the original 2004 movie. This prompted the actress to discuss with writer, Tina Fey, about changing her character's last name from Smith to Shetty, highlighting her Southern Indian heritage.
Many viewers were also displeased with the “obnoxious product placement,” specifically with E.L.F makeup. Some stated that the movie was a “two-hour advertisement for the brand.” This hate steamed primarily from TikTok, with many videos expressing the disappointment they felt leaving the theaters.
Overall, the reactions to the movie fell on a wide range of positive to negative, but producers said such feedback is expected when it comes to remakes of iconic films.
Kylie Jenner and Timothee Chalamet Confirm Relationship
Couple navigates long-distance relationship and juggles busy schedules: will they last?
By: Madyson Renna
In January of 2023, Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner officially broke up after five years of dating and having two children together, Stormi and Aires. There seemed to be no specific purpose as to why they split, but sources claimed that it may have been because of differences in lifestyles, as well as mistrust between the couple. Not long after, Kylie attended the Jean Paul Gaultier Fashion Show during Paris Couture Week, where she reportedly met Timothee Chalamet. Deuxmoi, a celebrity with a gossip Instagram account, published videos of the two laughing together at the show. In April of 2023, both Kylie and Timothee confirmed their relationship, as they are now “exclusive,” and are referred to as an “official couple.” The two claim that they are incredibly happy, and supportive of each other's very different career paths.
According to the fans, they believe that Timothee is different from anyone Kylie has formerly dated, but they affirm that he has an amazing sense of humor and makes her smile. Kylie’s biggest fans approve of their unique relationship, as they love to see how genuinely happy she is when she is with him. On the other hand, Timothee’s fans hold different opinions regarding the relationship. Some of Timothee’s fans are not too keen on the partnership, but in the end, his fans just mainly want him to be happy. Despite Kylie and Timothee’s long lasting relationship, there has not been evidence that shows Timothee, Kylie, and her two children, Stormi and Aires, alone together. Kylie has introduced Timothee to her children as, “mommy’s friend,” but interactions between Timothee and the children have only been in public at group gatherings where family and friends are present.
The last sighting of Kylie and Timothee was at The Golden Globe Awards. Timothee brought Kylie as his date to The Beverly Hilton located in Los Angeles. The award night seemed to be an intimate setting for the two of them, as the cameras showed the two saying, “I love you,” to each other, along with sharing a kiss. Further into the night, when Selena Gomez politely asked Timothee for a picture together, Kylie became very overprotective of their loving relationship and told Selena that she could not get a picture with her boyfriend. Selena then reported the situation to Taylor Swift which caused a drama surge. Kylie and Timothee stayed to themselves, blocking out a majority of the drama. The couple is presented by the media as being protective of one another, thereby promoting a healthy relationship built on love and commitment. Fans predict a long lasting relationship between Kylie and Timothee. They have high hopes that it will not mirror the former partnership Kylie had with Travis Scott, which was allegedly built on untrustworthiness and a hyper-fixation with the spotlight.
Take a Look at an Evening of Glamour and Awards at the Golden Globes
By: Amalia Morizio
The 81st Golden Globes was the first ceremony to kick off the 2023-2024 award season. Stars like Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Swift, Cillian Murphy, Emma Stone, Margot Robbie, and Jermey Allen White were all in attendance. With many films and actors being nominated in various categories for this prestigious event, people were looking forward to a night full of excitement. Although viewers got to see many well deserved wins, we also got to see some things that were not so expected. The comedian, Jo Koy, was chosen to host this year’s Golden Globes only two weeks before the ceremony. What some might have thought was going to be an enjoyable night of comedy quickly turned into an uncomfortable monologue from the said “comedian.” Throughout the night, Koy cracked many jokes that targeted people from Taylor Swift to Meryl Streep, and even insulted the widely popular film, Barbie.
To start, one of Koy’s monologues focused on the movies Oppenheimer and Barbie which sparked the most controversy. Koy starts off his monologue by exclaiming about the film Oppenheimer and how revolutionary it was. He speaks to how much he enjoyed the film and compares it to Barbie, as they were competing for cinematic box office achievements. Koy proceeds to make a misogynistic joke that Barbie is only about a plastic doll with “big boobies.” In full, he said, “Oppenheimer is based on a 721-page, Pulitzer Prize- winning book about the Manhattan Project. And Barbie is on a plastic doll with big boobies” (Times). Not only was this an extremely misogynistic joke, but it completely went against the entire purpose of the film. The theme of Barbie was to address the hardships that women have had to face in the modern world and how women have fought to gain respect in a patriarchal society. The film captures the very meaning of what the female experience is like. This joke, in many ways, goes against everything that the film stood for.
