lpahomov

The People vs. O.J Simpson The Tragedy and Circus from the Past that Remains Powerful to the Audience of Today

May 12, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Sean Morris

Staff Writer

The glove, the Broncco, Nicole’s 911 calls and the Mark Fuhrman tapes, the curls. All this and more are brought back to our television screens with Ryan Murphy’s heavily anticipated debut season of “American Crime story,”another show that has a different story line with each season. This season focuses on infamous case “The People vs. O.J Simpson” and is almost certainly going to be this seasons hot award ticket.

Beginning on the night of the tragic murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, the show chronicles the resulting media fueled trial of the century that cast a dark spotlight on america’s issues with race, gender, class, celebrity culture and more. To put it simply: Every episode I saw astonished me . The quality of the show was stellar, episode after episode after episode. I’ve seen some episodes multiple times now, and I can still watch them with almost the same feverish anticipation and interest as I did the first time.

Here are my thoughts on a few aspects of the show:

The facts: While not everything is true to life on the show- it’s startling how much is, and how much they didn’t need to make up for TV. For example one thing they did change was Johnny Cochran’s famous catchphrase “if the gloves don’t fit you must acquit” was actually written by another defense lawyer, but in this show they had Cochran penning it and going through variations of it before arriving at the phrase. While not accurate, I could understand why they did it, as it fits into what most people assume, easier narratively to tell and it was admittedly comedic when you first realize he’s going through variations of the line before he came up with that famous catchphrase.
The music: The soundtrack is pretty perfect to the respective scenes they’re in and can be hilarious in of itself. For example, when they played “Sabotage” by the Beastie Boys during part of the Bronco chase it was an oddly appropriate choice
The clothes: The costuming is actually pretty great and did something that I thought could never been done- made 90s clothes look good. Especially for me, I found myself admiring OJ’s lawyers suits and wild ties.
The sets: The shows detail to the time period cannot be underestimated and how they were able to intersect actual news clips of the trial really made you feel like you were transported back to that time.

Now I can’t talk about this show without crediting about this incredible cast. Oh my god this cast. With everyone in this show giving nothing short of excellent performances- some that have even been the best of their careers. From John Travolta — my favorite presence — David Schwimmer, Nathan Lane, Christian Clemenson, Bruce Greenwood, Kenneth Choi, giving their best work in years. Joseph Siravo giving a brief, but powerful few scenes as the father of the one victims, Sterling Brown becoming something of a breakout star.

The ultimate cast credit has to go to Sarah Paulson and Courtney B Vance for stealing the show. Paulson’s Marcia Clark becomes the heart of the story as we see her crusade for justice for the victims and their families while battling the complexities of the case, a divorce settlement and the sexism harassment of the media. Courtney B Vance is breathtaking as the famous lawyer of Johnnie Cochran, who uses the case as platform to highlight racial injustices in America, particularly the LAPD- especially considering this case about two years after the Rodney King riots.

The case highlights the injustices that many african americans face , but also comes to references of gender, class, celebrity culture, the failings of the justice system and more. The series never explicitly suggests that OJ Simpson is guilty or innocent, instead allows the audience to look at the facts and the emotions in the case and allows the audience to make its own mind on whether justice was served or not. The show managed to be both funny and heartbreaking, and while it took place 20 years ago, it’s startlingly relevant to the present day and deserves everyone’s time and attention.

Post Script- I hope the last frame will break your heart as much as mine was

Safety and Sensitivity on College Campuses

May 9, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Editorial;

It’s that time of year! Every Senior is awaiting a response from the college of their dreams and making their decisions, but it feels as though once you finally receive your letter and make your deposit, you get drowned in a lot of stories that cause you to rethink your college choices. Here are things you will need to know about the matter.

When applying to colleges, you should never let the stress blind you from looking deeper into a college. Although you want to look for a college that can give you a good education, you also need to look for a college you will feel safe in. Find a college you can call home, but as for scandals, you need to focus your eyes on whether the issue is actually real or whether the media is exploiting it and if they matter to you. The media tends to create a bigger problem for something that was already big enough or something that was not big at all. It is reasons like these that make a person rethink their college choices, but be careful because everything is not always what it seems.

