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Everything That Happened at the Oscars

April 14, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Lilah Nick

By now you have probably heard about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock over a joke involving Jada Pinkett Smith looking like G.I. Jane. You’ve probably also heard that Will Smith went on to win Best Actor for King Richard. I have watched the video of The Slap at least 20 times. It’s all my family and friends could talk about the next day. Despite this crazy interaction between Smith and Rock, so many other things happened at this year’s Oscars–from outlandish outfits to the first deaf man to win Best Supporting Actor.

Best of the Red Carpet

Let’s start with the beginning of the night, the Red Carpet. So many beautiful gowns and tuxedos were worn–but also some really bad ones that make you question, “Who’s idea was that?” We’ll start with the best of the night.

Lena Waithe

Lena Waithe wore a neutral tone suit. It was my favorite suit presented on the Red Carpet. It looks so good on her. It’s classy, looks amazing, and isn’t just a plain black tux.

Lily James

Lily James, who you may know from playing Pamela Anderson in the new show Pam and Tommy, wore one of my favorite dresses on the red carpet. It’s so beautiful, elegant, and looks incredible on her. I love all the embroidery and the added train in the back.

The Worst

Kristen Stewart

Kristen Stewart, nominated for best actress for her performance in Diana, was wearing Chanel. I totally get that her outfit was much more than a fashion statement, but it definitely could have been . . . better. I don’t think she should have worn shorts for a red carpet event. The jacket would have been classier with a pair of pants. Her hair is also not my favorite. I just don’t like it. The deep side part is not in right now. It’s not 2012 anymore.

Amy Schumer

Amy Schumer, one of the hosts of the Oscars, was wearing Oscar de la Renta. Whoever decided she was going to wear this seriously did her dirty. I hate the bow; it’s so unnecessary, and it could be so much better for being The Oscars. This looks like something that’s sold at Macy’s for six year olds. Her dress also received a lot of backlash on Twitter. People were calling it “Hideous,” “God awful,” “so ugly,” and “unnecessary.”

Firsts

Ariana Debose won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress and was the first openly queer woman of color to win.
Troy Kotsur won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and was the first deaf man to win an Oscar.
CODA was the first movie from a streaming platform to have debuted at Sundance to win an Oscar.

The Jokes

After The Slap, everyone stopped making the kind of jokes that might have made things less awkward. Everyone was waiting for someone to get on stage and make a joke to release the tension in the room. Amy Schumer finally came back out and relieved that tension, but it was about an hour after the incident. She came out and said, “There’s like… a different vibe in here,” and there was a roar of laughter.

There was absolutely no way that everyone would have forgotten about The Slap. But, more jokes to ease the tension would have made watching the rest of the Oscars more comfortable.

On that note, there were a few jokes that worked. These from co-host Amy Schumer:

“I’m Amy Schumer or as they know me in Hollywood, ‘Melissa McCarthy said no.'”
Independent

“After years of Hollywood ignoring women’s stories, we finally got a movie about the Williams sisters’… dad.”
Independent

The Festivals are Coming…

April 6, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org 3 Comments

By Luke Sonderman

Finally, after a three-year hiatus, Coachella Music and Arts Festival is returning to the Coachella Valley from April 15-24. The lineup has been released, and the wristbands are being sent out. So let’s talk about what this year’s Coachella will look like.

Lineup:

This year’s headliners are Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, and Kanye West (who has pulled out–his replacement just announced; get ready for Swedish House Mafia x The Weeknd). Personally, I don’t like any of the headliners, but I know that they are very popular right now and a lot of people are hyped to see Harry Styles perform songs from his new album that is coming out in May.

I am looking forward to seeing the Skeggs, Wallows, Surf Curse, Phoebe Bridgers (to see what the hype is all about), and Current Joys.

Tickets:

Right now Coachella tickets are EXPENSIVE!!! Although they are advertised as $450 for a General Admission ticket, after taxes and fees, the total ends up at around $620. I decided to also buy a shuttle pass (which is a shuttle that drives back and forth from different locations across the desert to the festival), and it ended up costing me around $110 after taxes and fees.

Masks and Vaccinations:

Originally, Coachella was going to require either proof of vaccination or a negative test result to enter the festival, but recently they changed that rule due to newer California Covid-19 regulations. Since I am going on the second weekend, I will probably wear a mask since there is so much dust at the polo grounds after the Weekend One-ers stomp through the grass, but you aren’t required to wear masks.

Stagecoach Festival:

Every year I enjoy going to Stagecoach Festival, which occurs the week after Coachella. Stagecoach is a much more laid-back festival with lots of country and classic rock. The tickets are cheaper than Coachella, but there are less stages set up. If it is your first time going to a music festival, I recommend going to Stagecoach.

