Self Validation: It Takes a Trophy

By: Alex

Art by Alex

I have an obsession with watching people win trophies. The Oscars, the Golden Globes, and the Grammys, help make the coldest, darkest months of winter my favorite time of year. When a trophy falls into the hands of the worthy recipient you can see their sincerity--- their dreams have come true. Sure, this idea sounds shallow, but it’s not the materialistic elements that matter; it’s more about what the trophy stands for and what it took to get there. When I watch these awards shows, I’m inspired because earning a trophy means recognition.

As a dreamer myself, I see nothing more rewarding than one day standing on stage and accepting an award for a screenplay that formed from a mere idea to a story that affected so many. Of course, I would thank the actors, directors, and producers I worked with. But most importantly, I would thank everyone who believed in me. Those people, the believers, are the ones who gave me a chance; without them, I would be nowhere.

Of course, this is all hypothetical. I am currently nowhere near this goal. There are a fair share of people who do believe in me, but most of the people I admire don’t even know who I am. However, though this is just a dream to me at this point, I understand that proving yourself is the best way to make you feel like you’re worth it.

It’s very hard to attempt to follow your dreams while also achieving success. And when I say ‘success,’ I mean validation. When you have a dream, you get judged. People don’t believe in you. Sometimes, it’s not enough just to be proud of something you do. You need someone to confirm what you think to be true; you need something to show that you’ve proven yourself.

I think that’s why I like these awards shows so much-- because there’s validation in receiving something as concrete as a token of the hard work and passion you’ve put into your dream. Not only are all these people proud of what they do, but they have proof that there are so many others who feel the same, and they know all this just by receiving a trophy.

Yes, a dream like this seems so far away, and I don’t know if I’ll ever make it. But one thing I do know is that the inspiration, drive and admiration I have for these great people as I intently listen to their acceptance speeches, reaches me in a way that nothing else can. 

I can only imagine how satisfying it must be to stand on that stage and hold my award with pride and thank all the people who mean everything and silently give an “I-told-you-so” to everyone who judged what it means to really have a dream. I’ve seen so many recipients explain that there were lots of people who put them down and didn’t believe in them, but they persevered, and now they’ve achieved. I want to see if they’re right.   

And the Oscar Goes to...

By: Emily

Graphic by Emily

To be quite honest, February is a terrible month. The magic of Wintertime is gone and replaced with a constant fall of windy and freezing hail. The looming pile of work just seems to constantly grow and grow.

But to be quite honest, February is also a pretty good month and it's because of one thing and one thing only: The Academy Awards. Every February, the year's best and most creative minds come together to celebrate their film making achievements. Having seen all of the Best Picture nominees and many other nominated films this year, I present to you, my review of who I think will win the main awards at this year's Oscars.

Best Picture
Nominated Films: Amour, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty.
While the obvious choice, considering it also won Best Picture at both the Golden Globes and Critics' Choice Awards would be Argo, I doubt the Academy would award this well-deserved film. My doubts come from the film's director, Ben Affleck's, lack of nomination in the Best Director category. At the two aforementioned award shows, Affleck and Argo both won in their respective categories. Because of this, I have a feeling the Academy will play it safe and give it to old people favorite, Lincoln. To find out who should really win this award, check out my article on the Best Films of 2012!

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated Actors: Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook, Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln, Hugh Jackman in Les Miserables, Joaquin Phoenix in The Master, Denzel Washington in Flight.
Though I would like to see Bradley Cooper for win for his solid performance as bipolar Pat in Silver Linings Playbook, everyone knows this category belongs to the greatest actor alive, Daniel Day-Lewis. While I do wish Abraham Lincoln was actually in Lincoln more, when he was, he was pretty darn powerful.