One thing you can’t fear forever is stepping out of your comfort zone, or making a mistake.. The truth is that you are going to be in college, you are going to do something stupid,”As you go into college, doing something stupid takes you stepping out of your comfort zone. You should always try to take a step out of your comfort zone, but never go too far or you will regret it. Yes you are bound to do something stupid, but make sure that that stupid is not something that screws you up in the future. Things that are acceptable leaving campus when you are not supposed to or hanging out in the dorms of the opposite gender, but getting drunk to the point where you can’t move and wake up with no memory is unacceptable. A lot of incidents are also caused to different racial viewpoints. In a school like SLA, where the community is diverse, racial slurs are less likely to be thrown around, unlike colleges, where they tend to be less diverse.

Sexual assaults are not a surprise on college campuses, and there are many things that influence these sexual assaults, like frat and sorority parties are a big part of when a sexual assault can take place. Of course there are many other areas on campus in which they take place, but parties can potentially play a big part.

When it comes to reports about the safety of a school, pay close attention. Just because a school has a lower level of reported crime does not always mean they are safe places. Not all schools report every incident they have because they do not want to leave a bad impression on their school. As for those with higher reports, they do not cover up what happens in their school because they want to take action against what is going on, on their campus.

A student can fear so many things during the college process. It is only natural. There will be moments where all we tend to focus on is every single bad thing, but soon you get over it as you focus on the good things, such as making new friend and going for a career you will love. Yes, you should not be careless about what college you choose to go to, but never overthink things. Every college has their ups and downs, but there was a reason you wanted to go to the college you chose, if you didn’t let anything get in the way before, why now?

Final NFL Mock Draft 2016

April 25, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

This is a big year in football with a few big trades already happening. Most notably, the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles had deals that moved them up to the top two picks in this draft. The Rams will pick first and will basically decide who will be the pick at number two for the Eagles. Besides that, this class is loaded in defensive talent and great players that will compliment a more competitive NFL.

The following is a mock draft, where I predict the picks for each team selecting this first round. Then, I will analyze certain picks that could be catalysts throughout the draft.

Los Angeles Rams- QB Jared Goff, California
Philadelphia Eagles- QB Carson Wentz, North Dakota State

For me the Rams picked for the Eagles. The Eagles will take whoever isn’t taken, and here that would be Carson Wentz. Carson Wentz is a guy who in my opinion won’t return the worth, especially since the Eagles had Sam Bradford. Wentz had played Division II football and only played one full season, they won several national title without him. In seasons with more than 30 pass attempts, he never exceeded a completion percentage of 63.7%. In his career he also has possessed just over a 3:1 Ratio of touchdowns to interceptions. I’d love to be proven wrong, but I don’t understand the Eagles.

3.San Diego Chargers- DB Jalen Ramsey, Florida State

4.Dallas Cowboys- RB Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State

If Jalen Ramsey is available, we know who the Cowboys will likely take. But in this scenario he is not. The Cowboys have no running back. Elliott fits the profile of a three down elite running back. A little Ladainian Tomlinson can be found. Elliott has great vision and will be a lethal tailback behind an elite offensive line. Jerry Jones is the Donald Trump of the NFL, he does exactly what he means and gets what he wants.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars- OLB Myles Jack, UCLA

6. Baltimore Ravens- OT Laremy Tunsil, Ole Miss

Laremy Tunsil becomes the steal of the draft. Tunsil has the best ability as a blocker even with off the field concerns. His talent is not ignored. Tunsil making it to the sixth overall pick for the Ravens is a classic steal for Baltimore.

7. San Francisco 49ers- DE DeForest Buckner, Oregon

8. Cleveland Browns- DE Joey Bosa, Ohio State

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- CB Vernon Hargreaves III, Florida

10. New York Giants- DE Shaq Lawson, Clemson

11. Chicago Bears- OT Ronnie Stanley, Notre Dame

The Bears protect Jay Cutler, finally. They cut Left Tackle Jermon Bushrod back in February. The Bears at this very moment would have Charles Leno protecting Cutler’s blindside. Leno was a seventh round pick in 2014. The need and desire for elite talent are here. Stanley has all the traits to become a premier blindside protector. Some have questioned his work ethic, but Ronnie Stanley is just way too good to pass up at 11.

