Campus News Spring 2021 Issue 12

Volume 78, Issue 24 | www.elaccampusnews.com | Wednesday, May 26, 2021 | Single copy free - additional copies 50 cents

Multiple professors to retire after years of service

BY GRACE RODRIGUEZ AND ANNETTE M. LESURE BARBARA DUNSHEATH

Staff Writers Retirement awaits a few prominent figures of East Los Angeles College including nine faculty members, four staff members and one administrator.

The following retirees have agreed to be publicly recognized by the Faculty and Staff Recognition Program. The faculty retirees include: •Barbara Dunsheath, Ed.D., Social Sciences •Deborah J. Glickman, Child Development Center •D. Michael Hamner, Architecture •Rin Kahla, Ph.D., MSW, Social Sciences •Satoshi K. Kojima, Business Administration •Sara Maga, Modern Languages • R o b e r t B . We s t , P h . D . , Anthropology, Geography & Geology •Joanna Flores, Political Science •Lisa Hashimoto Stone, Theater Department The three staff retirees and single admistrator include: •Andrew Durazo, Photography •Marcella Lozano, Student Services •Tony Lin, Information Technology •Julie Benavides, Vice President Student Services Each of them will be remembered by the ELAC community.

West, known by his students as helpful, funny and laid back, always encouraged his students to ask questions. Although his laid

DEBORAH J. GLICKMAN

D. MICHAEL HAMNER

RIN KAHLA

back style was not always reflected in his challenging courses, students admit they turned out better because of the challenge.

“My retirement plans include travel, gardening and consulting. I will miss the comraderie my ELAC collegues (faculty and staff) across the campus and all the enthusiasm they bring to making ELAC a great place to learn,” West said.

Hamner is renowned for being able to encompass fun in his architecture courses. While Kojima has the highest rating of the seven professors with “understanding” and “respectable” being the adjectives used most to describe him in his Accounting courses.

So many women leave behind a legacy that will influence the future of ELAC. Dunsheath, a feminist, who is a co-founder of Women and Gender Studies and California State University Long Beach graduate will continue to guide young women at ELAC with the work she put in during her time here.

Glickman who is well known at the Child Development Center with over 31 years of teaching experience will also be missed.

Maga is also retiring in June.

She has been with ELAC for 21 years. In her first year she served as a full-time substitute teacher. She then went on to serve six years as chair and full-time tenured faculty member for 20 years.

Although Maga’s plan to retire was originally for health reasons, the pandemic gave her a new outlook on life. “COVID made me

realize that there were a lot of things I wanted to do before I couldn’t, before I was too ill or too old. And that was more important to me than money or a career. I just want to mess around,” Maga said.

“COVID made me realize that there were a lot of things I wanted to do before I couldn’t, before I was too ill or too old. And that was more important to me than money or a career. I just want to mess around.”

SARA MAGA

Modern Language Professor

The avid horseback rider plans to ride around the world after retiring, with her first target being Icelandic ponies on volcanic expeditions.

Maga has also been training in sheep herding for 20 years and will continue with her current dogs, Buddy and chatty Rolo.

She plans to ultimately use her newfound free time to help people

by using her dogs and horse for emotional therapy on patients who need to “heal their souls.”

Jorge Berumen who was a student of Maga’s during the pandemic said, “Professor Maga is extremely empathic and caring for her students. Her spirit of continuous learning and growth is inspiring.

She approached each class with an attitude of ‘we are going to all learn something new from each other.”

Teresa Flores, who was a student of Maga’s for the last two semesters said, “Professora Maga compassionately led us through such a challenging time in our academic careers.”

Another prominent woman whose career at ELAC began back in September of 1996 is Kahla.

She gained a reputation for being caring and inspirational despite her intimidating nature.

That is not to say she gives her students the disservice of being too lenient in her sociology courses, instead she is known for pushing them to do better. A co-founder of the Women and Gender Studies Program, she made waves in her time spent at ELAC. Her course “Sociology of Women” launched the program that grew into an AA by 2017.

The professor said she plans to continue to stay active as an alumni of after all her entire career has already been dedicated to student success. As a first generation woman of color, she hopes to empower women of similar backgrounds.

Kahla’s former student and ELAC graduate Adriana Araujo said she

SARA MAGA

ROBERT B. WEST

was sad to hear Kahla was retiring because she had been there for “as long as [she] could remember.”

Passionate, is what came to mind when she thought of the professor.

“I fell in love with sociology thanks to her,” Araujo said.

Kahla has been featured on Campus News several times. It is not hard to see the dedication she puts into her work. From being the MC at the 2013 and 2018 ELAC graduations to single-handedly supervising 33 students for 10 days working to clean-up after the hit of hurricane Katrina.

Naturally, when ELAC students think of sociology, Kahla comes to mind. Many kind words from students who took her course can be found all over her profile.

Due to the pandemic it was not possible to contact other sources for comments on the retirees.

