Mount Hood

Celebration of galactic proportions

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

Each year, fans from around the world gather to celebrate “Star Wars.” This year’s celebration took place from April 13-16 in Orlando, Florida and brought in huge crowds to celebrate the 40th anniversary of “Star Wars.”

Fans gathered together to watch panels with “Star Wars” actors, writers and directors. During the many panels, new content was revealed, tributes were given and actors shared their opinions and favorite moments.

The most talked about moment of the Star Wars Celebration was the trailer reveal for “Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi.” Following the trailer reveal, stars Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley and John Boyega took to the stage alongside director Rian Johnson to discuss the themes, characters and speculation surrounding the film.

While Johnson didn’t reveal much about the film, he did tell the audience that “things are going to get dire.”

Also during the Star Wars Celebration, Disney announced a new line of toys accompanied by new animated shorts titled “Forces of Destiny.”
Launching later this year, “Forces of Destiny” will consist of 16 original shorts focusing on six of the most influential female “Star Wars” characters. Both Daisy Ridley and Felicity Jones will reprise their roles as Rey and Jyn Erso, respectively. The shorts and toys will release this summer.

Fans dressed in costumes from all eras of “Star Wars.” One of the most viral videos from the celebration showed fans in cosplay reenacting the end scene of “Rogue One” in the middle of the convention center.

In one of the most heart wrenching parts of the celebration, Mark Hamill took to the stage to give a tribute to the late Carrie Fisher.

“Here’s a panel I was hoping wouldn’t happen for another 30 years,” said Hamill. By the end of the emotional panel, there were few dry eyes in the audience.

Hamill’s tribute wasn’t the only one; a tribute video was shown during the panel, as well as tributes from George Lucas and others who had worked with her throughout the years. Finally, the panel ended with John Williams performing Leia’s theme.

During the celebration, it was announced that season four of the animated show ”Star Wars: Rebels” would be the last. A new trailer was revealed and present fans were surprised with a screening of the first episode of the season.

The Star Wars Celebration is taking a year off in 2018, but Disney told fans to keep their ears peeled for more fun announcements this summer. In the meantime, the trailer for “The Last Jedi” is out now and fans are taking to the Internet to speculate and get excited.

“Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi” comes to theaters on Dec. 15.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

Nintendo Prepares for an exciting 2016

By: Ashton Newton
Staff Writer

Nintendo has a big year planned for 2016. Fans have a lot to be excited for, including a new system, the NX, which is shrouded in mystery. Nintendo first officially announced the NX back in March 2015, saying that the NX is a “dedicated games platform with a brand new concept” before going silent.

Since then, rumors have begun popping up all over the Internet about NX. Rumors say that Nintendo will release a handheld in 2016, with the full console coming in 2017.

Rumors have also surfaced that the NX will be able to pair with mobile devices and PS4’s. As to what this means specifically, the general public is not sure, but there are hopes that this will be a means to share games between the devices or use them as second screens.

Fans of The Legend of Zelda have something to get excited for too, with “The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD” releasing on the WiiU March 4.

“Twilight Princess” came out in 2006 for the Gamecube and Wii, and has held a solid fan base since.

A brand new Amiibo will be releasing with “Twilight Princess HD.” Amiibos are Nintendo’s line of collectible figurines that grant bonuses when paired with their games. Amiibos feature Nintendo characters, and the one releasing alongside “Twilight Princess HD” is Wolf Link, a character from the game.

Also in 2016, Nintendo’s “Legend of Zelda WiiU” is scheduled for release. Although not much is known about the next installment of the Zelda series, a few screenshots of the new game were revealed at E3 2014.

Nintendo promises that the players will have more freedom than ever before and that they’re “rethinking the conventions of Zelda.” Fans can be on the lookout for new information soon.

Additionally, Nintendo will be releasing “Pokkèn Tournament,” “Star Fox Zero,” and the well-received PC game “Kerbal Space Program” for WiiU in the first half of 2016. As well as Mega Man creator’s releasing “Might No.9” later this year, after several production delays.

Even with lower hardware specs than the Playstation 4 and the Xbox One, Nintendo’s WiiU has remained a competitor for both systems since launch.

Nintendo’s previous President, Satoru Iwata, who passed away in July 2015, is quoted as saying “Above all, video games are meant to be just one thing: fun. Fun for everyone.”

