17 minute read
6 | LIFE AND ARTS
from Volume 50 Issue 1
Looks like you made it after all: a love letter to the late Ed Anser
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By NINA MARTINEZ @nincate01
Ed Asner, better known as Carl, the grumpy old man from the Pixar hit “Up,” took his final breath on Aug. 29, 2021 at 91 years old. I could easily fill this piece with a list of his accomplishments with his seven Emmys and role as president of the Screen Actors Guild, but that would read as every other obituary published since his passing. Instead, this is a love letter to Lou Grant, the lovable news producer in the hit ‘70s sitcom “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”
Dear. Mr. Asner,
For many in this current era, your passing could simply be viewed as the loss of just another wealthy, white man successful in showbusiness. To me, Mr. Asner, you’re more than that… you’re Lou Grant.
My mother introduced me to you on a Saturday morning when I was 15 years old. It was a rainy day and we wrapped up “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” I was in a cranky mood, feeling a little ill, when an old rerun of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” appeared on cable. My mom told me: “Give it a chance. I think you’ll love it.” I gave it a chance. I loved it. When I met you, I despised you. You were grumpy and cranky, stiff and standoffish. I made a decision then and there about how I would feel about you for the remainder of the show. One episode turned into five and you grew on me. Over the years, I purchased each boxed season of the show at Half Price Books. Around the time I was introduced to your character, I was exploring my love for journalism and storytelling. I felt I was growing up alongside Mary Richards. For quite some time, I pictured my life going as Mary’s did. The show gave me hope and perspective on how much bigger the world is than me. It allowed me to create a dream job and dream boss in my mind for whom I would one day work for, or even become. You were, to me you still are, the crotecty yet tenderhearted, cultivated leader at WJM TV’s “Six O’Clock News.”
Beneath the moody and dry-humored old man, you were a passionate, consistent and selfless boss. You held yourself to the same standards you set for your employees. You were ethical and kind, never allowing your personal feelings to interfere with the reporting. In your spin-off, “The Lou Grant Show,” your values shined through in your role as editor. Your personal reputation was not of concern, but rather whether or not your employees were successful in their own careers.
Lou, Mr. Grant, Mr. Asner: thank you for inspiring my 15-year-old self. When I found free time in college, I spent it winding down watching you, Mary and Murray mock Ted Baxter as anchor. The camaraderie in the newsroom is something I aspire to one day be a part of. Thank you for further cultivating my love and appreciation for great reporting and leadership.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Grant.
COURTESY OF WIKI COMMONS
Ed Asner was an actor and president of the Screen Actors Guild, best known for his roles in Disney Pixar’s “Up” and the 70s sitcom “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” Asner passed of natural causes in his home Aug. 29.
Missing the old Kanye: new track “Donda” convoluted by controversy
By TAHEERA WASHINGTON @taheera_06
Kanye West’s latest track “Donda” serves as a tribute to his late mother, Dr. Donda West, but controversy and lack of artistic direction looms over the 10th studio album’. Kanye’s previous projects, like “Jesus is King” and “ye,” barely reach 23 minutes and feel unfinished. However, “Donda” asks listeners to tune in for a dragging 108 minutes that ends up hiding the introspective themes of loss and spirituality that should’ve been the album’s driving force.
What ends up fueling “Donda” is the exploitative marketing -- beginning with the three listening parties. Each listening party featured a revised version of the album, but it became a spectacle rather than an appreciation of music. It’s difficult to understand what Kanye’s reasoning was for inviting artists like DaBaby or Marilyn Manson onstage with him, but theatrics and Kanye seem synonymous over the past years. Comprehending the visuals of the listening party was a losing battle, ending with more unanswered questions, such as why is his ex-wife Kim Kardashian on stage? Kanye’s artistically empty decisions made it easier to miss all of the changes to “Donda.” For instance, the shuffled track order, added songs or revised verses.