ELAC Foundation dean dismissed, criminal investigation pending

BY JUAN CALVILLO Staff Writer PICTURE COURTESY LOWELL BERGMAN

Workshop informs students of abuse immigrant women face

BY ALMA LIZARRAGA Staff Writer

East Los Angeles Women’s Center held a virtual Zoom workshop and screening of the documentary “Rape on the Night Shift” detailing how immigrant women are taken advantage of after hours.

The workshop started with introductions and a couple of slides showing statistics and hotlines of sexual assaults.

The documentary took up much of the time of the workshop where first-hand accounts of women who felt overpowered gave candid accounts of their abuse. The main focus was on the janitor workers who were assaulted by managers and co-workers.

Many of the women reported not feeling threatened by their future abusers at first, only for them to be cornered and assaulted once they felt safe.

American Building Maintenance Industries Inc. is the largest

News Briefs

employer of janitors in the United States and was presented in the documentary. It was shown that in two decades, the company had amassed forty sexual harassment lawsuits.

The company claimed to take care of its workers through its workers protection programs. As of 2021, ABM will be working with equal rights advocates to change their sexual harassment prevention procedures after losing a multi-plainteff sexual harrassment lawsuit.

In one of the incidents covered during the documentary, it was shown ABM hired a registered sex offender who had been jailed for raping an underage girl. The company hadn’t followed through on a background check.

In a prior sexual assault lawsuit ABM was found by a judge to have acted accordingly in the situation.

ABM was shown to settle on a few cases.

The documentary brought forth the differences between being on the job at night and at day. It’s a lot harder to enforce protocols at night

UndocuHuskies Club

due to the differences of people on the job and the difference in contractors. Immigrant workers are more likely to take these jobs due to how unsupervised they can be.

The assaults talked about in the documentary were graphic and often had other physical violence in it such as abuse.

The course of the documentary saw women banding together and investigations being brought to these companies that saw them clearly not taking precautions to prevent this.

Lack of background checks and not paying serious attention to complaints were among the company’s biggest mistakes.

After the screening was over viewers felt emotional and discussed the trauma and stories they’d just heard about. There were also talks about how immigration is a huge factor in not reporting assaults and tips to organizations that would help out.

Lawsuits following the documentary were discussed as well as current laws and the ongoing changes around them.

The Women’s Center and Dream Resource Center collaborate and invite students to learn coping mechanisms on Thursday at 4:45 p.m.

Register at: http://bit.ly/TraumaNHeal

Paul De La Cerda, former East Los Angeles College Dean, is under criminal investigation in addition to his dismissal by the Los Angeles Community College District in March.

Neither the LACCD or police have disclosed what the initial investigation uncovered. De La Cerda was the dean of the ELAC Foundation. The ELAC Foundation’s funds are meant to help students at the college.

Operations Sergeant Arnold Kim said that the investigation is focused on an ELAC employee.

“Official stance from the department is that entire case was handed over to the Fraud and Cyber Crimes division,” Kim said.

He said ELAC sheriffs do not have information on the investigation that is being conducted. There is currently a detective who is overseeing the case. The reason for the move was because the case needed a more specific detective to look into it.

Kim said when a case goes beyond the scope of campus detectives, specialized units are called in. Then this unit looks into the case.

ELAC President Alberto

Román said the investigation process is handled by the district, not ELAC. He said he could not make any comment on the investigation.

Román said he could not get into any specifics about the investigation and that the college has no say in what happens next.

Kim said when a case goes beyond the scope of campus detectives, specialized units are called in. Then this unit looks into the case.

“I can speak in general. I can’t speak about Mr. De La Cerda, but usually in general, if there’s an investigation that takes place and the district finds and warrants necessary action, they will take the action necessary based upon the findings of the investigation. But it’s not a college decision to make. It’s a district process,” Román said.

De La Cerda continues to be paid during this investigation.

The LACCD Board of Trustees voted unanimously on March 3 to no longer retain De La Cerda’s services.

Román said it is a standard process for academic administrators to continue to be paid after they are notified of their employment no longer continuing. Administrators have guaranteed employment through June 30.

“Any administrator, in general, that is given notice of non-continuance will be paid through the end of the academic year. In this case, it would be June 30,” Román said.

The position De La Cerda held at the ELAC Foundation is going to change to a classified director. The position would become a managerial position and would change for an academic position.

Román said the position is currently being recruited for, with the interim executive director being Armond Aghakhania. Román said the administration is confident in moving forward with the foundation without any concerns.

The LACCD Board of Trustees has not given a statement on the matter. The LACCD Human Resources department has not issued a statement on the matter. De La Cerda did answer requests for comment.

Center For Community College holds tour

CCCP hiring peer advisers for summer

CCCP is holding a virtual campus tour for UCLA on Friday at 10:30 a.m. to noon. The meeting ID is 919 6886 7079, and the password is 256274.

Students are invited to apply to be a peer advisor this summer.

The deadline to apply is June 1.

