020520

The Official Newspaper of Cerritos College

February 5, 2020 VOLUME 64 | ISSUE 9 Talonmarks.com

UNSTOPPABLE !

Sports - Page 7 Cerritos College Baseball continues their winning streak

Community - Page 3 Celebrating Human Ability

Opinon - Page 6 Media has lost its morals

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Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020

News

Faculty highlight cultural experiences for APIDA Week Sean Davis News Editor @talonmarks

Stories of resilience and diversity were shared by six Cerritos College faculty members for Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Awareness Week.

This collection of Cerritos professors, advisors, and administrators related their experiences to a crowd attending the APIDA Faculty and Staff Spotlight held in the Conference Center at Cerritos on Jan. 30th.

APIDA (which has added an extra A for affiliates) “aims to support Cerritos College’s mission… to the life-long learning goals” of APIDA “students, community members, and… employees” according to Dr. Valyncia Raphael, Cerritos College Title IX coordinator, who served as moderator for the event.

APIDA Week featured multiple events on Cerritos’ campus throughout the week of Jan. 27th with the Faculty and Staff Spotlight rounding out the week.

The staff panel was made up of Annabel Horton, financial aid advisor; Mark Katayama, research analyst and planner; Dr. Shin Liu, Cerritos trustee; Nishi Shah, English professor; April Shin, DSPS program assistant; and Career Services counselor Traci Ukita.

Raphael asked the panel to describe their identity and cultural experiences, careers, and life path leading them to their current positions at Cerritos.

Shin shared her experience of growing beyond her family’s expectations of “work(ing) in the medical field” into her role at DSPS in “training students… to develop their independence and independent living skills.”

She says she “struggled with her identity” as Korean American following the 1992 LA Riots but starting to “learn more about her culture” after entering college.

Echoing Prof. Shah’s description of her treatment following the events of Sept. 11th, 2001, Shin said she became more aware of the “big picture situation” of how she and her friends stereotyped her based on her race.

Annabel Horton also dealt with stereotyping while growing up. “Ever since I was little, it was a struggle for me,” she said, “I didn’t look like my Filipino side, I looked like my African American side.”

Horton, who identified as biracial, was raised primarily by her Filipino mother as her Black father served in the US military.

Despite speaking Tagalog as her first language and seeing herself as more than just a skin color, she was “teased… and didn’t have friends” which “hurt” her growing up.

Until she “met other biracial friends” she didn’t know who to turn to. Now, after further embracing her dual cultures, Horton says “she wouldn’t change (being biracial) for the world.”

SEAN DAVIS

APIDA Week: Faculty panelists shared their experiences during Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Awareness Week, which featured a Lunar New Year celebration, Bollywood dance performance, and a screening of award winning film “The Farewell.” Panelists explored issues from sexism to mass incarceration on Jan. 30, 2020

Cultural similarities and differences among the APIDA community were highlighted in different ways by the panelists.

Nishi Shah and Dr. Shin Liu shared similar resistances from their family over their perceived breaking of traditional family roles.

Shah, who identifies as first generation Indian American, was “expected” by her parents to “go into the field of business” but always felt a “big athletic identity.”

Due to her parent’s “strict” ideas about relationships and the role of women, it was “hard for them to accept” her marrying outside her race.

They discouraged her “dream of being in the Olympics” and competing in sports like basketball but supported her brother’s similar ambitions.

Dr. Liu shared her similar experiences of sexism as a Chinese American. According to Liu, “the older generation” believe that “daughter(s) do not have equal value as a son.”

This traditional view is “a struggle I have with my own culture,” Liu says, “I don’t like it… and I will (make every) effort to change it.”

Shah shared this sense of struggle and resilience: “I’m an extremely… motivated person…

If someone discourages me, I use that as motivation to achieve those dreams.”

Mark Katayama and Tracy Ukita both highlighted their similarities as Yonsei (4th generation) Japanese American and described the wide variety of experiences for Japanese Americans.

“One of the things that really unites (the Asian community) most… is “perpetual foreigner syndrome,” Ukita explains.

But, she says, “the generational differences” has to do with “the mass incarceration of the Japanese American community during WWII.” Katayama’s family was interned during the war and both he and Ukita had family members “stifle their Japaneseness” as a result.

“My dad was born in the internment camp and my grandpa… refused to sign the orders from the American government,” Katayama said. “This ties into (my) resiliency.”

Katayama says there is an “assimilation process that is… being passed down… this generational line” but he hopes to pass on his unique Japanese culture and resilience to his daughter.

“I have my parents and grandparents to thank for that.”

The celebration of diversity and culture will continue with various events held on campus for Black History Month this February.

2020 BLACK HISTORY MONTH Thursday, February 6 Back to the school yard: Let’s Double Dutch!

Falcon Square Amphitheater 11 am - 12:30 p.m.

Tuesday, February 11 Cutltime: Curly Hair and the Marketplace An Ode To Annnie Turnbo Malone and Madame C.J. Walter Health Science 205 (Cosmetology) 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Wednesday, February 12 A Tribute to Nipsey Hustle and Toni Morrison LC 155 11 a.m. 12:15 p.m.

Sista to Sista/Brotha 2 Brotha MP 200 (sisters) - MP 209 Brothers 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

Thursday, February 20 Film: Beyond Measure: An Ode to Black Male Achievement LC 155 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Tuesday, February 25 Circle of Support Sponsored by Umoka Success program MP 200 11: a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

DERRICK COLEMAN

SEAN DAVIS

Diversity Celebrated: The panel shared struggles and victories on their lifepaths to their Cerritos College careers.