Not only did Jo Koy take multiple stabs at Barbie, but he also received a ton of criticism over a joke he made about Taylor Swift involving the NFL. After his underwhelming monologue that disrespected Greta Gerwig’s work, he later made a joke about how Taylor Swift is becoming too involved in the NFL. In full, he said, “The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? At the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift” (Rollingstone). Although Jo Koy claimed to have been making fun of the NFL, many thought that this was in fact an attack on Taylor Swift. Since becoming public with her boyfriend Travis Kelce, Taylor has been attending a lot of games in support. A lot of NFL fans are not happy about this, as they feel that she is stealing the spotlight from the game itself. It’s safe to say that Taylor thought that this joke was unnecessary and rude. After the joke was made, we can see many reactions in which the camera panned to Taylor, revealing her giving an annoyed reaction. Her good friend, Selena Gomez, was also seen to be frustrated with the so-called “jokes” that were made that evening.
Although the Golden Globes didn’t have the best host, there was still a lot to celebrate that night. Barbie won the cinematic and box office achievement category along with the famous song, “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish, which won best original song. Best director went to Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer and best performance by an actress in a motion picture (musical or comedy) went to Emma Stone for Poor Things. Although there was a lot of criticism surrounding Jo Koy’s “jokes” during the Golden Globes, we did get to witness many talented actors, actresses, directors, and musicians get the recognition they deserved.
We take a look at some 2024 Predictions
By: Hannah Dean
When people look to the future, they wonder what life will be like. Particularly after the Industrial Revolution, many expected scientific progress, questioning to what degree this change will occur. That is what the people of 1924 did, as they tried to predict what 2024 would be like. Some of them eerily made some correct predictions, but others were horribly wrong.
Kingsley Wood, a British politician predicted that the average life expectancy of a human today would be 100, and that if you were 75, you would still be considered “young.” We moved in that direction, but not as rapidly as Wood thought. The average life expectancy of humans is about 74 years old, but we are making leaps in the medical field in order to get to a life expectancy of 100. An eerily accurate prediction came from a British scientist, Archibald M. Low, who claimed that people would be able to work from home with endless “wireless possibilities.” Covid-19 has created a society in which working from home is not only normalized, but in many cases, preferred compared to in-person hours.
The predictions to a certain extent were correct, but others were far off. Leland Ossian Howard claimed that there would be overpopulation in 2024, and that modern nations would need to enforce birth limits in order to control population rates. On the contrary, depopulation and plummeting birth rates have caused people to migrate to urban areas. As China’s population is declining, they are faced with finding immigrants who want to come into the country and work for their growing economy.
Col. Williams Boyce Thompson predicted that there would be a food shortage in 2024 and that extensive measures would need to be taken in order to ensure that the human population would not face worldwide famines and starvation. Instead, the Green Revolutions in Agriculture have supported a burgeoning population in the past 50 years.
More eccentric predictions include believing that horses will be extinct in 2024, and that interplanetary travel will be just as easy as trans-Atlantic travel. While some of these ideas prove to be unrealistic, it is interesting to see what predictions and expectations people from the past had about our current day, ever-evolving society.
An Important "Nazi-loot" discovery: After 100 Years, Gustav Klimt Portrait Discovered
Rare and valuable artwork worth over $440 million returned to rightful heirs
By: Olivia Coish
Gustav Klimt was an Austrian symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. He is noted from his paintings, murals, and sketches that commonly depict the female body in a positive light. One of Klimt’s most famous portraits, Fräulein Lieser, was left unsigned in his studio when he died in 1918. Experts presumed the piece as lost or broken after its last appearance in the public during 1925, that is until it was discovered in adequate condition this year in Vienna.
The portrait was labeled “Lieser,” leading art historians to believe the piece depicted Margarethe Constance Liser, the daughter of Adolf Liser. After further analysis, new research reveals that the painting could be a portrait of the daughter of Adolf’s brother, Justus Liser and Henreitte Amalie Lieser-Landua. The portrait once belonged to the Lieser family, wealthy Jewish industrialists in Vienna. It will be put up for auction in the Im Kinsky Auction House on April 24th of 2024 in the name of the owners and successors of the Lieser family. In a recent interview, Im Kinsky explains that the 54 million dollar cost stems from the fact that, “A painting of such rarity, artistic significance and value has not been available on the art market in Central Europe for decades.”
The return of the portrait is based on the Washington Principles, an international agreement to retrieve “Nazi-looted” art to the descendants of the people they were taken from. Co-Managing Director of Kinsky Auction House, Ernst Ploil, described the piece as lost, meaning destroyed or probably burnt during the war. The unexpected return of the piece is a major contribution to art history. In an attempt to grant Gustav Klimt the recognition he deserves, Fräulein Lieser will be presented at international locations such as the UK, Germany, Switzerland, and Hong Kong.
