Late Night Responds To Chaotic Presidential Debate

By Rose Cohen ’22

Staff Writer

After President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joseph R. Biden Jr. went head-to-head during the Sept. 29 disorderly debate in Cleveland, Ohio, late night hosts satirized several key moments. They mocked “Fox News Sunday” anchor and debate moderator Chris Wallace who repeatedly wrestled with stopping Trump from interrupting Biden. They ridiculed Trump’s blatant refusal to condemn white supremacists. They emphasized that fact checkers should alert viewers about candidates spewing misinformation.

 Late Night vs. Wallace

 “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon compared Wallace to a kindergarten teacher attempting to run a class on Zoom. 

 On “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” host Jimmy Kimmel jested, “Trump treated Chris Wallace like he was Eric [Trump] asking for more allowance money. You know things are getting heated when the moderator pleads, ‘Please, gentlemen, let’s return to the topic of race.’”

 During a monologue on “The Daily Show,” host Trevor Noah thanked Wallace for his service. “I hope that you have a lot of money for your therapy,” Noah said, addressing Wallace. “You made a valiant effort, but you were not ready for this, because no human being could’ve been ready for this.” 

  “The Late Show” frontman Stephen Colbert poked fun at Wallace’s question about why Trump holds big rallies and Biden favors much smaller events. Colbert chided, “We already know the big rallies are bad, Chris. This is like asking, ‘Mr. President, you’re tying ladies to the railroad tracks as the choo-choo train approaches. Mr. Biden, why did you go with the strategy of not killing your supporters?’” 

On Trump Rejecting the Opportunity to Denounce Far-Right Hate Groups

 During the debate, Wallace asked Trump if he was willing to decry white supremacists and militia groups. In response, Trump told the Proud Boys, an extremist organization that has been called “misogynistic, Islamophobic, transphobic and anti-immigration” by the Anti-Defamation League, to “stand back and stand by.” 

 Colbert called Trump’s answer one of the most upsetting moments of his lifetime. With both of his pointer fingers in the air, Colbert then parodied the president. “I don’t support white supremacists. I just command them like a dog. That’s why I’ve got this shiny dog whistle. Proud Boys! Proud Boys! Stand back! Sit! Who’s a proud boy? You’re a proud boy!” 

 “Yeah, it’s not good when you ask the President if he’ll condemn white supremacy, and the ‘Jeopardy!’ music starts playing in his head while he thinks it over,” Fallon quipped. 

 Noah also commented on Trump’s frantic performance, exclaiming, “I can’t believe how hard his brain malfunctioned when they asked him to denounce white supremacists.” 

 The Fight for Live Fact-Checking 

 Prior to the debate, the co-chair of the Commission on Presidential Debates, Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr., told CNN that the nonprofit corporation does not require their moderators, including Wallace, to act as fact checkers. In a Fox News interview, Wallace had stated that he wanted to try to be invisible during the upcoming debate. Noah and Colbert both brought up the importance of fact-checking in their monologues. 

 “Guys, debates need fact checkers, because otherwise, people can just stand on the stage and say whatever they want,” Noah said. “And there are no consequences — zero, nada, zilch. Every time a candidate says a lie, there should be some sort of, like, sign that they lied. Like, maybe a brick should come down on their side of the screen, you know, like ‘Tetris.’” 

 “Ultimately, I think the American people — they were hurt tonight,” Colbert said. “And if you look online, they’re angry. Because this is a serious moment where human lives and the future of this irreplaceable country is on the line. And I know that Chris Wallace says he’s not a fact checker. But after one-and-a-half hours of chaos and lies, I can say there’s one statement tonight that was absolutely true.” The statement in question? A moment during the debate when Trump said, “This is not going to end well.”

The 72nd Emmy Awards Streams From Home

Image courtesy of Flickr

By Sabryna Coppola ’22

Arts & Entertainment Editor

On Sept. 20, the 72nd Emmy Awards took place, celebrating all of the triumphs of television in the last year. The show aired as a primarily virtual event  for the first time. It was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, who made his comedic monologue to an empty Staples Center. Because everyone had to stay safely in their homes, or at least away from the crowds, the virtual Emmy Awards were very different than in past years, but there were a few shining moments. 