Each panelist shared similarities and differences in their APIDA experiences as children and adults.

Community

Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020

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Festival of Human Abilities Derrick Coleman

Co-Multimedia Editor @derrickmiracl

Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific celebrated their 17th annual festival of Human Abilities with events such as adaptive scuba diving, hip hop dancing and classic guitar and dancing performances.

Peter Marineaue, marketing manager for the aquarium said “what inspired this event is our desire to reach out and include people from diverse backgrounds to come and connect with the ocean and with each other.”

This event saw the debut of a new product from Epson smart glasses.

Matineau said, “this is the first year that we’re providing these Epson smart glasses which provide captioning in both English and Spanish in our Honda Civic

theater film.”

These glasses allow audiences to simply sit back and enjoy the feature presentation, in whichever language they are most comfortable with.

The event also featured wheelchairs that could be checked out for those who needed them as well audio tours and braille visitor guides for guests who had any vision impairments.

The purpose of these devices was to enhance the experience of guest who lives with any kind of disability, allowing everyone equal access to nearly all programming and events.

Show descriptions were written for guests who were hard of hearing or deaf, and sign language interpreters were also provided at every event.

Maineau said, “this is the only event that’s quite like this, where we have lots of performers, where

there’s dancing and music and classes and all the demonstrations.”

This event was a celebration of the creative and positive sphere of people with disabilities.

Through interactive programs within the personal classes, live performances, demonstrations and more, the aquarium is helping to build knowledge and understanding while also bridging the gap between able-bodied people and those with disabilities.

This event aimed to create a sense of community ,while also encouraging attendees to care for the ocean.

The focus of the festival was stated to be to “improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities and their families, and to provide a transformative experience for all members present.

Read more on Talonmarks.com

DERRICK COLEMAN

Speaking on abilities: The Aquarium of the Pacific located in downtown Long Beach hosted a festival showcasing human abilities on Jan. 25 and 26 , 2020.

Downey City Council slashes public comment time

OSCAR TORRES

Citizens speak their mind: Citizens speak on matters concerning them. A motion was passed to slash speaking time from 5 minutes to 2 minutes on Jan. 28 ,2020

Oscar Torres

Staff Writer @professorchunk

Downey City Hall held their second meeting on Tues.

Jan. 28 2020 with the council members discussing and approving the reduction of alloted time for public comments from five minutes to three minutes.

This is not the first time that they have attempted to change public hearings as last year the city council proposed a similar limit as to how many times a person is allowed to speak during items and public hearing.

This limiting could be a direct result of the actions a regular attendee.

Armando Herman, a local resident of Downey, has been

using profound language, racial and homophobic slurs during his rants and sometimes even verbally attacking not just the city council but other people present, as well as business owners and other local residents of Downey and the surrounding cities.

He is seen by many as having gone too far, as the council had to call for a five minut recession following a rant which offended many who were present.

Herman has been confronted on many occasions in regards to these rants, however even after being threatened with eviction, he continued his actions, and nothing was done to hinder or impede his efforts or words.

The vote for the approval of

decreasing the time for public hearings was three votes in favor, and two votes againt the motion,however the council only needed three to pass it.

We should be here to listen

Alex Saab, council member of the city stated in regards to the approval of the decreased speaking time that, “We have to balance the right of the public to be able to speak vs efficiency and I know sometimes its difficult to really be certain as to what is the right amount.

“The problem is you are always going to be unsure,so i’m gonna veer the side of giving the public more opportunity to speak. That’s why we should have not changed it, we should leave it the way it is. I also have a concern that we’re gonna kill speech by reducing it.”

He also says that “Just because we may have some speakers that heckle and saying some things that we may not want, the problem is by limiting the time although those people are going to be speaking less.

“Its also gonna affect the other 13,000 residents. As far as I’m concern we signed on the doted line so we should be here to listen.

“Giving people five as oppose of three I wanna vier on

the side of giving people the opportunity to speak more than less.” Council Member Saab says.

Most of the public did not react well to the change, as they voiced their discontent with the new reduced speaking time, which limited their ability to speak their grievances against new policies or new developments in the city.

This change does not allow people to voice all concerns, as nearly half of the alloted speaking time has now been done away with.

This change will immedately go into effect, but talk has begun to emerge about overturning the motion amongst the people of Downey.

The council will hold their next scheduled meeting on Feb. 5.

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A&E

Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020

Spring Musical Auditions “Immigrants Standing” Rocio Valdez A & E Editor @talonmarks

A couple of Cerritos College students showed up to audition for the Cerritos College spring musical, “Immigrants Standing: A Musical Revue” on Jan. 30 and 31. This musical is a collaboration of the Theatre, Music and Dance Departments.

For auditions the students had to prepare a poem of their choice and present it in a theatrical way, as well as a Broadway, Ballad or Lyrical Pop song.

Students who were contacted for a callback returned on Jan. 31 from 7-8:30 p.m.

Jerry Prell, professor in the Theater Department and the Director of the Spring Musical, greeted the students for callbacks and explained that “Immigrants Standing” is a musical revue based on a contemporary and historical look at immigrants and immigration in the USA. Prell mentioned how he hopes this musical will give voice to immigration and it is something a lot of people will be able to relate to because many come from a family of immigrants, saying there are DACA students and there have always been immigrants in this country.