To apply, visit: www.cccp.edu

Opinion U.S. citizens should still wear masks 2

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS

BY ALMA LIZARRAGA Staff Writer Official mask mandates were controversial from the start, but masks should continue to be worn despite changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines. Masks should be worn as long as they have to and not just until June 15, when the mandate ends. They should even be further implemented into our lifestyles.

This mandate aims to reopen the economy and would greatly decrease the amount of restrictions on not wearing a mask.

Getting used to wearing masks should not be linked to the stresses of social distancing, and should be thought of as the go-to thing to do when there’s a flu or if a person has a minor cold.

People should also be prepared to wear one outside for the remainder of the time needed to squash the COVID-19 spread.

The U.S. should work on people being prepared to wear a mask whenever a situation might arise, and for as long as it should take.

The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention has said easing up conditions on masks would be acceptable, but most in-place regulations differ depending on the country.

At the moment, June 15 should lead to a great change in how strongly wearing masks will be implemented.

This would mean with certain regulations mask mandates would loosen

CN/ANDREA CERNA

to eventually mean no more masks.

There have been mixed messages over the continued use of masks now that the population has started being vaccinated, and due to protests at the beginning of the pandemic it should be obvious some people

will be upset by having to wait until June 15.

During the worst of the pandemic, we saw first-hand how difficult it is to keep up with regulations.

There were protests against the mask mandates, many documented

incidents of California’s elites breaking guidelines for parties, travels or just unsafe work accommodations.

This showshow uneducated we were in proper pandemic etiquette because, for many, the idea of

WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 2021

masks was insane even when many other countries’ residents have been known to take them up when they have simple colds.

Of course no one could have seen how the COVID-19 pandemic would affect the world and how long it’d last.

The pushback against a lot of regulations as well as the confusing difficult government updates, made everything a lot harder to swallow something as simple as wearing a mask outdoors became linked to conspiracy theories.

People are wanting to go back to normal as soon as possible and wanting the situation with the pandemic to be “fixed,” and lifting masks would help greatly with that.

The lift would also be linked to being able to spend more time being in closer contact with friends and family, which is a genuine need.

With masks we prevent diseases, and as a country we tend to show up to work even when we are sick with colds, especially lower class workers.

If we normalize wearing masks instead of seeing it as a crutch, we would deal with illnesses a lot better.It’s still a huge gamble lifting restrictions for those who have been vaccinated, as anyone can claim so in public and the spread will continue.

Masks protect people from viruses and germs and even if it’s entirely unlikely there will be a pandemic this large again, it’s still important to be prepared and take some precaution, especially if it has to do with reevaluating what we’ve been doing in the past.

Full capacity Dodger stadium will lift spirits

BY BRENDA DE LA CRUZ Staff Writer

The Los Angeles Dodgers will welcome fans at full capacity beginning June 15, and as a die-hard Dodger fan, I couldn’t be happier.

With the pandemic affecting everyone in one way or another since last year, many people are craving a chance to get back to normal and to live their lives.

While it is still scary to think of putting down our guards so soon, it was bound to happen at some point.

In order to go back to normal, we need to start somewhere.

Allowing fans to return to their favorite ballpark doesn’t automatically mean disaster.

The team agreed to follow precautions and abide by any changes as they come, including changes from state, county or city authorities.

It almost feels as if they deserve this after everything endured last year.

People want to have fun and enjoy the summer that’s approaching.

Dodger fans couldn’t even celebrate their baseball team winning a World Series after 32 years because of the pandemic.

As of May 23, more than 100 million Americans have been fully vaccinated, as reported by data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

With this turnout, it makes sense that many are itching to get out and that they feel safer doing so.

People cannot stay inside forever or continue living in fear.

Despite the vaccines having a good turnout, folks should still wear their masks to be on the safe side, and also to protect those who are not yet vaccinated.

There will always be those who will not get the vaccine nor wear their masks.

Unfortunately, there’s not much that can be done other than enforce the rules regarding masks and such.

However, the majority shouldn’t miss out on going back to normal all because of those who don’t seem to care about others but themselves.

OPINION EDITORS Brenda De La Cruz Cassidy Reyna NEWS EDITORS Annette Quijada Jonathan Bermudez FEATURE EDITORS Paul Medina Alma Lizarraga ARTS EDITORS Grace Rodriguez Gabriela Gutierrez COPY EDITORS Luis Castilla Ivan Cazares STAFF WRITERS Raymond Nava Leonardo Cervantes Annette Lesure Miguel Dominguez

GRAPHICS Andrea Cerna ONLINE EDITOR Cynthia Solis ART DIRECTOR Steven Adamo CN/BRENDA DE LA CRUZ

BATTER UP— Picture taken outside of right field pavillion.

It’s time to start trying to live again.

Full-capacity at Dodger stadium means having 50,000-seat games available for purchase to the public

Staff Writer

www.ELACCampusNews.com

FRONT EDITORS Zasha Hayes Daniella Molina

PHOTOGRAPHER Diego Linares

BY CASSIDY REYNA

CN/CASSIDY REYNA

ONCE UPON A DREAM—Disneyland guests walk through Sleeping Beauty castle to enter Fantasyland. headed to screening and bag checks.

