Jeriann Tripodi, Staff

Header image: Stereogum

Lady Gaga’s alleged dognappers have been arrested

Two months after pop singer Lady Gaga’s dog walker, Ryan Fischer, was shot and her two French Bulldogs were stolen during a robbery, five people have finally been arrested. According to Yahoo, the suspects range from 18 to 50-years-old. Three were charged with attempted murder and robbery. Two were charged with accessory after the fact. One of the adults taken into custody is the woman who returned the stolen dogs to the police station after the pop singer offered a $500,000 reward for the pets to be returned safely. 

Kim Kardashian looks unrecognizable with new blonde look

Reality star and socialite Kim Kardashian has changed her hairstyle several times throughout the years, however, her most recent look shocked fans. Posting to her Instagram story, the “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” star shared the process of her transformation, which included her eyebrows being bleached. The reality star then shared a photo with her makeup fully done while sporting blonde eyebrows and honey blonde hair. After driving fans into a frenzy, the final photo showed Kardashian as a brunette, as she indicated that the blonde look was not permanent and was only for a photoshoot. 

“The Celebrity Dating Game” set to premiere this summer 

On June 14, “The Celebrity Dating Game” will premiere on ABC. This new game show is adapted from “The Dating Game,” which was a game show that aired from 1965 to 1986. It will follow the same dating format, but with a celebrity spin. Each episode will follow the stars as they pick one suitor out of three bachelors/bachelorettes from a hidden panel based on their answers to a range of questions. The identities of the celebrities will also be hidden from the suitors. Taye Diggs, Hannah Brown and Iggy Azalea will be the first three celebrity contestants. Also, Michael Bolton and Zooey Deschanel will be co-hosting. 

“Kissing Booth 3” set to be released this summer

Netflix has announced that the third and final installment to the “Kissing Booth” series will arrive on the streaming platform on August 11. According to TeenVogue, the teen rom-com’s plot will revolve around main character Elle’s huge college decision that will have an impact on her close relationships. All of the main cast is expected to return. “The Kissing Booth 3” is rated PG-13 and stars Joey King, Jacob Elordi and Joel Courtney.  

Number one song on the Billboard charts: week of May 1, 2021

According to “The Hot 100” on the charts, the number one song in the U.S. is “Rapstar” by Polo G. This is the second week the rap song is at the top spot. 

Nolen Kelly, Staff

The newest Disney+ miniseries from Marvel Studios is “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, and Marvel’s transition from “WandaVision” to this is like watching the witch comedy “Hocus Pocus” and immediately following it up with the James Bond flick “Skyfall.” The show centers on Sam Wilson, or the Falcon, played by Anthony Mackie (“The Hurt Locker,” “The Adjustment Bureau,”) and Bucky Barnes, or the Winter Soldier, played by Sebastian Stan (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Once Upon a Time,”) dealing with the passing on of their friend and super-ally, Captain America, aka Steve Rogers. Despite being the second miniseries from the super movie conglomerate, there are a few kinks they still need to work out. 

I think the best place to start when talking about this show is the characters and the chemistry of the two leads, the titular Falcon and Winter Soldier: Sam and Bucky. I think they are pretty goofy together and work very well like a couple of good pals. There are moments of light humor that quickly shift into some good fighting chemistry and sometimes end with both of them dealing with what happened in serious conversation. Sam and Bucky, and by extension Mackie and Stan, have good on-screen chemistry that started in the movies and is definitely the reason they were given this show. Next is an incredibly important character, Isaiah Bradley, who I really want to talk more about but I think it is best to watch his story for yourself and just experience him and why he is important. He is an important piece of not only the MCU but is also an important reflection of what real world historical images are created and what is hidden. HBO’s limited series adaptation of the graphic novel “Watchmen” does this as well and they do it incredibly well, but I would say the history of Isaiah Bradley is a more gut-wrenching and emotionally poignant story. Without spoiling much, his tale holds up a mirror to America’s history of systematic racism in a way only a superhero story can.

Just as much as this show tackles very serious subjects like race and institutional corruption, it also brings a refreshingly silly comic relief to many of its character moments. The cinematography also lends to the situation, being impressively animated during action scenes, but showing that charm and silliness of the characters when they quip or joke around. For example, because of some of this camera work I had a running joke with my roommates while watching that Anthony Mackie had a GoPro strapped to him at all times because the series constantly cut to a close up of his face while doing stunts aptly titled “Mackie Cam.”