“The best kind of theater arises people's spirits and makes them think and that is what I see and our vision is to make the audience go, 'Oh My God, those kids had something to say of what is going on, form their sense of passion and from their

'Super Bowl 54th' Halftime Show: Shakira and Jennifer Lopez The Singing Duo Oscar Torres

Staff Writer @professorchunk Review

ROCIO VALDEZ Musical vocalization: David Betancourt is the musical director of the Cerritos College upcoming Spring Musical, “Immigrants Standing: A Musical Revue.” He played the piano while the auditioning students did vocalization and harmonizing exercises.

soul,'” said Prell.

David Betancourt, music director professor and musical director of the musical, motivated the students by telling them his goal is not to do a professional musical, but that the instructors are more interested in helping them be the best and teaching them so they can all reach their potential.

Betancourt started with making the students form a circle to do clapping and vocalization exercises. After a few minutes after, he moved on to play the piano while students did harmonizing exercises all together.

Rebekah Hathaway and Christine Gregory, both instructors in the Dance Department, later took over to teach the student a short dance combination.

The students quickly learned the combination and were grouped into three groups to present it.

Jessica Stockwell, vocal performance major, was feeling nervous for the auditions.

"I’ve been auditioning for a lot of things and it never gets any easier but they are really nice people. When we came in, they tried to make us feel as comfortable as possible so we can sing and act as best as we can.”

After the auditions and callback, Stockwell felt really accomplished as it was her first musical audition for the college and felt really confident.

Miguel Ruiz, theater major, was auditioning for the second time in Cerritos College but still felt nervous for auditions.

He prepared for this moment by choosing a poem and a song that gave him confidence.

“I feel good about myself," he said. "I didn’t want to come because I was nervous, but then I was like I got it out the way

already, I did it and I feel good about myself because I did it."

Ruiz also mentioned how he liked the theme of the musical, stating “I like the fact that it’s about immigrants coming over, and even the song we were practicing today had a good message, I think it will be a really nice play.”

Rian Liao, dance major, felt a rush of adrenaline after auditions.

"All I know is that I did my best and that is all I could ask for,” he said.

After the auditions, Director Jerry Prell said, “there might be some tough decisions but overall we are fortunate to have so many talented kids, different levels of talent and this is really about educational theater and about giving young people an opportunity to work with professionals and get better at what they do.”

Gordita Eateries: Sushi & Teri - Little Tokyo Village Welcome Gordita Eateries, the one and only food column dedicated to great food. It’s time to get out of the constant food cycle and venture into a world of delectable dishes that is to your liking.

Rebecca Aguila

Managing Editor @rebeccaaguila4

There are a substantial amount of sushi restaurants in the busy city if Los Angeles that it makes it almost impossible to choose which place to awaken your taste buds.

An area where you're bound to follow all the smells that city takes, follow the ones that takes you into a welcoming setting such as a mom-and-pop shop called Sushi & Teri which tucked away in a small Japanese plaza.

It seems as if Sushi & Teri has been attracting customers for years in this quaint area of Little Tokyo Village in Downtown Los Angeles where there are live outdoor karaoke session for the pubic, anime and pottery shops and most importantly food spots that are at every present in corner of this village!

Most importantly, Sushi & Teri caters to those who wish to get away from the loud and bright atmosphere that the Little Tokyo Village provides. It calls unto those

who can identify themselves as "introverts".

The most recommended item that I had a pleasure to feast on was the salmon bento box.

This plate comes with delicious pan-fried piece of salmon drizzled with ponzu sauce which has a teriyaki-sauce-like texture with a nice fragrant aroma of ginger and fish sauce which accents the taste of the salmon. Ponzu is a citrus-based Japanese sauce that tastes good with any fish, egg rolls or gyoza.

It is also accompanied by a fresh house garden salad filled with cucumbers and miso dressing, a mountain of nice and fluffy white rice garnished with sesame seeds, 4 deliciously rolled California rolls, edamame beans which are slightly salted with yuzu salt, golden brown fried shrimp and vegetable tempura and finished off with slices of oranges to have

a little sweetness in your life.

The salmon bento box is also suggested with hot tea which makes your food process easier in your stomach. Also, the tea makes you want to eat more.

Up next on he menu is the sashimi platter that is honestly one of the most vibrant dishes on the menu.

The sashimi combination is chefs choice but i requested the Unagi (eel) instead of tuna. It is accompanied with thinly sliced ginger and a dollop of wasabi.

Each sashimi bite was heaven and melted in my mouth like a true Japanese delicacy.

This dish may look delicate and dainty but the flavors of each fish are bound to take down by the coast of country-land Japan.

PHOTOS BY REBECCA AGUILA

Salmon Bento Box whihc the most popular item on the menu is assured to make you want to take a trip to Japan. Sashimi Plate featuring Salmon, unagi (eel) Red Snapper and yellow tail. A plate this delicate yet full of delicious savory flavors along side edamame beans.

This year Super Bowl 54th Halftime show presented by Pepsi got not just Jennifer Lopez but Shakira as well, putting on some of their most popular songs and included a tribute to Kobe Bryant in their performance.

With last years singers being Maroon 5 and Travis Scott, the show was terrible mainly the Travis Scott segment. Maroon 5 did better than him but it wasn't saying much over the entire show.

So does their performance shines this year in comparison to the previous years performers?, Well yes and no.

To start off the music choices were good as it included songs that most people are familiar with like "Waka Waka", "She Wolf ", "Hips Don't Lie" and "Chantaje," for Shakira's song choices.

Jennifer Lopez's song choices included "Love Don't Cost a Thing", "Mi Gente", "Jenny From the Block." Her daughter Emme got in on the fun and sang "Let's Get Loud" along with her mother as she strode the stage with a huge Puerto Rican flag on her shoulders.