The issues don’t disappear following the album’s release; convoluting the album’s core message of exploring Kanye’s multifaceted identity. This era of Kanye is reflected in his music: more subtle yet darker in its toned down worship-like aesthetic following “Jesus Is King.” Through this subdued style, the content should be at the forefront, but the hype prior to the release of “Donda” is more memorable than the album itself. “Donda” prioritizes quantity over quality, with most of the songs either blending together from similar production styles or slightly missing the mark. Analyzing “Jesus Lord”—the second longest track behind “Jesus Lord Pt. 2”— highlights the core of what “Donda” is as a body of work. Kanye opens up about fighting multiple demons, such as addiction and grieving his mother’s death, and connects it to a shared struggle of staying connected to his faith during these times. It features a verse from Jay Electronica, but the outro narrated by Larry Hoover Jr. ties these themes together. His speech highlights the case that Kanye asked to be pardoned of his father, Larry Hoover Sr., who’s currently still incarcerated in prison.
This profound lyricism is hidden from the dragged out nature of the minimalisticsounding song and unusual flow for Kanye, which is the case for most of the tracks on “Donda.” Standouts are “Jail,” “Off the Grid,” and “Believe What I Say,” but it’s key to recognize that these tracks are reminiscent of Kanye prior to “The Life of Pablo.” He announced on that album that the new Kanye was here to stay, and the beginning of “Donda” seems like this new version of the rapper has potential. Yet, the end of “Donda” doesn’t make the yearning for old Kanye disappear; in fact, “Donda” ends with wondering if Kanye can ever follow up the legacy left behind from his older work.
COURTESY OF WIKI COMMONS
Kanye West’s anticipated 10th studio album, “Donda” was realeased Aug. 29. The album is named after his late mother, Dr. Donda West.
Long Center’s “Sound and Cinema” offers great way to explore Austin
By OSGAR NUGENT
@ogger37
I biked down South 1st Street to the Long Center to see a show from band, Darkbird before a showing of “Clueless” on Sept. 3. The day after, my mom called me to ask how it went.
Walking up to the Long Center’s “Sound and Cinema” ticketing gates around 6:30 p.m., 30 minutes past the time that the website said that the gates would open, I overheard a couple momentarily bemoaning their bad luck.
“If I had bought the tickets, y’know, I would be more disappointed. But, since it’s free, I’m cool that we couldn’t get in,” one of them said. They left.
“Why exactly did that couple get turned back?” I asked one of the people scanning tickets under their tented box office. He explained that they had been turning a lot of people back, actually, because they hadn’t brought their proof of vaccination card or results from a negative PCR test in a physical copy. Some had pictures on their phones, others had nothing. All told, I’m glad I have my vaccine card permanently smashed like a soggy cornflake into one of the folds of my wallet.
Past the ticketing station and up the stairs onto the bizarrely expansive outdoor H-E-B-branded deck, I saw the food trucks that Do512’s Instagram account touted, which were across the way. I browsed for something to eat. Amy’s Ice Cream… not now. Southside Flying Pizza… hmm. I couldn’t find the barbecue place mentioned on the roster, so my hunger found chicken shawarma and fries from Shawarma Point. Temporarily disappointed at the lack of options, I popped a squat near the back of the Hartman Concert Lawn, abutting the deck, to eat.
I sat in silence for a little while as my attention flickered from birds flitting across the under-construction section of Austin’s skyline to Spikeball-ers, with snot running down my philtrum, the spicy reprisal that I’d have to face the following morning. The silence morphed into covers and originals from Darkbird, an ethereally branded Austin-based group that I noted seemed earnestly ebullient. “We’re gonna be so big,” announced the lead singer endearingly, later, after the show. All the while, moms stood up from lawn chairs or blankets and bobbed to the rhythm with their children dancing in one arm, their drinks dangled and perspiring in the unoccupied hand.
The sun crept west down the Colorado River as Darkbird’s set was coming to a close. A pleasant gust of wind guided a welcome compliment my way.
“Nice shirt,” a woman told me.
