Tag: Madeline Weaver-Nolting ’19
There’s a New Joker in Town
by The Cowl Editor on October 4, 2018
Arts & Entertainment
Joaquin Phoenix Brings New Perspective to DC’s Popular Villain
by: Madeline Weaver-Nolting ’19 A&E Staff
One of the darkest villains of all time is about to get his own movie. Actor Joaquin Phoenix is set to star in the Warner Bros. newest film, Joker. With big shoes to fill, including Jack Nicolson and the late Heath Ledger, there is a lot of pressure on Phoenix to fulfill the iconic role. The DC Universe movie is also very important to the DC franchise because it is one of the first stand-alone movies that does not intersect with the rest of the DC Universe. If Joker does well, DC may shift its focus towards making stand-alone movies.
The movie is supposed to be an origin story about the Joker. Warner Bros. describes the movie as “an exploration of a man disregarded by society [that] is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.” The Joker has been in several Batman movies and in Suicide Squad, but this is the first time that he has ever been featured in his own movie. Now, fans will gain insight into how he became one of the most disturbing and diabolical masterminds in cinematic history.
Audiences will see how the Joker became the Joker. Instead of running away from the darkness, Joker is said to embrace it. CinemaBlend says, “This version of Joker is originally about a man named Arthur Fleck, who is reportedly a stand-up comedian that turns to a life of crime after being ostracized by society.” This is a different Joker than ever shown before. The face paint is different, but more sinister than it has been in the past. With white face paint and blue triangles around the eyes, the new makeup resembles that worn by real-life serial killer John Wayne Gacy.
Besides the makeup change, Phoenix will bring another unique portrayal of the Joker to life. The Observer stated, “Cesar Romero turned him into an innocuous jester; Jack Nicholson made him a jubilant gangster; Heath Ledger painted him as a cunning anarchist; Leto rendered him an outright psychopath.”
The character has been said to be cursed because some of the actors have experienced weird occurrences after playing the role. Apparently, the role has even had an impact on the mental health of the actors. Ledger took the portrayal so seriously that he isolated himself before filming to try to get in the mindset of the murderous character and would only get two hours of sleep per night. When Leto was filming his movie, he supposedly sent his castmates dead animals among other things.
Also interesting is the selection of the director for Joker. Todd Phillips is new to the superhero universe. He has only made comedies such as The Hangover trilogy and Old School. This could bring a very different perspective that incorporates humor into the Joker’s dark personality.
Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel an Award-Winning Hit
by The Cowl Editor on September 27, 2018
Arts & Entertainment
by: Madeline Weaver-Nolting ’19 A&E Staff
Amazon Prime’s original series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel may have only had one season so far, but it is taking the world by storm. At the 2018 Emmy Awards, the show won more awards with a single season than any comedy has before with eight wins out of a total of 14 nominations.
In 1950s New York, Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) is a wife and mother who seemingly has her life figured out, but it takes a dramatic turn when her husband suddenly leaves her. The housewife now must find a passion of her own to follow.
She stumbles into standup comedy and is not only good, but hilarious. Midge must deal with pressures from her family, Jewish synagogue, and society; she has several run ins with the law for her “scandalous” comedy acts. Midge must become independent over night and finds new ways to make herself happy despite her world crumbling around her. The laugh-out-loud funny show will keep you guessing what kinds of adventures Midge is going to get into next.
The show is based on true stories of women trying to get their big break in comedy and the struggles that they faced in a male dominated industry. Vulture says, “Throughout season one, Mrs. Maisel weaves Midge’s origin story with scenarios and tropes from the era, borrowing from some of comedy’s real-life female trailblazers like [Phyllis] Diller and [Joan] Rivers, while mixing in details that might come years later (a topless comedy act), and others that happened to male comics (Lenny Bruce’s famous obscenity trial), resulting in an imaginative tableau of comedy history.”
At the Emmy’s, Brosnahan got her first win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Midge after a 2015 nomination for her role in House of Cards. She admitted that she did not prepare a speech, but she said, “One of the things I love the most about this show…[is] it’s about a woman who is finding her voice anew. It’s something that’s happening all over the country right now. One of the most important ways that we can find and use our voices is to vote. So if you haven’t already registered, do it on your cell phone right now. Vote, show up and bring a friend to the polls.”