Fun is largely Nintendo’s goal for players, and there is a lot of fun to be had, both announced and unannounced, for 2016.

Whats Western watching?

By: Ashton Newton and Kinsey Bushart

“I’ve been watching ‘The Arrow’ since it’s been a long time since I’ve seen it. They’ve got five seasons on [Netflix] so it’s pretty good.”
Gael Maren-Valdez, exercise science, junior

 

“Workaholics for sure. It’s hilarious.”
Samantha Lindsey, interdisciplinary studies, senior

 

“‘13 Reasons Why.’ It was super good. It was crazy, I bought the book because it was that good.”
Kameron Acebo, early childhood education,
sophomore

 

“’The Walking Dead’ because it’s just entertaining”

Daniel Monrroy, business, sophomore

Blast from the past

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

There was a lot of energy in the audience as Micky Dolenz, lead singer of The Monkees, took to the stage at Rice Auditorium alongside the American Metropole Orchestra as part of the Smith Fine Arts Series. The April-15-concert packed the auditorium for a night full of laughs and music.

The night began with a tune from the orchestra and an introduction from music director Keller Coker, before Dolenz took the stage.

Dolenz is not only the lead singer of The Monkees; he’s a beloved actor, director and producer, whose music and personality has helped to shape television and rock and roll.

Throughout his career, Dolenz had many different people write songs for him. During the concert he made a point to dedicate each song to the individual who wrote it. He performed songs written by individuals like Carol King and Neil Diamond.

Two songs from the Monkees movie “Head” were also performed. The tunes were met with much applause from the audience.

Between songs, Dolenz entertained the audience with stories of his career, his family and meeting The Beatles. Each song performed had a story alongside it, most of which were met with laughter.

“This is the song that got me the gig!” yelled Dolenz as he played Chuck Berry’s “Johnnie B. Goode,” which he sang at his Monkees audition.

The concert ended with the fan favorite “Daydream Believer,” in which the audience’s singing almost overpowered Dolenz’s booming voice.

Some members of the crowd were up and dancing as Dolenz finished out the night with “I’m a Believer.”

“Don’t forget, I was singing this song long before ‘Shrek,’” joked Dolenz.

The Smith Fine Arts series will finish out the season with Danilo Perez and The Western Hemisphere Orchestra on June 10. More information can be found at wou.edu/smith/current-season/.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

Review: “Mystery Science Theater 3000”

By: Darien Campo
Designer

Everyone’s a critic these days.

The fine art of “riffing,” making fun of bad movies through biting commentary, is still alive. On the internet there is no shortage of critics and reviewers all vying for attention on the digital stage, but we must be careful not to forget the original show that taught us how to make fun of movies; the critics who inspired a thousand differs.

Netflix sure hasn’t, and on April 14, they released the long-awaited return of cult-classic “Mystery Science Theater 3000.”

For those not in the know: “Mystery Science Theater 3000” was a cult sci-fi comedy series in the ‘90s about a man and his two robot pals trapped on a spaceship, the Satellite of Love, where evil scientists force them to watch the worst movies ever made. In order to keep their sanity, the three resort to riffing on the terrible onslaught of low-budget films.

Watching the show was akin to hanging out with a group of friends and watching the Syfy channel late at night just so you could add your own commentary on top of the movies.

Netflix’s revival and next season of the show focuses on a new human subject, Jonah Heston, played by Jonah Ray, co-host of “The Nerdist Podcast.” Original creator Joel Hodgson personally picked Ray to host the show, while giving him the choice over who would be the new voices of the show’s robot co-hosts, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot, voiced by Baron Vaughn and Hampton Yount, respectively. Mad scientists Dr. Forrester and TV’s Frank are replaced with their descendants, played by Felicia Day and Patton Oswald.

The show’s format hasn’t changed over the last 30 years, and still focuses on the three hosts riffing on a cacophony of film flops interspersed with short, goofy segments. Yes, the invention exchange is back.

I was amazed at just how similar the revival was to the original. The sets look cheaply made, the segments have a very loose “first-take” feel, some of the jokes are too obscure for anyone to get – it is everything that “Mystery Science Theater 3000” ever was and more.

For returning viewers, you’ll feel right at home from the silhouetted theater to the numbered hallway. For brand new viewers, jokes and references aren’t 30 years old anymore,making it possible to actually follow them, but luckily they never feel like they’re referencing modern pop culture in a pandering manner.

