by Camryn Given | Jun 9, 2021 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
To adapt to the pandemic, many industries have had to change their business models in a COVID-friendly manner. For theatres, this included offering home rentals for movies and, for some, hosting drive-ins. Nashville’s own Belcourt movie theatre used these innovative methods to stay afloat when health guidelines prevented movie screenings as usual. Now, as these restrictions are being lifted, the Belcourt has opened their doors to the public once again. Since their reopening, the Belcourt has seen many Nashvillians return to see movies in person. In March, the Belcourt started showing Academy Award recognized films. It didn’t seem to matter if they had already seen the films, people were ready to come back to the movies regardless. Stephanie Silverman, the executive director of the Belcourt, said “We started slow. Both theaters [were] at 20% capacity,” “Once the CDC came out with the new guidance, we now increased our capacity to 50%.” As of now, there is still a mask policy in place, but Silverman said that the staff is monitoring data to find what makes people feel the safest about returning to the theater. “It’s pretty clear that people feel most comfortable with a mask policy in place and some amount of distancing.” However, since some may have gotten used to streaming at home, what is going to bring them back to the actual theater? Silverman says, “The difference between the experience in a theatre and the experience in your house is just fundamentally different, from the sound to the image to the communal piece of it,” She adds while laughing, “Your popcorn is probably not as good as...
by Kahwit Tela | Jun 8, 2021 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
In recent years of cinema, the heroes of Earth are often depicted as a group of highly athletic, agile, brilliant and dangerously attractive superpeople. Whether it’s the Avengers or the Justice League, audiences have seen countless times a group of ragtag individuals who unite to save humanity from the fate of evil. However, in Michael Rianda’s directorial debut The Mitchells vs. The Machines, audiences are introduced to a new kind of hero: Your everyday dysfunctional family from Michigan who save the world from a global robot revolution during their family road trip. Initially intended for a 2020 theatrical release under the title “Connected”, the film instead went to streaming on Netflix alongside being played in select theaters due to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic. The film was produced by Sony Pictures Animation and features the voice talents of Danny Mcbride, Abbi Jacobson, Maya Rudolph, Eric Andre, Doug the Pug (yes, THE Doug the Pug), and more. The main protagonist, Katie Mitchell (voiced by Jacobson), is a young aspiring filmmaker who just got accepted into the film school of her dreams in California and is eager to leave her home. However, in a last-ditch effort to salvage the relationship with his daughter before she leaves, nature-loving and technologically inept handyman, Rick Mitchell (voiced by Mcbride) puts together one last family road trip with Katie, as well as his sweet and supportive wife Linda (voiced by Rudolph), dinosaur-loving son Aaron (voiced by Rianda himself), and the lovable blob of dog that is Monchi (voiced by Doug the Pug). Everything is going great until the apocalypse is brought upon by a rogue smartphone,...
by Hannah Cron | Jun 3, 2021 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
Since her debut single “driver’s license” was released in January, Olivia Rodrigo has taken the world by storm. Her first album, SOUR, came out in May and quickly topped the charts, earning her appearances at awards shows and Saturday Night Live mere months into her music career. If you aren’t familiar with Rodrigo, she is the latest in the long series of Disney Channel stars turned pop artists, following in the footsteps of singers such as Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato. Rodrigo currently stars in Disney’s High School Musical: The Musical The Series (bet you can’t say that three times fast), a series spinoff of the popular High School Musical movie franchise. Rodrigo’s album SOUR pays tribute to her musical inspirations through the 11 tracks which focus on lyrical themes of heartbreak and the coming of age of the artist and her peers. While SOUR is an impressive debut album, it does leave Rodrigo plenty of room to grow and improve in the future. What really holds SOUR back is that it isn’t sure what to be. Many of the songs are pure pop songs and ballads, but there are a couple of songs that lean into an early 2000s pop-punk sound. While variety can be a good thing, there isn’t really a smooth transition between the different sounds and there isn’t an even balance between the two types of songs (mostly pop with two rock songs). The rock-leaning songs are great, but they feel a little bit out of place here. But SOUR’s biggest issue isn’t its genre confusion; it’s how on-the-nose it...
