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entertainment Panther Prowler • March 26, 2021
The 63rd Grammys make history Deepa Venkat Staff Writer
Allison Nguyen Staff Writer
The 63rd annual Grammy Awards, held on March 14, showcased a broad variety of artists and music from all different genres and all different places globally. Because of COVID-19, the event was held outdoors instead of its usual location at the Staples Center. Despite the changes made to the show, records from Grammy history were broken throughout the night. During the show, history was made by Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. Beyoncé took home her 28th Grammy, breaking the record for the most Grammy wins by a single act. Taking home four Grammys this year, she was victorious in the categories for Best R&B Performance, Music Video, Rap Song and Rap Performance. Swift became the first female artist to win Best Album three times in three different genres. Many artists got to showcase their yearly accomplishments throughout the night. Swift, winner of Album of the Year for her alternative album “folklore,” performed three of her songs from the album. Winning his first ever Grammy, Harry Styles took home Best Pop Solo Performance for his song “Watermelon Sugar,” and Billie Eilish’s “everything i wanted” dominated Record of the Year. Performing two songs from her album “Future Nostalgia,” Dua Lipa took Best Pop Vocal Album, following H.E.R’s win for “I Can’t Breathe,” the Song of the Year. The Grammys consisted of energetic and entertaining performances by many artists, but Lil Baby’s performance of his song “The Bigger Picture” stood out to the audience with its powerful message regarding racial justice. While other artists had scenic backdrops and dynamic dancers, Lil Baby recreated the death of George Floyd with staged shootings and activist
Kendrick Sampson. H.E.R was also recognized for her song “I Can’t Breathe,” which emphasizes the repetition of crimes and discrimination against people of color. Despite having many deserving wins and nominations this year, there were many unexpected turns of events. Being the first ever K-Pop group to ever be nominated for a Grammy award under Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, BTS, an internationally famous performing group from South Korea, broke the records with their hit “Dynamite,” selling over 1.3 million copies and over 1.26 million downloads in the past year. Even with big numbers and the expectation from their hardcore fanbase, this had yet to lead them to their first win as Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande took home the award for “Rain on Me.” Many BTS fans took to Twitter and revived #scammys to display their disappointment for their opinion that the broadcast only uses the group’s large fanbase for the views. Some of the most highly anticipated awards that were broadcasted were Best Pop Duo and Best Rap Album. These categories were removed from the live show and only shown as clips during the pre show which caused a controversy among viewers since people of color are usually nominated for these specific awards. Even with the new adjustments many of the staff and celebrities followed to maintain a safe show, it never failed as the show still must go on. Regardless of the issues presented during this year’s Grammys, the show was still an entertaining evening for audiences in quarantine.
Prasheetha Karthikeyan/Prowler
“The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” continues Marvel’s action packed year Dhruv Patel Ad Team
Nandini Patro Staff Writer
Téa Sklar/Prowler
Marvel was put into a releasing slump due to COVID-19 restrictions. However, this year, Marvel is back and is adhering to a tight schedule of new movies and TV shows, releasing something new every month. This month, Marvel’s groundbreaking TV show “WandaVision” aired its season finale, and last Friday, the series premiere of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” was released. The series finale of “WandaVision” left fans on the edge of their seats with new, unanswered questions. The ending of the episode also had hints for “Doctor Strange Multiverse of Madness”, a movie which is supposed to be released in 2022. “WandaVision”’s series introduced a plethora of new characters who all are rumored or confirmed to appear in other movies coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The ending of “WandaVision” also introduces Marvel’s new concept of the multiverse, and confirms Wanda’s identity as Scarlet Witch in the MCU. One of Marvel’s latest movies, “Avengers: Endgame,” ends with Captain America passing on his shield to Sam Wilson, who is Falcon. Winter Soldier is Captain America’s oldest friend and is also known as Bucky Barnes, a WWII veteran. He was turned assassin by a secret Russian agency known as Hydra. “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” follows Barnes and Wilson’s journey of filling Captain America’s absence along with the Marvel universe post-”Avengers: Endgame.” The TV show
also dives into the backstories of Wilson and Barnes, characters that fans currently do not know much about. The first episode of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” starts off with Sam Wilson, the Falcon, diving head first into action, flying after a military general. As a result of this fastpaced start, it leaves the viewers excited and waiting for what will happen next. After the action scenes we get a close up look at Sam Wilson’s personal life, namely his relationship with his sister and his nephews. Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier, is then introduced, and he seems to be recovering with the problems of his past, specifically his mind-controlled assassin days. This helps to show Bucky’s actual character, which helps the viewer understand him. Later in the episode we are also introduced to one of the antagonists of the TV show, the flag smashers. At the end of the episode there was a new superhero announced, U.S. Agent, as a replacement of Captain America. The first episode was great, introducing new characters while catching up the viewers to the new lives of Barnes and Wilson. With the high expectations, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” has a lot to live up to. Marvel is off to a great start with very high and positive reviews for the first episode. The show has a lot of questions to answer, and if the pilot is any indicator, viewers will get these answers and enjoy great content along the ride.