At that point there are no trams to transport people from parking lots to the parks.

The walk was about 10 to 15 minutes long and there wasn’t much regulation aside from trying to stay in our group and not get too close

MANAGING EDITOR Juan Calvillo

SOCIAL MEDIA Daniella Molina Breanna Fierro

starting tomorrow at 4 p.m. on the team’s website.

All home games prior to June 15 will continue to be sold in pods for

those socially distanced and those fully vaccinated.

Disneyland COVID guidelines need work As the economy slowly starts to open up, many theme parks including Disneyland are opening up with COVID mandates in place.

I was recently able to go to the “happiest place on earth” for my younger brother’s birthday, and I was quite surprised with the regulations around the park.

Due to pricing of tickets and attending opening week, I was only able to go to Disneyland Park and not Disney California Adventure, so I can only speak for Disneyland Park.

Prior to attending, Disney parks sent out an email a few days before our reservation to make sure we knew that if we needed to change our date due to COVID or for any reason we may do so.

Luckily for my family and I, we are fully vaccinated, aside from my brother, we have been following guidelines so we were set to go.

Before anything else, at 7 a.m. I made a boarding group reservation to get on the ride “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.”

These boarding groups were in place prior to COVID due to the high demand to experience the ride.

However, now more than ever it is good that Disneyland has these boarding groups in place.

Once we parked, all attendees

EDITOR IN CHIEF Erica Cortes

to others.

Needless to say the walk is tiring especially when trying to get into the park as fast as possible.

Disney made it known that it is California residents only who can go to the parks, however, I.D. checks weren’t mandatory, although some

parties are randomly selected for I.D. checks. Getting on each ride, there were ‘6 feet apart’ markers every single step of the way.

Cast members allowed us to take a drink of water or any beverage in line, especially on the day we went as it was warm, although if a guest isn’t actively drinking a beverage and has their mask off, cast members will ask you to put on your mask.

On the day that I went, Disney was at 25% capacity, and when you’re walking it’s not very crowded compared to days before COVID. Some areas may seem a bit “tight,” but in those areas there are many tables and benches to sit and are “designated dining areas.”

Some rides I was able to get on, like “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance” and “Indiana Jones Adventure,” had a row skipped in the ride vehicle with plexiglass dividing parties of four. Whereas “Star Tours - The Adventure Continues” had small plexiglass dividers between every two seats.

Before and after going on rides, there are hand sanitizing stations.

Although what was a bit absurd was the fact that cast members weren’t enforcing guests to sanitize their hands.

Also, when I went on rides, I didn’t see cast members pausing to clean holding rails on the ride vehicle before guests got on.

I understand to prevent longer wait times they don’t do this, but

it defeats the purpose of protecting guests.

Of course every guest is different when going to theme parks. Some will actually make sure they stay as clean as possible, whereas others don’t care.

You would think that with Disney being such a wealthy company they would enforce hand sanitizing.

Then again, Disneyland is in Orange County where many citizens are conservative and of the far right, who might think COVID is a hoax or Trump is still President.

At that point, it’s to each their own as far as cleanliness and staying safe.

To play devil’s advocate, you could say that all guests run the risk of contracting COVID and at the end of the day the guest is liable because they chose to attend, knowing the risks of contracting COVID. However, I know for a fact that Universal Studios Hollywood does enforce hand sanitizing and has each guest, before riding, sanitize their hands.

Although I have not attended, I have seen so many videos of those who have attended Universal. Their employees have a bottle of spray sanitizer and have guests sanitize both hands prior to entering ride vehicles.

With Disneyland on the other hand, you could say Disney does “enough” and allows it to be up to the guest.

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Arts

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 2021

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‘Spiral’ uses ‘Saw’ setup, stands alone

BY CASSIDY REYNA Staff Writer

The new horror flick “Spiral: From the Book of Saw” has a refreshing take on the “Saw” franchise. The film itself doesn't directly connect to any of the previous films aside from it being set in the same universe.

“Spiral” follows Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks played by Chris Rock and his partner Detective William Schenk played by Max Minghella as a Saw copycat starts killing in the city. The two take the lead on the case and the killer begins to slowly kill his police force one by one.

The film is 100% a “Saw” movie.

It has the gore that a “Saw” fan knows and loves, but with more of a “whodunit” feel. Unlike the original seven “Saw” movies, “Spiral” isn’t filled with gore but “garnished” with it. The gore is perfect because there isn’t too much or too little.

The “Saw” series is known for the traps that the victims find themselves in where they are forced to “play a game” that has their life at stake. John Kramer, the original Jigsaw killer, placed them in these

FREEZE—Detective Zeke and his partner Detective Schenk arrive at the scene after a clue leads them to a truck. They are shocked by what they find inside.

traps to teach them a lesson because they didn’t value their lives. But “Spiral’s” copycat killer is targeting police for other reasons.