The show’s creator and executive producer Amy Sherman-Palladino also won big with two awards for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series—the first woman ever to do so. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s second season will be released soon with confirmation of a third season due to these many early successes.
Too Many Queens on the Scene: Nicki Minaj and Cardi B Face-Off
by Kerry Torpey on September 20, 2018
Arts & Entertainment
by Madeline Weaver-Nolting ’19
A&E Staff
Two of the most well-known and popular female rappers in today’s music, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, recently got into a physical altercation at New York Fashion Week. The feud escalated dramatically as the public began taking sides in defending one over the other.
Their relationship has always been complicated—but whether it is because they actually do not like one another or because society pits them against one another is unclear.
One problem is that Minaj feels Cardi B treats her with disrespect. In an interview with Apple Music Beat 1, Minaj said, “I really fully supported [Cardi B] and up until this recent interview, I had never seen her show me genuine love in an interview. I can just imagine how many girls wish they could of been on a song with Nicki Minaj. I’m not saying it in a cocky way.” Being a musician with more experience, Minaj appears to see herself as a veteran that Cardi B should “wish” she could collaborate with.
Both Cardi B and Minaj, however, seem to be treated differently than their male counterparts because everyone picks sides as to which one to support and cannot choose both. In a now deleted tweet, Minaj said, “These are men in our culture who simply refuse to let it go. They don’t do this to male M.C.’s.” Minaj implies that she and Cardi B do not have much, if any, tension between them and that it is all gossip; society is making drama out of nothing and putting two of the most successful female rappers against one another.
Cardi B feels similarly. She says that the two talked it out at the Met Gala and continued to say in an interview with Howard Stern, “I never was feuding with anybody. There was a misunderstanding. She felt a certain type of way about something and I definitely felt a certain type of way about something. Didn’t want to ever talk about it in public …It’s always little issues but the thing is, fans are always gonna make it a big thing. I spoke to her about it. It’s just like, see? It was just something that it had to be talked about.” Cardi B says that they worked it all out, but fans will always try to add fuel to the fire when there is nothing to fight about.
The video-recorded fight that broke out between Minaj and Cardi B is complicated because no one will admit to what was said to start the brawl. Cardi B says that Minaj insulted her skills as a mother of her newborn daughter, Kulture. Minaj is pointing her finger at her opponent as the one who started it all. Minaj said in an interview months before the fight, “To me, [Cardi B] may have taken an issue with things that I’ve said, but I’m not going to bite my tongue… You gotta have thick skin.”
The feud between Minaj and Cardi B seems to have not reached a conclusion. There is, however, a question of the authenticity behind the quarrel as it goes viral.
Marvel Makes Progress With First Leading Female Superhero
by The Cowl Editor on September 13, 2018
Arts & Entertainment
by: Madeline Weaver-Nolting ’19 A&E Staff
In the 10 years that Marvel Studios has made superhero movies, none of them have starred a woman in the leading role. That is all about to change with the movie Captain Marvel starring Brie Larson, set to be released in March 2019.
Marvel has strong female characters, like Black Widow and The Wasp, but none have ever had their own movie. According to IMDB.com, “Captain Marvel gets caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.”
With all the buzz and success that DC Comics’ Wonder Woman received, fans are wondering how Captain Marvel will compare. There is pressure for Captain Marvel to do well, which has created a competition with viewers putting the two women against one another, even though they are completely different.
Some question why Marvel Studios has not produced a superhero movie with a female lead sooner. This question is especially relevant as Captain Marvel is described as one of the most powerful superheroes on earth, possibly even the strongest Avenger. “She is more powerful than any character we’ve introduced thus far,” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige tells EW. With that being said, it is no wonder that at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, Nick Fury calls her to save Earth from Thanos.
Marvel is also behind because with 20 movies released, they have never had a female director. Again, Captain Marvel is going to change that. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck are co-directing the movie, which shocked many fans because they are not very well-known and have worked mostly on independent projects in the past. It will be interesting to see their vision and style of Captain Marvel compared to previous Marvel Studios projects.