Mickey Mouse Enters the Public Domain after 95 Years
By: Zayna Saidi
After 95 years of being protected by the United States copyright laws, Mickey Mouse from Disney’s 1928 short film 'Steamboat Willie' has now entered the public domain.
With the protection of the United States copyright laws, it was prohibited to reproduce anything related to Steamboat Willie prior to gaining permission from the owner. If one were to use anything related to Steamboat Willie without permission, they would face legal consequences, with the possibility of being fined up to thousands of dollars. However, the copyright on Steamboat Willie has now expired, meaning that the work is no longer protected from the public domain.
The public domain simply declares that a work is not protected by any copyright laws. So, works that are in the public domain are legally allowed to be used by anyone without the need for clearance from the creator. Therefore, Mickey Mouse entering the public domains means that the public now have the ability to use the design, name, and even footage of Mickey Mouse without having the worry about gaining legal access to it.
Initially, the copyright to Mickey Mouse was set to expire in the year 1984. However, Disney pushed for longer ownership of the character, convincing the U.S. government to extend the copyright to last the duration of the creator’s life as well as 70 years past that. Despite Disney’s continuous efforts to extend the expiration date of the copyright protection, January of 2024 marked the 70th year after the death of the creator, declaring that Mickey Mouse was free to the public domain.
With this, many people have already begun to use Mickey Mouse without fear of legal consequences. For instance, a trailer to a horror movie involving Mickey Mouse named “Mickey’s Mouse Trap” has since been released and has already gained a lot of attention from the public. Other people have used this opportunity to simply stream the footage of Steamboat Willie publicly, edit footage of the short film, or even produce and sell images or artwork of the character.
However, it is important to recognize that it is not all Mickey Mouse characters that have entered the public domain. The current and more commonly recognized character of Mickey Mouse is not in the public domain due to it being copyrighted more recently. The Mickey Mouse seen in “Steamboat Willie” is currently the only one of its character types that has entered the public domain, so use of any other Mickey Mouse would lead to legal consequences if permission is not granted prior to the usage of the character.
The release of Steamboat Willie to the public domain is expected to allow many companies creative freedom over the character, and it is expected that many works, similarly to the Mickey Mouse themed movie, will be a result of this moment.
Successful Release of Hunger Games Prequel
By: Sophia Runlett
The long awaited prequel of Hunger Games has been released. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was originally written as a book, published on May 19th, 2020. Before its release, the author of the series, Suzzane Collins, announced that she would be turning the book into a film in April of 2020. After three years of hard work from the author, cast, and workers on set, the film was released to the public on November 17, 2023. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has been incredibly successful, bringing in over $300 million dollars so far. The film has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 66%, however, fans disagree and argue that it should be rated at 90%. Positive reviews continue to flood social media platforms, written by not only fans and viewers, but also by authors and critics.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes introduced a new hero, Lucy Gray played by Rachel Zegler, which has been popular among fans. Lucy Gray plays a crucial role in the backstory of how President Snow, played by actor Tom Blyth, became a villain. The author of the original books, Suzanne Collins, says that the cast was able to portray her vision of the characters and book beautifully. The build up of suspense and cliffhangers has encouraged the fandom to create many conspiracies about the film. Theories begin with viewers questioning if President Coin is Lucy Gray's child. Fans say this is very possible, connecting many unsolved questions and information together. Others say the timeline wouldn’t make sense. The fans in the fandom continue to make other theories and debate over them on various platforms.
Many theories are made as the movie grows older. Additional theories include that Maude Ivory, a cousin of Lucy Gray, is Katniss's grandmother, and that Lucy Gray changes her identity to become Greasy Sae. Others suspect that Lucy Gray and Snow are Katniss’s great grandparents, and that Tigris was inspired by Lucy Gray’s fashion and used it against Snow. One of the most surprising theories is that Snow planned for Primrose’s name to be called at the reaping. All of these theories have evidence and have been blowing up all over the internet. Fans are going crazy from the amount of unknown mysteries they have been left with and want answers. This is only giving more traction to the movie and leading more people that might not have even watched the original Hunger Game movies to watch The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Another sequel to the prequel has not been announced, but fans continue to wonder if the popularity of the first sequel will lead Suzzane Collins to create a highly demanded sequel. Some fans have even wondered if she’s secretly already writing a new one and keeping her work from the public for the time being. The series is built up on cliffhangers, so this might be the perfect time to leave her viewers wondering.
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