Stagecoach Lineup:

This year’s stagecoach headliners are Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, and Luke Combs. I am not the craziest country fan, but I am super excited to see the underliner, The Black Crowes–if I end up going to Stagecoach this year.

If you live in the Coachella Valley and have never been to one of the famous festivals at the Polo Grounds, you are living under a rock. Go have some fun at Coachella or Stagecoach. You can still get tickets. Maybe you’ll see me there!

Remembering Taylor Hawkins

April 5, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By Luke Sonderman

On March 25, 2022, one of the greatest musicians of all time died on tour in South America. Taylor Hawkins, who was most well known for being the drummer of the Foo Fighters, was far more than just a drummer.

Taylor Hawkins had many musical inspirations: Genesis, Neil Peart (the drummer for Rush), and Steward Copeland (the drummer for the Police) to name a few (ultimateclassicrock.com). Still, Taylor Hawkins’s favorite band was Queen with drummer Roger Taylor (ultimateclassicrock.com). When hearing of Taylor Hawkins’s death, Roger Taylor said it felt like “losing a younger favorite brother” (cbs58.com).

Taylor Hawkins began his professional music career touring as the drummer for Alanis Morissette. At only 23 years old, Taylor began to get lots of attention as a drummer without taking away Morissette’s spotlight (pitchfork.com). In 1997, Dave Grohl, frontman of the Foo Fighters, approached Taylor Hawkins about being the band’s touring drummer after their last drummer quit. The world was shocked when Taylor joined this new, small rock group after touring with such an iconic artist, but Taylor joining the Foo Fighters started what is now one of the greatest rock bands of all time.

Dave Grohl, being the famous drummer of Nirvana, recorded the drums for the albums Foo Fighters and The Colour and the Shape. After joining the band, Taylor Hawkins recorded the drums and toured for every album since.

Aside from the Foo Fighters, Taylor Hawkins worked on many side projects–such as his solo band, Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders. Along with his solo career, Hawkins also played in a cover band, Chevy Metal, which ended up writing originals and renaming themselves Birds of Satan. He also appeared on a few albums by Coheed and Cambria.

My personal favorite songs that Taylor Hawkins appeared on are…

Arlandria

DOA

Dear Rosemary

Bridges Burning

Congregation

The Sky Is A Neighborhood

Many influential artists have commented on Taylor Hawkins tragic death.

Perry Farell from Jane’s Addiction said, “Taylor Hawkins died yesterday. He was my best friend. Beloved in my home by my wife, my children, even my dogs. Whenever Taylor came over, we would make music in the den. [Our dog] Cloud would always go and sit right by him. He was one of the most passionate drummers I’ve ever seen in my lifetime. When I think of him, I sum it up with one word: Velocity. He had the gift to maintain a confident, striking and stroking velocity on drums” (americansongwriter.com).

Paul McCartney from the Beatles commented, “Taylor’s sudden death came as a shock to me and the people who knew and loved him” (loudwire.com).

Geddy Lee from Rush said, “He was such an incredibly positive source of music, energy and love, and a true artist to his very core….there are simply no words to adequately express just how much he will be missed by all – including . . . the entire Rush family” (nme.com).

Tommi Iommi from Black Sabbath stated, “I woke up this morning to hear the awful news of Taylor Hawkins’s death. What a terrible loss to us all. He was such a lovely guy and such a brilliant player” (washingtonpost.com).

Axl Rose of Guns N Roses said, “Shocked n’ saddened to hear of the passing. [He was] a really great guy, drummer n’ family man” (washingtonpost.com).

Travis Barker of Blink-182 said, “I don’t have the words. Sad to write this or to never see you again. I’ll never forget Laguna Beach days when I was a trash man playing in a punk-rock band and you were playing with Alanis. You’d come watch me play in dive bars and be like, ‘Kid, you’re a star.’ And I thought you were crazy, but you gave me so much hope and determination” (ew.com).

High School Musical in Palm Valley School

March 29, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Oliver Martinez, Middle-School Correspondent & Theater Technician

This week, Oliver writes about the play High School Musical that is currently in production in our Drama Department. We hear from the actors live. – Editor-in-Chief Jesse Denyer

High School Musical is a play written by Peter Barsocchini and composed by David Lawrence. You probably know it as a movie starring Zac Efron and a series streaming on Disney+. It’s a play which includes plenty of music and dancing. To summarize the play, High School Musical has four different groups of people: the brainiacs, the jocks, the cheerleaders, and the theater kids. It’s an exciting film or play where some teens go through problems and stress but find the way to fix it by working together. In Theater Production class taught by PVS’s Mr. Hilbert, we are doing the lighting, set designs, makeup, costumes and more. There are two classes that will make this play happen: Theater Production and Theater Performance. In Theater Production, we are learning more about the play and memorizing lines. We are waiting on a specific date of when the play will be performed. I interviewed some people from both classes to see their thoughts on the role they got and on the class itself.