The costume designs looked good, they caught a few eyes on how revealing their clothing styles were. Not that they were bad but the halftime show is also viewed by kids who watch football, so having them around when the show started wasn't a good idea.

They did a Kobe tribute with fire works shooting into the sky, exploding into the two colors gold and purple, the colors of the Lakers. It was a small but heartwarming tribute as this was the first Super Bowl without Kobe Bryant which he never got the chance to see the Big Game.

The pacing of the show was well put, it didn't went too fast nor did it went too slow.

However the enjoyment of this halftime show boggles down to if the person is a fan of these two singers or not. As someone who's not into modern music it can be normal that you would only know a few of their songs with the rest not being in the radar as much.

Although there was a nod/ reference to a song of the famous rock band Led Zeppelin called "Kashmir" performed by Shakira, it still a pretty neat reference to the most famous rock bands of all time.

That said it was a pretty well done performance even if someone is not a fan of these songs or these performers it's good to broaden your music choices and listen to them..

A&E

APIDA Affiliates wows audience with Bollywood performers Rocio Valdez A & E Editor @talonmarks

Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Affiliates APIDA(A) from Cerritos College is committed to support lifelong learning goals of Asian and Pacific Islander students.

Community members and campus employees therefore invited a group of three female Bollywood Dancers from Blu Dawn Events to perform at the Falcon Square on Jan. 29.

Students were entertained with dance styles form different regions of India, such as Bhangra, Ghumura Folkloric, and other upbeat dances that represent the Desi culture.

The dancers also represented the region with the different costumes.

Dr. Lynn Wang, Financial Aid Counselor and APIDA(A) club Co-Advisor, explained that the term Bollywood was created by the combination of the names Bombay (the city now called Mumbai) and Hollywood.

Bollywood, which is based in

Mumbai, is India’s largest film industry.

“Bollywood dance is still influenced by Western culture, perhaps evermore so today than when it began," said Wang.

Elements of the dance includes "the use of frequent costume and location changes during dances, as well as the use of larger dance troupes. The movements have become bolder & more extroverted to capture the audience's attention.

"The Evolution of Bollywood dance is a process that is entirely

Indian and yet cross-cultural at the same time,” Wang said.

Akasha Starr, professional dancer, felt grateful to be able to entertain the students from Cerritos College and present dances from different regions from all over India to give them a little taste of how the culture dance is like.

“I feel like we got more people to come over as we kept dancing.

Students were really receptive.

There was some really nice smiles and I feel like they have maybe seen the dance but not seen it

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Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020

this way, or [they] have heard the music but not seen the dance,” said Starr.

Starr, who has been dancing for 36 years, explained dance as something very important to her, saying “it brings harmony and balance and allows you to be in different places and different people and represent in hopefully a very appropriate and loving way.”

Read more on talonmarks.com

Weekly Quote

"Great things come from hard work and perseverance.

No excuses."

Kobe Bryant

Weekly Goals

Twitter

AMNA JARA

Bollywood: Marcella Raya, Akasha Starr, and Bethany Regan performed a Bollywood dance. They incorported different cultural styles.

What would you like to see more of? Tweet us using #talonmarks to let us know!

The Best and Worst Super Bowl 2020 Commercials Oscar Torres Staff Writer @professorchunk Review

With every Super Bowl game comes the commercials. This years' 54th Super Bowl spawned some commercials that were both great and not so great.

This year there were only a few bad commercials but the majority were better than last year and funnier too.

In Tide Pods commercial Charlie Day, an actor from the show "Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia," gets upset that his shirt has been stained and freaks out that he doesn't know when he'll have a chance to clean it.

He then appears in many places with cameo appearances from the Bud Light Knight, the judges from the Masked Singer and also shares the screen time with Gal Gadot dressed up as wonder woman to promote Wonder Woman 84.

This is a really funny and unique idea that commercials should be doing during the Super Bowl promoting a product while sponsoring other shows and products.

In the Mountain Dew commercial Bryan Cranston plays Jack Nicholson character in the shinning, recreating to the "Here's Johnny" scene with the Mountain Dew twist.

It's both a tribute and a funny gaga that takes itself seriously but instead of killing someone he's offering Mountain Dew. In the Cheetos commercial a business man gets away from doing any kind of work just because his fingers are covered with the powder of the Cheetos.

MC Hammer then pops up singing the song "Can't Touch This" when ever the business man gets away with not doing any work.

It's an okay commercial, though it's not that funny it definitely could have been funnier if they went higher with the task that workers want the business man to do, but on its own its the weakest commercial.

In the Pringles commercial they got the creators of Rick and Morty to be in it, with Rick explaining that they're in a Pringles commercial breaking the fourth wall.

What this commercial does that many people like is that weird vibe which blends the styles that Rick and Morty are known for having and its exactly how the show is.

When many heard the news that Mr. Peanut has been killed off it lead people being confused and saddened, but when the Big Game commercial aired there's plenty of reasons why they did what they did.

The Mr. Peanut commercial starts off with a funeral of the mascot with cameos from Mr.

Clean and the Kool Aid man mourning the loss of a beloved mascot.

Then by the power of Kool Aid man's tears and the sun Mr. Peanut is reborn as Baby Nut. This is trying to capitalize on the success that baby Yoda got, and frankly it's terrible.

The baby trend doesn't work for everything it only serves to being lazy and cheesy now that Disney is doing it with Baby Yoda. The trend should stop before it gets worse.