The first section of the show was devoted to comedy, and Pop TV’s “Schitt’s Creek” swept the board. Winning every single award for a comedy series, the Canadian show took home seven wins. Crediting each member of the fictional Rose family with an Emmy, the Academy also awarded the show for its writing, directing and overall quality. 

As a fan of the show, I am delighted to see their hard work being recognized. But as someone who has watched a lot of television in the past six months, I have to say there were so many more shows that deserved a share in the glory. Other nominees for Outstanding Comedy Series included “Insecure,” “The Good Place” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” all of which I believe stood their ground compared to “Schitt’s Creek.” I think individuals who made incredible contributions to television this year, like Ramy Youssef and Issa Rae, deserved to be celebrated as well. Essentially, “Schitt’s Creek” earned its success, but taking home every single award in the category seemed wrong considering all of its strong competitors. 

HBO’s “Succession” took home the win for Outstanding Drama Series, beating “Ozark,” “Killing Eve” and others. Zendaya made history as the youngest recipient of an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at just 24. Amid her surprise, she took a moment to thank the other women in the category, as well as young activists all over the country. 

“To all my peers out there doing the work in the streets: I see you, I admire you, I thank you,” Zendaya said, accepting her Emmy. She was not alone in acknowledging politics that night. 

Regina King, who won Best Actress in a Limited Series, accepted her award for playing Angela Abar in the adaptation of the comic “Watchmen” while wearing a shirt with Breonna Taylor’s face on it, accompanied by the words “Say Her Name.” “Watchmen” was bitingly relevant in the last few months, confronting the history of the Tulsa Race Massacre and police brutality. Her co-star, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, won the nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series, and the show itself won Best Limited Series, taking home a total of four wins. Uzo Aduba, who won Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series for her role in “Mrs. America,” also wore an outfit honoring Taylor. 

Tyler Perry won the Governors Award in recognition for “outstanding achievement …  either of a cumulative nature or so extraordinary and universal in nature as to go beyond the scope of the Emmy Awards presented in the categories and areas of the competition,” and delivered a touching speech about a quilt his grandmother gave him, which he sees as a representation of America. 

“I stand here tonight to say thank you to all of the people who are celebrating and know the value of every patch and every story and every color that makes up this quilt that is our business, this quilt that is our lives, this quilt that is America,” Perry said, honoring the representation of Black Americans in television, something that his grandmother didn’t have. 

This year, the Emmys seemed oddly unfamiliar in that everyone accepted their awards from home. The show followed a lot of the formulas we have seen in the wake of the pandemic: awkward jokes about social distancing and never leaving the house, commending essential workers and desperately urging viewers to vote. We saw some instances of true heartfelt acknowledgment of discrimination in the television industry and certainly felt the shortcomings of the Academy, including the failure to go further than nominating up-and-coming creators of color for their work.

Netflix’s ‘Ratched’ Feels Like an Addendum To ‘American Horror Story’

By Rose Cohen ’22

Staff Writer

Content Warning: This review describes graphic violence, homophobic scenes and homicide.

The Netflix series “Ratched” promises to tell the origin story of Nurse Mildred Ratched, the notorious antagonist of Ken Kesey’s 1962 classic novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and Czech-born director Milos Forman’s book-to-film adaptation of the same name. The show, which premiered on Sept. 18, feels more like a combination of an Alfred Hitchcock psychological horror and FX’s dark series, “American Horror Story.”

Jennifer Salt, Tim Minear, Alexis Martin Woodall and Ryan Murphy, the creators of “American Horror Story,” are the producers of the show. Sarah Paulson, who stars as Ratched, has acted in nearly every season of the anthology series. 

Hitchcock could have easily directed the first few minutes of the pilot of the eight-episode season. The eerie weather — complete darkness and a heavy thunderstorm — mirrors the beginning of the director’s 1959 thriller, “Psycho.” 

In the first scene of the show, it’s 1947 and a priest leaves a church sermon. The camera pans to Edmund Tolleson (Finn Wittrock), but shadows conceal his face. Tolleson begins to stalk the clergyman, following him home, where he lives with several other priests. 