“I feel like Ryan is an expressive acting role. Since he is the more submissive twin, he doesn’t have lots of lines. I’m still happy to get this role as it’s my first production.”
8th-grader Tal Maruvada

“I think my role as Chad is pretty cool. I wanted Zeke as my main option, and Chad was my second choice. I’m still very glad that I got Chad because he plays basketball and he has a good personality.”
8th-grader Sherwin Hemmati

We hope you guys are excited for the play. We have been practicing and soon the play will be ready for performance! See it in the Palm Valley Black Box Theatre (the MPR) this spring.

The Only Music You Should Listen To This Spring

March 9, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

Each season, Luke makes a playlist for the ride home. His winter list had 150 songs. Now, he begins compiling his spring list. You might want to borrow a few.

By Luke Sonderman

As we are approaching the last few weeks of winter, it is time for me to collect the music I will be listening to until summer comes around. The gloom of December is gone, and the energy and sunshine of spring is coming.

I’m going to start off the playlist with something energetic. Jane’s Addiction is a Los Angeles alternative rock band that has been around since the late 80’s (allmusic.com). With lead man Perry Farrell along with guitarist Dave Navarro, Jane’s Addiction changed the game of music forever. Through adding funk and style to their music, Jane’s Addiction owned their own genre that no one had ever heard before. With major hits like “Jane Says” and “Been Caught Stealing,” Jane’s Addiction well deserves being on this list. If I had to add one song by Jane’s Addiction, it would have to be either “Just Because” or “Stop!”

Next up on the playlist would probably be something by the Foo Fighters. The Foo Fighters, led by legendary drummer, songwriter, and guitarist, Dave Grohl might be one of my favorite artists of all time. The Foo Fighters were born out of Dave Grohl’s rise to songwriting after the death of Kurt Cobain, singer for Nirvana for whom Dave Grohl was the drummer. The first song on my winter playlist was the Foo Fighters’ “Something From Nothing” from their hit album, Sonic Highways. Now, I want to add something a bit more powerful. I would say that the most powerful and energetic album by the Foo Fighters would be In Your Honor. If I had to pick one song from In Your Honor to be on this list, it would probably be “No Way Back,” which is up-beat, and LOUD!

Since I’m grabbing a lot of post-90’s songs, maybe it’s time to add something a bit older. My favorite classic rock band, Led Zeppelin, has some crazy songs to add to this list. With energetic singer Robert Plant, legendary drummer John Bonham, tasteful guitarist Jimmy Page, and the great bassist John Paul Jones, Led Zeppelin rocked the 70’s. My favorite album is Houses Of The Holy, and, for this playlist, I will probably add “D’yer Mak’er” which is a groovy, layback song that anyone can dance along to.

Moving up from the 70’s to the 80’s, we have my favorite hard rock band, Motley Crue. Motley Crue rocked Los Angeles in the 80’s playing sold-out shows for massive crowds with their hit albums Shout At The Devil, Dr. Feelgood, Girls Girls Girls, Too Fast for Love, and Theater of Pain. There weren’t any Motley Crue songs on my last playlist, but for spring, I am adding “Red Hot,” “Dr. Feelgood,” and “Smokin’ In The Boys Room.”

Finally, my favorite band is Manchester Orchestra. The band has songs for every season of the year. Don’t be alarmed, Manchester Orchestra isn’t actually an orchestra but a vast multi-genre rock band that released its first album I’m Like A Virgin Losing A Child in 2006 when frontman Andy Hull was just around 20 years old (allmusic.com). The band really took off in 2009 with their album Mean Everything To Nothing, which ranked on the Billboard Top 40. Manchester wrote many songs that made it on my winter album such as “The Alien,” “The Gold,” “Girl Harbor,” “The Sunshine,” and many others that I would recommend anyone listen to on a cloudy day. For the upcoming spring season, I add happier songs like “My Friend Marcus,” “In My Teeth,” “Shake It Out,” “Pensacola,” and “I’ve Got Friends.”

Now, this list doesn’t even cover half of my spring list, but this is what I have come up with so far. I encourage you to listen to any of these songs as they are all songs I listen to on repeat. Although I am sad that my winter music time is almost over, I am super excited to dig into my spring playlist.