Lastly, Marvel Studios showed teasers nobody was expecting to see, but Disney/Marvel Studios briefly showed teasers for three of their Disney Plus shows coming later in the year and 2021. The shows are "Falcon and the Winter Soldier", "Wanda Vision" and "Loki".

This was one of the best commercials out there, since it was not expected and many individuals were gladly exited to see clips of the show, enticing viewers for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The cost of a 30 second commercial for the Super Bowl is about 5.6 million dollars and with a bunch of people watching the game there's a lot of ads for it.

These commercials typically have more budget in them, including a lot of celebrities joining in and promoting a product.

ROCIO VALDEZ Mariachi Los Cerritos: Tristin Baeza, Emanuel Osorio and James Torres serenaded students with Mexican Mariachi songs. Mariachi Los Cerritos club came out for the Spring 2020 Welcome Event to encourage students to join.

Mariachi Los Cerritos Club Rocio Valdez A & E Editor @talonmarks

Mariachi Los Cerritos is a fairly new club at Cerritos College which was formed in Spring 2019 with the goal to inspire through their music and to bring Spanish culture to the students.

The club wants to give students on campus the experience to play Mariachi and to bring Mariachi to the campus, therefor they exclusively play only on campus events.

James Torres, music major and President of the Mariachi Los Cerritos Club, mentioned how the club has been growing as they started with about five people and currently they have 10 members.

“We want to offer students that are interested in the music and want to study the mariachi music the experience and oppor-

tunity on campus to practice with other people that have experience, for them to get into the scene of mariachi,” said Torres.

Torres is a talented musician that knows how to play the guitar, Vihuela, Guitarrón, trumpet, and violin and feels proud to be part of the club. For him Mariachi is his job that gives him enjoyment and he wants to share that with other musicians and campus students.

“I see people that come to the club and they are dedicated and have the drive to learn more about music, it brings me a lot of joy to see the impact that I make in campus,” Torres said.

Emanuel Osorio, music major and Vice President of Mariachi Los Cerritos Club, is the principle singer and plays the violin.

Being a member of the club has allowed him to get to learn about his Mexican roots, “I realized how little I know about my Mexican side, I know the history and cultural practices so this was a good way for me to get in touch with the culture,” he said.

Read more on talonmarks.com

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Opinion

Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020

The media needs morals

Every day, the media is battling a fierce competition, a fight that has no rules and no boundaries so long as it circulates hundreds of billions of dollars each year.

Internet, TV, radio, social media and print sources are all in constant pursuit of your attention, which is why we should be more mindful of who we pay it to.

Vanessa Bryant lost her husband, Kobe, and 13 year-old daughter, Gianna, in a horrendously tragic helicopter crash early in the morning of Jan. 26.

This news was delivered to the Bryant family via a hastily written article by TMZ, whose sources included some of the first responders near the crash site.

This incident quickly became world news receiving coverage on practically every news outlet, headlining the article and displaying TMZ’s watermarked video of the smoking wreckage.

According to a public statement made by L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, the notorious media outlet had published the story before authorities were able to confirm the basketball star’s (or any of the victims’) identity that Sunday morning.

In the the following days, Harvey Levin, a controversial television personality and producer on TMZ, made a series of television appearances to respond to critics saying that his organization acted out of line when publishing the story without official confirmation or alerting the Bryant family.

On Jan. 29, Levin talked on daytime talk show ‘The Real’ where he claimed he did contact the Bryant estate. “We were on the phone with various people from Kobe’s camp for an hour before we posted the story,” he said, “When somebody of that magnitude dies so tragically, this becomes a world-wide, massive story.”

Levin has yet to reveal who exactly he spoke with in ‘Kobe’s camp,’ but Kobe Inc. President Molly Carter released a statement saying “To this point, no one has been authorized to speak on behalf of the family regarding any personal details surrounding Sunday’s tragedy, including stories related to the family’s previous air travel decisions.”

This raises questions on whether or not TMZ’s contact was qualified to confirm sensitive information of that degree.

Despite this, the story itself was true, and Levin’s defense suggested that he felt he is being singled out for doing what every media outlet did that Sunday.

That assertion is not exactly warranted, considering that the vast majority of news stations used TMZ’s breaking news coverage for their own stories.

TMZ did not have to wait to speak with authorities, or lawyers or any public officials to verify this story because they have never been a reputable source of news in its 16-year history.

I believe this type of sensational journalism is just a side effect of a much bigger issue.

Understand that these outlets solely exist to capitalize on our demand for violence, especially when it involves celebri-

SOFIA GALLEGOS/FREELANCE ILLUSTRATOR

ties, regardless of how gorey and graphic the details may be. We possess an intense craving for provocative and shocking news and TMZ satiates that.

Harvey Levin commented that the Kobe crash was the most heavily trafficked article that TMZ has seen, “even bigger than Michael Jackson,” he remarked.

Like many sources, they kept reporting on it because it kept receiving views.

TV stations gave the Kobe crash hours of uninterrupted airtime, numbers of casualties fluctuated from 5 to 10 to 9, including one ABC new anchor erroneously reporting that all four of Kobe’s daughters were on the helicopter when it crashed.

It was not long before news outlets resorted to calling and

interviewing countless celebrities and journalists to make official comments on the Kobe tragedy.

What viewers endured then was the same somber, heart-broken reaction again and again and again.

Many athletes with deep connections to Bryant, such as former teammate Shaq and friend Lebron James, become high value targets for news stations. Their obligatory social media posts became news as well.

