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THE BILLBOARD
INTERNATIONAL
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2017
INTERNATIONAL INSIGHTS Neomi Lopez Moran Mexico
I had a great time and enriching experience at Wilson (20082009). Getting to know not only the American culture but many others, my world view changed completely. Not only did I understand more about my fellow friends, but I also appreciate my own culture so much more. There were difficult moments when I felt homesick, however, all the wonderful people here at Wilson helped me make new memories and made me realize that every moment here is worth the homesick pain. After my time at Wilson, I came back to Oaxaca, Mexico. Here, I took a Master’s Degree in Translation and Interpreting. I have worked in different positions and areas: fundraising assistant for an NGO, translator and interpreter for many organizations including the State Government. I have taught English as a foreign language and linguistic. My husband and I currently serve in a Ministry School. We don’t just focus on theory, but we prepare people to live out the Christian principles that Jesus taught through mentoring, teaching and providing opportunities to practice what they learned. Some examples of what we do are visits to orphanages, family-oriented activities, visit psychiatric wards, minister to prostitutes, go on mission trips for people in need, etc. The courses are focused on leadership development, identity, loving and serving the community. We emphasize practicing love.
Charmain A. Fernando ’08 SriLanka
As a Biology major and an honors student at Wilson College, the in-depth research experience changed my future educational and career plans. I absolutely enjoyed having the opportunity and freedom in formulating original research questions and learning novel research techniques in solving the proposed questions as an undergraduate student at Wilson. After graduating from Wilson, I accepted an internship at UCLA for a year. I was accepted in the University of Central Arkansas where I was a student in Biological Pharmacology and a Teaching Assistant as well. Many years later, I am still fascinated by biomedical research and I am currently finishing up my Ph.D. in Medical Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of Missouri, Columbia. Once I complete my Ph.D., I hope to work as a research scientist solving problems and contributing to find cures to treat cardiovascular disease.
Medical Mission Trip to the Dominican Republic For Nursing, Spanish, and Health Science students January 2-9, 2018 Contact Director of International Scholar Services Crystal Lantz at crystal.lantz@wilson.edu
THE BILLBOARD
ENTERTAINMENT
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2017
13
IT: More Than Just Spooks from a Creepy Clown!
“It” poster By Hong Nguyen
Last seen 27 years ago as a twopart miniseries in 1990, “It” has now returned as a feature film by the Argentine director Andy Muschietti. Based on the iconic book by Stephen King, Muschietti chose to split the story, which takes place over two time periods into two films. The first addresses the protagonists as kids while the second will takes on
their story as adults. There is a lot of talk speculating as to who will be cast in the second film. With a fresh blend of a big-screen visual and modern effects, “It” became the highest-grossing opening weekend horror movie ever, earning a jaw-dropping $123.4 million in its first Friday-Sunday run and broke the record for the highest September opening ever and the second highest opening for an R rated film. Currently, it has made almost $400 million world wide. Creepiness comes fast and hard from the very beginning of the movie: Pennywise the Clown (Bill Skarsgård) pops up in a dark sewer entrance to lure young Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott). The child’s death leads the clown to haunt Georgie’s brother Bill and his group of misfit middle school friends, known as “the Losers Club”(played by Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Chosen Jacobs, Wyatt Oleff, and Jack Dylan Grazer). With fear being the original