12. New Orleans Saints- DT Sheldon Rankins, Louisville

13. Miami Dolphins- CB William Jackson III, Houston

14. Oakland Raiders- OLB Darron Lee, Ohio State

15. Tennessee Titans- OT Jack Conklin, Michigan State

16.Detroit Lions- DT Andrew Billings, Baylor

17. Atlanta Falcons- DE Noah Spence, Eastern Kentucky

Noah Spence has quite a bit baggage along with football talent. He shined at the Senior Bowl and at Eastern Kentucky. Spence was a primetime player with Ohio State for two seasons until he was dismissed after multiple failed drug tests and an addiction to ecstasy. This has most teams very concerned, but the talent is there. He was the clear-cut best player in Mobile, Alabama for the Senior Bowl back in January. The Bishop McDevitt grad has a lot to prove to teams, but I expect nothing but great play from Spence.

18. Indianapolis Colts- C Ryan Kelly, Alabama

19. Buffalo Bills- DT Jarran Reed, Alabama

20. New York Jets- QB Paxton Lynch, Memphis

21. Washington Redskins- WR Josh Doctson, TCU

22. Houston Texans- WR Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss

23. Minnesota Vikings- WR Corey Coleman, Baylor

24. Cincinnati Bengals- DT Robert Nkemdiche, Ole Miss

25. Pittsburgh Steelers- CB Mackensie Alexander, Clemson

There were some great options at #25 for Pittsburgh. Besides Alexander, Reggie Ragland and Ryan Shazier could’ve been a lot of fun to watch together. Eli Apple, the Cherry Hill native was also an intriguing. Karl Joseph was someone I wanted to hand to Pittsburgh, if he hadn’t torn his ACL in October he would be a top 15 pick. Mackensie Alexander was my choice, and that’s because he shuts down any receiver on any team. Alexander allowed less than 30% of passes his direction to even be caught. That’s amazing. He shut down many top prospects this year, like Notre Dame’s Will Fuller and Oklahoma’s Sterling Shepard. Teams would never try to throw his way, which has hurt his value since in two seasons he only accumulated eleven passes defended with zero interceptions. His value is clear, in the national championship, when he left the game, Calvin Ridley went from OK to a superstar. Every team should be giving a hard look at Mackensie Alexander.

26. Seattle Seahawks- OT Taylor Decker, Ohio State

27. Green Bay Packers- OLB Leonard Floyd, Georgia

28. Kansas City Chiefs- ILB Reggie Ragland, Alabama

Alabama continues to produce NFL talent, which has been nothing short of great. At the linebacker position, this is the safest pick in this first round besides Jack Conklin. Ragland is a defensive leader and he will learn from the best, Derrick Johnson. This team has Justin Houston injured and an aging linebacker core with Johnson and Tamba Hali. Josh Mauga and Frank Zombo aren’t the answer, and the Chiefs know defense, they will make Ragland into a stud.

29. Arizona Cardinals- S Karl Joseph, West Virginia

Arizona is a team with few needs, but it wouldn’t hurt to take the best player on the board. Eli Apple could be a great option to play over Tyvon Branch and Justin Bethel, but letting D.J. Swearinger start on a great team is beyond me. Joseph is the complete safety. His game is revolved around reading the quarterback’s eyes and hitting players so hard that they’ll think twice before running around the field carelessly. Tyrann Mathieu, the other Cardinals safety is the best safety in football. This combination would make a secondary that truly couldn’t let any big plays by.

30. Carolina Panthers- CB Eli Apple, Ohio State

31. Denver Broncos- QB Connor Cook, Michigan State

The draft takes place on (Thursday April 28-30) and will be televised on be broadcasted on ESPN and NFL Network along with NFL.com.