The film keeps the fast shots of the traps and the victims struggling to get out. Fans who are “gore hounds” may not be too happy as the film follows a serious police plot line, as opposed to a victim typically dying a gruesome death or going through some sort of pain every five to ten minutes.

One of the weakest points of the film was the “anonymous” voice of the copycat killer. In the original seven films, the voice is done by John Kramer, the Jigsaw killer, however in the world of Saw, John is dead.

Viewers may cringe at the offputting voice, but what balances it out is the new pig puppet that is used as opposed to the puppet, Billy, that fans love.Prior to the fast shots of victims struggling, it is already revealed who is dead. This defeats the purpose for fans getting the feeling of wondering if the victim made it.

Chris Rock’s performance in the

film is amazing, considering the role he played is serious, he does an amazing job.

Prior to watching the film, viewers may have doubts about Rock’s performance as he is known for his comedic filmography. But similar to Adam Sandler in the film “Uncut Gems,” Rock excels when it comes to this role. With Chris Rock starring and being the executive producer of the film, there is a good amount of humor to balance out the intense scenes in the movie.

There are other notable actors like Samuel L. Jackson, Marisol Nichols and Max Minghella who also do an amazing job in the film.The film ends in the exact style of the film's predecessors with the original theme song called “Hello Zepp” by Charlie Clouser, playing in the last five or so minutes of the movie.

“Spiral: From the Book of Saw” opens up doors to a possible sequel and adds to the lore of the Jigsaw killer, in the film series. Of course the film may not please all fans, however, it still does a great job of being a “Saw” movie despite its small numbers in the box office.

Docu-series ‘Wahl Street’ delves into business ventures during COVID-19

BY ALMA LIZARRAGA Staff Writer The documentary series “Wahl Street” follows actor Mark Wahlberg during his business stint in a six-episode series that did not manage to captivate an audience.

The series follows Wahlberg, his close friends and associates as they attempt to get their businesses rolling, right before the Covid-19 pandemic hits.

The focus is on Wahlberg’s busy lifestyle as he tries to build a burger joint he can “pass down to future generations.” Watching him navigate the actor lifestyle by keeping himself in shape and relocating for filming is interesting – especially seeing as Wahlberg has a charismatic presence– however, there is a lack of tension and purpose. There is not really a need for this business to succeed on Wahlberg’s end.

It becomes evident that he doesn’t have any business sense that would have viewers thinking, “What will he do now?” after a financial setback. Instead, every time he faces a hurdle, the actor falls back into the solution of hiring more experts.

Figures do not show how much money has been lost or gained in the business ventures with Wahlberg. Instead it is simply stated that something bad has happened without much detail. This makes following the story more dull as viewers gain less insight into his world. For a documentary, it becomes less informative.

Many are said to have personal involvement in this as they put money into the business’ success.

This makes Wahlberg’s blunders harder to watch when you consider there are people with more to lose.

Throughout the first three episodes, it is emphasized how much time Wahlberg has missed out on spending time with his family.

At first, it is easy to sympathize, but it is quickly overused and he seems to manipulate the audience into seeing his “sacrifices.” This makes even less sense since it seems Wahlberg’s businesses are shown to be more of a hobby, with acting still being his primary focus.

The running of the businesses is also boring. It is mostly contained to Wahlberg receiving phone calls and attending meetings where he simply talks optimistically for most of it.

There was a moment where his burger joint, ‘Wahlburgers,’ is reviewed and receives harsh criticism which the audience witnesses. It was a vulnerable moment and it gave room for Wahlberg to show his character.

A similar moment comes when Wahlberg admits cheekily the origin of the name ‘Wahlburgers’ was a bit cheesy but gave him an amusing anecdote.

Wahlberg comes off as optimistic, humorful and hardworking. The show sometimes relies on his sensitivity to drive a narrative.

His motivations like striving for success, not wanting to let people down — who’ve put money, work and faith into the ventures — are shown to be inspiring to his kids.

This makes it easier to follow Wahlberg’s story since it is easy to root for him.

Despite his charisma, a lot of interactions are awkward and

weirdly cut. Many CEOs tend to give inspirational advice to the audience behind a white background which comes off as disingenuous and overly dramatic. There seems to be a push for an inspirational story that is followed by “believe in yourself” dialogue.

The series gets interesting when COVID-19 hits as it gives good insight into how the businesses were affected first-hand.

The series does a good job of presenting the stresses at the beginning of the pandemic.

There is actual desperation in the situation — mostly by the people around Wahlberg — as they put more and more of their own money into their failing businesses. Seeing his less wealthy business associates in genuine distress to the point where one of them breaks down in tears is hard to watch, but gripping and a true testament to the situation.

The pandemic also brought change into the cinematography which greatly suffered in later episodes as a lot of footage was shaky and blurry. The footage used consisted of Zoom chats. Needless to say, the change between phone footage and Zoom footage was awkward.

‘Wahl Street’ used a lot of social media during the beginning of the pandemic episodes, mostly Wahlberg’s, to continue telling the story, before becoming accustomed to the changes and recovering quality somewhat.