monster, the shapeshifting, eter- with no adult lead. Their fantasnal being known as It appears tic delivery keeps the movie upas the embodiments of the chil- lifting and glues audiences’ eyes dren’s darkest fears: an eruption to the screen. Although each inof blood from a bathroom sink, a dividual of the Loser’s Club has a live painting, a club-footed leper, different background, they share and an image of a younger Geor- the same sense of humor and curigie blaming his brother for not osity which serves to unite them. saving him. For most of the film, Moreover, their acting comes off It manifests as a savage clown. so natural that the audience dis“It” is much different than what covers a whole new side of a teenpeople are going to expect. The film is successful in being more than a horror film, finding its strength as a coming-of-age tale about friendship. The main success of the movie stems from the cast of the teen actors of the Loser’s Club. They were clowning around at Leitersburg Cinema. Pennywise’s creepy smile may ager’s character: a lot of swearing make him the center of hor- and dirty jokes, yet full of bravery. ror in the trailers, but it is the For a group of clueless young human factor ofIt that ends teenagers, perhaps the ignorance up leaving a permanent scar. of the parents and other adults The young performers manage around them shapes their deepthe tricky feat of carrying a film est fear. If the citizens of Derry, Maine were to show more affection for the younger generation, the kids would not have been in so ney “I want my robot back.” She much danger, having to face the made jokes about it while also clown alone while experiencing throwing jabs at the ride takbloody and horrifying scenes that ing EEA’s place which is a ride no one should ever have to face. dedicated to the new GuardIn the end, “It” succeeds ians of the Galaxy franchise. in its goal: attracting audiUnfortunately, these rides ences by delivering more than weren’t the only ones closed just cheap scary scenes. “It” too soon. Submarine Voyage, is also a movie full of heart Horizons, Rocket Rods, The and determination with a cast Hunchback of Notre Dame, that is impossible to not like. ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, Cranium Command, Captain EO, and Maelstrom proceeded TGMR and EEA in closing. Many people have been buying ‘goodbye’ merchandise for these rides which is giving the park more revenue. TGMR’s memorable tshirt says ‘That’s a wrap!’ while EEA’s says ‘Universe of Energy: Extinct August 2017’. You can purchase other merchandise besides t-shirts. This includes hats, keychains, and sweatshirts. Disney is saying ‘goodPhotos by Jenna Kauffman bye’ to their iconic rides and ‘hello’ to some new attractions. It was in the Leitersberg lobby.
Disney’s The Great Movie Ride Closes By Hannah Middaugh
Disney World closed one of the most famous and loved rides on August 13; The Great Movie Ride (TGMR). The ride debuted on May 1, 1989 and was located inside a replica of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. This ride used audioanimatronic figures, live actors, special effects, practical sets and projections to recreate iconic scenes from a handful of classic films throughout motion picture history. These films included Mary Poppins, Alien, Wizard of Oz, Singin’ In the Rain, Tarzan the Ape Man, Casablanca, and Fantasia. The Great Movie Ride became the park’s last attraction that was operating on the first opening day of the park. TGMR is being torn down and rebuilt to be Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Since the attraction was a fan favorite, many people are upset about it closing. A few
sounded off on Twitter saying, “This is the next level of buffoonery,” “R.I.P. Great Movie Ride,” and “Sounded awesome…Until I got to the ‘No more Great Movie Ride’ part.” While some people were ranting, others were making tributes and touching goodbyes to the attraction. Some made videos during the ride while others made videos in dedication to the ride sharing some of their memories. Others posted pictures of themselves near the ride or in the ride. However, The Great Movie Ride is not the only attraction that has been closed. Ellen’s Energy Adventure (EEA) was also closed and much like TGMR, people were not happy; Ellen DeGeneres included. Ellen’s Energy Adventure was a ride that had audio-animatronic robots of Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Nye that told you where energy came from. Ellen went on her show and told Dis-
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THE BILLBOARD
ENTERTAINMENT
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2017
Kesha’s new album “Rainbow:” A Recovering Melody By Hong Nguyen
Over the last few years, the story of pop singer Kesha Sebert (Kesha) and her claims of rape and abuse against her producer Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald have made plenty of headlines. Kesha is a U.S. singersongwriter who signed Kemosabe Sony Entertainment under CEO Dr. Luke, in 2005 at the age of 18. She has since then released two albums; 2010’s “Animal” and 2012’s “Warrior”. In October of 2014, Kesha filed a civil suit in which she claimed that Dr. Luke was guilty of sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, civil harassment, violation of California’s unfair business laws, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress and negligent retention and supervision. The case then went to a New York Supreme Court, and in her counterclaim, Kesha alleged that Dr. Luke sexually, physically, verbally and emotionally abused her since the start of their professional relationship. Kesha’s determination to win the battle was not only to free herself but also to bring
