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Because Bob Dylan is lauded as one of the greatest American songwriters of all time, this presents a unique set of challenges when adapting his life to the big screen. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

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OPINION: There are unique challenges to making a Bob Dylan biopic

By Lake DiStefano | 9:30am

Hollywood’s infatuation with biopics, specifically those of famous, yet aged-out musicians, has been a long-standing tradition. The most recent of these films is the new Bob Dylan biopic — starring Hollywood obsession Timothée Chalamet. As with all major blockbusters of this ilk, photos and videos from the production have begun to be released, and I have some concerns, to say the least.

The art-style from the original comics are faithfully retained and translated into the show’s style (Photo courtesy of IMDb ).

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A victim of excellence: Season two of Amazon Prime’s ‘Invincible’

By Lake DiStefano | Apr. 21

When launching a new show, especially one as narrative focused as “Invincible,” there is often one core tenant of storytelling bound to be deployed: getting your audience invested as fast as you can. Interest is fickle these days, and if you want that second season, you have to hook viewers early.

The album cover reflects the vibrant sounds displayed on Gray’s newest record (Photo courtesy of Apple Music).

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Broken hearts & the 80s: How Conan Gray ‘Found Heaven’

By Lake DiStefano | Apr. 13

“Found Heaven,” Gray’s most recent studio effort, is a drastic pivot away from the ballad-driven songwriting of his last two albums into bright, 80s-influenced synth-pop. Acoustics are traded for disco-beats and hushed vocals become belting choruses. It’s a development of sound so jarring that even his previous skeptics were unable to deny their curiosity.

Stage productions are often what comes to mind when people think of musicals. (Photo courtesy of Flickr / Ayuntamiento de Guadalajara, Jan. 1, 2023)

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OPINION: No, you don’t hate musicals

By Lake DiStefano | Apr. 3

What interests me about the holistic hate of musicals is how people don’t understand musicals to begin with, and not in the sense that they don't get the point of them. For example, a common critique is that musicals take too long to get to the point of their story. This is a valid criticism. What I’m talking about is more related to what detractors even consider a musical to be.

Fall Out Boy maintained a constant and blaring stage presence throughout the show (Photo courtesy of Lake DiStefano / Staff Writer).

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The resurgence of emo: Fall Out Boy’s 2ourdust

By Lake DiStefano | Mar. 28

Over the past two decades, Fall Out Boy has been the epitome of what many consider to be pop-punk. They are titans in the genre, and while many — myself included — expected that style of music to die down in tandem with the 2000s, there is a recent phenomenon I’ve begun to notice.

Ricky Montgomery has a live-instrument heavy sound, which translates well into his on-stage performance (Photo courtesy of Lake DiStefano / Staff Writer).

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The Power of Indie–Ricky Montgomery’s ‘Rick’ Tour

By Lake DiStefano | Mar. 4

The venue was small and intimate, with fluorescent violet lights hanging overhead. As the pit began to take shape, it became apparent that even those in the back had a view of the stage that was still clear and detailed.

The Super Bowl halftime show is a near-mythological pop-culture event. (Photo courtesy of Flickr / “Justin Timberlake’s Super Bowl LII Halftime Show, Minneapolis MN” / February 6, 2018)

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OPINION: Great halftime shows have three key elements

By Lake DiStefano | Feb. 21

The Super Bowl halftime show has rightfully gained a legacy as being a huge honor for the artist chosen. As far as testaments to one’s artistic ability go, successfully swaying the audience at the Super Bowl is perhaps the pinnacle. A successful halftime show is a complicated formula of varying factors, factors that ensure that a performance will be successful, or in other words, memorable.

“Midnights” pales in comparison to Swift’s other works (Photo courtesy of Apple Music).

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OPINION: ‘Midnights’ didn’t deserve AOTY at the Grammys

By Lake DiStefano | Feb. 15

The Grammys this year pleasantly surprised me. However, despite the many successes of the night, I couldn’t help but scowl at my TV when they awarded Taylor Swift her fourth Album of the Year win for her tenth studio album, “Midnights.” “Midnights,” with its confused writing, lackluster production and stale context leaves me with a cynical suspicion – that it won not because of its quality, but rather because of the huge year that Swift had.

The show’s distinctive art style has drawn in a massive fanbase (Photo courtesy of IMDb).

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The indie project turned Amazon Prime original: ‘Hazbin Hotel’

By Lake DiStefano | Feb. 7

In 2020, a pilot for a proposed animated series, by the name of “Hazbin Hotel,” was uploaded to Youtube. It instantly went viral, and now sits at a staggering 97 million views. Upon watching the pilot, it is not hard to see why.

The music note within the “A” acts as one of the only indications of it being a musical (Photo courtesy of IMDb).

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A ‘Mean Girls’ without the mean

By Lake DiStefano | Jan. 29

As of late, the film industry has had an ongoing trend of adapting musicals into films, with marketing strategies hellbent on covering that fact up — 2023’s “Wonka” being among the most recognizable examples.

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Lake DiStefano

OPINION: There are unique challenges to making a Bob Dylan biopic

A victim of excellence: Season two of Amazon Prime’s ‘Invincible’

Broken hearts & the 80s: How Conan Gray ‘Found Heaven’

OPINION: No, you don’t hate musicals

The resurgence of emo: Fall Out Boy’s 2ourdust

The Power of Indie–Ricky Montgomery’s ‘Rick’ Tour

OPINION: Great halftime shows have three key elements

OPINION: ‘Midnights’ didn’t deserve AOTY at the Grammys

The indie project turned Amazon Prime original: ‘Hazbin Hotel’

A ‘Mean Girls’ without the mean

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