This will include spoilers for the full series, and additional Marvel movies.
The WandaVision series finale has left us with more questions than answers, fan theories were disproved, we saw the fall of the hex and lost what many fans believed to be a set up for the young avengers.
Read MoreI’m sure nearly everyone at this point has heard of the Disney+ original WandaVision, the first series made by Marvel Studios, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, with that being said, you don’t have to care or even know about any of that to enjoy the series as it is. Though Marvel fans might advertise this series as something of the specific niche, anyone who likes a good plot and cool characters can enjoy it. This sitcom format series is something enjoyable for multiple audiences of different familiarities of the characters. Whether you’re a marvel fanatic, only seen two or three films, or never even heard of it, WandaVision is bound to have something you can enjoy.
The show follows a couple, Wanda and Vision, as they move into their new home in the town of Westview, New Jersey. Wanda, a stay-at-home wife who can make a pen float in the air, and Vision, an indestructible AI that works for Computational Services Inc., move in at the beginning of the series. This series also expands on the two characters on a more personal level. This approach establishes the two in their own little bubble. The two are the main characters and we get to see the two grow with each other in a completely independent manner. The show follows a standard sitcom format that changes throughout the series, going from 50’s to 60’s and so on and so forth. While the two love birds are living their newly-wed lives in their new home, things begin to look out of the ordinary for their picture-perfect life. New problems begin to arise that are out of the ordinary even for a sitcom, and the rest of the series attempts to understand who or what is ruining the show.
Though this may not be the most enticing storyline for everyone immediately, each episode comes with its own flavor. In addition to having the time era‘s general aesthetics, the story line of the episode follows a similar arc we would expect from a television show at that time. From I Love Lucy to The Office, WandaVision has an episode for whatever your comfort sitcom may be. In addition to this, the variety in episodes keep audiences constantly on their toes. The easy-to-follow plot makes this an ideal binge for family nights or background entertainment for studying, while still being entertaining.
If you’re like me, then before pandemic took the world, you paid some attention to what films were supposed to have been released in 2020. However, for many of these major motion pictures and other films of excitement such as the new “Dune” remake by Denis Villaneuve or “The French Dispatch” by Wes Anderson, the release dates have been pushed far into 2021 for theatrical and digital release. But, even so, a number of films were released in 2020 that didn’t get quite as much spotlight as they deserve.
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Jacob W. Jacobsen’s POTUS album cover
The last ten years of politics have brought with them an abysmal scourge of un-funny and uncreative ‘satire’, skewering politicians and ideologies simply for the smug self-satisfaction of the artist and their own personal beliefs. It seems as if art that addresses political figures no longer needs to possess any subtlety or craftsmanship, as the effort exists only to appease audiences by dogmatically adhering to a particular group’s preconceived notions and unchallenged perspectives.
However, existing in contrast to the sorry state of political satire, David W. Jacobsen’s most recent album POTUS functions not only as an excellent analysis of some of American history’s lesser-known or lesser-liked presidents, but offers a witty and sometimes even rather poignant perspective as well.
Bad artistry in satire can be easily spotted in instances when an artist succumbs to insecurity and arrogance by peppering their work with direct references to their own intelligence and cleverness, rather than letting the audience arrive at that admiration on their own. Jacobsen’s lyrical prowess may be wry but the construction of his points (as well as his relatively obscure choices of subject matter) create a very fulfilling portrait of what it means to be buried in history despite having such a clear mark on it.
Figures such as John Adams, Andrew Johnson, and Richard Nixon might be well known, but Jacobsen’s choice of analyzing their lesser-known actions, speeches, and works in the way of catchy little tunes, jumping between genres and tone, work together to create a Schoolhouse-Rock-by-way-of-James Taylor lesson through the chapters of America’s history that aren’t printed with the same bold ink as more obvious events. His analysis and perspective on presidents John Quincy Adams, Zachary Taylor, and Chester A. Arthur are quite competent and intriguing as well, choosing to portray the insecurities that come with leadership in a way that don’t come across as pandering endorsements nor scathing indictments.
As someone with an active interest in both history and art, the kind of person that might flirt with the young woman at a party by recounting some of the less-dull chapters of the Memoir of Ulysses S. Grant or quoting the love letters between John Adams and his wife Abigail, I cannot overstate how simply competent, well-researched, and engaging this collection of songs is. Jacobsen makes it quite clear what books and documents serve as a reference to his lyrics but the way in which he composes feathery and discrete melodies around what would otherwise be heavy and obvious points creates a very dynamic listening experience. The particular aspects of each president’s life that he chooses to hone in on and extrapolate a tune from is pretty remarkable.