hope to all abused victims. Kesha claimed, “All I ever wanted was to be able to make music without being afraid, scared, or abused. This case has never been about a renegotiation of my record contract – it was never about getting a bigger, or a better deal. This is about being free from my abuser. I would be willing to work with Sony if they do the right thing and break all ties that bind me to my abuser.” Yet, according to “Billboard,” after months of continuous battling, a judge rejected Kesha’s amended countersuit against Dr. Luke— in which she sought freedom from her record deal for the third time — claiming Kesha did not give appropriate notice to void her songwriting contract. For that reason, the judge said Kesha could not get out of her contract under the argument that Luke “breached the covenant of good faith and fair dealing” by allegedly abusing her. Although it seemed like the end of the tunnel, Kesha found her ray of light. The young singer has released her first album, “Rainbow,” after her time out of the spotlight for four years. Each song from “Rainbow” represents an intentional statement with lyrics as righteous
Taylor Swift’s New Reputation
By Thuy-Hang Ngo
Back in 2016 when Taylor Swift’s ex-boyfriend, Calvin Harris, called her a snake, and so did Kim Kardashian shortly after, the snake emoji became iconic to the famous singer. Now, three years after her conquering album “1989,” Swift made a comeback with a full-of-spice album, “Reputation.” The album will be officially released on Nov. 10. Swift dropped two hit singles, “Look what you made me do” and “…Ready for it?” The former, as the leading single, received worldwide attention. It is a spicy shout out to her enemies and a detailed illustration of how all rumors
have stuck with her during the past years. Although Swift does not like the role people made her play “like a fool,”, Swift agreed to be a queen of snakes, and she did it quite well. We will see a number of acquaintances in the music video such as the Kardashian-West family, Katy Perry or her ex boyfriends Calvin Harris and Tom Hiddleston. “Look what you made me do” is also a statement that that you will never find the sweet countryside girl who wrote romantic love songs anymore because she is too busy swishing swishing at people, or “because she is dead.”
A drawing of Kesha
warnings that tiptoe up to the line of litigation. Far different from the old image of an overrated, auto-tuned pop singer, Kesha shows off her real voice, singing notes that no one thought she could ever reach. “Praying,” especially, is a heartfelt power ballad that shines some light on the traumatic experiences she went through. There is a strong, organic rock and country influence that places her much more firmly in a lineage, a tradition, instead of the airless EDM(synthesized backing track)-influenced in the past. She pushes through her demons and expresses a remarkable level of empathy and understanding. “Am I dead? Or is this one of those dreams?” asks Kesha in the introduction of the music video. Yet, the content of the song contradicts the negative opening question. “Cause you brought the flames and you put me through hell; I had to learn how to fight for myself; And we both know all the truth I
Art by Francesca Giustini
could tell; I’ll just say this is ‘I wish you farewell.’” These lyrics are the loudest and most powerful statement from Kesha to her abuser: although the journey with Dr. Luke has been nothing but defection, bullying and undermining, she is still willing to forgive him as she becomes a stronger person. It is such a brave move for Kesha to tell the person who ruined her life to “take care” when you really mean “forget you.” It is a powerful statement of resiliency. Kesha’s emotional and vocal commitment to “Rainbow” reveals her exceptional recovery after walking through hell. In the end, she has decided that she will move forward victoriously, even if the court has not exactly deemed it so. Kesha has inspired us to find our strength and stand up even when the world outside is pulling us down: “Don’t let the bastards get you down; Don’t let the assholes wear you out” (“Bastard”), just like Kesha did when she decided to free herself from the grudge with Dr. Luke.