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the Desert’s Killer

February 23, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

The Coachella Music and Arts Festival is one of the most popular events in the United States. What people don’t know is that the festival has its faults. Environmentalist Sienna Price shows us the dangers of Coachella. – Editor Alyna Rei

Upon request that The Bird On Fire blog move closer to home for the next few weeks, instead of going to any exotic country, I have decided to show you the negative side to Coachella–which is one of the most visited music festivals in America.

Coachella attracts around 100,000 attendees every day! (washingtonpost.com) Can you imagine the waste it produces?! On average, there aree 107 tons of waste produced in a 15-day festival, and only 20% of it gets recycled (washingtonpost.com).

As you all know, music festivals are loud. They can reach up to 110 decibels, which is equal to a jet plane taking off (washingtonpost.com).Noise pollution from the festival can massively alter animal behaviors and disrupt ecosystems. Some situations in the Coachella Valley could be birds having to call longer or plant growth being disturbed (curesblog.lmu.edu).

It’s not just what happens in the Coachella festival. If 100,000 people attend each day, most of the people would drive there. That’s polluting even more. Granted–some people drive electric cars and not every single person will drive an individual car to the festival. This is something to think about.

I’m not trying to tell you not to go to Coachella. I do know that it is a great music festival. I am simply just trying to make you aware of the effects and environmental impacts. Say, you have just booked your tickets, what can you do to help?:

Reuse. Do not throw away a plastic bottle. Refill it, or simply bring a reusable water bottle.
Rideshare. If you know someone who is going, ask to share the car instead of taking two.
Wear biodegradable glitter. You don’t think about what a little bit of non-biodegradable glitter does to the environment, and a little bit might not do that much. But, if 100,000 people wear glitter, think of that environmental impact.
Clean up. Clean up around your campsite if you are camping. If you see a piece of trash, pick it up. This is not even restricted to Coachella. Pick up around your community.

If you are considering going to Coachella, or if you already booked your ticket, I hope that you keep in mind the things that you could do to help the environment: pick up your trash; share your rides; take public transports! There are many ways you can help the environment.

Thanks for reading!

Alyna’s Got a Book for You!

January 26, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

Are you looking for a new book to read? Alyna Rei lends us her thoughts on the 2016 heartbreaker It Ends With Us. — Editor Lilah Nick

By Alyna Rei, Book Reviewer

I would never claim that I am a bookworm. I would say I love a novel with a purpose. I love to read books that can take me to another world. This is why I’m writing my first book review ever on the novel It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover. This book was recommended by my mom. It has a very emotional plot change–the sense of it coming keeps you on your toes. Spoiler alert!!

The book starts off with Lily, a woman whose mother is abused by her husband. She meets Ryle, a neurosurgeon who shows a lot of interest in her the day they meet. Over time, they meet each other more frequently through Ryle’s sister, Alyssa. They soon end up falling deeply in love. While Ryle and Lily are dating, Lily reunites with Atlas, her first love. Ryle and Atlas hate each other from the start. They both seem to be jealous of each other. Ryle begins abusing Lily. When Lily finds out she’s pregnant, Ryle claims he will change, but–spoiler alert– he never does. She divorces from Ryle, and it “ends” there.

Now, I would never say this is a romance novel. Yes, there are romantic parts, but the plot is not about romance. Sorry to break it to you: this is not your ordinary romance novel. Lily did the right thing for herself and her daughter. Lily did not want her daughter to witness domestic abuse. Lily noticed that Ryle has his patterns of abuse, and she feels it’s best to end the relationship. Ryle is able to be in Emerson’s (the daughter’s) life. That’s what Lily wanted. Her daughter won’t experience what Lily experienced, and Lily breaks the cycle of abuse. The book doesn’t say if Lily and Atlas ever get together. All we know is that they stay good friends after their reunion.

Turns out, the book is based on the author’s life. This story was inspired by events in Colleen Hoover’s life. Hoover wants to do her mom’s story justice and show what her mom went through.

There are two love interests in this book, but I wouldn’t say this is a love triangle. Lily falls in love with Atlas in her teen years. She then falls in love with Ryle in the present time. If you were to ask me, I’ve been Team Atlas since the beginning.

Overall, I give this book a good 5 stars. There are no dragging scenes. There’s a great explanation to everything when needed, which makes the reading entertaining. This is a great story! You will not want to put the book down.