Once the father’s housemates venture out to a movie theater to watch the Christmas classic “Miracle on 34th Street,” Tolleson — whose face remains hidden — bangs on the door, claiming that his car broke down. He asks to use the telephone. Once he enters the home and we finally see his face, he stares at a knife on the dinner table, adding to his villainous vibe. 

When the rest of the priests return home, they find the sole priest left behind dead. Tolleson goes on a rampage through the house, attacking and killing all of the priests but one, all the while smiling. This is once again reminiscent of Norman Bates, the murderous mama’s boy in “Psycho.”

Six months after Tolleson’s killing spree, we meet the young version of Ratched. She drives along California’s northern coast, in her mint green Ford Coupe, to Lucia, California, where she has orchestrated an unplanned interview at Lucia State Hospital, the facility in which the homicidal Tolleson is about to be held. The director of the hospital, Dr. Hanover (Jon Jon Briones), is diving into experimental treatments including hydrotherapy, hypnosis and lobotomies. An assortment of violent patients terrorizes the staff. But because of the focus on the storyline within the hospital, we still know very little by the end of the series about Ratched’s behavior in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

The bloody and brutal scenes in “Ratched” parallel the ones we see in “American Horror Story,” and beware: They’re just as gory. In one especially grisly episode, Ratched locks a man (Corey Stoll) in a hydrotherapy tub and attempts to boil him alive. We see him stagger from the tub, his gruesome burns making it nearly impossible not to turn away from the screen. Another horrific scene from an early episode shows a grisly depiction of a boy (Brandon Flynn) removing his own arms. 

Producer Ryan Murphy may have set out to explore what turned Ratched into the tyrant that Kesey created, but we receive only a superficial version of the character. Scene after scene, “Ratched” showcases murder and torture, but fails to provide any source of dramatic tension.

“Ratched” throws around a lot of heavy topics. There’s the sensationalized depiction of people with mental illnesses and the treatment of homosexuality. One patient suffers from dissociative identity disorder (which is derogatorily referred to in the show) and becomes violent when she takes on the role of Olympian Jesse Owens. A lesbian character receives brutal conversion therapy. Both scenes are equally offensive, and they don’t drive the narrative forward in any way. Like the whole show, they just serve as an excuse for “American Horror Story”-style torture porn. 

At its best, “Ratched” could be another storyline in “American Horror Story,” presented in multiple episodes. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Murphy stated, “I feel like Nurse Ratched is sort of shorthand for barbarism.” He continued, “What was interesting was trying to create an emotional character from a reputation that’s very cold...trying to figure out every little detail about her childhood, her relationships, her sexuality.” He also admitted that he was scared to take on such an iconic character.

If you’re looking for insight into Kesey’s Ratched, this isn’t the show for you. But if you’re an “American Horror Story” superfan, reserve a weekend to binge the show.

BTS Makes History With New Single ‘Dynamite’

Photo courtesy of Flickr

By Anika Singh ’24

Staff Writer

Sept. 5, 2020, was a historic day in the world of music as BTS’ new all-English single “Dynamite” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, the first South Korean act to do so. This was BTS’ first song entirely in English, made to bring a little bit more “funk and soul,” as the song says, to these dark times. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everything that was considered the norm, including BTS’ world tour that was to take place this summer. Its cancellation sent a wave of disappointment to not only the band’s fans, but the members themselves. 

“Dynamite” aims to spread positivity far and wide in order to uplift the spirits of BTS and their ARMY, as RM points out in their interview with USA Today. “The goal of ‘Dynamite’ is really simple ... to explore the world with positive vibes and energy,” he said. “We’ve been through all the sadness and desperation but with this song and performance we just hope the world gets more positive and [can] be happy.” He is true to his word as “Dynamite” is an upbeat anthem with catchy lyrics — the band sings the chorus, "So watch me bring the fire and set the night alight/Shining through the city with a little funk and soul/So I’ma light it up like dynamite.” This disco-pop tune will get you dancing to the beat in no time. 

This is not the first time BTS has been on the Billboard charts. Their hit song “Mic Drop” debuted at No. 28 on Dec. 16, 2017, and their latest album’s single “ON” debuted at No. 4 back in March. “Dynamite” outranks all of BTS’ previous singles as the 43rd single in history to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. 