THE BILLBOARD
ENTERTAINMENT
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2017 15
Stay Home Instead of Going “Home Again” By Francesca Giustini
“Home Again” is the directorial debut and first screenplay of Hallie Meyers-Shyer, daughter of Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer. With parents who are beloved directors, screenwriters and producers in their own right, it is a shame to see their daughter’s first feature turn out to be disorganized and poorly developed. It is obvious that more thought was put into the film’s aesthetics than its story, which is the root of many of its problems. The troupe of pretty people with pretty problems does not make a captivating story because it has no relatability or organic conflict. “Home Again” never feels like it lives in reality, despite desperately wanting—and failing—to be profound. This romantic comedy, a genre Meyers-Shyer’s mother has mastered but she herself clearly does not understand the nuances of, tells the story of a woman named Alice who has a silver spoon in her mouth and trivial problems. One of most notable flaws of “Home Again” lies in how it treats first world problems like they are the end of the world. Alice, recently separated from her husband, is starting a new life with her two young daughters in her late father’s Hollywood mansion while moonlighting as an interior designer for the rich and famous to give herself something to do. After meeting Alice at a bar on her birthday, a trio of amateur filmmakers—who are half her age, and all conventionally handsome—somehow manage to score free room and board in her guest house after knowing her for less than one day. Coincidently, her new housemates, named Harry, George and Teddy, just happen to idolize her famous filmmaking parents, enjoying access to all of her late father’s possessions in the home they now all share. Alice’s mother and children effortlessly bond with the trio through the arts. George even
helps the oldest daughter enter a play she wrote into a contest. Soon the guys have been there for weeks, even months possibly. The awkward on again/off again romance between Alice and Harry that sparked at the bar barely puts their freeloading in jeopardy, even when it should. It is a challenge to root for them because Harry only peruses Alice when it suits him best. The forced triangulation is completed when her soon to be exhusband suddenly arrives in the third act, asking to rekindle things with Alice. Oddly, he gives up on her all too easily, even though it seems he
Witherspoon in “Home Again” poster
has won her back and driven the trio into exile. In the end, the daughter’s play reunites the trio with Alice’s family, showing them that they were a part of the family from the beginning. And while none of the male characters have recovered a residence with Alice by the end, she is still caring for all of them one way or another. While it is refreshing to see a 40-year-old female protagonist, especially as a romantic lead, the film ultimately asks us to believe too many unrealistic things. Alice never feels like someone who would let strangers live in her home or involved with her kids. All of the characters get too comfortable too fast, asking the audience to see them as a family even though we hardly know them and they hardly know one another. The relationship that Alice has with the trio wears too many hats, ranging
from mom to friend to landlord to lover. She suddenly begins to like her husband again simply because he is there. Her boss is made out to be “The Devil Wear’s Prada” level abusive when she talks about her but is only ever vain and flaky when on screen. Alice’s eventual drunken blow up at her seems anticlimactic and unwarranted. Lastly, the oldest daughter’s play is inspired by the new house dynamic, despite the trio only being there for a few days when she wrote it. If this play is so powerful then why is the performance of it barely shown on screen, cutting right to a
Poster provided by Vimeo
dinner scene to end the film? On top of this, there are too many times where the film breaks the number one rule of writing: “Show; don’t tell.” In fact, Meyers-Shyer begins “Home Again” with an awkward, overly long montage paired with a voiceover of Alice talking about her father’s film career. This opening info dump is not the last time that the story uses montages instead of giving us actual scenes and dialogue. Over and over again, the film chooses a nicely edited sequence spanning over time with catchy music instead of giving us real content. Since none of the conflict is organic and much of the story is told and not shown, the film never makes it clear as it what it is trying to say at all. Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon makes the most of a role that gives her almost nothing to play with.
She tries to make Alice’s privledge relatable but the script will not allow it. Instead it just asks her to constantly make funny faces to distract from the script’s lack of depth. The romance between Alice and Harry is boring and mostly unbelievable due to Pico Alexander’s inability to feel genuine or bring any substance to an already lackluster romantic role. In this part, he is as believable as a 12-yearold trying to use a fake ID to buy beer—not to mention, he is outshined by literally anyone he shares the screen with. George is by far the most interesting, developed and real character in the film and that fact that this character was even able to exist in this film is one of its few achievements. Played by “Saturday Night Live” alum Jon Rudnitsky, you believe every word he says, proving that sometimes inspired performances can happen in terrible films. Lastly, Nat Wolff, who started his career on Nickelodeon, proves as Teddy that he has gracefully been promoted from child star to character actor, despite having the least amount of screen time or storyline of the trio. A better screenplay would have given his role more weight, which he could have handled. Not even its very talented cast can make up for the script’s undeveloped characters in an overly packed plot that never meets its potential. This premise, if handled properly could have become a television show or miniseries in someone else’s hands. Even the poster, which only pictures Witherspoon, does not understand that Alice is the least interesting part of the story. Instead, “Home Again” is a 97 minute commercial for Pottery Barn that never fully explores or answers the interesting questions it presents. While the film as a whole is pleasant on the surface, the audience cannot help but want more from it and leave dissatisfied.
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THE BILLBOARD
WEEKLY EVENTS
MONDAY
TUESDAY “ FUN”ctional Fitness Fitness Center 11:00 a.m.-11:45 a.m.
Wednesday Worship Alumnae Chapel 12:00 p.m.-12:30 p.m.