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Anyone who is in the pop culture space on Twitter has seen the video of Baron Zemo dancing in the club, so it is not much of a spoiler to say that returning from his only other appearance in the MCU in 2016’s “Captain America; Civil War,” is Baron Zemo, played by Daniel Brühl (“Rush,” “Inglourious Basterds”). Rather than being the show’s antagonist he is the “knows everyone and everything” character that helps the two leads get to the places they need. Brühl as Zemo is a delight. I liked him more as a villain in “Civil War,” but his help in progressing the story made it pretty interesting at times, taking them to interesting places like the fictional South Eastern Asian city of Madripoor. 

Another additional character that brought a lot to this series was former Captain of the United States Army, John Walker, played by Wyatt Russell (“Overlord,” “22 Jump Street”). I really liked Walker in every episode he was featured in. Walker is initiated by the United States military as the new Captain America despite the role originally being intended for Wilson, showing that they would rather choose a white soldier as America’s role model than a Black superhero. Fantastically portrayed by Russell, he starts off as a very unwanted character who then stems into someone you feel a little bad for and enjoy watching. But, in his final stretch you either really root for him or you really want him to fail. I personally rooted for him the whole way and without giving away his story, I think Marvel has some incredible potential with Walker in the future. He is cocky and charming yet not a complete jerk, and Russell’s performance is so good I am officially creating my second petition targeted towards Marvel to give a miniseries or movie series specifically for Wyatt Russell as John Walker in the future. My first petition is to give “Daredevil” a proper finale and fourth season, but I digress. Finishing off the list of notable characters is the antagonist, Karli Morgenthau, leader of the terrorist group The Flag Smashers. I don’t think it’s a hot take to say her story was very bland, rushed, unfinished and uninteresting. Erin Kellyman as Karli was fine at best. Her plot was really just a generic “villain wants to take over the world and anyone against us is bad” kind of story. I could not find any kind of interest in her story with the only exception being a conversation she has with Wilson about oppression and resistance. 

I went into this show not very excited because everything else Marvel had been putting out was big budget sci-fi focused, but for them to step back to espionage as their next step was a little strange. It is not very hard to get interested in this show, luckily. There are plenty of substories going on that quickly become “filler” content, although some of it is just fun. For every story that drags on there is one that is interesting and cool enough to keep you wanting to see the end. The finale is both a ‘hit’ and ‘miss’ episode that is a good amalgamation of all of the things the show was: fun, rushed, action-packed, long and filled with good character moments. I want more John Walker, I wish there were less subplots and I liked what I got. There is enough referential comic content to keep the nerds, like me, happy and enough visual spectacle to keep casual viewers interested. The story itself is fine and a bit predictable at times, the pacing is occasionally frustrating and the dialogue gets pretty dumb and irritatingly cliché at times. I found a lot to like and a lot to dislike out of this and I am still not sure which I prefer between “WandaVision” and “TFATWS” but I do think this was a step in a good direction for Marvel. I realize my grading system has always been horribly confusing thus far with the Collegian, so to simplify it I’ll just use letters. “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” is a light to decent “C.” 

Jeriann Tripodi, Staff

Header image: NME

Caitlyn Jenner announces she is running for governor of California

On April 23, former Olympian and reality star Caitlyn Jenner took to Twitter to announce that she will be running for governor of California as a Republican. Uploading a statement that outlined her agenda, Jenner captioned the photo by stating, “I’m in. California is worth fighting for.” Joining the growing list of candidates hoping to take the place of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, Jenner is the most famous non-politician to run for governor of California since Arnold Schwarzenegger, according to NDTV.com. 

Demi Lovato shames frozen yogurt shop and then apologizes

After visiting Los Angeles frozen yogurt shop, “The Bigg Chill,” pop singer Demi Lovato posted on her Instagram story: “Finding it extremely hard to order froyo from @thebigchillofficial when you have to walk past tons of sugar free cookies/other diet foods before you get to the counter. Do better please. #dietculturevultures.” When the small business direct messaged Lovato and shared that these options are for their customers who are vegan, diabetic or have celiac disease, she apologized on Instagram Live that her message was “misconstrued.” 

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro arrested for domestic violence

On April 22, “Jersey Shore” star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro was arrested in Los Angeles on domestic violence charges toward an “intimate partner,” according to Enews. The reality star is currently on probation from a previous domestic violence incident involving ex-girlfriend Jen Harley. However, TMZ reported that Harley was not involved in this most recent alleged incident. Ortiz-Magro has since been released on bail. 