The documentary ends with Wahlberg moving onto another endeavor that falls through, and Wahlberg finally deciding to spend time with his family.

COURTESY OF IMBD

WAHL STREET—Mark Wahlberg gets personal as he learns to balance business and family.

COURTESY OF INTERSCOPE RECORDS & GEFFEN RECORS

SOUR IS THE NEW SWEET—Olivia Rodrigo on the cover of her debut album.

‘Sour’ sets tone for Olivia’s music career

BY CASSIDY REYNA Staff Writer Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album “Sour” is the new heartbreak album of the year.

Rodrigo is the star of Disney+’s “High School Musical: The Musical - The Series” and put herself on the map with her hit single “Driver’s License” in January. She skyrocketed in the music industry— this helped separate her from her Disney stardom.

“Sour” initially was an EP, but after the popularity of Rodrigo’s single “Driver’s License,” it was expanded to a full-length album.

The pop album has a mix of rock and nice bass riffs.

Her album explores many topics aside from heartbreak, like the struggles of being a teenager. It will have listeners thinking about their past relationships and possibly thinking back to their teenage years.

Rodrigo’s debut album has 11 tracks in a 35 minute time frame.It opens with the track “Brutal” where she talks about her struggles with society and everything she feels.

Listeners will notice references to pop culture like Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream.” The song has a punk flair and a great opening to the album. Rodrigo said she used this track to talk about anything and everything that she wanted.

“Traitor” the second track of the album, talks about how even though her ex-boyfriend never cheated on her, he still betrayed her by having an emotional relationship with his new girlfriend while they were still together. Even though the song doesn’t directly talk about it, listeners will know that Rodrigo talks about being gaslit by her ex.

The third track of the album is the iconic “Driver’s License.”

Rodrigo talks about how she got her driver’s license and how that was one thing her ex and herself were excited about. She talks about

her insecurities and how she still misses him.

“1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back” is the fourth track of “Sour.” It is about the ups and downs of an unstable relationship.

Listeners will be able to relate because Rodrigo talks about being on thin ice with her partner and that any sudden thing could cause conflict between them.

It may cause listeners to become emotional as Rodrigo is obviously talking about a toxic relationship– which many have experienced.

The fifth track is Rodrigo’s second single “Deja Vu.” In the song, Rodrigo talks about how she wonders if her ex-partner gets déjà vu when he does things with his new partner that he used to do with Rodrigo. She calls out her ex saying that everything he shows his new partner is everything she’s shown him.

“Good 4 U” is the sixth track off of “Sour,” and is Rodrigo’s latest single from the album before it was released. Rodrigo talks about how she’s over everything with her ex.

The song holds a sarcastic theme because the reality is, Rodrigo is upset with what she was put through in that relationship.

This track along with “Brutal” are very rock inspired. Fans will be able to enjoy and release what they may feel during this song. The song has blown up on the app “Tik Tok,” the same way Rodrigo’s other singles have.

The seventh track “Enough for You” is one of the more emotional tracks on the album. The song is about how she tried so hard with her ex just so he could give her love, but he left her in the dark.

Rodrigo has said that the aforementioned app “Tik Tok” inspired this song because she was on “break-up tik tok” for a while.

“Happier” is the eighth track on the album and Rodrigo uses this track to truly wish her ex the best and hopes that she remains a good memory.

Listeners will be able to relate because even though a person moves on, they just wish the best for those who are no longer in their life.

“Jealousy, Jealousy” is the ninth track and Rodrigo talks about the unrealistic standards society sets on teenagers, especially young women.

Rodrigo has said that she wrote the song because of her obsession with social media, and how so many things she saw would hurt her feelings.

She uses the song to express how young adults shouldn’t have to live with these standards against them.

The penultimate track, “Favorite Crime” is another emotional song that Rodrigo has written.

Rodrigo uses the song to talk about how she was used in her previous relationship.

Although it is not directly said, Rodrigo clearly talks about how she was groomed in that relationship.

To be “groomed” means when a person, usually someone who is an adult, builds an emotional relationship with someone who's younger, typically a minor, and manipulates them, exploits and abuses them.

Fans dissected the song and realized how much more emotional this song is than when it is initially listened to.

“Hope UR Ok” is the final track on “Sour,” and is also an emotional song about friends Rodrigo has lost contact with.

It’s truly emotional because listeners will be able to reminisce about old friends while wishing them the best, hoping that they have made it out of tough situations.

“Sour” is an amazing album and it’s shocking that this is Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album, because it touches the hearts of many listeners and has been received with so much love.

With this being Rodrigo’s first album, it sets the stage for her music career.

“Sour” is out now and available to listen on all streaming services. www.ELACCampusNews.com

Arts Supervillain faces mid-life crisis in new comedy 4

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, May 26, 2021

BY JUAN CALVILLO Staff Writer “Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.” on Hulu is a hilarious dive into the mind of a super villain who is more common man than super anything.

Out of all the Marvel characters that are ripe for satire M.O.D.O.K. the Hulu Original takes full advantage.