The Archon War: Part 1

December 15, 2021 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

Our Genshin Impact expert Izumi is back again, this time with an exciting trilogy that will lead you down a cold and stormy path of war. What a cliffhanger! Want to know what comes next? Find out next blog installation as the saga continues. – Jesse Denyer, Editor

By Izumi, Middle-School Gaming Correspondent

The Archon War is a huge event in Genshin Impact. The Archon War is at the base of the whole game story. The Archon War is still unknown as to how it started or why, and there is no information on how the victors or losers were decided, or how the nations divided. According to the non-playable character Soraya, “The war began as a struggle over the seven divine seats in Celestia. Those who struggled fought both for supremacy and to see their plans for a prosperous humanity come to fruition. However, not all gods participated in the war with the intent of taking a divine seat; some wanted simply to defend their territory; while others wanted to save as many people as possible from the destruction of the war” (genshin-impact.fandom.com).

After the Archon War, the seven Gods who won split into the seven nations of Teyvat, while the rest became evil, which leaves a lot of evil. To share all of the information of the Archon War and the events during it, I will split it into two posts, the first post will be about Mondstadt, and how it got its first and only Anemo Archon.

2600 years ago, in the middle of the Archon War, there were two warring Gods, Decarabian the God of Storms, and Andrius the King of the North Winds. The two fought in Mondstadt. The Mondstadt nation was located in the northwest, where it would now be known as Stormterror’s Lair. The God of Anemo, Barbatos, didn’t exist at this point. Barbatos was nothing but a wisp of wind, an elf with almost no power. Monstadt was very cold. It was all snow and ice, cold air and endless blizzards–a condition that mortals could barely survive. This cold was all caused by Andrius, who not long ago obtained powers from a likely deceased God. Andrius wanted to start a war against Decarbian, who enclosed the city of Monstadt with a wall, making sure nothing came in or out. Andrius tried to attack the wall, but never left a scratch on it. Decarabian didn’t seem threatened and was only devoted to protecting his people. However, his people worshipped him out of fear, thinking he was trying to trap them from the outside world. (genshin-impact.fandom.com)

While Barbatos was a wisp of wind, he befriended a young bard who always dreamed of freedom. The bard left Decarabian’s walled city to save the Gunnhildr clan. He ended up living in a frozen wasteland, but the resulting faith of the Gunnhildrs empowered him. At one point, Barbatos and the young bard, alongside Decarabian’s disillusioned lover Amos and a knight, raised an army against Decarabian, God of Storms. They were victorious! The Archon Decarbian was slain and all of the people were saved from the stormy walled cage. Unfortunately, Amos and the bard did not survive the war, leaving Barbatos with lots of grief and regret. (genshin-impact.fandom.com)

In the end, Barbatos was given the title of the first and only Anemo Archon. In honor of the bard, Barbatos took the form of him and brought freedom to Mondstadt, ending the extreme cold and blizzards. He often visited the neighboring Archon Morax, who will be mentioned in the next blog post.

Isabella with the Words

December 1, 2021 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

Congratulations to Palm Valley School’s US Poetry Recitation winner: Senior Isabella Goetschel. Isabella recited “Epitaph” by 17th-century poet Katherine Philips. In a striking twist of fate, Isabella was also selected Audience Favorite. Second Place went to Sophomore Indy Behr with a recitation of “be careful” by poet Ed Roberson. The Third Place recitation went to Freshman Lily Jones with “Poor Angels” by poet Edward Hirsch.

On the Friday before Thanksgiving break, the Upper School gathered for Poetry Recitation Finals in the Gym. Eleven finalists competed before judges Ms. Bernstein, Ms. Maguire, and Mr. Richardt. The judging criteria was that of Poetry Out Loud.

Isabella will advance to Riverside County Poetry Out Loud. She is our Palm Valley School representative. She will recite two poems before a panel of judges. If she wins, she advances to State Poetry Out Loud competition. Indiana serves as our alternate.

Local Music: Life Beyond the Classroom

November 11, 2020 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

PVS students have active lives beyond the classroom. We acknowledge their accomplishments in “Life Beyond the Classroom.” Jake is on his way to being a producer of ground-breaking music.

In case you didn’t already know, I, Jake Sonderman, run my own studio with Luke Sonderman called Sondy Studios. Over the summer, I recorded Pescaterritory’s 9-song album in the extra room in our house. The album contains every type of rock and roll, from the nostalgic song I’m Fine to the hard rock hit Running Away. Whether you are pining away for old times, or wanting something fresh and new, this album has what you are looking for. I had so much fun putting together this album, and I am proud to call this my first major release as a producer. Give it a listen.

https://music.apple.com/us/album/pescaterritory/1536349886