I thanked her, and mentioned that
I was at the event with the school newspaper and was apprehensively looking for people to interview. She graciously sat down next to me and we continued talking as the music portion of the night came to a close. She was with family, as were many of the other event-goers, and told me she had recently returned to Austin after living in Lafayette, LA for a number of years. She sounded glad to be back, adding that Austin had changed a lot since she’d last been here. I briefly looked over my shoulder at the skyline, still developing. I told her that it hadn’t been long since I had spent my lone semester in Austin, only a summer, but that life alone in the city still sometimes feels unfamiliar and scary. She encouraged me, gesturing me to look around at the people in attendance, reassuring that all of these people are nice and would answer any question I had; that the city is filled with people like this. “Clueless” began soon after our conversation ended, and I enjoyed the rest of my night among the ambiently pleasant crowd of strangers. Watching Cher realize that she OSGAR NUGENT / HILLTOP VIEWS “Sound and Cinema” is a series of live music accompanied by the showing a film at the Long was in love with her stepbrother, I realized Center Lawn. Last Friday, Darkbird performed that I might be in the midst of discovering a strange love within my own life, too: a love for the unfamiliar and scary. If you’re as clueless as me about where to begin exploring in Austin, start by inviting whomever you’d like to Sound and Cinema at the Long Center on a September evening. Even though the event is still in a bit of a beta phase due to the COVID-19 delta variant concerns, it’s an easy trip from anywhere in Austin. And if you remember a physical-copy vaccine card or negative PCR test, the venue is “free
Pixar’s film, “Luca,” is an exciting summer coming-of-age film
By SARA E. MORENO
In a fantastical world where sea creatures exist just below the ocean’s surface, we meet our protagonist and namesake Luca Paguro, a lively yet skittish fellow who dreams of exploring the environment around him, if not for the limitations of his appearance and strict surveillance of his parents that keep him grounded to his blue and green-hued aquatic village. It is but fate that he encounters another sea creature of his exact age that has had the opportunity to live as a human on the surface. Alberto Scorfano, his
newfound friend and ally, is the one to introduce him to the world of the warm-blooded. Soon enough, their duo becomes a dynamic trio as they team up with Giulia Marcovaldo, a human girl, to compete and win the Portorosso cup, each having their own reasons for wanting to win. What is to follow is a film filled with witty dialogue, overcoming obstacles and facing the trials that come with friendship.
“Luca” is the rich product of Enrico Casarosa’s childhood and own imagination, placing his characters in a 1950s coastal Italian village. The 95-minute film is able to capture its audience’s attention through its crisp animation and usage of vibrant colors that set up each scene to mirror the emotions it plans to elicit.
Meanwhile, Dan Romer, the ingenious music director, has created a soundtrack that pulls watchers into this unique fictional world filled with sea creatures and imagination, oftentimes returning to the same lullaby tune that can be heard in various moments of the film, specifically to give a more whimsical feel to it all.
Released on June 18, “Luca” has proven to have become a wildly famous success, receiving a rating of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. A movie about friendship, staying true to one’s identity and overcoming hardships has proven itself repeatedly with every watch it is given by viewers. “Luca,” although branded a film of upbeat nature and only slight melancholy, runs much deeper than the narrative of adventure and camaraderie. it preaches of a world where although full acceptance may still be a work in progress, there should never be a reason to not stay true to one’s identity or abandon it for the comfort of others, a message that resonates with many minority groups, such as the LGBTQ+ community, We can also see how much “Luca” has affected its viewers between various social media platforms, specifically the more recently popular one, TikTok. Within just a few days post movie release, many videos were created and posted under the simple hashtag “#Luca,” many being fan reactions, video edits and other special review videos of people expressing how they relate to various aspects of the film The most notable impact being through the creation of a viral audio that combined the “Silencio Bruno” dialogue shared between Alberto and Luca and well-known ABBA song “Chiquitita, where many used it as background noise to express their love for the movie and it’s characters while also creating the trend of encouraging people to shoot for what they want in life, following directly after a very good example set by Luca himself. The hashtag has amassed views worldwide in the past three months of its release, the views sitting at an outstanding 4.5 billion at the time of writing.
It has become blatantly evident that the film’s success spans farther than its viewership and has reached audiences through its metaphors of truth, acceptance and friendship. Through a combination of the film’s writing, animation and musical soundtrack, “Luca” has become one of Pixar’s staple comfort films that viewers can always return to whenever they’re in the mood to relive the downfalls and triumphs of three kids who are simply trying to find happiness as they learn to live for themselves.
COURTESY OF EPK.TV
Animated feature film, “Luca” premiered on Disney+ June 18. The film stars Jack Dylan Grazer as Alberto (left) and Jacob Tremblay as Luca (right).