by Kathryn Farris | Jun 2, 2021 | BREAKING NEWS, News, News Slider
A private-plane crash in Rutherford County on Saturday claimed the lives of seven passengers, including that of Gwen Shamblin Lara, named Lipscomb’s Christian Business Leader of the Year two decades ago. Lara was known for founding the Weigh Down faith-based weight-loss program in 1986. Three Lipscomb Academy alumni were on board as well, according to Pat Price, Lipscomb archives specialist: Lara’s son-in-law Brandon Hannah (2000), Jennifer Johnston Martin (1988) and Jessica Solomon Walters (2000). The other three victims were Lara’s husband, Joe; Martin’s husband, David; and Walters’ husband, Jonathan. All seven were leaders of the Remnant Fellowship Church in Brentwood. The plane crashed into Percy Priest Lake late Saturday morning. By Monday, recovery crews had pulled remains of the seven and both engines from the waters. Gwen Shamblin Lara, ex-wife of David Shamblin, was named as Lipscomb’s Christian Business Leader of the year in 1998. Shamblin Theatre, adjacent to the Bennett Campus Center, is named for the family. “The Weigh Down Workshop is more ministry than industry,” said former Lipscomb President Stephen F. Flatt at the 1998 ceremony, according to her website. “The phenomenal success of the Weigh Down Workshop is attributable to the direct blessing of God and Gwen’s prudent stewardship of the abilities and talents He has given her.” The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the cause of the crash. It is expected to take a couple of weeks to conclude the preliminary investigation, but the NTSB’s complete examination and conclusions usually take up to two years. Photo by Larry McCormack courtesy of Main Street...
by Kathryn Farris | May 25, 2021 | COVID-19, News, News Slider
Lipscomb is continuing its goal of protecting the campus community from COVID, especially with the plans for a full-capacity return in the fall. On Wednesday, May 26 the University is holding its second free vaccine clinic for students, faculty and staff. “We’re trying to do the right thing for our community in being able to protect the community as best as we can.” Said Dr. Kevin Eidson, Director of Health and Wellness to Lumination reporter Abigail Davis in April. The clinic is set to administer both the second dose of Moderna for April event attendees as well as the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Lipscomb previously had the intention of distributing the J&J vaccine at the earlier event. However, the distribution of the vaccine was put on a temporary pause by the CDC after six ‘rare’ cases of blood-clotting in recipients. The CDC has since recommended the use of the Johnson & Johnson be resumed. The free vaccine clinic is available to current Lipscomb Academy and Lipscomb University faculty and staff and university students ages 18 and over. No appointment is necessary. While no official announcement has been made regarding required vaccinations come fall, Lipscomb is pushing students to upload vaccine proof-of-dose to the online health system. Photo via Abigail...
by Kathryn Farris | May 19, 2021 | News Slider, Opinion
Hello Lipscomb! Happy summer! The past school year has been turbulent, to say the least. A global pandemic, social justice movements and a divisive presidential election left Lipscomb’s campus (and the world) entirely different compared to just a year ago. I want to introduce myself to the Lipscomb community in the hope of establishing trust in student media as well as encouraging engagement on our content and reporting. I’ve been involved with Lumination for nearly three years, in that time I’ve worked with incredible student journalists on the stories that have defined our campus community. I’ve witnessed first-hand the power in student protest, the vibrant energy of a Lipscomb Athletics game, and innovation in the face of difficult seasons. During this time, I’ve also been lucky enough to be involved in the staff of two of Lumination’s impactful editors. Mckenzi Harris and Erin Franklin are pillars of leadership, the groundwork they laid provides me with the resources to best represent the good in student journalism. A return to normalcy is on everyone’s mind right now. Yet at Lipscomb, that “new normal” will consist of a new presidential administration, a new student life vice president and COVID’s overall impact on how the university functions. In the coming school year, Lumination will seek to amplify community voices and stories amid these coming changes. We also hope to report on the excitement of returning concerts, festivals and movies. I encourage every student, faculty member, staff member, alumnus and even parent to check out the excellent work of our staff. Speaking of, I would love to introduce our returning and new leadership. Hannah...
