Eric Valenti

Juliana Long

Staff Writer

Ariana Grande: At the forefront of pop culture due to her controversy or her success?

Backed up by an extremely strong fanbase, she has been on consistent music release roll since the end of 2018. Grande’s fan base and its dedication to the singer is something that speculators have been fascinated by since she rose to popularity.

However, some less die-hard listeners have more conflicted feelings about her. Grande has a history of questionable expressions of art and has been accused of appropriating marginalized cultures in the past. Many fans on-the-fence don’t approve of some of her problematic decisions but sympathize with the hardships in her personal life that she’s been through recently.

In May of 2017, a suicide bomber committed an attack at Grande’s Manchester concert. After the incident, Grande expressed feelings of anxiety, sadness, and guilt. She even revealed that she had begun to experience symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

About a year later, Grande’s ex-boyfriend, Mac Miller, was found dead after a suspected drug overdose. Grande faced severe backlash on various social media platforms blaming her for Miller’s death, mostly claiming that she shouldn’t have ended the relationship if she knew he was struggling with addiction.

Grande’s fan base was there with her every step of the way to provide support, and some even choose to support her solely because she has risen out of so much pain. An SLA parent and also an enthusiastic fan of hers, Maureen Long, claims that she is a fan of her because of the silver lining that she manages to embrace.

“She finds positivity in her life, even when things are hard,” she said. “She also has an incredible voice and inspiring lyrics.”

Alternatively, some people don’t like her as a person regardless of what she’s been through. The majority of the general dislike is due to Grande’s lack of respect towards certain cultures, specifically Japanese and Black cultures. After releasing her new single, 7 rings, on January 18th, not everyone was impressed.

“Her new sound has a lot of trap undertones and roots in black culture,” says Maren Lamb, junior at SLA.

This criticism, which claims that Grande uses aspects of black culture to her advantage yet falls short on speaking up about race issues in America, is pretty common throughout critiques of Grande’s musical choices.

Grande additionally later received significant backlash over the unveiling of her new tattoo on social media. The tattoo depicts a phrase written in Japanese that translates to “charcoal grill finger”. Offended speculators online perceived the tattoo as a symbol of ignorance.

There tends to be a theme within white culture where a white person gets a very random and meaningless phrase tattooed in some sort of Asian language simply because they think it looks cool as opposed to being educated about the language/culture, and Grande’s tattoo was perceived as an example of that.

Regardless of the public’s opinion on her, Grande continues to consistently release music reflective of her thoughts, feelings, and struggles. Listen to her newest album, Thank U, Next on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fYhqwDWXjbpjaIJPEfKFw?si=VwGaHUYqTQy-Sfvi5WQ8Aw

Jayla Wright

Copy Editor

There’s another Spider-Man movie in theatres. However, this time the kid behind the mask is not Peter Parker but Miles Morales, an afro-latino teenager who lives in Brooklyn, New York. Like any Spider-Man movie, Miles finds himself suddenly tasked with the great responsibility of being a superhero. Around the same time he gets bit by a radioactive spider, mysterious occurrences cause five other versions of Spider-Man (Spider-Gwen, Peter B. Parker,  Peni Parker, Peter Porker, and Spider-Man Noir) from alternate universes to arrive in his own.

His mission? Return each spider-person to their universe and restore balance to the world.

Typically when a new Spider-Man movie comes out fans are quick to judge which iteration of the superhero is the best. A Spider-Man movie is graded based on it’s leading actor, how well they play their civilian selves and their believability as a vigilante. However, I believe this movie deserves more than to just be compared to its successors.

What Into the Spider-Verse does well is that it is amazing not just as a stand-alone Spider-Man movie, but as a film itself. I love each version of Spider-Man thus far, but I appreciate this one more because it has the potential to not just influence superhero films, but the animation medium as well.