Setting the show as part supervillain storyline and part family sitcom gives “Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.” the freedom to use frank language and situations with each tongue-in-cheek situation.

Writer, producer and voice actor Patton Oswalt leads the way on Marvel’s comedy sitcom.

The story centers on M.O.D.O.K., Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing, and his quest to create the best possible version of the world possible.

Being a villain means that he decides to defeat all superheroes and take over the planet using Advanced Idea Mechanics.

This evil company is M.O.D.O.K.’s way of battling his arch nemesis Iron Man. The show quickly establishes corporations as villains and makes M.O.D.O.K. an underdog when his leadership is endangered.

It’s the struggle to prove himself as a leader of his villainous group and the head of his family that

COURTESY OF IMDB

CRAZY FELLOW— “Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.” is a supervillain with quite an attitude who dislikes superheroes.

creates humor and silliness.

Oswalt isn’t the only funny person on the voice cast. Melissa Fumero, from Brooklyn NineNine fame, plays M.O.D.O.K.’s daughter Melissa Tarleton.

Aimee Garcia from “Lucifer” plays his wife, Jodie Tarleton and the hilarious Ben Schwartz, from “Parks and Recreations,” plays his

son Lou Tarleton.

The team voicing M.O.D.O.K.’s family is highly skilled and devastatingly funny.

Garcia plays Jodie with equal parts fierce, modern day woman and over-the-top, matter-of-fact mother. Fumero is hilarious as Melissa.

She expertly channels the anger,

intensity and mean-spiritedness that teenagers seem to embody and then ratchets it up by 50% for her character.

Finally, Schwartz is the comedy relief for this sitcom. On a cast of hilarious voice actors he is able to make Lou the funniest, but also most observant, of the group.

Short quips between other

characters’ lines has become the Marvel comic universe. norm for many productions, but Having Seth Green as one of the Schwartz’s character takes it to producers and Oswalt as one of the another level. writers gives the sitcom’s writing a The hilarity really hits home when comedic stamp of approval. the audience realizes that this is the The comedic gold starts off right youngest child of a supervillain like from the get-go.

M.O.D.O.K. In the first lines M.O.D.O.K.’s The almost innocent quality mother tries to cheer him up. of the one-liners Her first begs the question, line being “What made Lou “One day that so different from big, beautiful, Having Seth Green as womb-wrecking his family?”

The show is one of the producers head of yours is not only voice going to dream and Oswalt as one acted superbly, up fantastic it’s also animated things, and of the writers gives and written you’re going the sitcom’s writing amazingly well. to change The show uses the world,” a comedic stamp of a combination guarantees the approval of stop-motionaudience is in like animation for a hilarious and computer show. generated images.

Funny riffs on It’s a creative family dynamics way to give the show a unique look and villainy abound in this Hulu and definitely shows the Disney/ Original.

Marvel slickness that is given to any “Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.” manages show that is part of the comic book to blend supervillains and everyday entertainment brand. family life into a must-watch for It also brings in some unexpected Marvel and comedy fans. characters during the show.

The show doesn’t shy away from Watching first-time appearances tackling mature family dynamic of certain characters being animated themes, nor does it forget that is fun, and each character model, the show is about being funny. from the recurring to the one-shot “Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.” is rated characters, is detailed and beautiful. TV-MA and all of its 10-episode This shows just how big of a fan first season is available to stream the producers and writers are of the now on Hulu.

Novel chronicles post-divorce life Veteran comedians Unlike many romance novels,Whitney finds loyalty and support in her two new best friends, Summer and Margo.

The three of them meet after each “Starter Wife” is a good romance novel, but an even better novel fled a horrendous support group of about the importance of friendship. women hating their lives because Award-winning author Bethany they were divorced.

Margo and Summer meet first Lopez created yet another hit and then bump into Whitney— who romance novel.

It’s the first of a three-part series makes a not-so-subtle run for it.

Although the three of them just belonging to “The Jilted Wives met for the first time that day, the Club” series.

The series follows Whitney, chemistry they have would force readers to believe Summer and they have known Margo as they each other for experience The three of them years. everything meet after each fled T h e t r i o ’s dating has to personalities are offer in their a horrendous support a l l o p p o s i t e s , thirties and group of women hating which is quite forties. why they Each of them their lives because they possibly get along well. hope to get a Whitney is second chance got a divorce. kind and gentle, at love.

Summer is The first energetic and novel is about Whitney, a forty-something divorcee happy all the time and Margo is a who never imagined having to start power-hungry shark who doesn’t let dating again, at least not until she anyone, or any man in particular, get met Luca at a bar. Luca is a young, in the way of her goals.

Although the novel doesn’t detail smart and seriously gorgeous man who upon seeing Whitney across why Margo is single, it briefly the room immediately knew he had explains what happened to Summer.

The reader can only assume this to have her.

Luca is everything any woman is because the second installment would want in a man, understanding, of “The Jilted Wives Club” is about kind, respectful and willing to do Summer finding love.

Going back to the romance aspect whatever it takes to make his girl of the novel, there is nothing too happy.