A powerhouse like Marvel creating a film like Captain Marvel works towards opening doors for more women in Hollywood. “Marvel really went above and beyond with Captain Marvel,” screenwriter Geneva Robertson-Dworet told NPR. “Not only did they have Anna Boden, who, along with Ryan Fleck is directing the movie… they had many female writers working on the project. They also had female producers in the room. And that is really rare to have that.” Viewers can only hope that this is just the beginning of Marvel expanding representation for all in their future projects.
Kevin Spacey Makes His Own House of Cards: Spacey’s Recent Sexual Assault Allegations Hit the Pause Button in His Career
by The Cowl Editor on November 16, 2017
Arts & Entertainment
by Madeline Weaver-Nolting ’19
A&E Staff
The career of the well-known House of Cards star and two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey is in serious jeopardy. On Oct. 29, the first of many accusations of sexual misconduct came to light, causing an uproar in Hollywood and social media.
Netflix has announced that the sixth season of House of Cards would be its last, and Netflix has currently suspended the TV show to consider their options. They have, however, said that they will not continue the series if Spacey remains involved. Netflix is even considering killing off his character, Francis Underwood.
The first accuser was Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp. In a Buzzfeed article, Rapp accused Spacey of sexually assaulting him in 1986, when he was 14 and Spacey was 31. Rapp wrote in an emailed statement, “I came forward with my story, standing on the shoulders of the many courageous women and men who have been speaking out, to shine a light and hopefully make a difference, as they have done for me. Everything I wanted to say about my experience is in that article, and I have no further comment about it at this time.”
The accusations against Spacey come in the aftermath of dozens of sexual harassment and sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein. The well-known producer and founder of The Weinstein Company has been fired from his company and expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
New York Times writers Sarah Almukhtar, Larry Buchanan, and Michael Gold have compiled a list of “at least 20 high-profile men in a variety of industries have also been accused. Since then, a number have resigned, been fired or experienced other fallout after claims ranging from inappropriate text messages to rape.” Weinstein’s allegations have led to a purging of well-known Hollywood elite whose careers will ever be the same again.
Spacey has met even more criticism for revealing his sexuality in his apology to Rapp. Sarah Kate Ellis, president and chief executive officer of GLAAD, responded, “Coming out stories should not be used to deflect from allegations of sexual assault. This is not a coming out story about Kevin Spacey, but a story of survivorship by Anthony Rapp and all those who bravely speak out against unwanted sexual advances. The media and public should not gloss over that.”
Spacey’s acting career is quickly declining. With recent allegations against Spacey, his House of Cards role and his entire acting career may be over.
Brookes Barnes from the New York Times writes, “In a highly unusual move, the director Ridley Scott decided on Wednesday to remove Spacey from a finished movie, All the Money in the World, and re-film scenes with a substitute actor.” As allegations against many Hollywood elite continue to surface, many careers have come to a standstill.
You Know Where She At, You Know Where She Be: Cardi B: Hit Single “Bodak Yellow”
by The Cowl Editor on October 26, 2017
Arts & Entertainment
by Madeline Weaver-Nolting ’19
A&E Staff
Female rapper and hip hop artist Cardi B is one to watch out for. Her hit song “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)” has climbed to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. She is now the fifth female rapper in history to be on top without a featured artist on the track, which has not happened since Lauryn Hill released “Doo Wop (That Thing)” in 1998. She is breaking down barriers in the rap world while discussing feminism and her unconventional beginning in the music industry.
The confident 24-year-old singer, born as Belcalis Almanzar, is from the Bronx and gained fame through her Instagram and Vine accounts. Her social media presence attracted attention and she officially became known as Cardi B. Her audience and followers continued to increase when she starred in in the VH1 reality television series, Love & Hip Hop: New York.
In her music, Cardi B focuses on issues that she faced before she was famous; she is very vocal and defensive about her Dominican and Trinidadian heritage. While some may consider her lyrics to be aggressive, her music portrays the difficulties women face in society. She outlines how she turned her life around against all odds to “make money moves.” She taunts her enemies by showing how her hard work has paid off with her successful career.