As well as having beautiful animation, the soundtrack and score are great too. Songs like “What’s Up Danger” by Blackway and Black Caviar showcases a major turn point in Miles’ character where he learns to face his fears while hip hop beats represent his culture. There’s even a trumpet sound that plays in the villains’ score as a little nod to Mile’s spidey-sense. My spidey sense were tingling when I heard this soundtrack! The music was something that made you want to both get up and dance but also be able to just listen to the music on the subway and chill.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse isn’t just another Spider-Man movie, it’s a work of art. Speaking of the art, I’d like to take a moment to talk about my favorite part: the animation.

When I first caught a glimpse of the newest Spider-Man movie I was surprised by the animation. It was fluid and yet experimental. Some scenes look like they’re taken fresh out of a comic book, halftone dots and speech bubbles included. The movie created an amalgamation of 2D and 3D animation techniques, resulting in a style I’ve never seen before. It was spectacular.

I researched the methods for making the movie and found out that the team of artists who worked on the film applied traditional animation techniques to 3D animation. For example, the film was made “on two’s.”

For a bit of context, films are typically animated “on ones” this means that movement is made by having 24 frames (or images) in one second.  When “animating on two’s” an image is made for every second frame leading to 12 frames per second. This was used for the character’s snappy motions and expressive movement. Such as Miles fearfully jumping off a building or Peter sloppily eating fries.

As I researched more and more my appreciation for the movie grew immensely. The team who worked on this film, easily could’ve created a typical animated film that just tells a predictable story without experimenting with the medium and gotten away with it because it’s another Spider-Man movie. Instead, they took a risk, and created something new in the film world and tested the outer reaches of animation’s limits.

Stan Lee tribute

This movie is also the most recent Marvel movie since Stan Lee passing away. Hearing of his death was tragic, but I’m glad that this movie is a farewell to him. Like any Marvel movie, he was featured in a cameo, this time as a store owner. In the scene, Miles buys a cheap Spider-Man costume and makes a comment on as whether or not it’ll fit which Stan Lee replies with “It always fits, eventually,” leading into the idea that anyone can wear “the mask” and be a hero. It was almost like a final message from Stan Lee given to inspire anyone missing his presence.

This message became solidified when the movie ended and a quote from Stan Lee appeared on the screen.

“That person who helps others simply because it should or must be done, and because it is the right thing to do, is indeed without a doubt, a real superhero.”

Lily Bromley

Staff Writer 

Me Too Movement


In 2016, my family and I (all loyal Harry Potter fans) all went to the theatre to see the newest installment of the series: “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”. The movie wasn’t amazing, but I enjoyed watching it, until the final scene where the character “Grindelwald” was finally introduced, and to my unpleasant surprise, was played by Johnny Depp.

In 2016, actress Amber Heard accused her ex-husband, Johnny Depp being physically abusive. Many people attacked Heard online after she came out about her experience. Loyal Johnny Depp fans, as well as members of his family, said that she was accusing Depp for money and fame, but she later donated the divorce settlement money she received to charity. Amber continues to speak out about abuse and there is still debate about what went on in their relationship. Her story was one of the many that brought light to the amount of sexual misconduct and abuse that goes on behind the scenes in Hollywood. These stories later sparked the #MeToo movement.

I have always supported the Me Too movement, a campaign created for survivors of sexual harassment and assault to share their stories, using the hashtag #MeToo. The phrase “Me Too” was coined by Tarana Burke, a sexual assault survivor.  The hashtag started soon after the sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein. When Johnny Depp was accused of abusing his ex-wife Amber Heard, I believed the allegations and was disgusted. When I discovered he was associated with a franchise that I deeply love I found it deeply upsetting.  When the new “Fantastic Beasts” movie came out, with Depp starring in a lead role, I didn’t know if I wanted to see it or not.

Separating the art from the artist is a concept that suggests that the wrongdoings of an artist should not be put into account when viewing, or listening to their art. I have always been on the fence about the concept. I think that it is very easy to pick and choose the media that you want to protest, and the media that you choose to separate an artist from. The question is whether or not to watch or participate in media that include sexual assaulters or abusers?