Like any other romance novel, the unique about it, but that doesn’t level of passion between Whitney necessarily make it terrible.

Lopez follows the typical rules of and Luca is intense.

Life throws them in unexpected creating a romance novel, like the ways from the beginning of the way the couple meets, and how the woman usually turns down the man book.

create family sitcom

BY CYNTHIA SOLIS Staff Writer

a typical comedy show would, as compared to other comedies such as “Friends” or “Modern Family,” therefore it is not suitable “The Upshaws” starts off a bit for children under 14. dry and eager to please its audience.

Ultimately, the show is not It felt as if the writers or creators entirely the best out there, but it were trying too hard to make people does get better as it goes. laugh.

Typically Epps is hilarious in the With the lead cast being Mike majority of his films leaving his Epps, Kim Fields and Wanda Sykes, fans wanting more jokes, but “The one would think the funny lines Upshaws” seems to deliver only would simply flow with ease, but half of the actor’s sadly not so talent and leaves much. one wondering The show centers A s t h e “Is that it?” episodes go on, The show around a middle-class viewers get a was created by more authentic African-American family Wa n d a S y k e s g r o o v e a n d living in Indiana who are a n d d i r e c t e d chemistry

by Sheldon between the cast. trying to get by dealing Epps, who also The show directed parts with a multitude of centers around of “Friends,” a middlefamily issues.

“Everybody class Africanl o v e s American family Raymond” and living in Indiana “Girlfriends.” who are trying Mike Epps is to get by while known for his dealing with a multitude of family stand-up comedy and his role as issues.

Day-Day in the “Friday” series.

Characters in the show include the Fields is mostly known for her dad, played by Epps, who has four role of Regine Hunter in the ‘90s children with multiple mothers, comedy show “Living Single,” the sweet-but-sassy wife played by and Sykes is known for her many Fields, the sarcastic and hilarious stand-up comedy bits, as well as sister-in-law played by Sykes, the multiple comedy films. very inappropriate ex-girlfriend “The Upshaws” is 10 episodes and mother as well as your typical long and each episode runs teenage kids who are rebellious — approximately 30 minutes. It can thus causing family issues. be streamed on Netflix.

The show does curse more than

BY BRENDA DE LA CRUZ Staff Writer

COURTESY OF AMAZON

FRIENDSHIP FIRST—”Starter Wife” is a romance novel which shows it’s never too late to find love again. and for whatever reason the man doesn’t give up.

With the help of fate, they are thrown together way too often.

Then the woman gives the man a chance, there is some conflict, the conflict is resolved and finally they live happily ever after.

“Starter Wife” meets all the requirements of the typical

romance novel, making it a great read — especially in time for summer.

The second and third installments of “The Jilted Wives Club” series “Trophy Wife” and “Work Wife,” are to be expected Aug. 30 and Nov. 29 respectively.

Film showcases fight against worldwide female exploitation

BY ANNETTE QUIJADA Staff Writer “I am All Girls” tackles the important subject of child sex trafficking with great sensitivity.

D i r e c t o r D o n o v a n M a r s h ’s storytelling is emotional without being completely explicit or exploitative about the matter.

The film takes place in South Africa and follows special crimes detectives Jodie Snyman, played by Erica Wessels, and Captain George Mululeki, who is played by Mothusi Magano, as they work to bring down a global child sex trafficking ring.

Snyman finds herself in an unexpected allyship with a serial killer and vigilante Ntombizonke Bapai, played by Hlubi Mboya, who is going after the men involved in the ring.

Wessels and Mboya are the two leading ladies who manage to make this film captivating.

Wessels commits to her role as a www.ELACCampusNews.com

detective who has let a case become mentioned in the film, a man named Gert van Rooyen was a pedophile her entire life’s focus.

M b o y a ’ s b r e a k t h r o u g h from South Africa who allegedly performance captures the pain kidnapped six young girls between 1988 and 1989. that follows her In the film, the character after character who years of trying represents van to recover from “I am All Girls” brings Rooyen is named being trafficked Gert de Jager. by powerful awareness to the The son of van men as well as Rooyen claimed the power she’s exploitation a lot of three national developed over young girls who suffer that party ministers the years as she were involved, seeks revenge. around the world. and in the film we Crime and see this parallel thriller loving event occur when audiences will very much enjoy this film for a minister is seen selling a group of young girls away. entertainment purposes.

Toward the end of the film, a But it’s also important to recognize the importance of “I am memorable line is said by Bapai All Girls” in regards to bringing when she finally faces the men awareness to the exploitation of a responsible for her pain, “My name lot of young girls who suffer around is Ntombiezonke Bapai. My first name, it means ‘all girls.’” the world.

Bapai avenges not only herself, A heartbreaking fact about the film is that it’s based on true events. but all of the girls who lived this Although it is not completely nightmare.

COURTESY OF IMDB

WOMEN UNITE—Hlubi Mboya (left) and Erica Wessels team up to bring justice against those who prey against the more vulnerable.