2022 Oscars overshadowed by drama

“And The Writer Is…with Ross Golan” showcases the work of songwriters.

Hana Saad Student Writer

“And The Writer Is … with Ross Golan” is a show that features interviews with the writers and producers behind some of the biggest hits around the globe. The conversations with these creative workers in the industry revolve around craft, how they ended up in the music business and more.

It updates once a week and is in its seventh season, which means plenty of content for music lovers to listen to. Recent guests to the show include: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ryan Tedder and Michael Bublė. This podcast is the perfect listen for anyone who loves taking a deep dive into their favorite artists or songs. Recently, the show has also been providing regular updates of news from the music industry, in snippets that range from 2-5 minutes.

The show is dedicated to revealing what really goes on behind closed doors in the music industry through incisive conversations with the creatives who have seen the best and the worst of the industry. It aims to give a platform to songwriters and producers, whose contributions often go without mention.

We don’t talk about the songwriters nearly as much as we talk about the artists singing the songs. Most people can’t name the songwriters behind some of the greatest hits in popular music, unless the collaborator has been given more recognition by the star or musician. However, without the skill of these incredible yet oftentimes invisible writers, like the ones featured on this show, our favorite songs might not exist.

Since the podcast offers insight into the songwriting creative process, it is a valuable resource for writers of all kinds, especially those interested in creating their own music. The guests featured on the show share advice on how to craft better songs. Simply listening to a creative detail or how songwriters work through problems can be helpful to anyone suffering with writer’s block.

Host Ross Golan asks all the right questions and leaves plenty of space for his guests to talk. The result is conversations that are informative and engaging. Episode 90 with TRAKGIRL is inspiring to anyone who has dreamed of a career in secret. She discusses how she would secretly make tracks in college and how she finally found her footing in the music industry.

These conversations are truly a delight to listen to, regardless of whether or not you are a connoisseur of music or not. It is inspiring to listen to the stories of people who have been able to make a name and living for themselves in a tough industry like the music business.

This podcast is well worth the listen. It is different from other shows that are about music or the music industry. The podcast provides a valuable platform to amplify the work of the writers and producers, who are talented and deserve recognition.

This podcast is available on all streaming platforms.

courtesy Big Deal Music Group This podcast was first released in 2017.

courtesy Pixabay The Oscars took place on March 27.

The 94th Academy Awards featured movies, actors and commotion unlike any other year.

Social Media & Web Manager

This year’s Academy Awards are likely to go down in history for multiple reasons, though it’s unfortunate that most of the accomplishments will be overshadowed by the drama that took place during the ceremony. Regardless, the 94th Academy Awards were full of firsts: the first deaf man won an award for acting, the first openly queer woman of color won an Oscar, and of course, the first time someone got slapped while they were presenting an award.

The 94th Academy Awards took the internet by storm this year. If you have any social media presence whatsoever, then it is a certainty you’ve seen the conflict between Will Smith and Chris Rock, and all the memes that have come about because of it. During his award presentation, comedian Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, saying that “[she] can’t wait for “GI Jane 2” to come out.” Pinkett Smith, much like GI Jane, was sporting a shaved head at the ceremony. The controversy of the jokes comes from the fact that she has alopecia. Will Smith, at first, laughed at the joke until he saw that his wife was upset, and the rest is Oscars history as Smith walked straight on stage and slapped Rock. As he took his seat, Smith yelled, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth.” Not an hour later, he won Best Actor for his role in “King Richard.”

Will Smith was reportedly asked to leave the ceremony, but refused. Smith later voluntarily resigned from the Academy.

With the “defining” moment of this year’s awards out of the way, let’s take a look at some of the other historical moments that took place. Troy Kotsur made history this past weekend as he was the first deaf actor to win an Oscar. Kotsur was a supporting actor in “CODA,” which also won the Oscar for Best Picture. During his emotional speech, Kotsur signed, “This is dedicated to the deaf community, the “CODA” community and the disabled community. This is our moment.” He tearfully breaks down, saying that this award saved his and his family’s lives as they’ve struggled so many years financially.

Another first came when Ariana DeBose won the Oscar for best supporting actress. She was the first openly queer woman of color to win an Oscar, taking home the award for her role in “West Side Story.” She is the second Latina to win this award; the first was won by Rita Morena who played the same character in the original version of the film. During her speech, DeBose paid tribute to Morena as she said, “You’re staring at me right now, and I’m so grateful. Your Anita paved the way for tons of Anitas like me. I love you so much.” She also eloquently talked about questioning one’s identity, saying that “there is indeed a place for us.”

Perhaps one of the most shocking award winners of the ceremony is “Dune,” which took home a total of six Oscars out of the ten they received nominations for — the most won by a single picture this year. Winning awards for its score, cinematography and visual effects, “Dune” racked up all the technical awards, which makes it one of the most successful sci-fi films to date. That being said, “CODA” won every category it was nominated in, collecting three Oscars.

This year also saw the return of Oscar hosts after the Kevin Hart controversy in 2019. The trio of hosts included Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes. The last time the Oscars had multiple hosts was in 2011 when it was hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway.

Though the 94th Academy Awards will go down as perhaps the most memorable Oscars in history, it will be because of drama, rather than the history made that night, which is unfortunate after the groundbreaking wins by Ariana DeBose and Troy Kotsur.

courtesy Trusted Reviews

Ariana DeBose was the first openly queer woman to win an Oscar.

See Me After Class is a weekly column where a different professor reveals their variety favorites.