I talked to several SLA students about their opinions on this issue. Sophomore Mo Kelly said that she does try to avoid media that includes known assaulters but she doesn’t always check to see if her movies are free of them, “I won’t look up a movie to see if there is any accused people involved in it, but if I learn that something I like has someone involved in it that has done things like sexual assault, I will stop listening to it or watching it.”

Another Sophomore, Sarah Cohen, said something similar about how she navigates watching movies, “Once I know, I will avoid the movie, but before I watch a movie I won’t go hunting to see.”

This philosophy seems to be a double-edged sword. No one wants to spend their time searching the internet for rapists or abusers, but many think that it is important to be educated about who to watch and support.

It is apparent that there is a sort of willing blindness on many people’s part, as many don’t want to stop listening to or watching their favorite things. Sophomore Kofi Kohl stated “I definitely do try and avoid stuff with bad people in them, although sometimes, I don’t know. I have watched Fantastic Beasts.”

It seems that most people have different lines on the type of people they will support, and I have to admit that I do too. My mom once told me that I only want to be a feminist when it’s convenient for me, and while that isn’t completely correct, it does hold some truth. I, like most people, will choose entertainment over morals, even in situations where things that I am passionate about are on the table. All the people that I interviewed said that they try and avoid media with rapists and abusers in them, but they all had exceptions.

I am a big Harry Potter fan, and after I saw the first “Fantastic Beasts” and realized that Johnny Depp was in it, I still decided to see the second. While it was a conversation between me and my parents on whether or not we should see it, we eventually decided to go. We’ll most likely see the next one as well, though I don’t agree with what Johnny Depp has been accused of doing.

I made a resolution in the new year to start choosing morals over convenience when picking out things like clothing and food. But, this resolution also works with the media that I consume. I completely agree with the Me Too movement, and I’m ready to start letting my actions mirror my words. I encourage you to start questioning the media that you watch and listen to, and keep in mind that whether or not you morally support a celebrity, you are financially supporting them when you watch their movies, listen to their music, or read their books.

 

Mo Kelly

Staff Writer 

 

Who doesn’t love Buzzfeed?

Their light-hearted and spirited videos can relieve Benchmark stress, their oh-so-accurate quizzes can get rid of boredom in class, and their news articles might even teach you something about the world. It’s safe to say that Buzzfeed is a staple in many student’s lives. So when the SLA community saw one of their own in a Buzzfeed show, that took the school’s interest in the site to another level.  

In the fall of 2018, SLA graduate Enthony Chhin was featured on Buzzfeed’s new competition game show, Feed Famous. In this five part series, six contestants completed various challenges revolving around modeling and Instagram Photos. Whoever took the best looking photo, won that week’s challenge, while the contestant with the worst photo would be eliminated.

Chhin was a class of 2015 student who started to do makeup during their time at SLA.

“Me and my friend would sit by the elevators and she would be doing her makeup. She would always ask me to help her with it and soon, I started to do my moms makeup and my own.”

They found out about Feed Famous after scrolling on Youtube and seeing a video calling for people to apply.

“I just thought I might as well submit it, and if nothing happens nothing happens… I wasn’t really expecting anything.”

Soon after, Chhin got a call from the creators at Buzzfeed asking them to appear on the show. Chhin was ecstatic.

After five weeks of challenges, including prompts such as using no makeup or filters, modeling with toilet paper, and incorporating a box of seemingly random objects, Chhin ended up winning the show, which included a free trip to Los Angeles and have a party with Buzzfeed as a VIP guest. But, their win wasn’t met without a fair share of controversy.

Buzzfeed viewers felt that Chhin did not deserve to in the show because they “broke the rules.” They took issue with the fact that Chhin used Photoshop in some of their pictures while others didn’t have that opportunity or skill. The comment section of the video and Chhin’s Instagram were flooded with hate with people calling them annoying and saying they deserved to be kicked out in the first week. It got so bad that Buzzfeed had to turn of the comments on the post where they announced them as the Feed Famous winner.