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Nominated Actresses: Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty, Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook, Emmanuelle Riva in Amour, Quvenzhane Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild, Naomi Watts in The Impossible.
We all know my feelings about Jessica Chastain, and I think she will definitely win her deserved Oscar this year playing HBIC (that's Head Bitch in Charge) Maya, a CIA officer in charge of finding and killing Osama Bin Laden. Being snubbed last year for her equally wonderful performance in The Help, it's her turn to win, and I don't think there's much doubt that she won't get it.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominated Actors: Alan Arkin in Argo, Robert De Niro in Silver Linings Playbook, Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master, Tommy Lee Jones in Lincoln, Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained.
A category filled with talented veteran Oscar recipients, there really is no clear winner in my eyes. I'd like for it to go to Philip Seymour Hoffman for his riveting performance as Lancaster Dodd, a real Master, but I doubt that will happen. Past award shows seem to want to give it to Christoph Waltz who pretty much just played Hans Landa, a character he originated in Quentin Tarantino's previous film Inglorious Basterds, but instead of hating Jews he likes slaves. If anyone from Django Unchained should have at the very least been nominated, it should have been Indie Newspapers favorite, Leonardo DiCaprio, but the Academy once again failed to see DiCaprio's dedication and prowess as completely deranged yet somehow charming plantation owner Calvin Candie.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominated Actresses: Amy Adams in The Master, Sally Field in Lincoln, Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables, Helen Hunt in The Sessions, Jacki Weaver in Silver Linings Playbook.
If Anne Hathaway doesn't win, then the Academy has destroyed everything I believe in. Hathaway's performance as Fantine, a woman devoid of absolutely everything by the time "I Dreamed a Dream" comes around, had me and pretty much everyone else in the theater bawling. For the duration of that song, the camera simply stays on her face, in one take, while she sings her heart out and rips yours open at the same time. Definitely one of the most powerful performances I've seen in a very long time.

Best Director
Nominated Directors: Michael Haneke for Amour, Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild, Ang Lee for Life of Pi, Steven Spielberg for Lincoln, David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook.
Keeping up with Oscar tradition that the film that wins Best Picture also wins Best Director, Steven Spielberg seems to be the front runner for this category. Out of these nominees, I'd like to see it go to Ang Lee--he managed to make a captivating movie about a boy and a tiger on a boat for two hours. Skill. But the real winner should be Tom Hooper for getting such emotional performances out of actors that were singing live in Les Miserables or Ben Affleck for Argo, but, oh wait, neither of them are nominated so it won't even matter.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Nominated Screenplays: Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook
I definitely think Silver Linings Playbook should take this one. The story was unique, interesting, and the dialogue was fantastic. It was funny and touching without being sappy or cliche, which is an incredible feat.

Best Original Screenplay
Nominated Screenplays: Amour, Django Unchained, Flight, Moonrise Kingdom, Zero Dark Thirty
Considering the screenplays for Flight and Moonrise Kingdom were two of the worst screenplays (and therefore movies) this year, Amour or Zero Dark Thirty definitely have a chance at winning this category. It will probably go to Oscar front runner Zero Dark Thirty, but I'd like to see Amour win this one, even though the film featured very little dialogue.

Just to explain to you why I am so into choosing winners for these shows and casting my votes before the big day, I'm fascinated by the film industry. I love the Oscars, and award shows in general, because they are inspiring. They are proof that you don't need to come from money or go to a fancy film school in order to succeed. If you can create something amazing, people will take note. It's only a matter of time until you or I could be up on that stage accepting an award, having our dreams come true.

*Tune into the Oscars on Sunday, February 24th 8/7c to see what all your friends will be talking about!*

Desmond and Penny: A Romance that Works

By: Alex

Art by Alex

LOST-- in a show of time travel, smoke monsters and a supernatural island, something needs to ground us. My recent obsession with LOST has taught me that, even with a show so atypical of something I would be into, there are always characters that I’m going to fall in love with to anchor me in my passion for a television series.

Now, let me make myself clear. This is not an ode to LOST—it’s more than that. This is my reasoning as to why you should watch, and it’s my attempt to get you to fall in love with some of the characters that became my reason for watching this entire series in an astounding 46 days (yes, that’s a shorter period of time than the characters spent stranded on the island). I consider this one of my greatest accomplishments.

LOST tackles the lives of so many characters, (their past, present and future), but I’m going to focus on a couple that immortalizes this series: Desmond and Penny. Desmond is a wild Scottish man who’s in love with a woman named Penny, and all we want is for them to be together. The two had a great relationship back home, but complications from Penny’s villainous father, Charles Widmore, who threatened Desmond’s manhood and confidence, caused my perfect couple to lose each other. As a result, Desmond spends most of the series traveling (both in distance and in time) in search of Penny in a chivalrous quest to prove his love and loyalty.