What makes Cardi B even more unconventional is her openness about her past of being a gang member and an exotic dancer. She even references this in “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)” by saying, “I make bloody moves.” She often discusses hera rags to riches story and has overcome so much.
The title of the song “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)” references rapper Kodak Black, who was an inspiration for Cardi B’s lyrics. Something that stands out to listeners is the lack of advertisement and media coverage surrounding the song; the fame behind the hit single revolves around social media. Cardi B said, “I never asked [my fans], they just did it voluntarily, every day harassing their followers like, “Make sure you download and stream ‘Bodak Yellow’—and look what you made me do.”
Cardi B’s music career seemed to come out of nowhere, and with the strength of her social media following, she was able to dethrone Taylor Swift’s single “Look What You Made Me Do” from the Billboard charts. And with a report from Hot New Hip Hop that the rapper may be collaborating with Beyoncé, it is clear that her talent has put her on top.
Rapping a Message: Eminem Targets President Trump Through Freestyle Rap
by The Cowl Editor on October 19, 2017
Arts & Entertainment
by Madeline Weaver-Nolting ’19
A&E Staff
The often controversial and influential rapper Eminem has resurfaced once again, but this time to broadcast his political views on the president. In a freestyle rap performed at the BET Hip Hop Awards, Eminem attacked Donald Trump.
The rap, titled “The Storm,” creates a clear divide between himself and anyone who supports the president by rapping, “decide who you like more” Eminem or Trump, but this isn’t the first time that Eminem has been involved in politics.
Filmed in a parking garage Eminem emotionally expresses his feelings towards the president. The 4.5 minute freestyle rap slams President Donald Trump for everything from white supremacy to Trump’s attacks on patriotism in the NFL.
Eminem previously expressed his feelings of dislike for the president in a 2016 freestyle rap “Campaign Speech.” He has also rapped about other politicians, including Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and George W. Bush. Eminem is not the only hip hop rapper to have rapped about President Trump. Other rappers include Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dog, and YG.
In 2004, President Trump “made a cameo in the Eminem concert special ‘The Shady National Convention,’” writes Des Shoe and Joe Coscarelli of The New York Times. Allegedly Trump at the time even said, “Donald Trump is telling you right now Slim Shady [Eminem’s alter-ego] is a winner.”
Eminem previously mocked Trump by saying, “He’s got brains, he’s got guts and he’s got Trump’s vote.” As of now Trump has yet to respond to the aggressive rap, but one could speculate that his opinion of Eminem has changed since 2004 after this rap.
Eminem may be rapping about equality and justice, but what makes it so controversial is the way that he spreads the message and his past history of violence.
In “The Storm” Eminem continues with his usual rap style by using explicit language to get his ideas across. Some of his past songs have been criticized for being homophobic and misogynistic, while this song, in a way, is being applauded.
Regardless what one thinks of Eminem, he does have a remarkable underdog story. He was raised in a difficult area in Detroit in an unstable household and was bullied. After he dropped out of high school he discovered rap music through underground circles, which later led to such a successful music career that has led to a net worth of $190 million.
It is also a very convenient time for Eminem to reemerge from the shadows since he has not released an album since 2013. He has been avoiding his fame for some time now, and many music experts speculate that he will be releasing his eighth album before the end of this year.
Netflix, Please Chill: Netflix Plans to Remove Several Beloved, “Binge-Watched” Shows in 2019
by The Cowl Editor on September 28, 2017
Arts & Entertainment
by Madeline Weaver-Nolting ’19
A&E Staff
It seems that every month more beloved and addicting TV shows and movies are leaving Netflix Instant Streaming. With over a 1,000 TV shows and more than 4,000 movies, Netflix has proven itself to be the best way to “binge-watch” anyone’s favorite TV show or movie. However, some of TV’s most popular shows and movies will be leaving Netflix within the next few months.
According to the Netflix Help Center, there are three factors they consider when removing a movie or show: “Are the rights to renew the licensing to stream still available? What is the popularity and cost of a particular title? Are there other seasonal or localized factors?”
Unfortunately for many fans, the renewal of licensing for many beloved shows and movies will be ending in the following months because of licensing changes.
