by Abigail Kopp | Sep 3, 2021 | News Slider, Opinion
Over the years, Lipscomb has had different pizzerias to satisfy the students and faculty on campus who cannot imagine life without the delicious Italian creation. In the past, it was Pizza Hut and then Papa John’s that held this special place on campus, but now the pizza baton is being passed on to the newest dining experience—Pie on the Fly. With a name that advertises speed and the classic Americanized Italian dish, I took it within my pizza-holding hands to try it for myself and see if it was what it advertised to be. It was lunch rush on Wednesday when I first tried Pie on the Fly. I awkwardly stood in line, my stomach growling for food as I pondered the menu. Thankfully, the menu was straightforward, having a make-your-own pizza with many options of toppings for the creatives out there. It also had a few classics to choose from, and then if any of you are one of those sacrilegious haters of pizza, there are even a few pasta options. The line was long, so I had plenty of time to talk to the others who were before me. Haley H. and Kelli D., two nursing students, have been to Pie on the Fly before, both getting the pepperoni pizza. Kelli liked the soft crust and the freshness the pizza had, while Haley said she thought the sauce was good, though she mentioned that she missed Papa John’s. Funnily enough, Ethan F., a corporate finance senior, also brought up Papa John’s. Ethan said that he liked how personalized the pizza is at Pie on the Fly and...
by Hannah Cron | Sep 2, 2021 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
Solar Power, the third album from the New Zealand artist Lorde, was released on Aug. 20. It serves as a sunny departure from her previous work, including 2017’s critically-acclaimed album, Melodrama. The new album reunites Lorde with musician and producer Jack Antonoff (fun., Bleachers) who is best known for producing multiple award-winning albums from the likes of St. Vincent, Carly Rae Jepsen, Lana Del Rey and Taylor Swift. On Solar Power, Lorde trades in the dark, complex sounds and lyrics of her older music for something more akin to what Sheryl Crow was doing in the early 2000s. Solar Power shows Lorde taking clearer inspirations from her influences, including her own mother’s poetry and ‘70s folk music. Solar Power makes the perfect soundtrack for a day at the beach, but it isn’t one that will stay on your mind long after it finishes. It’s a pretty album but predictable and unfortunately forgettable. Many critics and music fans have been accused of disliking Solar Power as it isn’t a “sad” album or because Lorde appears to be writing from a more optimistic and less relatable point of view. While it is possible that some people feel this way, the album’s main issue – especially in comparison to Melodrama – is that it simply isn’t complex. Melodrama wasn’t great because it was sad; it was renowned for its complexity of sound and how each of the songs on the album was unique but still cohesive. Likewise, Solar Power isn’t bad because it is happier – in fact, it really isn’t bad at all. It’s just simple and sometimes a bit boring. None of...
by Kahwit Tela | Aug 1, 2021 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
Since The Avengers first assembled on the silver screen in 2012, audiences have been clamoring for certain members of earth’s mightiest heroes to have their feature films. Fans have been especially eager for the Russian femme fatale, Natasha Romanov, aka Black Widow, to have her turn in the spotlight. After spending more than 16 years in development and numerous delays, including those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Black Widow finally was released this summer in theaters as well as premier access streaming via Disney Plus. The film’s setting is a mixture between sequel and interquel as it takes place between Captain America: Civil War (2016) and Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Following the events in Civil War, Romanov (Scarlett Johansson) is a fugitive and unexpectedly reunites with her estranged younger sister-figure/fellow assassin, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh). The tense yet touching reunion is short-lived as a conspiracy involving the Black Widow program — a syndicate that trained female assassins including Romanov and Belova — arises. After spending countless years apart, Natasha and Yelena must put aside their differences to take down General Draykov and his army of Black Widows once and for all. The two sisters can’t do this task alone as they need to form a makeshift team with some of the toughest soldiers Russia has ever known: Their adoptive parents, super soldier Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour) and veteran Black Widow, Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz). As the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)’s first venture into the espionage film genre, Black Widow does an excellent job of recognizing its influences, such as the 007 films, all the while maintaining a slick and...
by Kahwit Tela | Jul 6, 2021 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of mental illness and self-harm. Comedian and internet personality Bo Burnham makes fun of his own mental stresses caused by COVID-19 in a new Netflix special. “Inside” was used to document Burnham’s own feelings of loss and yearning during the year-plus quarantine. Burnham best summarizes the entirety of 2020 in the opening number of Inside, “Content.” Burnham sings “If you had told me a year ago that I’d be locked inside of my home, I would have told you a year ago: ‘Interesting; now leave me alone’.” Since its release on June 30 Inside has received critical acclaim for its unconventional presentation as well as its off-kilter, yet somewhat sad, approach to mental health during the pandemic. Critics such as Jason Zinoman of The New York Times praised the special and defined it as “a tricky work that for all its boundary-crossing remains, in the end, a comedy in the spirit of neurotic, self-loathing stand-up.” Lipscomb mental health counselor Ashley Dumas, who hasn’t seen the special, emphasizes that it is important and helpful that entertainers like Burnham are using their platforms to discuss issues of mental health. “Sometimes, I think people laugh about serious things because it feels too hard or scary to have real conversations…,” said Dumas Dumas hopes this program and other popular entertainment will help encourage people to admit their vulnerabilities and reach out for help. Dumas is also the assistant director of Lipscomb University’s Counseling Center (UCC) and has been working with college students on mental health issues. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist, but the majority of...
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...