In Desmond’s journey to get back home, he experiences flashes of memory that reveal his strange ability to travel through time. (I know, stay with me, here). As Desmond flashes through time, things start to become unstable. He needs something to ground him—someone who will always be there so he doesn’t just cease to exist and get lost in the continuum of time. What Desmond needs is a constant, and that’s Penny. And knowing that Penny is loyal to him is what keeps him stable in a world that is the complete opposite.

In the finest moment of their relationship (and also what might be known as the finest moment of LOST) Desmond, while on a boat in the middle of nowhere, miraculously contacts Penny, back at home, and he promises he will find his way back to her. (my feelings!)

This scene solidifies Desmond and Penny’s relationship, establishing them as two resilient characters, representing something so real. The strong relationship of Desmond and Penny gave me stability in a show that’s always changing scenes, time, and point of view. I need that grounding force to show me that, though this show is far fetched, there are some real themes in it. Desmond and Penny are my constant. Their relationship is timeless, with themes that are universal.

That being said, Desmond and Penny is a romance done right. First of all, Desmond and Penny’s storyline is a one small piece of a giant conglomeration of stories from many different characters, making the bulk of LOST's plot about much more than a love story. I do love my romances, but when the storyline is overdone, it loses its meaning. If the romance is ‘romanticized,’ I think we lose a lot of authenticity.  

One of my English teachers once said, “ a story should have sentiment, but should not be sentimental”--- that is my critique on Desmond and Penny. They are a pairing that truly has sentiment, without being cheesy or effusive. Desmond’s promise to come back to Penny one day, and Penny’s loyalty to him, waiting for his return--- there’s feeling there; it’s not forced or overdone. The show is not about only Desmond and Penny’s relationship; we understand their love from one episode (out of over 100), and that serves the purpose to get us to love characters for an entire series.

I have a lot of favorite characters on LOST, but Desmond and Penny remind me that, above all, this is a show about relationships, stories of the people who matter most to us. And it’s not just the romantic relationships; it’s everyone we’ve known, those who have touched us and made us who we are. Desmond and Penny get us to the core of the show, containing a message about how ‘letting someone in’ can be the best decision we ever make.  

See Desmond and Penny in action: The Constant phone call...

What the Catholic Church Really Taught Me

By Sarah

Ironic Photoshop done by guest artist Holly Hamlin.

Disclaimer: This is detailing my personal experience in Cleveland Catholic schools. This is in no way intended to be a generalization on Catholic education or an attack on the religion itself. I would also like to say that I have never been abused by a nun. Take it for what it is and hopefully laugh about it!

Growing up in the heart of Cleveland, you learn pretty quickly that there’s a big divide between the public and Catholic schools, and the Catholics usually win. I’m a still recovering product of a Catholic education, and let me tell you, the rumors are probably true. However, since they made that one rule where they nuns can’t smack your knuckles with a ruler, things weren’t that terrible at good old St. Angela’s. In the spirit of Lent, here’s a detailed list of what the Catholic Church really taught me. For as Mr. Mark Twain once said, “I never let my schooling interfere with my education.”