Disney Productions is one of the companies that will be stopping several shows and movies with Netflix within the next two years. Movies, including Moana and the new Beauty and the Beast will be removed by 2019, along with Marvel movies.
Not only are recently released Disney movies scheduled to be removed, the older movies that many of us grew up with are at risk of being removed as well. Disney will not be renewing the licensing with Netflix because it will launch its own streaming service that will likely incorporate new content and original shows.
Another major film studio that will end its partnership with Netflix is 20th Century Fox—TV shows, such as American Horror Story, How I Met Your Mother, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia will be removed.
In fact, 20th Century Fox has made a new deal with Hulu rather than Netflix, strengthening the competition between the two services. As Hulu will be taking what are now very popular TV shows and movies to watch on Netflix, it leaves the question as to whether or not Hulu will become the new Netflix.
It makes sense that shows and movies would leave because of renewal of licensing issues, but Netflix is also pushing to remove older content to add new work. Kasey Moore of the website, What’s On Netflix, says, “As Netflix continues their strategy at becoming a platform with exclusive content, they’re clearly shifting some of the older, albeit loved titles off of Netflix.”
This may explain why popular shows like One Tree Hill and Friday Night Lights will leave Netflix in early 2018. Netflix renews shows for a fixed fee, allowing Netflix to be able to pick and choose which shows and movies they wish to continue showing.
There are a few ways to get your voice heard if you are extremely distraught that your favorite show or movie is being removed, such as responding to the Netflix social media accounts or submitting titles to Netflix on their help site.
How will letting go of so many memorable and popular shows and movies impact Netflix? Will there be a decline in Netflix subscriptions? Or only an increase in Hulu subscriptions? Only time will tell if these choices made by Netflix and its partners will be beneficial or not.
“Everything Has Changed”: Taylor Takes a Swift Approach with New Music
by The Cowl Editor on September 14, 2017
Arts & Entertainment
by Madeline Weaver-Nolting ’19
A&E Staff
Is the “old” Taylor Swift really gone for good or is this a publicity stunt for her new album? So far the two singles off her upcoming sixth studio album have a noticeably different sound than what fans are used to. Her country-turned-pop music career has once again transformed to a darker and edgier tone that begs the question: Why has the award winning country star tiptoed away from the country and into the city?
Despite the new sound, there’s no surprise that Swift’s singles, “Look What You Made Me Do” and “…Ready For It?”, are both in the Top 5 on the iTunes charts. Her music video for “Look What You Made Me Do” has almost 300 million views on YouTube and it has only been out since Aug. 27.
In “Look What You Made Me Do,” Swift lashes out at people who have targeted her in the media and focuses on getting revenge. She sings, “But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time,” as she has taken time off in order to change and survive in the music industry.
“Look What You Made Me Do” might sound familiar because Swift made the surprising move of inserting another song into hers for the first time in her music career. She made the bold, some might argue bizarre, statement of interpolating the ’90s song, “I’m Too Sexy,” by Right Said Fred. For this reason, every band member of Right Said Fred is listed as a collaborator in the credits for the song.
“…Ready For It?” centers on a dark love story involving her dreams and playing games with her new love interest.
No longer is she portrayed as her stereotypical heartbroken innocent image, but in these two songs Swift tries to branch out and recreate herself, as the title of the new album, Reputation, suggests.
Swift sounds almost unrecognizable as she says in “Look What Made You Me Do,” “I’m sorry, the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now./ Why? / Oh, ‘cause she’s dead!” She is methaphorically “killing” her former self in order to reinvent herself.
Critics have mixed reactions on her new music. Rolling Stone writer Brittany Spanos asks the question, “Her vengeful new single seems to take aim at Kanye and kills off (the old Taylor)—can she pull off the most dramatic about-face of her career?” While, Billboard writer Jason Lipshutz says, “More than anything, it’s utterly weird, from an artist who’s taken several risks throughout a sterling career but never approached this level of idiosyncrasy.”
Whether Swift’s new music is just another one of her phases or if this new Swift is here to stay, her music is still breaking records. The world will have to wait and see if her album Reputation will make or break her career upon its Nov. 10 release.