I only have minor gripes with the new season.

I, and other viewers, have noted that the speed that riffs are delivered is way faster than it was in the ‘90s. We’re not given as much time to absorb the film itself, and the rapid-fire jokes break the illusion that these three characters are improvising on the spot. But, for a modern audience’s short attention span, it makes sense.

The “Mystery Science Theater 3000” revival perfectly blends recreating the original show’s campy feel while bringing modern humor to a new audience. This is not just for returning fans, I would invite anyone who loves bad movies to take a look at season 11 of “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” exclusively on Netflix.

Keep circulating the tapes.

Contact the author at dcampo13@wou.edu

Review: “The Search For Everything”

By: Alyssa James
Staff Writer

In 1999, John Mayer made his way onto the scene with his EP “Inside Wants Out.” Over time, he became one of the musicians that had a noticeable presence within the music scene with such songs as “Daughters.”

Mayer had not released any new music since a single in 2014, “XO,” until April 14 when he released his new album, “The Search for Everything.” He partially released this album through two smaller EPs, “Wave One” and “Wave Two.”

For not hearing any new music from him for three years, his style of music has not changed much. It’s not to be expected though, as he is categorized in multiple genres, such as: pop, blues, jazz, country and rock. Despite that, it is definitely an album to listen to in order to chill out and relax.

The first song he released was “Love on the Weekend,” a more country song. It seemed like a weird choice of a song to introduce this album when compared to the rest of the tracks. Having a more a country sound is what set it apart from the other songs, but not necessarily in a good way. It came across as overdone and common.

Through listening to the whole album, the song that stuck out the most was “Emoji of a Wave.” The title in and of itself is an eyecatcher and it added to the song because it incorporates something very familiar to young people: emojis. Along with that, the song builds extremely well for being such a melancholy song. Not once was I bored from listening to it.

One of the more upbeat songs from the album is “In the Blood,” a heartfelt song about the ability to change in life. Along with that, the song “Moving On and Getting Over” has a jazzy feel that would definitely be heard in the back of the coffeeshop.

The album has a total of twelve songs and, when driving, it’s a quick listen. The album ends with the song “You’re Gonna Live Forever in Me.” There’s quite a bit of whistling in it, which is reminiscent of Randy Newman’s “You’ve Got A Friend In Me” from “Toy Story.” It feels cliché which ultimately left the album on a lower note.

While the album is not the worst, it’s not the best. Other artists experiment and produce albums that have never been heard before, but I think Mayer missed the mark and created an album that is something we have all heard before, and that’s what makes it lacking. The album isn’t bad, it just does not offer anything new, making for a more colorless listen.

Contact the author at ajames16@mail.wou.edu

Review: “LA Divine”

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

Cold War Kids became alternative favorites with their 2007 album “Robbers & Cowards.” Recently, their single “First” blew up and put them on lots of people’s radars.

Their newest album “LA Divine” released last week and is easily one of the best albums yet. After years of experimenting and reworking their sound, “LA Divine” is an incredible album that finds Cold War Kids at the best they’ve ever been.

The band released two singles leading up to the full album release. “Love Is Mystical” is an upbeat, danceable tune that quickly blew-up on the radio. The band collaborated with Bishop Briggs for the single “So Tied Up,” which was a bit of a let down compared to the first single. The collaboration with Bishop Briggs isn’t very strong: her presence in the song is weak, especially for being the only collaboration on the album.

All of “LA Divine” held my attention, each song standing wonderfully on its own. The song “No Reason To Run” was the highlight of the album for me. The track blends Cold War Kids’ upbeat, fast paced sound with some of the most heartfelt lyrics in the whole album.

All songs on “LA Divine” are pretty short. The 14-song album zooms by way too quickly, with some tracks only 30 seconds to a minute. “LA Divine” is so good that it deserves to be played over and over, I just wish it didn’t go by so fast.

The album ends with “Free To Breathe,” a slow, emotional tune that ends the album on a weak note. Cold War Kids puts most of their focus in the album on up-tempo danceable alternative music, so ending the album on such a slow note feels disconnected from the rest of the album.

“LA Divine” is the best Cold War Kids album yet. Each song stands on it’s own and rarely are there times without great written lyrics and feet-tapping goodness.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

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