Entertainment
Page 8
Super Bowl Halftime Show
Jonathan Fisher
Katy Perry returns to Crawford
Contributing Writer
Last Sunday, pop star Katy Perry performed for the halftime show of Super Bowl XLIX. While Perry’s face appeared on multiple screens across the Grove City College campus that evening, there was one of certain significance: the screen in Crawford Auditorium. Perry’s broadcasted performance shown during the Alpha Sigma “Superb Owl” party was reportedly not her first appearance in that building. According to Internet records, back in 2001 when Perry was a Christian music artist by the name of Katy Hudson, one of her scheduled tour stops was at the College’s very own Crawford Auditorium. Though Grove City College probably has not changed much since then, Perry has certainly transformed from the low-key gospel singer she once was. Perry opened her Super Bowl performance by singing her recent hit “Roar,” all while dressed in a fire-
inspired outfit and riding a large, golden lion robot with ruby eyes. At the finish of the song, the lion itself let out a big roar. Perry then proceeded to perform another of her latest hits, “Dark Horse,” complete with a pulsating chess board that later turned into a tornado-like storm projected onto the stage along with dancing chess pieces. Lenny Kravitz then appeared onstage and joined Perry in rocking out to her single, “I Kissed A Girl,” along with some provocative dancing from Perry. Subsequently, the scenery changed to a colorful, cartoony beach scene with giant dancing beach balls, palm trees, and sharks – all complete with smiley faces. Perry came on the scene in a beach ball dress and sang two of her 2010 hits, “Teenage Dream” and “California Gurls.” During the first song, all the happy, dancing beach objects sang along with Perry, and during the second she was joined by a group of girls dressed in polka dot bikinis to dance along with her. The vibe then changed to
a dark club tone as Missy Elliott joined Perry onstage, both dressed in black, to sing “Get Ur Freak On,” “Work It,” and “Lose Control.” Finally, Perry, clad in an outfit covered in stars, climbed aboard a massive shooting star lift contraption that spouted numerous sparks. She flew over the crowds as she sang the uplifting lyrics of her song “Firework” and was accompanied by numerous fireworks in the sky. The song finished strong, completing the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show. The show was definitely theatrical. From the colorful and unique costumes to the constantly changing mood, it was fairly easy to stay attentive to what was occurring in this great spectacle. The music provided lots of nostalgia. Perry toured through the stages of her three main albums, “One of the Boys,” “Teenage Dream,” and “PRISM,” each of which has a unique flavor, varying from rock ‘n’ roll to sugarcoated bubblegum pop. Even though the portion with Missy Elliott seemed to slow down the show at first,
the last song with Elliott and Perry picked the tempo back up. A few viewers seemed to have enjoyed having a 90s throwback in the show. The many sights during the production captured the audience’s attention so much that some viewers may not have paid too close attention to the vocals. Although they sounded decent enough, it was pretty clear that most if not all of the vocals were prerecorded. It is understandable for a performer to take this route when his or her show also involves things like flying through the air and riding giant animal robots, but the question still remains of which is more important in a performance: theatrics or vocals? The answer to this kind of question really boils down to preference, but today’s culture seems to take more interest in all the bells and whistles that go along with a singer’s performance rather than the person’s actual singing ability. Thus, we were given the halftime show that we got, not one resembling the performance Perry gave in Crawford back in 2001.
dailymail.co.uk
Bad is the new good Jacob Sziráky
The ‘untold’ stories of villains
Entertainment Editor
There seems to be a trend among entertainment venues of portraying the “bad guys” as not all that bad. Often these movies or plays are based upon classic tales of good and evil, but will tell the
familiar story in a new light, adding background and nuance in order to weave a defense for the story’s villain. A prime example is the popular Broadway show “Wicked.” “Wicked” is the story of the Wicked Witch of the West, one of the most hated film antagonists of all time. The story reveals, however,
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how the so-called “wicked” witch, named Elphaba, was really a well-meaning misfit whose actions were twisted by the Wizard of Oz and the Ozian media. The show was a smash hit, with a film adaptation currently in the works. The essence of this apparently infectious sort of plot is found among many movies as well. Take the movie “Hoodwinked,” for example. This animated children’s film portrays the Big Bad Wolf, that infamous villain of “The Three Little Pigs” and “Little Red Riding Hood,” as a good and honest individual who goes undercover for the sake of justice. Apparently today’s storytellers deem no one too evil for a moral makeover. This trend of justifying villains continues today with the recent films “Maleficent” and “Dracula Untold.” Disney’s “Maleficent” promises to tell the untold story of Maleficent, the antagonist of “Sleeping Beauty” and one of the most vile and decidedly malicious of all Disney villains. This new tale presents King Stefan, father of the
sleeping beauty Aurora, as the true villain, and the kind fairy Maleficent as his victim – a very stark contrast to the original movie. In a similar fashion, “Dracula Untold” portrays Count Dracula, the king of classic movie monsters, as a victim rather than a villain. In this most recent retelling of the legend, Dracula chooses to take on a vampire’s curse in an attempt to save his family. This is quite a contrast from traditional origin stories in which Dracula becomes a vampire in order to spite God. But though this new Dracula may appear nobler than the old, can any character ever be morally justified for selling his soul, whatever the reason may be? While there is more to every story than a single viewpoint can express, let’s not confuse complexity with moral confusion. Keep the monsters scary. Keep the witches evil. And keep our heroes riding victoriously into the sunset.
Feb. 6, 2015
Pick of the Week
Zaba
Samuel Farley WSAJ Contributor
Getting back into the swing of things is often a hard transition. It is one that can be very abrupt as well as very abrasive. Sometimes, one just needs to get away. “Zaba,” by The Glass Animals, provides this kind of playful escape that transports you into a dream. The Glass Animals is a small indie band out of Oxford, England. The band consists of four members, all who have known each other since high school. They come across as whimsical and perhaps even goofy, but not childish. They have a sound that has slowly developed and been refined until their album’s release. “Zaba” is their debut album, but comes across as one with potential and an inventiveness that keeps you asking for more. The album itself is greatly influenced by the children’s book “The Zabajaba Jungle” by William Steig, partially explaining the playful yet serious tone running throughout the album. The Glass Animals seem to provide not only a musical representation of this book, but also a mature interpretation of the book in all its facets. The band incorporates many simple drums and underlying beats with the synthesizer to create a sound reminiscent of a jungle. This is all covered by the male vocals of Dave Bayley, whose audible whisper keeps the listener enticed, building intensity as the instruments creep up on you in an ominous confusion that becomes apparent only once he falls silent. The original single released for this album was the song “Gooey,” which emphasizes their “peanut butter vibes” and “tipsy topsy turns.” The song is a reflection of the sound characteristic of The Glass Animals and the relaxed vocabulary that they use, while still showing their lightheartedness and willingness to expand upon what they have made. They create a fluid mixture of sounds that seem to only start at the beginning of the album and end once the album is over. It is a continual sound that develops itself throughout the album, telling a story and leaving you feeling as if you, yourself, have just journeyed through the Zabajaba jungle.