1. No one looks put together or innocent in a plaid skirt. Pervy men have the schoolgirl fantasy for a reason, and this is it. It’s a little hard to concentrate on fractions when every girl in 8^th grade looks like they burst out of a Britney Spears video. Those skirts also only had one pocket, which made it very difficult to carry a phone, wallet, I.D. card, and several tubes of Bonne Bell all at once. Catholics also really like to make teenage sweater vest and kilt.
2. You better make it to mandatory mass, and you better really be singing. Once a month we had an all school or class mass, and it was pretty much show up or die. They even placed a teacher at the end of each row to make sure you were really singing and doing the responses. While their treatment of students like regulated cattle was a tad much, this is probably why I’m so punctual to this day. Mass taught me that if I have to be somewhere, I might as well do it right and do it right away.
3. Any color nail polish besides clear is whore-ish. I feel like this speaks for itself, but I’ll explain anyway. If we were seen with colored nails, it’s was off the principal’s office to remove it. The same went for eyeliner, mascara, or any other beauty enhancement. Take off the cosmetics and make more room for Jesus people.
4.  Money means EVERYTHING. This is probably the most valuable lesson I’ve learned. While not fair or just in anyway, it’s undeniable that the more money you put in the collection plate on Sunday, the more perks you received. Because money=influence, and I had no money, I had to work twice as hard to get the same things that other kids got because of their last name. This is one of the few times that something the Church taught me translated into the real world. However, in the process of constantly trying to prove to people I was their equal, I proved it to myself and found my confidence.
5.  Kids are jerks. This was the only time in my life where I was bullied, and it made going to school unbearable. And all because I was the new girl in town and I didn’t live in a five story house with tacky BeBe sparkle t-shirts or too-tight Abercrombie jeans. But in the end, I made one of the best friends I have ever had, and I’m a stronger person because of it.
6. Catholic kids are the first to go crazy! When I see one girl in booty shorts sitting a dark theatre with a bunch of boys, or find pictures on Facebook of a bunch of freshmen pounding Natty lights, it’s pretty safe to conclude that they went through the private school system. And then those of us with our heads screwed on straight can sit back and watch the whole thing unfold.
7. There may be other religions, but they’re irrelevant. I was never big on theology class, mostly because I didn’t understand why God would give people so many rules. But try telling the priests that. Actually don’t, they might smite you. In my experience, Catholics tend to think that their opinion is the right opinion. But there is in fact a whole world of different ideologies out there, and it’s really cool to compare belief systems with people.
8. Note passing gets things done. Since relations between boys and girls were highly inappropriate, it was often necessary to pass a note chain around to figure out who liked whom. This could get pretty elaborate and confusing, so it was necessary to develop a skill at deciphering said note chains. This is directly linked to critical thinking skills that benefit SAT takers.

My overall experience with Catholic education wasn’t excruciating or anything, but one thing’s for sure. My future progeny will sooner go to Hogwarts than St. whatever.

A Valentine's Day Lament/Lesson

By: Alex 

Art by Alex

When I was 11 years old, I got my first real valentine. I walked into my fifth grade classroom on Valentine’s Day with my biggest expectation being that people would stop attaching lollipops to their valentine’s cards and start giving out chocolate. Instead, I was surprised to see my desk adorned with gifts from a secret admirer.

This was a great feeling… someone liked me. I felt invincible. It was just another step up on that ever-intimidating social ladder of public school. I read the card, and realized this gift was from Gary*, a boy I barely knew. But nevertheless, my 11-year-old mind immediately put myself into a serious, committed relationship.

From Valentine’s Day on, our relationship consisted of us writing notes to each other in the bathroom in between classes and giving them to our liaison friends who would deliver the notes to the recipient. Most of what I knew about Gary was through what he wrote to me in his 11-year-old penmanship. 


Still, though Gary and I never had any real communication, I felt powerful. People looked at me differently because I had a ‘boyfriend.’ Other girls were jealous of me because someone liked me and other boys wanted to get to know me because I was taken, and therefore, more desirable. I loved this attention. I thought this was the height of luxury. But it seemed to slip my mind that I didn’t truly have a real relationship with Gary. I just went along for the ride of popularity, excited for what the title of being someone’s ‘girlfriend’ would bring to me. 

Maybe we were just intimidated, but we continued communicating through notes until around March when our silence was broken; our science teacher put us in the same lab group, so we were forced to take the next step in our relationship—actually talking face to face.

Because of that fateful day in science, Gary and I got the opportunity to (finally) speak to each other. But though we had this new step to our relationship, I realized we had nothing to talk about. It was really sad, all of the excitement leading up to this moment-- gifts, attention, notes, and then nothing. Why did I glamorize the idea of a relationship?

I didn’t like that I was spending so much time with someone I really didn’t enjoy hanging out with. I no longer had the 11-year-old freedom that I loved. I realized that I had a lot of friends that I didn’t associate myself with anymore, just because of my obligation to Gary. I wasn’t myself.

I realized I hadn’t hung out with Josh* or Paul*, my two best guy friends who I used to watch Batman and talk about dinosaurs with. Where were they? I’d forgotten about them. And my best friend Brianna*, we hadn’t had a sleepover in so long. I distanced myself from my real friends who I actually had connection with, all because of this romantic chase. And I finally got there and it wasn’t actually that great.