Regardless of your political leanings, I think it is safe to say that at least half of our presidents were not up to par. Personally, I think you can make a great case that about ninety-percent of the men that have occupied the position committed acts that they should have been tried and punished for (for those of you doing the math at home: that’s about five innocent people in a quarter of a millennium). I would argue, generally, that he chose some of the objectively-obscure aspects of these men’s lives and found a weird little chunk of humanity in each of them that otherwise would either go completely un-remarked-upon or only noticed by my fellow weirdos that like to tell friends what we read about on Wikipedia at three in the morning, “Did you know Rutherford B. Hayes is basically a founding father of Paraguay? ...What do you mean you don’t know what Paraguay is?”
I can honestly say, without hyperbole, that I was disappointed with the album’s runtime, as I could have easily listened to thirty-four more tracks about the unaddressed men who also occupied that office (there have been forty-six presidencies but only forty-five presidents, try that one at parties too). David W. Jacobsen’s POTUS is a worthy album, measuring for both your time and education, with no better time to educate yourself on your country’s former leaders than on this President’s Day.
David W. Jacobsen’s POTUS can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube.
Carly: What inspired you to do this event?
Celine: Primarily to represent the diversity and showcase the diversity of students that we have here at Regis. I feel like it’s not brought to light as much as I want or other students want. I think it’s important to showcase and take pride in where you come from whether that be your own roots or your family’s roots or your parent’s roots because I think it’s something very beautiful to put out there. It definitely makes up a large portion of who a person is, so just to showcase that in a magazine or everybody to see is very important, especially in the times we’re living in now.
Carly: What is your goal for this project?
Celine: My goal for this project is to introduce a diverse range of students who are representing many countries from across the world. And to (hopefully!) take this magazine and convert it into a tradition where other students can hop onto the project and add their ideas to it. My hope is, by next year, we’ll have the magazine and, by the Fall of my junior year, we’ll have issue number 2. Hopefully, we either pick a theme to go with or allow more students to participate—I feel like this time is kind of a trial run. Turns out, by the looks of it, the turn out today was pretty good. So those are my hopes. Just keep it going.
Carly: I heard the name [of this magazine] took a long time to pick out. Tell me about the name.
Celine: So the name--we were debating between so many names, but we definitely wanted to keep it kind of broad, just because a lot of countries are being represented, a lot of students are going to be represented. And we were not looking only looking to represent culture [and] heritage. We are definitely trying to represent students through religion or sexual orientation or any symbol that represents them. So the name “Kalon” in Latin means “beauty that is beyond skin deep” and we decided on that name because we wanted a formal name that we could use for every magazine—and then put a subtitle on it and change the issue number—just to keep the tradition going and kind of keep it sacred.
Carly: What would you tell someone who was interested in participating—especially if they feel like their culture is harder to see or present outwardly?
Celine: I would normally tell students who are interested but struggling to find pinpoints that are culture-related—because I feel like a lot of students thought that this was only culture and heritage-related—come and just find a symbol or anything that represents them. It doesn’t have to be culture, you know? We’re all unique. We’re all beautiful in different ways. I’ve just told them to show up [and] have fun with the photoshoot because it’s honestly just them showcasing who they are. A person is much more than a skin color. They are much more than their ethnic background or their social economic background.
Carly: When do you think people will get another opportunity to join and/or when can people access Kalon?
Celine: Hopefully, by early February, [we’re holding] another photoshoot to allow more students to participate—like a second round of photoshoots—before we go forward with formulating the magazine. My hope is by mid-March, the magazine will be done because, over the winter break, we’ll see the templates and layouts of how to design the magazine.
Carly: Alright. Is there anything you want to add? Is there anyone you want to thank?
Celine: I would like to thank all of the affinity groups—SOMOS, ASA, BSA, QSA, the Sustainability Club. And honestly, everybody that’s been working—all the professors and the advisors who have come to show support. I think it’s pretty nice to have all of us united, so thanks to them for making it happen. Also, shout-out to the photographers. It was kind of hard to find a photographer, but the Highlander is helping us a lot.
As of Friday, February 28th, 2020 the new KRCX Regis radio station website will be live at KRCX.org. Ever since the 2019 Techpocalypse: The Hackening, Regis’ radio station has been in the dark zone and unable to stream to the college campus. Due to this, the KRCX staff has had the opportunity to take the downtime to completely rejuvenate and revitalize the website. The stream is still up in the air as the last strands of the tech crisis are still being resolved, and for that reason for the rest of the 2020 Spring semester until the streaming is back up and running KRCX is hoping to produce more fun content in the form of video content, giveaways, and fun events with the help of the Regis community throughout the coming months. So make sure to keep an eye on KRCX socials, come hang at the events, and most importantly, check the new website!
Instagram/twitter: @krcx
Website: krcx.org