BTS has gained a lot of popularity over the past few years and has amassed a fanbase called the ARMY. BTS debuted back in 2013 as Bangtan Sonyeondan (방탄소년단), also known as the Bangtan Boys, and consisting of seven members, all of whom remain active in the band today: RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook. Since then, they have continued to grow in popularity. 

BTS did not have the backing of the “Big Three,” the three companies that have a huge role in the Korean entertainment industry — JYP, YG and SM Entertainment — yet they succeeded in breaking records nonetheless. BTS is signed under Big Hit Entertainment, a small company that has now expanded exponentially due to the international recognition of BTS and their other groups, TXT, GFRIEND, SEVENTEEN and more. 

What sets BTS’ music apart from other boybands is its genre versatility, with releases ranging from hip-hop to pop to rhythm and blues. Each album follows a theme, including a series of subunits and solos from members to showcase their talent and musicality, but it does not stop there. Along with their ability to sing and rap, each of the members also masters complex choreographies that are performed live as well as showcased in their music videos. 

BTS has helped popularize K-pop on a global scale. With growing numbers of chart-topping hits and consistently sold-out stadiums, they appear to be growing in popularity by the second. Their latest album “Map Of The Soul: 7” debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart with 422,000 album-equivalent units (including 347,000 sales) earned in its first week. 

BTS itself seems to be riding the K-pop wave originally started by their predecessors, Big Bang. 

Along with dominating award shows on both national and global scales, they have been giving back to charity and spreading their message of self-love not only through their music, but also through their UNICEF campaign “Love Myself,” which aims to empower youth and combat violence toward teens and children. They are considered an important part of South Korean culture and are regarded as the leaders of today’s youth, as they shared empowering messages regarding their inner struggles and how they rose above them for South Korea’s Youth Day, held on Sept. 19. On Sept. 23, they addressed the U.N. General Assembly for the second time, speaking on the mental hardships that quarantine and the pandemic had brought them. 

In July, it was confirmed that BTS will be releasing their first self-produced album. So, keep an eye out for that, and stream “Dynamite.”

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s Sex-Positive ‘WAP’ Goes Viral

Pictured Above: Cardi B (left) and Megan Thee Stallion (right)

By Sabryna Coppola ’22

A&E Writer

Being in quarantine this summer has brought us some great music (and subsequently some great TikTok dances), and Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s duet “WAP” made a huge splash. The song spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 list and has become an instant hit, breaking 93 million streams in its first week. “WAP” has received tons of support from fans of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, but has also drawn the attention of conservative public figures weighing in with their opinions. 

The song itself is a sexy, boisterous anthem, celebrating sexuality for anyone with a “WAP” (wet ass p----). The song opens with a sample from Frank Ski’s song “W----- in This House,” looping throughout the song and setting the tone right away. The lyrics are explicit and detailed, putting euphemisms and double entendres to brilliant use. 

The music video is visually striking and iconic in its own right, using water to double down on the message, and other symbols of prowess — like tigers — to denote the fierce attitude and intentions of the performers. The video was choreographed by JaQuel Knight who is also known for his work with Beyoncé.

Personally, I loved the song. I love the message, the honest celebration of women’s sexuality and the bold self-awareness of “WAP.” The song has received a lot of attention on the social media app TikTok, sparking a viral dance choreographed by Brian Esperon for viewers to partake in. TikTok influencers, parents and church groups alike have used the song to record their own rendition of Esperon’s dance, embarrass their kids or make up their own parodies. 

However, not everyone had such positive feelings about “WAP.” Most notably, political pundit Ben Shapiro made a video on his YouTube channel dissecting the lyrics and reacting to the song. He read the lyrics in his signature monotone, adding his own commentary, which later would inspire remixes with the song performed in his voice. He mocked the song, implying that the sexual confidence portrayed by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion would only lead to further objectification of women, and gave the opinion of his wife, a doctor, who apparently advises people with “WAP” to see a doctor. 

This response is rather unsurprising from the likes of Shapiro, but parents and critics have denounced the sex-positive anthem as well. The National Review describes the song as “hoary sexual cliches and deification of lowlifes in a music-video milestone,” demonizing both artists for their pasts and shaming them for their sexual content. 