Despite the hate online, Chhin was sure to look at the bright side of everything, saying the experience gave them a thick skin and that they learned to ignore people who have negative comments.

“It made me realize that no matter what people say about you, it doesn’t matter. It was unnecessary drama. The world can be really mean. But, I think it made me a really strong person.”

The school community has celebrated Chhin’s appearance on the program. Science teacher Tim Best was Chhin’s advisor and described them as “a very outgoing, upbeat presence at SLA. You could always count on Enthony to make you smile.”

Sophomore Lily Bromley watched Feed Famous over the summer and was excited to learn that Chhin attended SLA.

“It was over the summer and I was really bored. It seemed like it would be interesting because a lot of the challenges were focused on body positivity and I really like art and photography so I thought it would be fun to watch.”

Chhin wasn’t the only SLA alumni to appear on one of Buzzfeed’s videos. In 2017, Buzzfeed held a Queer Prom, where they invited a group of LGBT high school seniors across the country to attend a prom just for them. This was created after some LGBT seniors felt unsafe or weren’t allowed to go to their own Senior prom. A class of 2017 SLA student, Otter Jung-Allen was invited to this prom.

Both Chhin and Jung-Allen have made huge marks on the SLA and online community with their creativity and activism.

“I think it’s cool that SLA has fostered so many cool and creative people,” Bromley said.  

Courtesy Hip-Hop-N-More

Taylor Green

A&E Editor

 

With the success of his fourth studio album “Championships”, collaboration with Jay-Z and reunion with previous rival Drake. American rapper and Philadelphia native Meek Mill has been a trending topic.

 

However, an aspect about him that tends to be overlooked is his work with the prison reform system. This could be due to his notorious past. When Mill was 18 years old, he was put on probation for assaulting a police officer.

 

Since then he has been on parole and sent to jail on a few occasions. His most recent arrest being on March 10th, 2017 for assaulting two pedestrians. During his trial, the judge presiding over his case would show up at his community service and commit other irregularities.

 

Furthermore, evidence regarding previous cases were brought up once again, causing Meek’s lawyer to be suspicious of the justice system.

 

This is what piqued Mill’s interest in reforming the prison system.

 

Before the release of his recent album, Mill starred in a two-minute short film titled “Prisoners Deserve a New Set of Rights”, advocating the urgent need for reform in the criminal justice system.

 

In the video, Mill shares the many injustices that people who are being arrested might face. He explains that men of color are 5 times more likely to be incarcerated than white people who are convicted for the same crime.  In addition, black offenders who are proven to be guilty end up getting a longer sentence than their white counterparts.

 

Mill took the opportunity of creating a new album as a way to not only rap about his life, but to create another platform for prison reform. Throughout the record, he uses many songs to shed a light on the issue.

 

Senior Dayanna Hughes shares the importance of the message that Mill is sharing.

 

“His song Oodles O’ Noodles Babies talks a lot about the inner ‘hood works’,” Hughes explains. “He talks about how sometimes the misfortunes that people face are inevitable due to the environment that they grow up in and how changing that, can positively change the system in general.”

 

Senior Lauryn Lewis, a long time fan of Meek Mill shares how he has matured throughout the years.

“You can really tell how much he changed and how he’s more informed.” Lewis shares, talking about how Mill’s music and public speaking has advanced throughout his career. “He doesn’t just say that we need to change the prison system, he actually talks about different cases that have been unjust.”

 

Throughout the year, Mill has devoted himself through activism in the past and has been known to put in a lot of work into not only his music. However, Hughes feels as though Meek should be using his fame and spread his message about prison reform to other influential artists

 

“I believe that Meek Mill shouldn’t be the only celebrity face of prison reform,” Hughes explains. “I can see him partnering up with other influential celebrities like Jay-Z or even politicians. I think that it is a teamwork effort.”

 

Although he’s one of the few celebrities making a public effort to change the criminal justice system, Mill’s current work and future plans will always be relevant, especially with his hometown being Philadelphia.

 

He has been receiving endless support and praise from people all throughout the city, whether they’re a fan of them or not.