Slowly, I drifted away from Gary, mostly because I was a little freaked out about what was happening. Now, I talk about this relationship like it was the worst experience in the world. It wasn’t. It gave me a chance to realize what I really wanted. From that premature relationship, I realized that I hated being tied to someone, being responsible for spending time with them, especially when I wanted to do other things that I enjoyed more.

To this day, I get freaked out in relationship situations because I truly don’t know what to do if someone wants to spend all of their time with me and I’m expected to do the same. From my first relationship, I learned that, especially growing up, we all need time to figure things out for ourselves, and it’s really hard to do that when we’re trying to please someone else. Being free from the responsibility of a relationship allowed me to get to know myself a lot better and be more confident in what I want out of a relationship.

Nowadays, I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m proud to be single, but I’m glad that I am---right now. I realize now that Gary and I were not the perfect match, as I thought back then. I was ‘dating’ him just to say I dated someone. Of course, neither of us treated one another badly, but we never really had a connection. At that age (and even now) people put so much pressure on labels and conformity, that it’s easy to fall into a relationship like mine and Gary’s. I see it today even with people my age.

My advice is, don’t use a relationship as a confidence booster. It’s not fair to you or your partner, and sooner or later, it’ll just end badly. Luckily, 11-year-olds don’t get their hearts broken as easily, and a relationship can end just by getting a new seat assignment in your classroom. But just because this happened to me in fifth grade, doesn’t make teens immune to it. Remember that you have the power. You don’t have to be with anyone you don’t want to be, and on the other side, you can make time for the people you care about. Finding a match is not that scary; it’s just difficult. But I can promise, if you wait with confidence, caution, and a little bit of optimism, one of these days, Valentine’s Day will be the best holiday of the year.

*Names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Above All Angst, is Love

By: Alex 

Art by Alex 

It’s incredible to feel like a paradox—to feel so completely one way but also so much the opposite. When I say this feeling is incredible, I don’t mean that it’s a great feeling, because most of the time it’s not. But it’s an incredible feeling because it’s so unbelievable that we can feel so strongly on two sides of a spectrum. This paradoxical feeling is what I identify as the greatest basis of angst.  

Though it sounds unbelievable, feeling like a paradox is not uncommon, and when thinking about these feelings, I can’t help but express my love for the most wonderful and tragic example of a paradoxical character-- the misunderstood and brilliant Donnie Darko.

A lovely movie from my era, Donnie Darko, tells a story of growing up, self-evaluation, and (I know it’s crazy) time travel. But at the heart of this film is the struggle of an all too relatable character, Donnie. We realize that his biggest flaw are his paradoxical feelings, trying to understand how he can feel so connected to everyone around him, yet disconnected from what matters most. Because of these anxieties, Donnie is determined to prove that love, the feeling of belonging somewhere, is not just an uncertainty.

Although this movie is depressing, I see a silver lining to its darkness. Though Donnie’s inner turmoil is almost enough to make us feel physical pain, we realize that through his struggles, he’s learned a lesson. In the truest sense of angst, Donnie is surrounded with people who don’t understand him.

But in even the most misunderstood situations, we know that there are people who matter most that can help us through it. Donnie finds solace in a few people he meets, like his girlfriend or his English teacher. And through them, he doesn’t feel so alone. It’s a lot easier to get through a hard time when we realize we have someone around to help us through it.

But just because Donnie has these people in his life that he can trust doesn’t make everything better. He is still faced with everyday challenges that only he can solve. He realizes that it is possible to feel so much like a paradox and that there are some answers, though important, that don’t come to us right away.

Donnie gives us the reality of what some of us cannot accept. Though our problems may not always have an answer, we can find ways to deal with them. Donnie doesn’t have the closure that we all want. He doesn’t know that it’s all going to be okay, as these paradoxical feelings continue to plague his mind. But what I see as the most optimistic element of this story is the truth to it.

By the end, Donnie realizes that living without the ones he loves isn’t worth living at all. Though he doesn’t have it all figured out, he realizes that love can overcome any uncertainty and make us, even for a moment, truly happy. We can be a paradox and still feel love, and that’s the beautiful thing. As we grow up and question things, the only real way to live is through feeling these conflicting emotions. There’s no way we could have it all figured out. We don’t have to be completely happy or completely sad all the time to be connected with others in our lives. It’s okay to live and feel whatever way we do, and through living, we will learn to love.