The question we must ask ourselves is: how much information is too much? Kobe Bryant was an important icon to the city of Los Angeles and to basketball fans everywhere, but his celebrity status does not entitle us to each and every detail of his death, or of the current emotional state of

his family.

The vast majority of people have never been asked to make a public release statement following the death of a loved one.

Thousands of social media posts by fans show them honoring the basketball star by shooting buckets, mourning at the Kobe memorial and preaching his legendary Mamba Mentality, which focuses on the relentless pursuit of self improvement. I think the way we can all truly honor Bryant is by respecting his family’s wishes for privacy, and by remembering this moment in the future, so that we may support the journalists that tell the truth without discarding their decency.

Pride, Prejudice, and Little Women: the Oscars 2020 Jess Paxton

Staff Writer @talonmarks

On January 13, 2020, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences briefly celebrated “the largest number of women ever nominated” (63), then weathered a flood of complaints.

Issa Rae, announcing the nominations in the Directors category, sarcastically offered “Congratulations to those men.”

Trevor Noah quipped “Did you know [Little Women] directed itself?” and noted that all five movies in the directors category were male-oriented films.

Concerns have also been raised about minorities being under-represented.

But is the scrutiny justified?

One fact: Oscar nominees are chosen by their peers. Actors nominate actors, editors Talon Marks is a First Amendment publication.

Editorials express the views of the Editorial Board.

Other opinions express the view of the author and are not to be considered opinions of the publication’s staff, the Editorial Board, the advisers, the Cerritos College Associated Students, the college administration or the Board of Trustees.

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nominate editors, and directors nominate directors.

Another fact: Top-grossing films featuring female protagonists increased to 40% last year, while 43% had male protagonists.

Not much of a difference.

But overall, women accounted for only 35% of speaking characters, compared to 65% male speaking roles, and are often marginalized to protagonist roles in horror movies, where they hold a two-to-one advantage over their male counterparts. In female-directed films, women consistently had a higher number of speaking and major roles than in male-directed movies.

What about minorities? There have been, beginning in 1958, 42 black actor nominations. Ten awards were collected, so when they were nominated, they won at a higher margin than the odds.

Black women have garnered a total of 36 nominations since Gone With the Wind’s Hattie McDaniel in 1939 (she won!) and received nine awards, for a solid 25%. (McDaniel’s victory came only 24 years after Griffith’s “Birth of a Nation”, a demented racist diatribe that portrayed blacks as pure evil, was considered the greatest movie ever made. Gone With the Wind showed black people as both villainous and heroic.)

Seventy-eight isn’t a lot of nominations, but — are black men and women under-repped in movies? Black actors overall combine for 17.5% of the roles in film, but according to the 2010 U.S. census, account for only 12% of the nation, making them actually over-represented in film.

Asians, likewise, are represented at double their census statistics.

Latinos/Latinas comprised 16% of Americans in 2010, but are severely under-repped at a mere 5% of roles cast.

Now, back to that tricky Directors category. While women account for over 20% of producers, editors, and writers, they comprise only 2% of cinematographers and 11% of directors, but for two years this decade, totaled as little as 1.9% of directors overall. They leaned also to genres such as documentaries and romantic comedies, leaving only a small minority for thrillers and action films, the Studio genres from which Best Directors are most often chosen. Dramas, often choice of women directors, are a half-way station accounting for many awards, but very few of them are Studio-generated.

Therefore, women directors are still primarily in the Indie (inde-

Newsroom offices are located in the Fine Arts & Communications Building, Room FA245.

Spring 2020

Opinion Editor Alison Hernandez

Cerritos College is located at 11110 Alondra Blvd., Norwalk, CA 90650

STAFF Editor-in-Chief Kianna Znika

Telephone number: (562) 860-2451, ext. 2618

Managing Editor Rebecca Aguila

Vol. 64 © 2020 Talon Marks

Production Editor Edgar Mendoza News Editor Sean Davis

Co-Sports Editor Luis Lemus Co-Sports and Multimedia Editor Jazmin Aguayo Co-Multimedia Editor Derrick Coleman Arts & Entertainment Editor Rocio Valdez Online and Social Media Editor Elizabath Corcoles

pendent production) genres.

So, let’s crunch some more numbers. If you only comprise 11% of directors, and only five nominees are chosen, your odds of getting nominated are only one in ten for each of the five spots. Add in genre and the Studio-versus-Indie factors and your chances actually become far more meager.

Odds like these don’t work for you, they work against. If you don’t believe that, ask the six black directors who have been nominated since 1929, none of whom has ever received an Oscar.

Another factor that has worked against women since movies began has been the “casting couch” predatory practice of Studio executives and major producers.

Read more on Talonmarks.com Staff Writers Jess Paxton Keanu Ruffo Daniel Suarez Oscar Torres Faculty Adviser Christian Brown Instructional Lab Tech I/Adjunct Alicia Edquist

Sports

@talonmarksports Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020

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Derrick coleman

Batter's Box line: Buck Anderson, outfielder No. 1, walks onto first base following a rough start by the LA Valley College pitcher. The Falcons Men's baseball team plays against the Monarchs on Jan. 30, 2020.

Falcons Baseball wins close game against LA Valley College 8-7 Edgar Mendoza

Production Editor @edgarstevenmen1

The Cerritos College baseball team secured an 8-7 win over the Los Angeles Valley College Monarchs on Jan. 30 2020. The Falcons spent the first half of the game clinging to small leads, hoping to keep the Monarchs at bay.

The game began with a moment of silence for Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobello, as well as his wife Keri and daughter Alyssa, who perished in the helicopter crash that also claimed the lives Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and four others.