Les McKeown dies at 65 (1955-2021)

On April 20, pop singer Les McKeown passed away suddenly at the age of 65. McKeown was best known for being the lead vocalist in the 1970s boy band Bay City Rollers. Some of their biggest hits were “Saturday Night,” “I Only Wanna Be With You” and “Bye Bye Baby.” 

The Weeknd releases “Save Your Tears” remix and video featuring Ariana Grande 

On April 23, the Weeknd released the highly anticipated single and music video for his “Save Your Tears” collaboration with Ariana Grande. In the song that was originally from the Weeknd’s “After Hours” album, Grande joins in on the second verse with new lyrics and can be heard harmonizing throughout the remix. The sci-fi music video features the two Grammy Award winning artists in animation form.  

Emilia Clarke will join Marvel’s “Secret Invasion” series

Actress Emilia Clarke is set to star alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn in the new Marvel series on Disney+, “Secret Invasion.” The “Game of Thrones” star, who is new to the MCU, has not spoken publicly about her role in the series, and Marvel has declined to make a comment. According to Yahoo, Jackson will reprise his role as Nick Fury, and Mendelsohn will reprise his role as Talos. It has been reported that “Secret Invasion” will follow Fury and Talos as they try to stop the Skrulls, who are shape-shifting aliens that have infiltrated Earth. 

“Mortal Kombat” becomes the biggest R-rated opening during the pandemic to date

After an intense race with Japanese anime film “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train,” “Mortal Kombat” topped the box office during its opening weekend in the U.S., earning an estimated $22.5 million. With more theaters recently opening up in North America, this weekend has become the “highest-grossing industry weekend of the pandemic,” according to ComScore. As a result, the martial arts fantasy film was able to reap the benefits as it became the highest grossing R-rated film released during the global pandemic. 

Number one on the Billboard charts: week of April 24, 2021

According to “The Hot 100” on the charts, the number one song in the U.S. is “Rapstar” by Polo G. This is the first week the rap song is on the charts. According to the “Billboard 200,” the number one album in the US.. is “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift. This is the first week the country pop album is on the charts. 

Nolen Kelly, Staff

Header image: ABC

The 93rd Oscar Awards Ceremony is finally over and it was a strange one. For those who watch them annually like I do, you know how pleasant the highs were and how uncomfortable the lows got, but if you did not watch it, this is where I come in to recap all the big wins, the bizarre filler segments and Don freaking Cheadle that happened on Sunday, April 25 at the Academy Awards. 

Starting off is “Nomadland,” which won the coveted Best Picture award. I think this was a rough category to pick one single winner and it makes sense they went with “Nomadland.” I would say the only two movies that were in real competition for the award would have been “Nomadland” and “Minari.” The other movies nominated may have been good, but there was likely no chance “Promising Young Woman,” “The Father” or “Sound of Metal” were going to win due to the films being primarily driven by a solo performance. I really enjoyed “Nomadland,” and I am happy it won. “Nomadland” may have been another solo performance film, but I think that the freeform nature of the whole film made it feel like more than just a story about Fern, the protagonist.

Speaking of “Nomadland,” Frances McDormand tied Meryl Streep for three Oscar wins for her performance as Fern in the Best Picture winning film. I could have seen this award going to Viola Davis for her role in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” but aside from that I do not think this was a hard category to pick. I am a big Carey Mulligan fan, especially when she starred alongside Ryan Gosling in the 2011 neo-noir drama “Drive,” but I did not think she would walk out with an award for this, unfortunately. Youn Yuh-jung scooped the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance in “Minari.” I have not yet had the pleasure of seeing “Minari” or even any of the other performances nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category, but I think this win made the most sense as well due to the amount of attention “Minari” was getting for its performances. There is no way the Academy would have the cajones to award anything associated with the name “Borat,” so unfortunately Maria Bakalova did not have much of a chance to win. Glenn Close received a nomination in complete opposite receptions for her performance in “Hillbilly Elegy,” an Oscar nomination and a Razzie nomination. Razzies are the Oscars for bad movies with frequent nominees being anyone associated with Adam Sandler and big muscular action stars like former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger. Long story short, Glenn Close was not winning, and she especially was not winning after she twerked during a violently uncomfortable segment that took place earlier in the night. I will get to that later.

