T een Interest 13 An ‘Ideal’ production American Idol returns Allie Hinga
On December 21, 2008, the CCHS theatre department performed the play Ideal, written by Ayn Rand. Despite a few minimal glitches, the students put on an excellent production of a highly complex work about the search for a soul who does not submit to the pressures of society, but rises above to be his own person. The action follows famous actress Kay Gonda, who is “on the run” after being accused of murder. On her journey, she seeks out six supposedly avid fans to see if they will hide her from the authorities, in keeping with the pledges of devotion in the letters they sent her. These letters were projected on screen with voiceovers between scenes. At each house, Gonda tries to persuade her hosts to let her hide out from the police, but in the end, each either turns her away, or tries to take advantage of her desperate position. Whether it be a wife’s demands, the hope of reward money, the sacrificial nature of a religious faith, or even a refusal to recognize the woman standing in the room, Gonda finds herself turned away from the men who have claimed to idolize her and to see her as a model for the way life should be. Eventually, Gonda comes to the home of Johnnie Dawes, who, after discussing with Gonda peoples’ inability to be themselves in the face of society, calls in the cops, confesses that he committed the murder, and then shoots himself. The play closes with the revelation that none of the parties committed the murder, but that Gonda did use the occasion to go on a quest of discovery. Gonda proclaims that she has found that many of her fans do not love her, but that a select few do, and it is for those few she will continue to act. While on the surface the play may appear to follow a relatively obscure plot laden with difficult inferences, the play is meant to be less of a straight forward story,
and more of a journey across humanity. It centers on a quest of the woman that so many people consider the “ideal” of what life ought to be like into the lives of everyday, ordinary people . People who have, along with the masses, traded their true selves and their passions for the mandates of society or their own needs. Whether it be the restrictions on society about family life and the demands of the spouse, the desire to be self-sacrificing in the name of religion, the need to get money, or even the refusal to see the ideal when it is directly before them, Rand insinuates that most people have sacrificed their dreams and themselves so they can merely “get by” in the world. Gonda, the ideal self, is turned out on every doorstep, except for that of a man who is so himself that he will give his life for his “ideal.” Overall, the drama department put on an excellent performance. The setting, though sparse, was well done, and its scarcity served the important purpose of forcing the viewer to focus on the action rather than the scenery. The acting was excellent, and reflexive of much rehearsal on the part of the students. Sarah Cortez acted well the role of Kay Gonda, the slightly selfpossessed, yet philosophically-profound actress, which was a difficult role indeed. Though the play was very well done, it could have used a few improvements for a production of this caliber. Unfortunately, some of the actors’ speaking was mildly unclear, which made it difficult to grasp a play in which so many details and concepts are necessary for the viewer to understand if he or she is to comprehend the play. As a whole, however, the theatre department represented well a difficult script that proved to be both entertaining and thought-provoking. The performance’s conclusion left little to be desired at the end, except for those questions which Rand intended to be left unanswered.
Photo by Hailey Stephens
Shannon O’Neil
American Idol has been captivating Americans for years and is now in it’s eighth season. The show is again focused on finding the next big singer in the music industry. Through thousands of cities the three judges, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, and the dreaded Simon Cowell, have had to listen to millions of hopeful Americans test their pipes. Some are good, but many are just down right terrible. Paula Abdul is a successful singer herself. In the 80’s Abdul was involved in choreography and singing. Her hit song was “Straight Up” and that song went straight up the charts. She is sometimes seen as the soft judge with no talent or experience but that is just not true. She may be soft, but she doesn’t lack the talent. She has many accomplishments under her belt. She’s received multiple MTV, Emmy, and People’s Choice awards, as well as one Grammy. “I respect Paula because she’s nice and doesn’t