The top of the first inning saw the Monarchs up to bat , with only 1 batter walking, 1 strikeout, and 1 runner out at first.

The Falcons proceeded to get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first, with freshman

Second Baseman No. 15 Andres Vega hitting a home run to left field, giving the Falcons an early 1-0 lead. The first inning came to a close with all three outs being obtained through pop flys caught by the Monarchs outfield.

Vega describes the run as “energizing for the team, it really got us going with good momentum.”

The second inning played out similarly for both teams, coming to a close with neither team getting a single hit or a runner on base.

In the top of the third inning ,following a throwing error

by Sophomore Shortstop No. 3 Alex Bueno , the Monarchs were able to get a runner on base.

A bunt allowed the Monarchs to get a second runner onto first base on a fielder’s choice, and a throwing error by sophomore pitcher No. 9 Nicholas Martinez allowed the Monarchs to load second base as well.

A second bunt by the Monarchs would give them their first out, but would allow their runners to advance to second and third base respectively.

A pop fly put the Monarchs on the board, with one runner scoring and the other advancing from second to third base in exchange for the second out of the inning.

The inning would come to a close with the game tied 1-1, with one runner left on base.

In the bottom of the third, the Falcons were unable to obtain a hit, only getting sophomore outfielder No. 1 Buck Anderson onto base through a walk. Anderson successfully stole second base, but was caught stealing 3rd. The remaining two outs were obtained through strikeouts, bringing the third inning to a close, with one runner left on base.

In the top of the fourth inning the Monarchs had zero hits and zero runs, only placing one runner on base as a result of a walk, but were unable to capitalize on

Track & Field

Men's Home Games: Feb. 7 vs LA Harbor at 7p.m.

• Feb. 14 vs El Camino at 7p.m.

Women's & Men's Home Meet: • Feb. 8 Cerritos AllComers Meet at 9a.m.

Women's Home Games: • Feb. 7 vs LA Harbor at 5p.m.

• Feb. 14 vs El Camino at 5p.m.

Home Games: Feb. 6 vs Mt. San Jacinto at 2p.m.

• Feb. 11 vs Golden West at 2p.m.

• Feb. 16 vs Santa Ana at 12p.m.

• Feb. 18 vs ELAC at 2p.m.

•

Softball

•

Home Games: Feb. 11 vs El Camino at 3p.m.

Baseball

Robtrell Scott Staff Writer @talonmarks

Co-multimedia @derrickmiracl

Tennis Women's Home Games: • Feb. 6 vs Cypress at 2p.m.

• Feb. 11 vs Fullerton at 2p.m • Feb. 13 vs Irvine College at 2p.m.

•

•

Men's Home Games: Feb. 7 vs Grossmont at 2p.m.

• Feb. 13 vs Irvine College at 2p.m.

Freshman Third Baseman No. 11 Alex Figueroa gave the Falcons their second run of the inning hitting a single down the left side of the field, allowing Parker to bring the score up to 3-1 in favor of the Falcons. Figuero was caught stealing second, and freshman Catcher No. 40 Benny Perucho struck out swinging, bringing the inning to a close.

The fifth inning saw neither team score a run , with only the Monarchs getting a single hit , and both The Monarchs...

Read more on Talonmarks.com

Falcons Men's Basketball hopes to bounce back from loss Derrick Coleman

Sports Schedule Basketball

this opportunity.

The Falcons picked up steam in the bottom of the fourth inning, with sophomore designated hitter No. 17 Richard Castro hitting a single to right field, then proceeding to steal second base as freshman First Baseman No. 21 David Hays struck out swinging.

Sophomore Outfielder No. 5 Bodie Parker kept this momentum going, hitting a double to left field, allowing Castro to score a second run for the Falcons.

Cerritos College Men's basketball were on a 9 game win streak until they lost to Compton College.

Coming off the road with the loss the Falcons are determined to get back on the path of victory.

The Falcons are playing their next game at home against Los Angeles Southwest College.

Head coach Russ May expectations for Wednesday game is to prevent easy transition baskets and offensive rebounds and on the offensive end attack them in the paint making them play defense.

If you ever wonder how to prepare for a team you played previously Coach May, said "In conference each coach knows the other very well because we play them twice a year.

"Our game plan is based on trying to emphasize what we do best and limit their strengths." adds May. According to Coach May Falcon players are working on "looking to clean up the on-ball defense and our pick n roll defense." They are pre-game prepping by doing walk- through three hours before the game.

Cerritos College Falcon players are going to bring "Effort and assertiveness. No hesitation on and aggressive play." Coach May said.

Read more on Talonmarks.com

8

talonmarks.com Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020

Sports

Dodger fans keep cheating scandal in mind during Fan Fest Luis Lemus

Co-Sports Editor @luislem20901235

On a cool, clear and sunny Saturday morning at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, the 7th annual Dodger Fan Fest took place on Jan. 26.

Fans participated in the many free activities offered to the public including autograph opportunities from Dodger players, batting cages, rock wall climbing, and carnival games among others.

While the fans enjoyed the event and participated in all the activities presented to them, they all had one thing in the back of their mind: The 2017 World Series.

Never mind the fact that the Dodgers were eliminated in the opening round of playoffs in 2019.

“I’m pissed off they get to keep the title. I’m pissed off they keep the trophy. I’m pissed off they are practically getting away with it," said David Ruiz of Los

Luis Lemus

Strike a pose: Many fans attending the Dodgers Fan Fest stop in front of the selfie station to take their best selfie. Dodger stadium hosts all fans for the event on Jan. 25, 2020.