Transitioning onto what was the most controversial win of the night, Sir Anthony Hopkins became the oldest winner of the Best Actor award for his performance in “The Father,” a film about dealing with dementia and trying to remain a good father. I have not seen the full film, but I have seen some moments that are a bit hard to watch as his dementia quickly breaks Hopkins’s character down in a heartbreaking way. I gave my thoughts on who I think actually should have won, Riz Ahmed, in my review of “Sound of Metal.” Although the late Chadwick Boseman picked up the Golden Globe for Best Actor for his role in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” he was ultimately not awarded the posthumous Oscar. I could have seen this award going to either Boseman or Ahmed, but Hopkins is a quality actor and I do not think his win was the worst decision ever. To be frank, the biggest shock of the night was that Don Cheadle was not awarded Best Actor for simply gracing the Academy Awards with his presence.

 Daniel Kaluuya won Best Supporting Actor for “Judas and the Black Messiah” and I am really happy for him. I remember seeing Kaluuya at the 2018 Oscars for “Get Out” and I knew that his time would be very soon and now here we are. This category had no bad results. All the nominees are phenomenal and I would have been happy to see LaKeith Stanfield, another future talent I have my eyes on, the genius Paul Raci from “Sound of Metal,” Sacha Baron Cohen, the best actor from “Trial of the Chicago 7,” or “Hamilton” actor Leslie Odom Jr. for his time as Sam Cooke in “One Night in Miami.” 

For a full list of Oscar nominees and winners, please check out our rundown, but let me break down some other notable awards in a lightning round. Nine Inch Nails’ members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross beat Nine Inch Nails’ members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to become two-time Oscar winners for their soundtrack for Pixar’s “Soul” which also won Best Animated Feature, yes, this statement is correct; Trent and Atticus were nominated twice in the same category for “Soul” and “Mank.” Chloe Zhao won Best Director for “Nomadland” and Danish Drama/Comedy “Another Round” won for International Feature Film. This film did not win, but I recommend the documentary “Collective” about a Romanian nightclub fire that severely injured many and killed several more. An investigation into the hospital treatments of the victims led to a countrywide scandal about hospital fraud in the dilution of its products. It is a fascinating documentary that somehow did not go global, and kept me glued throughout.

So much stuff happened at the Oscars that were not even related to the wins and losses of the nominees. Best Supporting Actress nominee Glenn Close took part in a segment to guess a song’s relation to the Oscars and was given Da Butt’s “You Were Getting Down” and so she stood up and did a twerk/stanky leg hybrid dance and I straight up did not enjoy it. I also did not appreciate the lack of Don Cheadle winning awards in all categories, I would say it is the biggest robbery of any performance in history and I will be boycotting next year. I thought it was adorable when Youn Yuh-jung won Best Supporting Actress and introduced herself to presenter and fellow two-time People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive winner, Brad Pitt. In Hopkins’s thankful speech that he would put out the following day, he paid tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman and thanked everyone for his new achievement. The In-Memoriam section was nice, but of course there were a few missed names including “Glee” actress Naya Rivera and “Arrested Development”/ “Archer” matriarch, Jessica Walter. One of the most notable aspects of the entire award show was that it did not take place in the Dolby Theater where it annually takes place but rather at the Union Station Los Angeles.

All-in-all the 2021 Academy Awards were kind of awkward during the filler segments, but the winners were some real history makers. A lot of good decisions and a decent amount of diversity in the nominations alone made this show pretty positive. The lack of a single host and the change of scenery helped keep the show going and I cannot wait to see what other incredible movies we will get for next year.

Nolen Kelly, Staff

Header Image: Netflix

If you have ever heard the lines “You can’t handle the truth,” “If you guys were the inventors of Facebook, you would have invented Facebook” or “He gets on base,” then congratulations you are aware of the god of super silly speeches and nerd words: Aaron Sorkin. Sorkin has an impressive filmography ranging from TV to film to dramatic theater that are all varying testaments to how Sorkin may just be one of the greatest script writers of all time. “The Trial of the Chicago 7” which is also written by him will not go down in this legacy as a positive. “Trial of the Chicago 7” follows the trial of the seven men who were charged for leading protests and obstructions in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention in 1968. 