Julianne Tran Variety Editor

Dr. Nicole Bauer is an assistant professor of history who received her B.A. from Berkeley, M.A. from Yale and Ph.D from UNC Chapel Hill. She is a cultural historian who specializes in early modern France and her primary focus is on the French Revolution which she offers a seminar on. You can often find her in her office sipping a cup of tea.

I think most people go through periods or phases in their lives like artists do. Picasso had his blue period, his classical period, etc. For every phase in my life, there has been a kind of theme and the book or books to go with it. These days my favorite books are “Grist for the Mill” by Ram Dass and “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind” by Shunryu Suzuki. There isn’t much to say about these books except that if you approach them with the right state of mind, they will blow your mind wide open. For undergrads, I would suggest either of those two books if they want to be blown away, and also “Lovingkindness” by Sharon Salzberg which sounds like a sappy book, but is actually trenchant and so wise. It teaches us to have compassion and self-compassion which, in my opinion, we could all use a little more of these days.

Reading happens anywhere, anytime. When I’m waiting in line in the grocery store, I don’t pull out my phone. I read a book I keep in my purse, or I read one of the magazines in the aisle. People think you have to have the setting just right and that you are always in isolation, and they forget that reading can happen on the New York subway, in a war zone, at your cousin’s wedding or in the car while you’re waiting for the friend you’re picking up who is never on time. Centuries ago, people often read together in groups with one person reading aloud and the others listening. I am always talking to my friends about the books I’m reading and getting their suggestions. Reading can shut out the world, but it can also be communal.

Any movie with Bette Davis is phenomenal. “Now, Voyager” from 1941 is a classic. Other movies I love: “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Annie Hall.”

I keep thinking of “The Big Lebowski” recently. That movie is hilarious. I sometimes fall out of my seat laughing when I watch it, and the message of the film, if there is any, is to just sit back and chill out.

One of my favorite Tulsa restaurants is Jinya. Their ramen is fantastic.

A pop culture side to me that not all students may know about is that I am a big fan of Chinese and Korean dramas, or C-dramas and K-dramas for short. Many are available on Netflix now, and they are great. They go on for many, many episodes, and they have a beginning and an end like a telenovela. You don’t have to shop around too often for a new show since they go on for so long, but they also have satisfying endings.

Wow, three songs for my playlist. This is a tough one! “You gotta be” by Des’ree is a great one. I love anything by The Cure, and so maybe “Just Like Heaven.” And “The Book of My Life” by Sting is exquisite.

courtesy utulsa.edu Bauer studied English & French literature at Berkeley.

In Pixar’s “Turning Red,” Mei Lee navigates middle school while solving a family curse.

Student Writer

I have no idea whether I was just incredibly exhausted or if Pixar’s latest release, “Turning Red,” was really that funny, but I spent all ninety minutes of it laughing hysterically on my couch. The movie follows a group of middle school girls as they navigate the challenges of growing up and experiencing puberty, focusing specifically on Mei Lee and her tendency to transform into a giant red panda whenever she experiences powerful emotions. I think part of what made the movie so enjoyable for me was how accurate it was. The portrayal of awkward, quirky middle school girls was painfully spot on and made me think of poor baby middle school Margaret and everything she faced, no matter how trivial it turned out to be. Watching the experience of being a middle school girl unfold on a platform such as this one was strangely reaffirming.

One of the most popular comments I have seen for this movie from other women has been celebratory remarks about how great it was to finally see normal parts of being a teenage girl depicted normally, like getting your period, struggling to explain your emotions and dealing with gaining or trying to gain more freedom from your parents. Even though these were all elements of the story, they didn’t comprise the whole plot; they didn’t work too hard to make a point or provide commentary. They were just a part of the main character. And as she was a middle school girl, this was rightfully so.

The real focus of the movie, at least on the surface, was Mei Lee’s transformation into a red panda, and her journey to try and reverse this family curse that has been passed down to her. This plotline was wholly unpredictable, another element that probably contributed to all my laughter. At no point did I have any idea what was going to happen next. Myself and the friend who watched the movie were fully engrossed, dying to know how on earth Mei Lee was going to solve her panda crisis, if she and her friends were going to get to attend their favorite band’s concert and if Mei Lee and her mother would reach a common ground. At a certain point I started working on homework while we watched, and didn’t understand certain elements of how the movie was wrapping up. I turned to my friend and asked him why everyone was suddenly singing, to which he replied, “Weren’t you paying attention earlier?! That’s how they get the magic to work!” Of course, silly me. Even if you can’t relate to the experience of being a middle school girl, “Turning Red” will have you hooked.

At first glance it sounds like it holds all the elements of a regular coming-of-age story, but something about this movie just made it so much more charming and unique. I think it all goes back to normalizing the experience of being a middle school girl. All of the emotions and many of the conflicts Mei Lee experienced because of her panda curse were so similar to those felt while growing up. I thought to myself, hey this is just puberty, except she’s a giant red panda! Something about the absurdity of this scenario really helped the regular old experience of being a girl at this age seem normal, accepted and possible to survive. If Mei Lee can make it through middle school and solve the issue of turning into a red panda every so often, then anyone can survive middle school.

I really appreciated this movie because of these elements. I genuinely cannot think of another film I’ve seen with this sort of story told in this way, and it made me so happy to see. Happy because I was literally laughing out loud, and also happy because I have always been so comforted by relatable media and knowing that I’m not alone in my experiences. I hope that “Turning Red” can provide that same sort of comfort for young girls everywhere.

You can watch “Turning Red” in theaters or on Disney+.

“Turning Red” was released on Disney+ February 21. courtesy Pixar