By Dalton DeStefano ’16, Arts and Entertainment Editor Last year’s Academy Awards screamed “progressive.” 12 Years a Slave won three awards (including the most coveted award of the night: Best Picture), three people of color were nominated in the acting categories (with one win from Lupita Nyong’o), three Best Picture nominees featured a female lead, two women…

By Tyler Friedman ’17, Arts and Entertainment Staff Writer   With all of the stress of schoolwork and everyday activities, it can be hard to find time to look for new music. However, with the Grammys occurring so recently and the usual workload dying down as we approach Spring Break, I have found myself becoming more…

Emma Hoffman ‘16, Arts and Entertainment Staff Writer   In 1990, TriStar Pictures released Total Recall, a typical 80’s action movie laced with camp and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Austrian brogue. The movie’s special effects were revolutionary at the time and today it is regarded as a classic of the science fiction genre. Twenty-two years later, Columbia released…

Samantha Sidi ’16 Arts and Entertainment Editor   After a 55-year hiatus from the literary world, Harper Lee has announced the publication of her rediscovered original novel, Go Set a Watchman. The book, which observers have described as similar to a sequel to her infamous novel To Kill a Mockingbird, takes place 20 years after…

By Dalton DeStefano ’16, Arts and Entertainment Editor   Though 2014 hasn’t been the best year for the movie business (this year held the least profitable summer blockbuster season in years), it was still full of outstanding movies that will likely become classics in the years to come. Here is a showcase of three of…

By Tyler Friedman ’15, Arts and Entertainment Staff Writer After 2013 resulted in albums such as Modern Vampires of the City, AM, and Reflektor, 2014 had a tough act to follow. Although last year wasn’t quite as musically exciting as the previous year, there were still some outstanding releases. Here are a few of my favorites:…

By Samantha Sidi ’16, Arts and Entertainment Editor 1. Ray Rice Incident: Exposing the Flaws in Victim-Blaming The Ray Rice incident of May 2014 sparked a debate over the way our society views victims, along with the very real setback the incident caused the feminist movement. The Ray Rice situation has prompted people to examine the…

By Emma Hoffman ’16, Arts and Entertainment Staff Writer Last year, students involved in the Newark Academy drama department were shocked to hear that Mr. Jacoby would not be directing the 2015 spring musical. Instead, the duo of Megan Ferentinos, director and choreographer, and Mr. Viraj Lal, musical director and assistant director—both of whom had worked…

By Morgin Goldberg ‘15, Guest Writer   Kim Kardashian has been the object of our intrigue for years now: we have questioned her as a mother, (perhaps grudgingly) acknowledged her success as a business woman, criticized her as a celebrity (“what is she famous for, again?”), celebrated her as a sex symbol, heralded her as a…

By Oluwadamilola Oshewa ’16, Staff Writer Despite having very busy Newark Academy schedules, many students make sure to find the time to watch a few of their favorite television shows every week. Nowadays, there is such a large and varied selection of television shows to choose from that it seems there is something for everyone. In…