judge the people on their looks,” says freshman Ashley Taylor. Many fans value her opinion on the show because she is the only judge, so far, that has been in the contestant’s shoes. Randy Jackson, The Dawg, has been on the music scene for a while. He has played the bass for Edie Money and Journey. He also has worked with Mariah Carey. While on the show, he often says, “We’ve got a hot one tonight” to the contestants who gave an amazing performance that night. “I respect Paula and Randy because they actually judge on singing while Simon just like flips a coin,” says freshman at Creek, Chris Gremillion. Jackson’s opinion is also respected because he’s seen what goes on behind the scenes of the music industry and knows the pressures that the contestants are facing. Simon Cowell is from the British version of American Idol, Pop Idol. He is
known to be rude, and often times mean to contestants. Cowell’s opinion isn’t respected as much, not because he’s rude, but because he’s never been in the shoes of a performer. However, many fans agree with him because he’s never afraid to be honest with people and tell them the truth about their talent. It’s quite apparent that Abdul and Jackson will sometimes put people through to Hollywood because of their sad, sob stories, but not Cowell; he doesn’t let emotion get in the way of judging. This season they have introduced a new judge, Kara DioGuardi. DioGuardi is an acclaimed songwriter and has worked with Celion Dion, Kylie Minogue, Enrique Iglesias, and Kelly Clarkson. Not only can she write songs, but she also has a great voice. Many fans are hesitant to accept the new judge, but she seems to mesh well with the other three. A good thing that the producers did was to add someone with talent and experience. The host, Ryan Seacrest, is the comic relief of the show and a favorite o f
many fans. He has so much fun with the contestants and the hopefuls at the auditions. All in all he has one of the best positions on the show because he doesn’t have to be judgmental, just funny. However, Seacrest is very respectful and nice to the hopeful people auditioning, and he never makes fun of them or laughs in their face, which is extremely hard in many of the situations. The talent on this season so far is incredible and many viewers have said that they think that it’s going to be a great season. It’s expected that there will be some misses during Hollywood Week because of speculation that the judges have put some undeserving people through. Viewers will have to tune in and watch to see the season unfold and find out who will be the next American Idol.
Photo by MCTCampus
Taylor Swift’s “Fearless” Album is a hit Megan McKisson Sugary singer Taylor Swift’s sophomore album “Fearless” once again delivers Swift’s signature soothing harmonies and squeaky-clean subjects. With over 330,000 album sales before the holiday season, Swift reigns as sweetheart songstress at No. 1 on the Billboard top 200. Are these skyrocketing sales directly related to a skintight fan base of hairbrushsinging, guitar-plucking preteens? A second look at the album would suggest otherwise. While Swift doesn’t hold a candle to the power-belting Carrie Underwoods and LeeAnn Rimes of her genre’s generation,
the preteen pleaser offers a sweet and soul-baring selection on her second album. Coupled with Swift’s genuinely winning personality and uncanny ability to connect with a crowd, it’s no wonder “Fearless” is flying off the shelves. Swift, who writes all of her own music, again gives her target 13-18 audience with real-life lyrics that the average Facebooker is likely to relate to. “In your life, you’ll do things greater than dating the boy on the football team,” she croons on freshman-year tear-jerker “Fifteen.” Swift captures the essence of a teenage roller-coaster romance in “The Way I Loved You,” singing that while she enjoys her emotionally stable boyfriend, she misses a “screaming and fighting and
kissing in the rain” kind of love. Perhaps Swift identifies with the greatest amount of listeners on “You Belong with Me,” a song bemoaning being the scorned secondbest in an unrequited love song. “She wears short skirts, I wear tee shirts; she’s cheer captain and I’m on the bleachers,” Swift laments. Whatever the track, “Fearless” makes clear that Swift’s greatest talent lies in songwriting. Her catchy, cheerful, and sometimes cheeky lyrics are bound to attract legions of listeners. Swift’s vocals on “Fearless” are, while stereotypically similar, most impressive on “The Way I Loved You” and “Change,” exhibiting a raw, sincere sound that further enforces the song’s emotional undertones. Beyond that, she
doesn’t employ much vocal variety. Heard like her debut album, “Fearless” is one continuous lullaby. That said, it certainly is an enjoyable one. Swift’s album is lazySunday-afternoon friendly, compelling the listener to replay it again and again. Swift’s greatest asset to her unbridled fame is her refreshingly real persona. She’s easily a listener’s next-doorneighbor, cool older cousin, or junior varsity softball teammate. “Fearless” is like a big sister’s sage advice, fried up and served hot in a down-home popcountry package too irresistible to ignore. Unburdened by the sleazy scandals of other teen starlets, Swift presents an unexpectedly edible selection, leaving the listener with a deeply satisfied “Aahhh.”