Writer/Director Sorkin’s work is nothing short of absolute poetry. He has explicitly stated in interviews that he loves the way words sound and that he tries to imitate the musical back and forth sounds of conversation as if it was a play. The opening scene of “The Social Network” is a perfect example of Sorkin’s technical mastery as it comprises 10 minutes of Mark Zuckerberg making you, specifically you, mad at him for being a cocky nerd as he breaks up with his girlfriend, Erica Albright. “Trial of the Chicago 7” is not the Sorkin masterpiece that it could have been. I do not think it was a bad movie, but I do think there were some glaring errors with the overall structure and deliverance of the movie. 

I briefly want to talk about a lot of the things that made this movie effective, because there is quite a lot, despite my criticisms. The costumes and casting were impressive. I do not just mean they made a good choice picking Sacha Baron Cohen; I mean Baron Cohen actually looks like the real Abbie Hoffman for who he was based, and it just so happened that Baron Cohen gave a good performance in the process. The costumes and hairstyling are pretty good, and I also think the sets and set designs were an important part of the world building that helped to showcase the 60s well. 

This movie has some rough pacing issues, a couple characters are frustrating but not in the way they intend and I had virtually no empathy for any characters for any reason other than I guess I hope they do not go to jail. Keep in mind this is all based on entirely real events, so the ending is clear from the start. The majority of the movie takes place in the court during the actual trial. They would frequently cut back to the events of the story that they are retelling and this messes with the flow of everything. A scene could either be slow and conversation driven then frantic and violent the next. The court interrogations are very slow and long and are not very gripping. I had a hard time staying interested in the story during the court scenes because it was always the same thing over and over again; Judge hates hippies, hippies disrespect judges, Bobby Seale is not supposed to be here, someone does a thing that moves the story up slightly, end of the day. Every now and then they cut back to the catalyst, but it never really is interesting. The feeling is the same for the riot scenes. Although they managed to capture the stylistic zeitgeist of late 60’s riots and protests I do think that a lot of the emotional impact of the violence is dampened by the rest of the story.

The cast is absolutely stacked yet only one of them gave a notable performance. Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman was enjoyable and was my drive to keep watching because I just wanted to see him frustrate Judge Hoffman (no relation) to no end. He gives a speech about three quarters of the way through when he was on trial that was probably the best moment of the whole movie. I thought Jeremy Strong (“Succession”) as Jerry Rubin had a couple notable scenes but I did not love Yahya Abdul- Mateen II (“Watchmen,” “Aquaman”) as the Black Panther leader Bobby Seale. I do not know if this is a story that you have to understand the full historical context of or this movie told the whole story but it just felt like there was so much missing from the Bobby Seale story and it really hurt Seale’s character arc because, again, it was repetitive and felt directionless to the point that the movie probably would have progressed the same without him. Joseph Gordon Levitt plays a very bland antagonist lawyer and Frank Langella as Judge Julius Hoffman was more of an annoyance than a judicial obstacle to work around. I found myself getting frustrated with him but not in a way that I think was intended. Eddie Redmayne was built up to be the shining light in the resistance’s movement, but I really felt nothing watching his scenes. They all had solid motivations and were interesting characters, but I really did not actually care about what was going on with each individual character. A lot of the chemistry felt kind of nonexistent too with the only actors with any sense of togetherness being Baron Cohen and Strong. 

I feel like I personally missed a lot of the point of this movie, but I feel that this is a result of the way the film was made. It portrayed itself in an important way, and while it did have that feeling of “this is an important event,” I did not think of this as an actual retelling of a real event, but rather a dull fiction story. “Trial of the Chicago 7” was a bit of a disappointment for me. I went in expecting big things from Sorkin and it did not even have the things that make Sorkin great. To be clear, it is not a terrible movie or a bad movie, but it is messy, and it is disappointing. I am feeling like “Trial of the Chicago 7” is just “Okay” on a scale of “Bad” to “Perfection.”

Jeriann Tripodi, Staff

Header Image: Silk Sonic

Jeffree Star recovering after severe car crash

Youtuber and beauty influencer Jeffree Star was driving in Wyoming with his friend, Daniel Lucas, when the vehicle hit black ice. According to Star’s social media accounts, the car flipped over several times, but both men survived. In a post to fans, Star, 35, shared that he is in “excruciating pain” after breaking part of his back, but is expected to fully recover. Meanwhile, Lucas sustained internal injuries. 

Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez split 

On April 15, former Yankee player Alex Rodriguez and pop singer Jennifer Lopez confirmed that they ended their engagement. In a joint statement, the pair shared that they will continue to be friends and wish the best for one another. A reason behind the split has not been made public, however, cheating rumors have been circulating in the months leading up to the breakup. Rodriguez and Lopez were together for four years and got engaged in 2019. They were set to marry last year, but postponed their wedding due to COVID-19. 

Helen McCrory dies (1968-2021)

On April 16, actress Helen McCrory passed away at the age of 52 after battling cancer. The London native was best known for portraying the character Narcissa Malfoy in the “Harry Potter” films. She was also known for her role in “Peaky Blinders” where she played Polly Gray. 

McDonald’s teams up with BTS for new meal

On April 19, fast food chain McDonald’s announced that they have teamed up with the Korean boyband, BTS, and will be launching “The BTS Meal” for a limited time starting May 26. The combo meal will consist of a 10-piece Chicken McNugget, medium fries and a medium Coca Cola. This meal will also include Cajun and Sweet Chili dipping sauces. 

“American Idol” airs first comeback episode 

On April 19, “American Idol” invited 10 fan-favorite contestants from last season (season 18) to sing on stage for the chance to join this season’s (season 19) Top 10. With one remaining spot, only one fan-favorite contestant from the past will be selected to join the nine current contestants for the chance to win the singing competition. One of the contenders from season 18 is Philadelphia’s own Louis Knight, who impressed the judges with his original song. “American Idol” airs every Sunday and Monday at 8 p.m. on ABC. 

“Godzilla v. Kong” becomes highest grossing film during the COVID-19 pandemic

The sci-fi/action film “Godzilla v. Kong” is continuing to top the box office, and has officially become the top-grossing Hollywood film during the COVID-19 pandemic globally. The fourth installment in Legendary’s MonsterVerse, which has made over $390 million at the global box office, has surpassed “Tenet,” which earned $365 million last year. 

Number one on the Billboard charts: week of April 17, 2021

According to “The Hot 100” on the charts, the number one song in the U.S. is “Leave the Door Open” by Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak). Moving up to the top spot for the first time, this is the fifth week that the R&B/soul song is on the charts. According to the “Billboard 200,” the number one album in the U.S. is “Justice” by Justin Bieber. Moving from the second spot to the top spot, this is the third week the pop album is on the charts. 

Nolen Kelly, Staff

Header image: Hulu

When I finally got around to watching Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” I was pretty excited to add another notch into my “Frances McDormand is a better actress than Meryl Streep, there I said it” belt. It is a very real belt and I will die on this hill. “Fargo,” “Almost Famous,” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” are three of my favorite movies of their respective decades and the one thing they all have in common is Frances McDormand. I initially was not too excited for this movie, but when I read McDormand was attached to it, it was enough to sway me. I went into “Nomadland” with some kind of expectation to be blown away, but I finished with something else — reality. After an entire town is shut down and forced to relocate due to the closing of a sheetrock company manufacturing gypsum, we follow Fern, a former worker who lives off the land.

I cannot stress how great Frances McDormand is. She always finds ways to reinvent her acting career and despite the bizarre connection of motherhood between her three aforementioned rolls from my introduction, McDormand has a wide range of talents that show just how timeless her performances are. In “Nomadland” I felt like I witnessed one of the rawest performances any actor has ever given. This was such a bare-bones and minimal performance I’m shocked it was even considered an actual performance. At no point did this feel like watching an “actor do acting,” but what felt more like a documentary on nomadism. Similar to “Sound of Metal,” this film is a masterclass of performance, and a very strong one at that. Rather than McDormand’s typical in-your-face yet subtly emotionally developing style of acting we see a very stripped back kind of performance that sets the mood for the rest of the movie. 

The movie is nominated for an impressive six Academy Awards for acting, directing and best picture. Basing a movie’s success off the number of awards it was nominated for or won is a terrible way to measure quality, but the recognition is still very impressive. I think that if there is anything for this movie to walk away with, it is the award for Best Directing for Chloé Zhao. She has already received some much-deserved recognition for it, and I couldn’t agree more. If the idea of the movie is to convey how scattered yet grounded it can be to have nothing but the people you associate with and the minimal possessions you have, then the structure of the story should resemble something close to that. I think this movie does the opposite of what many movies do, which is typically to use their time to establish a world we do not know and create the rules for us to understand. “Nomadland” is more about stripping away and deconstructing a world we do know and showing us something we may not fully understand right away: our own world. There is some kind of poetry when watching a woman who lived a “normal” life decide that continuing with the nothing she had was her way of finding some kind of catharsis that a home life could not give her. 