This song does what so many songs have done for men in the past. Singing and rapping about sexual prowess is nothing new for men in the music industry. What makes it a problem in “WAP,” besides the fact that it’s two women singing? American culture embraces the sexuality of men while suppressing the same sex positivity for women. The layer of respectability politics overlaid only proves the point more: Rapping about sexuality is only okay when it’s a man, forget two women of color. 

Negative reviews and slut-shaming aside, the song has generally been embraced by audiences around the world. It has already been nominated for MTV’s Song of the Summer award, and its star status doesn’t seem to be subsiding. “WAP” makes it clear it is a song made for female empowerment. Its adoration on TikTok makes its generally positive reception obvious, mirroring the popular use of songs by ppcocaine (or Trap Bunny Bubbles) known for their sexual content and inspiring many viral dances. 

The National Review writes, “This wanton spectacle is praised as ‘sex positive’ by college-grad journalists who’ve never known any sexual propriety (or the deliciousness of restraint).” The author seems to miss the point that the song was not created for them, or anyone else, but that it’s a form of self-expression and a celebration of the artists’ bodies. As myself, a “college-grad journalist” — if the shoe fits...

Disney’s ‘the Owl House’ Is a Spooky and Heartfelt Show From the Creators of ‘Gravity Falls’

Graphic by Karina Wu ‘22

by Ezri Braid-Grizzell ’23

Staff Writer

On Aug. 29, 2020, the Disney Channel aired the season one finale of its new animated series, “The Owl House.” The show tells the story of Luz Noceda, a teenager deemed “too weird” after her frequent chaotic mishaps at school and sent off to “Reality Check” camp for the summer. But as a name as strange as “The Owl House” might imply, Luz does not find herself at camp. Instead she stumbles through a door into a magical world full of witches, demons and spider-breathing griffons. (Who knew?)

After Luz (Sarah-Nicole Robles) settles in with the rogue witch and con woman, Edalyn Clawthorne (Wendie Malick) and King (Alex Hirsch), a demon, she sets off to find her own magical calling. 

There have been so many stories in the world that, at this point, it’s impossible to avoid common narrative tropes. But “The Owl House'' doesn't fall into cliches. A magical school may at first scream “Harry Potter,” and while there are many purposeful nods to the franchise, Hexside is completely unique and full of new possibilities to explore. “Chosen One” quests and “impossible” trials are included in the show as a warm, giggling acknowledgment that the show knows exactly what it’s supposed to do as part of the fantasy genre.

But perhaps one of the most celebrated elements of “The Owl House” is that Luz, the main character of the series, is confirmed as bisexual. According to creator Dana Terrace, there was some initial resistance from Disney higher-ups, but now she is “VERY supported by current Disney leadership” (@DanaTerrace, Twitter). Another major character, Amity Blight (Mae Whitman), is initially introduced as the gold star student and the main rival to Luz. Over the course of the show, however, she gets her own redemption arc and is revealed to have feelings toward Luz. 

That’s not one main character, but two, confirmed as LGBTQ+. 

That’s a big step up from Disney’s shallow attempts at representation with LeFou in the live-action “Beauty and the Beast” or the minor character of Officer Slater from “Onwards” (who was considered by many to be Disney’s first-ever openly gay character).

When I first started watching “The Owl House” about a week before the final episode of this season aired, I wasn’t sure quite what to expect. My only real connection to the show was Alex Hirsch, the creator of another Disney favorite, “Gravity Falls,” who is now the voice of a two-foot, tummy-rub-loving demon in “The Owl House.” But actually, the connection tracks — Terrace worked as a storyboard revisionist on “Gravity Falls” way back in 2012. Because of these overlaps, it’s not hard to notice the similarities in animation style, writing and humor. The overarching elements of the supernatural, mystery, family-friendly cosmic and eldritch horror and government conspiracy all align as well. That, and Alex Hirsch is still the voice actor for many minor characters in the show. 

If you’re looking for a sort of spiritual sequel to “Gravity Falls,” or just a segue into the new, quirky and colorful era of animation, “The Owl House” has got your back.