16 |8 LIFE & ARTS
Involvement Fair 2021
by Audrey Cahak
On Sept. 2, the St. Edward’s Involvement Fair made its first in-person return to campus since Spring 2020. The event was hosted by Student Involvement and spread across the Radsdale, Andre, Trustee and Holy Cross lawns from 11a.m to 2p.m.
Student involvement in clubs took a massive hit during the pandemic, as distance from campus made it harder for students to interact with each other. For the smaller and lesser-known clubs trying to rebuild their community, the Involvement Fair was a prime occasion to attract more members and spread awareness
Hadley Vaughn, the vice president of Math Club, spread awareness for the club by debunking misconceptions. “People often think that math club is specifically about doing math and solving equations—a lot of times people even think it’s like a study group—but we’re actually much more of a social organization,” Vaughn said.
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President of Ballet Folklórico, Jason Cantú, (center) and Vice President Sebastian Piñon (right) took the Involvement Fair as a chance to promote their traditional Mexican dance club for students of all cultures and experience levels. Though the pandemic has closed off their opportunities to travel for now, they hope to present events and performances on campus.
Though his table was bare, Juan Diego Chaparro, the vice president of Box of Chocolates, used his theatrical practice to draw onlookers in and pitch the improv club. “I’m really passionate about [the club] because I know the theater people that are a part of it are really passionate and really want to make this work. Like I've been telling everybody, I think improv is really great because you want to make embarrassment a choice for yourself,” Chaparro said.
1210| VIEWPOINTS
Texas Heartbeat Act criminalizes abortion six weeks into pregnancy
BY VERONICA LOPEZ
Senate Bill 8, otherwise known as SB 8 or the Texas Heartbeat Act, went into effect Sept. 1, stripping women of their fundamental rights and causing mass uncertainty, not only among the women of Texas, but women across the country.
SB 8 bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, which is before most women are even able to determine a pregnanacy. To be exact, the bill bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which typically happens around the six-week mark.
The bill bans abortions, regardless of a pregnancy as result of rape or incest. SB 8 also allows just about anyone to sue a person or facility that is suspected of performing or aiding an abortion.
While this is not the first time that we’ve seen a bill like this passed in the U.S., it’s definitely the most restrictive. According to the New York Times, we saw a surge of these bills passed back in 2019, however, they were never enforced since they were deemed unconstitutional.
Let’s make something clear: SB 8 is as unconstitutional as these past bills, if not more. So how was it that this bill was passed and went into effect? Much like the 2016 election, it was one of those things that no one thinks will happen, and yet, it does without anything anyone can do to stop it. The lawmakers behind SB 8 made sure of that.
Pro-choice advocates looked to the Supreme Court (SCOTUS), hoping they would block the law on the premise of Roe v. Wade. As Sept. 1 arrived, however, SCOTUS voted not to act against SB 8, failing to mention Roe v. Wade. This is not to say the bill can’t be blocked in the future. For now, 80% of women who would typically look for an abortion in the Texas are left in the dark.
What makes SB 8 so infuriating to me, putting aside the fact that I am being stripped of my basic human rights, is the sheer hypocrisy of politically conservative people. They spent all of COVID-19 opposing maskmandates and other pandemic protocols on the grounds that it’s a direct violation of their constitutional and human rights. They claim to be true Americans, fighting for their First Amendment rights, or my personal favorite argument: “This is America, land of the free.” While that may be true for the upper-middle class white man, today it does not stand true for women.
PHOTO BY NICCO PELICANO/HILLTOP VIEWS People protesting at The Capitol in Austin, TX over the new SB8 law criminalizing abortion after 6 weeks of pregnancy, or the detection of a heartbeat.
Crowd of protestors take turns walking up to The Capitol steps and giving speaches. This woman yells that she is thirty years old, and abortion has never been a problem in her life until now. SB8 is the most restrictive abortion law passed since Roe V. Wade went into effect. Not many people know that they are even pregnant at six weeks, the timeline in witch the new law states is illegal to pursue an abortion after.
Protesters run through the gates of The Capitol chanting “Roe v. Wade is here to stay,” and “F*ck you, Abbott!”
PHOTOS BY NICCO PELICANO HILLTOP VIEWS