I talked about this movie with my parents after we had watched it, and I think they both described the movie the best after their respective viewings. My father stated, “Nomadland has two running stories — the story of McDormand living her life as a nomad and living her life as an older unemployed woman.” While my mother described it as “extremely chill, a think-about-life type of movie.” They both could not be more spot-on. Fern is an older woman who bounces around from one odd job to another, and the whole time she just wants to work and keep moving. There is no ulterior motive, no driving force and no end goal. Fern is just trying to get around. People do not always need a motive or a story to move forward, they just do it. Fern’s story is an examination of why we do the things we do for others and ourselves when we do not have much to offer. 

“Nomadland” is not a hard movie to watch, but it is not easy due to the very little story and action that happens. It requires you to pay attention without making you think, and it makes you think without breaking your brain. It is a good movie to experience for yourself and a good movie to have your own thoughts on. I really enjoyed this, and I think it is worth the watch. On a scale from “Awful” to “Perfection,” I would say “Nomadland” is “Great,” and we will have to wait and see if the Academy of Motion Pictures agrees at the Oscars which premiere at 8 p.m. on April 25.

Jeriann Tripodi, Staff

Header image: NBC News

DMX dies at age 50 (1970-2021)

On April 9, rapper DMX passed away at the age of 50 after being hospitalized in the intensive care unit for a week after suffering a heart attack. DMX, whose birth name is Earl Simmons, rose to fame in the 1990s. Throughout his career, the rapper had 15 hits on the “Billboard Hot 100.” DMX was most popularly known for the hip-hop/rap song “Party Up (Up in Here).” 

Prince Philip dies at age 99 (1921-2021) 

On April 9, Prince Philip passed away at the age of 99 at his Windsor Castle. No cause of death was provided, but according to GlobalNews, the Duke of Edinburgh had suffered from several medical ailments in recent years. The patriarch of the royal family, and husband of Queen Elizabeth II, was the longest-serving consort in British history. 

Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song are parents

On April 5, actor Macaulay Culkin (“Home Alone,” “My Girl,”) and his girlfriend, actress Brenda Song (“Suite Life of Zack and Cody,” “The Social Network”) quietly welcomed their first child together. According to TMZ, the couple welcomed a boy named Dakota Song Culkin. A close source shared that the baby was named after Culkin’s sister, who passed away in 2008. 

Man arrested for trespassing onto Kendall Jenner’s property

A 27-year-old man named Shaquan King was arrested by Los Angeles police after trespassing onto model and reality star Kendall Jenner’s property. Making it past her security, King knocked on Jenner’s window and then swam in her pool. He was arrested and Jenner was granted a temporary restraining order against him. After King was released from prison, he immediately went to Kendall’s sister Kylie Jenner’s house and was arrested again. Kylie also got a temporary restraining order against King, and Kendall has since moved to another location. 

Ariana Grande will be a judge on the next season of “The Voice” 

Pop singer Ariana Grande will be joining NBC’s singing competition “The Voice” as a coach for its 21st season. Replacing Nick Jonas, Grande announced the news through Instagram by posting a photo of herself on set. Alongside the photo, Grande captioned that she is “beyond thrilled” to be joining Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Blake Shelton on the panel. 

Post Malone appears in “Wrath of Man” trailer 

The trailer has been released for the upcoming mystery and thriller-action film, “Wrath of Man.” The remake of the 2004 French film, “Cash Truck,” tells the story of a man, known as “H,” who is newly hired as the security guard for an armored money truck. One day, a heist takes place and H unleashes his extreme precise skills. As a result, his surprised co-workers become suspicious about who he really is and where he came from. Although Jason Statham is playing the starring role, rapper Post Malone appears in the trailer as one of the unnamed robbers who is shot by Statham’s character. “Wrath of Man” is rated R and is scheduled to be released to theaters on May 7. 

Number one on the Billboard charts: week of April 10, 2021

According to “The Hot 100” on the charts, the number one song in the U.S. is “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” by Lil Nas X. This is the first week the hip-hop and electro-pop song is on the charts. According to the “Billboard 200,” the number one album in the U.S. is “SoulFly” by Rod Wave. The rap album is at the top spot during the first week of its release.