Fri, Sept. 22
Sat, Sept. 23
Sun, Sept. 24
Live Local Music Reid’s Winery Tasting Room and Cider House 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. FREE Must be 21+ to drink
Wed, Sept. 27
Flu Shot Clinic Lenfest Commons Room 113 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Cost: Students FREE Faculty/Staff: $10.00
Relive the Golden Years of Rock ‘N Roll Featuring Ronnie Dove Presented by: Mike Pryor Capitol Theatre 7:00 p.m. Cost: Rows C-N (Front half of theatre): $53.00 Rows O-CC (Back half of theatre): $28.00
Thurs, Sept. 28
Graduate School Fair Lenfest Learning Commons 3:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
A Time Set Apart Bible Study Sarah’s Coffeehouse 12:00 p.m.-12:30 p.m.
Flu Shot Clinic Lenfest Commons Room 113 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Cost: Students FREE Faculty/Staff: $10.00
Mon, Oct. 2
Tues, Oct. 3
Dr. Michael Cornelius Historic Anxiety: The Straightwashing of Edward II in TwentiethCentury Fiction Lenfest Commons 12:00 p.m.
Community Walking Party Memorial Park 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Meet at the Tennis Courts No dogs allowed FREE
También la lluvia / Even the Rain (Icíar Bollaín, 2010) Brooks Auditorium 9:00 p.m.
Tues, Oct. 10
Comedian Ray William Johnson The Harrisburg Comedy Zone 8:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. Cost: $19.00 Pumpkin Painting York Medical Spa 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Cost: $18.00
Wed, Oct. 11
Arts Day
Midnight Crows Paint-Along Farnsworth House Inn 401 Baltimore Street Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 17325 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Cost: $29.95
THURSDAY
WEDNESDAY
Fiber Fellowship Lenfest Commons 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Phoenix Friday Lenfest Commons Courtyard 5:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
FRIDAY, September 22, 2017
CALENDAR
Music in the Valley Reid’s Home Winery 2135 Buchanan Valley Rd. Orrtanna, PA 17353 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. FREE
Fri, Sept. 29
Yoga Fitness Center 5:15 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
“ FUN”ctional Fitness Fitness Center 11:00 a.m.-11:45 a.m.
Mon, Sept. 25
Tues, Sept. 26
Flu Shot Clinic 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Lenfest Commons Room 113 Cost:Students FREE Faculty/Staff: $10.00 Dr. Andrea Lieber When the Virtual Becomes Sacred: How Religion is Evolving in a Post-Human World Lenfest Commons 12:00 p.m.
Sat, Sept. 30
Live Local Music Reid’s Winery Tasting Room and Cider House 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. FREE Must be 21+ to drink
Fall Duffield Festival 2168 Mont Alto Road, Chambersburg, PA 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. FREE
Fri, Oct. 6
Sat, Oct. 7
Protection4Paws Golf Tournament Caledonia Gulf Club 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Cost: $70.00 per player Northwood Books First Fridays 59 N. Main St. Chambersburg, PA 17201 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.
Fri, Oct. 13
Murder Mystery: Murder at the Boarding House 175 E. King St. Chambersburg, PA 6:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. Cost: $10.00 for adults $4.00 kids 6-12 Kids under 6 are free
Don McLean Luhrs Performing Arts Center 8:00 p.m. Cost: $29.00-$49.00 Oktoberfest At the corner of Hood and W. King Streets 12:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Cost: $10.00 advance tickets $15.00 at the door $5.00 designated driver Register at: https://www. downtownchambersburgpa.com/oktoberfest
Chambersburg Beer Runners walk/run 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Walk starts at 5:30 p.m. Run starts at 6:00 p.m. FREE Contact Appalachian Running Company for location and for more information: 717-753-3539
Sun, Oct. 1
The Work of White Folks: Knowing and Doing Something About Internalized Racism Facilitated by Dr. Melinda M. Schwenk-Borrell Brooks Auditorium 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
Sun, Oct. 8
Leslie McKee: Another Mile CD Release Concert Merge Community Church 540 East Washington Street Chambersburg, PA 17201 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. FREE A Halloween Tea“Nevermore” Franklin Historical Society 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
Fall 2017 Study Abroad Information Sessions Tuesday, October 24
12:00 p.m. Lenfest 106 Bahrom International Program Seoul, South Korea
(a four week program in June – July 2018)
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