Varsity Boys Baseball Team Dominates E&S in Win

April 23, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Lukas Aznar pitches in the 1st inning against E&M — Lukas Aznar pitches in the 1st inning against E&S, Photo Taken by Jesse Shuter

On Friday, April 24th the Science Leadership Academy varsity baseball team took down E&S in an absolute rout. The final score of the game was a 15-0 finish in a mercy rule shortened game. The varsity team now stands at an 8-0 undefeated record and is in first in their division.

The SLA boys team also has a whopping total run differential this year. They have scored an incredible 84 runs while only allowing ten. They have not given up a run as a team since April 8th.

The game started with pitcher and junior Lukas Supovitz-Aznar began dealing as he quickly took down their hitters stiking out many of the batters. Then when SLA began to bat it got ugly very quickly for E&S.

Kevin Courtney swinging at and hitting a pitch in the bottom of the 1st inning, Photo Taken by Jesse Shuter

After hits by many of the SLA batters including captain and senior Kevin Courtney, SLA was up on a 8-0 lead at the end of the first inning. In the second inning Aznar struck out the side, not an easy feat. The SLA boys were then held to a scoreless inning.

At times the game looked as though it might be shortened by rain, but the weather held more than long enough for this game to finish.

While winning in such a way is the major story, perhaps another big story is senior Kevin Courtney coming into the game as a pitcher. Courtney was one of SLA’s best pitchers and most promising players before his season was ended with Tommy John surgery.

Tommy John is a surgery that many pitchers go through, especially major leaguers and it takes over a year to recover from the surgery.

Courtney pitching was somewhat miraculous as he was not yet expected to start pitching, but he game into the game and finished with a strong showing, holding onto the shutout.

TV Review: Fuller House

April 14, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Allison Kelly Staff Writer

Growing up in a generation in which tv is very influential, different tv shows that we grew up on are some of our greatest pastimes. A lot of us who grew up in the 90’s understand the meaning of a truly good childhood show. It was shows such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Saved by the Bell, Friends, Boy Meets World, and last but not least, Full House that kept us entertained after school during these years. In my opinion, tv shows have really fallen off since then, but this year the “good ole’ days” were attempted to be reinvented.

Full House was an American sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for ABC. It followed the life of a widowed man, Danny Tanner, and his attempt at raising his 3 daughters, DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle, with the help of his brother-in-law, Jesse Katsopolis, and best friend, Joey Gladstone in their big home in San Francisco. It aired from September 22, 1987, to May 23, 1995, ending with a total of eight seasons and 192 episodes. Even if you weren’t a 90’s child, this show was so good that it lived on to the next generation through its repeat episodes that still air. But, showing the same episodes over and over again just wasn’t enough and with the decrease in tv watchers who have replaced cable boxes with Netflix accounts, finally rumors of a remake of the show, Fuller House, would soon be released as a Netflix original series.

Fuller House is an American family sitcom and sequel to the 1987–95 television series Full House, airing as a Netflix original series. It was created and produced by Jeff Franklin. This time around, the show centers around the eldest daughter, newly widowed DJ Tanner, as she attempts to raise her three sons with the help of her sister Stephanie and her childhood best friend, Kimmy Gibbler. It starts out as a reunion for the family as they all said their goodbyes to their childhood home, until they realized it was a lot harder to let go of it than they thought.

Overall, the idea of the remake was very exciting and it allowed a lot of us to take ourselves back to our childhood, but other than that, the show didn’t have that much to offer to anyone except the original series’ most diehard fans. I must say they overdid it with reusing the most famous lines from the original series and every time they were thrown into the script it seemed a little forced, such as when Stephanie would say “how rude” or Jesse saying “have mercy”. At times, the references to the original series were overdone and cheesy. It was nice to see all of the actual, original cast back to do the remake, well everyone except for the Olsen twins who played the youngest daughter Michelle. There actually was a funny reference to their absence at the beginning of the episode that the whole family took part in. Other than that, the series is a cute way for people to reminisce, but it attracts little engagement to any new viewers of the show that have no association with the original.