Arts & Entertainment Review

Taylor Swift: Speak Now

She had millions of young girls (and a few thousand sensitive men) waiting on the release of her third album. They were girls who had played her sophomore mega-hit Fearless until they knew every word, every guitar solo, and every mid-song giggle. For Swift's fans, music is nothing short of their lifeline, her lyrics piercing deep into their heart while they are in the middle of a breakup or articulating the giddy feeling of falling in love. It is an understatement to say that her fans were ready for Taylor to Speak Now.

And she did just that, releasing into her eager followers' hands an album that showed growth as a vocalist, diversity as a musician, and natural giftedness as a songwriter. Not just for your 12-year-old daughter anymore, Swift's songs have matured in a sense. She sings of having a drawer of her things at her boyfriend's place in the first track, "Mine," and mentions another girl being known for "the things that she does on the mattress" in the Paramore-like "Better Than Revenge." The caring songstress also responds the Kanye West debaucle with love and sympathy in the carefully-crafted "Innocent."

That doesn't mean that her songs are not still laden with fairytale imagery and cute, detailed lyrics that draw the listener in. She still croons of being "wonderstruck" when she hits things off with a cute guy and seeing "sparks fly" when her crush smiles. And as per usual, this bubbly romanticism is balanced out with plenty of sullen tracks pining for ex-boyfriends and regretting the mistakes made. In "Back to December," Swift longs to go back to a time when her and a beau were blissfully in love. The ballad "Dear John" speaks of the regret she feels for not listening to when she was advised to stay away from notorious heartbreaker John Mayer.

Her vocals are stronger on Speak Now than albums previous, proving that she is growing with each record she puts out. And the fact that she wrote each track on her own and co-produced the entire album certainly places her above the other young Hollywood pop singers vying for musical success by simply parroting songs that others wrote. Swift continues to set herself apart with this album, and now, a year after it's release, she has multiple CMAs, AMAs, and fill-in-the-blank-MAs to prove it.

The Soloist

I don't feel that Steve Lopez was taking advantage of Nathaniel, the subject of his article. I could tell that Steve saw Nathaniel's slight delusion as an added bonus to the fact that he had an interesting life story, because Steve could get information out of him more easily. However, I do not see this as wrong. He is honestly trying to tell Nathaniel's story, and the fact that he is a little crazy is out of Steve's control. He showed a genuine intrigue towards him and I don't think he is doing anything wrong.

Fact-checking: IHOP Article

Sources listed in this piece:

1. Ruth Abadir (explicit)
2. Brad Christerson (explicit)
3. "Those outside the movement" (implicit)
4. IHOP (implicit)
5. Mike Bickle (explicit)
6. Young Korean woman (explicit)
7. Misty Edwards (explicit)
8. Bob Jones (explicit)
9. Kansas City Prophets (implicit)
10. C. Peter Wagner (explicit)
11. "Watchdog groups that track the Christian right" (implicit)
12. Peter Montgomery (explicit)
13. Lou Engle (explicit)
14. Brittany Natasha Hyre (explicit)

Some Inferences:

1. "Young people have flocked here from as far away as Britain and South Korea, convinced that their prayers, joined in a never-ceasing stream, can push back evil forces that threaten to overwhelm society."
2. "In the city, IHOP has a higher profile"
3. "The heart of the enterprise is a large, windowless sanctuary inside the old supermarket, where robotic cameras — operated from an adjacent production trailer — are in constant motion, broadcasting the worship on the church website and on television channels around the world."
4. "There is a special esprit de corps among those assigned to the 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. 'night watch.'"
5. "The New Apostolic Reformation is not an organization so much as a loose movement of independent, nondenominational evangelists."
6. "A key issue for IHOP is how it sees the end of the world."
7. "It is perhaps typical that, while Wagner considers Bickle to be part of this movement, Bickle demurs."
8. "'What if they succeed?' he added. 'What would that mean for equality for gay people? What would that mean for the rights of women, and reproductive rights?'" (implies that this a question everyone should ask of IHOP)

This sentence of the article was troubling:

"Its theology says 'that God intends that a certain kind of right-believing Christian should exercise dominion over every aspect of society,' said Peter Montgomery, a senior fellow with People for the American Way, a liberal advocacy organization."

Why is a prominent liberal stating IHOP's theology? Shouldn't the actual, written theology have been the source? This man, fearful and wary of the motives of Christians, may have twisted the theology out of proportion in this statement.

You have not because you ask not..

What I have already done this semester that is future/career related:
- Attended the Evening with Professionals
- Attended PRSSA's Set Yourself Apart event
- Observed both The Point and EagleVision
- Planned out my future semesters
- Been invited to and attended the PAC student press conference

What I would like to do in the near future:
- Put together my resume
- Get an internship for this summer
- Write for the Chimes

A Canadian Reviewing Canadians

The song we listened to in class featured smooth gospel voices with the piano at the foreground of the track. I felt like it was in the "easy listening" genre, because it was a little bit jazzy and bluesy, and it was a relaxing listen that calmed me down.

John Drebinger is stepping down-- do you buy it?

I fully believe that the reasons he has provided for this action are honest and true. I interviewed him for this class and got to know him on a personal basis as well, and he did talk about how busy he was and how much he was juggling. Therefore, the claim that he is resigning because of his inability to complete his tasks makes perfect sense and aligns with the humility I encountered when I met him.

John is very team-oriented, and it was clear that he just wanted the job done well for the good of Biola. He said himself that he didn't care if his name was remembered forever. He simply wanted to make improvements and leave our school better than when he got here, and since he didn't have the time to commit to it, I admire his mature decision to accept his limits. I trust his motives in stepping down.

Additionally, I spoke with Janine Marderian and Kelsey Seitz, two of the VPs. They both talked about what a team-oriented hard worker John was, and they seemed to place a lot of trust in him.

So yes, something scandalous could be under all of this. He could have been fired for some immorality inside of him that didn't come out in my interview with him. But I don't buy that. There may be a deeper reason other than "he was too busy." But I cannot believe that his statements are lies, because I know the man behind the role, and he would not blatantly lie to the student body.

Tips from the Pros

Today's lesson made me grateful that I have video editing experience. Going into journalism, I expected my two years of film directing experience to be kind of useless. I figured I'd be sacrificing that hobby of mine in order to write.

However, I have learned that videography and editing skills are extremely valuable in the online news world. It's cool how God is weaving together my past and my present!