Feliz, CA. “But what I’m really pissed off about is that the commissioner practically told the Dodgers to not say a damn thing about it."

After the league concluded the findings and had issued penalties to the Houston Astros, they told the Dodgers to steer clear of remarks on the 2017 World Championship scandal and to

keep quiet according to baseball reporter Ken Rosenthal in a January 24, 2020 Tweet.

Ashley Sanchez of La Puente says “I am excited to be back at the stadium but I definitely want to hear from the players.

“I want to hear about the 2020 team but it’d be great if we hear about the World Series

that was stolen.”

The hot-button issue could not be avoided no matter where you turned, but being allowed access inside the stadium was a nice refuge area.

In preparation for the Dodgers hosting the 2020 All-Star Game, fans welcomed the sight of construction just beyond center field. The LA Dodgers haven't

hosted the game since 1980.

The concession stands were open for business, with both past-favorites, including a vegetarian stand, and newer ones such as the Barrilitos Cantina, offering treats like horchata or perhaps a michelada.

They had a long zigzag-line of fans waiting for a chance to purchase giveaways given at turnstiles during the 2019 season.

“Mystery bags” with unknown goodies were also available to be purchased if one was willing and patient enough to wait.

The bobble-heads were also taking pictures with fans both young and old. Stopping at every opportunity to take a selfie with the giant "bobblers" is one that most people can’t pass up.

On the stage, located in the top deck, interviewing some of the players were the Dodger's beat reporter for the MLB network alongside Dave Vassegh, the host of “Dodger Talk” on AM570 giving post-game analysis.

Read more on Talonmarks.com

Kobe 'Mamba', it hurts to think we lost a great person

Illustration by derrick coleman

Luis Lemus

Co-Sports Editor @luislem20901235

Oscar Torres

Staff Writer @professorchunk

Sports Opinion The loss of Kobe Bryant will definitely be felt by many people around the world for many different reasons.

Olympic swimmer Mark Spitz said after his record was broken

by Michael Phelps winning his eighth gold Olympic medal, "records are made to be broken."

Bryant’s scoring record in the NBA at third overall was taken

by Lebron James the night before his death and was something that surprised many people, but the news the following morning was

completely unexpected.

People are literally in tears, and it’s certainly justified. He will forever be an icon in Los Angeles due to his career beginning and ending in the same city which is not seen much nowadays.

His name is known worldwide and everyone is mourning while asking themselves the same question: Why did this helicopter have to go down?

How does this world lose someone so great at their craft along with his daughter, Gianna?

The daughter who caught her dad's itch to better her own game while being mentored by one of the best to ever do it.

There are many stories people have of their own to share about Bryant.

Remembering the big trade that took place for the Lakers to acquire Bryant from the Char-

lotte Hornets for Vlade Divac, which worked out for the Lakers as Bryant says In a 2014 tweet “ They told me they had no use for me and were going to trade me.”

Remembering a school friend showing off the new rookie Kobe Bryant card still having the memory of thinking “damn, one day he’s going to be bigger than Mike.”

The image of him raising his hands at the World Series in 2018 just behind Yasiel Puig will remain in the bank vault forever.

He transcends all of the sporting worlds, not only because he was a great person, but because genuinely one of the many great things about him was his ability to transcend sports and have an impact in the world.

Fans remember watching a video of him asking kids in an Italian backstreet if he could

join, speaking Italian, which was a shock.

World-class soccer megastar Neymar paid homage to Bryant by throwing up eight fingers to the camera, putting both hands together after scoring a penalty kick in the Paris Saint Germaine match against Lille.

Receiving tweets from some more superstars of soccer, including Leonel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo among many who expressed their sadness after the word spread.

Even in the pro bowl, the NFL’s all-star game, they paid tribute on the field by doing his famous fade-away jump shot both on TV And the stadium Jumbotron in Jacksonville.

Whenever someone talks about the Lakers, the one person who comes to everyone's mind is Kobe Bryant.

He was the face of the Lakers, dare I say the face of Basketball. Everyone knew who he was.

They related to him and wanted to be like him.

Whenever someone throws a piece of trash or empty can/bottle into a trash can they always say "Kobe" because they always think of him. He's the most recognizable player in basketball.

Almost everyone in LA or California, in general, knows who he is, not only in basketball but he is also recognized by his passion for helping out so many people.

Winning an Oscar for the short film "Dear Basketball" where he expresses his love and enjoyment of the game taking his

story from the beginning of his first time playing the sport toward his 20-year career.

He was an exceptional teacher. He taught his 13-year-old daughter Gianna how to master the sport of basketball.

Gianna wanted to follow her father's footsteps.

Fair to say that the loss of both of them struck LA hard. People are mourning over their deaths and having vigils for them all over the city, one of them being in Pickford Market with a mural for both father and daughter.

Another was held in Newport Beach with many people laying down flowers and balloons in front of the house where Kobe used to live.

A vigil took place at Mamba Sports Academy, where Kobe and Gianna were headed to the Sunday afternoon of their death.

Here, the public brought baby clothes and other memorabilia.

Fans gathered outside of the Staples Center where the Lakers play. Many had their hands in their face while mourning the former basketball player.

Famous landmarks also had their lights colored yellow and purple, paying tribute to Kobe.

There was also another vigil in Lower Merion High School, Pennsylvania where Kobe went to high school.

People outside of the United States have also been making vigils. In Reggio Emilia, Italy the city where Kobe and his family moved to follow his dad's basketball career.

Read more on Talonmarks.com