I tried to keep this review as light as a feather and as stiff as a board, but after rocking out to Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore studio album for the fifth time, I knew I couldn’t keep this professional. Following her triple grammy winning album “Sour,” Rodrigo took two years to release any kind of new music. On June 30, 2023, she released “vampire,” the lead single off of her new album, “GUTS.” “vampire” cut straight to the core, singing a song of realization at how …
‘Mortal Kombat 1’ refines fighting but leaves everything else fatally unfinished
The latest installment of Netherrealm Studios’ “Mortal Kombat” franchise is out a mere four years after “Mortal Kombat 11” was released, rebooting the series yet again by literally taking matters back to square one. As is typical with a new “Mortal Kombat” game, fan expectations were high when the development team announced the title only four months before its release, with many unanswered questions over what would be so different from 2011’s “Mortal Kombat” reboot. Now that the game is out, the supposed fresh start …
Does journalism really need a full-time Taylor Swift reporter?
After years of being at the top of pop charts and the center of the public’s collective attention, Taylor Swift has finally garnered enough focus to require her own reporter. Gannett, one of America’s largest newspaper chains, recently put out a listing for a full-time reporter to cover all of Swift’s moves. After a long search, Johnny Oleksinski, a reporter for the New York Post, was chosen for the ever-so-sought-after job. He returned to the New York Post to write about the reality of the …
It’s a blurry choice: Be a part of an era or a renaissance?
The summer of 2023 is coming to an end, and whether you saw it from your phone or actually had the chance to go in person, the live shows and concerts from the past few months have been something to marvel at. Tons of artists from every genre have seemingly been aggressive to release tour dates over the past few months. Assumingly from the gap of time lost caused by COVID, it makes sense why so many artists held their shows so close to their …
From farmers to fleas, the markets of Los Angeles
It’s a busy Thursday night in South Pasadena. There’s music playing, and tons of families having picnics in the park. On the corner, a man is playing his African hand drum for the passersby. For the shoppers at the South Pasadena Farmers Market though, this is just a typical Thursday. The market happens every Thursday on Meridian Avenue from 4-8 P.M. With free admission and over 50 vendors it’s no surprise that this is a crowd favorite for people of all ages and walks of …
‘Starfield’ launches players into stellar journey
Following an announcement in 2018 and a few setbacks, “Starfield,” the latest RPG game by industry powerhouse Bethesda Game Studios finally landed in gamer’s hands. Instead of re-releasing another port of “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” for the millionth time, Bethesda has instead opted to make an entirely brand new title. This time around, “Starfield” sends players to the far future and opens the floodgates to an immersive fictional version of our galaxy that is just begging to be explored. True to most Bethesda games, …
‘Talk to Me’ will grab you and won’t let go
“Talk to Me” is Australian twin brothers’ Danny and Michael Philippou’s first feature film. The brothers have a Youtube channel, RackaRacka, where they revealed that their movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and A24 picked up their film for distribution. Filled with plenty of disturbing scenes that’ll leave you uneasy the whole way through, “Talk to Me” provides a new take on the overused Ouija board cliche with the main characters instead using a haunted hand to get in touch with the other side. …
Pumpkin Spice Latte’s 20th anniversary is here, but who’s here for it?
Goodbye “hot girl summer,” and hello Pumpkin Spice Latte. The signature Starbucks beverage made its return to the menu for the 20th year in a row, bringing along with it staunch supporters and absolute haters. The Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) has graced the Starbucks menu for 20 years now, however its life on the menu hasn’t come without pushback. This most notable comes from Starbucks’ own baristas, who are required to fulfill the orders of pumpkin lovers. “I feel like it’s been horrible,” JP, a …
Students still watch the debates, but seek out other sources too
The GOP presidential primary was kicked off last week with the first debate of the 2024 presidential election race. Fox, who hosted the event, reported 12.8 million views, which is approximately half of the views the network received in 2015 when Trump participated. The former president instead chose to have a 1 on 1 interview with former Fox commentator, Tucker Carlson. He later ridiculed the debate on social media claiming his interview drew 257 million views, statistics no one was able to confirm. With declining …
Did Threads mark X’s grave, or was their doom sewn from the start?
Almost a year ago, Elon Musk closed his $44 billion deal to acquire Twitter, making the platform’s future uncertain. A little over eight months later, Meta launched Threads in direct competition against Twitter. Within less than a week, Threads exceeded expectations and garnered 100 million users. One month later, more than half of users severed ties with Threads. The sudden success and subsequent backfiring of Threads is not a story new to the technology stratosphere. Social media, in particular, always has expiration dates for platforms …