Category Archives: Entertainment
Depeche Mode Enters Unprecedented Era With Memento Mori
Sutton Caba-Bodie ’24
EE Staff Writier
For those who may not know, Depeche Mode, an international best-selling rock band, hit the charts with their new album, Memento Mori.
While this band may be more of our parents’ style, anyone who’s a fan of rock and roll or similar genres can enjoy their music as well. You may have even heard some of their songs such as “Enjoy the Silence”, “Personal Jesus”, “Black Celebration”, or “Behind the Wheel”. And even if you don’t enjoy their music, their impact on the music industry is reason enough to learn and follow their story.
Starting in the ‘80s in England, they began experimenting with synthesizers as the popularity of electronic music rose. Inspired by artists such as David Bowie, The Clash, Sparks, The Talking Heads, Prince, and many more, they began to create their own unique music and broke boundaries.
Throughout the years, Depeche Mode’s music has ranged from synth-pop, electronic rock, new wave, dance-rock, post-punk, alternative rock, and pop rock, and have experimented with many more genres. They are said to have “taken the underground electronic club sounds of early ‘80s and expanded them to stadium-sized levels within a decade”. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame only 2 years ago and have sold around 100 million records worldwide.
And now, with their new album Memento Mori, they’re adding to their success, but that did not come easy. The album was written by David Gahan and Martin Gore, two out of the three main bandmates of the group. The relationship between Gahan and Gore had always been rocky, and with Andy “Fletch” Fletcher, a founding band member, taking a temporary break, strong doubts were raised on whether the album would ever be completed.
Unfortunately, in 2022 while the album was still being worked on, Fletcher died unexpectedly. He had played a crucial role in the band, especially when it came to “tempering egos and keeping the ship sailing”. Gahan and Gore, as well as past members of the band and their fans, were deeply gutted by this loss. After deep consideration, Gahan and Gore continued to work and perfect their project, now with the added meaning of Fletcher’s passing. As a result, the two drew closer together.
A Record High Use of Vinyl
Ariana Sebourne ’24
EE Staff Writer
We know the cycle all too well. A trend predating our own adolescence starts, becomes the rage for a time, and fades away to a state of oblivion. Many tend to forget what was once the “blockbuster of the century”, the “hot new item”, or the “markets biggest hit”. Trends come and go, evolve, and diminish as quickly as they came about. It’s an ongoing cycle that allows us to function the way we do. These quick fads pertain to nail colors, fashion trends, apps, games, and so much more. With each comes another to take its place, and only few can claim their permanent spot in the hall of fame.
One trend in particular, to take note of is the comeback of vinyl records. First created in 1931, this thin, 30 cm flexible disc of plastic was the main source of musical entertainment for many years. Through the flower power of the truckin’ 60s and continuing into the groovy 70s, the popularity for these vinyls surged.
This was a time of togetherness where society shared in the fun breezy and hypnotic sound we call music. Band after band were making their names known, creating a multitude of genres spanning from rock, to disco, to blues. The music industry was at its all time high, and so were the spirits of those who associated themselves with it.
As time moves on so does the societal focus of that periods’ hot commodity. The ensuing future, ultimately lends itself to unavoidable innovation. Leaving vinyl in the past, and heading toward the more mobile forms of music of the future. People were beginning to live in the now instead of dwelling on what once was. This unfortunate fate led to the assumed end of a lively era.
Being a common theme with the generation of today, we are beginning to embrace the new, the old, the different, and the odd. With that being said, there was no doubt that we would soon become accustomed to the old trends once more. Bringing back what once was, has proved to become that of a hobby for some, a pastime for most, and enjoyment for all. The teens of today are turning to their parents’ old collections, going to record stores, and hunting for their favorite artists in the art form of vinyl. As they come in an array of colors and designs, obtaining even one is akin to a dopamine boost.
The resurgence of vinyl has allowed people of all ages to partake in the joy of physical forms of music. Whether used as decor, to listen to, or as a collectible, it is apparent that vinyl’s comeback has allowed a new generation an opportunity to experience the magic of the past, and incorporate it into the technology of the future. The craze surrounding vinyl has moved past the title of solely a whim, and is now a full-on obsession. It is high time we keep the momentum of bringing back the old, because there is only surprise after surprise to be encountered by doing so.
The Decline of Modern Movies
Thomas Ou ‘24
EE Managing Editor
Earth’s mightiest heroes unite to face their greatest challenge yet in the epic finale, Avengers: Endgame.
In the fall of 2019, Martin Scorsese, the director of the critically acclaimed movie, The Irishman, inflamed the internet after an interview with Empire Magazine. When asked for his opinion on the current state of cinema, particularly the popular Marvel Cinematic Universe, Scorsese told the reporters that “superhero movies are [akin] to theme park rides,” a grotesque degradation of a once beautiful media.
In a subsequent article published in the New York Times, Scorsese lamented that movies are no longer “the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being”, but rather shallow entertainment “devoid of genuine revelation, mystery, emotional danger, and risk”.
Amidst the social media cesspool of paradoxical arguments and inflammatory rhetoric that followed in the wake of these interviews, I found myself growing more enamored with Scorsese’s claims.
In two generations, we have gone from thought-provoking, visual masterpieces like The Godfather Trilogy, Seven Samurai, Citizen Kane, and Raiders of the Lost Ark that each, in their unique way, advanced the cinematic medium and artistic human achievement, to modern garbage like Transformers, Fifty Shades of Grey, Emoji Movie, the live action version of Mulan, and countless others that achieve little more than fueling the already bloated societal indolence.
That is not to say that these movies hold no inherent value; it is as Scorsese had suggested, that modern movies are amusement parks where I can anticipate, laugh, and sometimes shed a tear in good fun with friends. However, I seldom find myself salivating at the prospect of seeing another or deriving any deeper meaning from them. The movie industry has been debased to a deluge of detritus and, by analyzing the economic and social drivers behind movie making, I can pinpoint this problem to the studios’ fraught attempts to appeal to a modern audience.
In this capitalistic society driven by consumerism, the main objective of movie studios is to generate the greatest net sum between the cost of their investments and the end product. On its own, this is not a cause for concern; healthy competition is the breeding ground for innovation and creativity. However, the profit in film-making does not stem from ingenuity but rather uniformity. Every element of the movie business has been carefully crafted to produce regurgitated recipes rather than something spectacular because people have gotten completely complacent with mediocrity and this mediocrity sells.
42nd Street Hitting The Stage
Kylie Totten ’24
EE Managing Editor
Students rehearse for the THS production of 42nd Street
It’s that time of year once again! This year’s musical, 42nd Street, will make its opening debut Friday, March 17th at the Trumbull High theater. There will be four additional performances on the 18th (Saturday), 19th (Sunday), 24th (Friday) and 25th (Saturday). Tickets are available on the THS Musicals website, and each cost eighteen to twenty dollars.
Last year’s musical, Footloose, was a huge success, and people are excited to see what the Thespians have in store for this year.
“I’m so excited to see 42nd Street because of all the hard work my friends put into it”, said junior Taylor McGeachy. “And after Footloose was so fantastic, I expect 42nd Street to be just as amazing”.
42nd Street is a stage musical and movie based on the original novel written by Bradford Ropes in 1932. It is the story of Peggy Sawyer who travels from her small Pennsylvania hometown to the big city, and quickly lands a job as an ensemble member for a new Broadway musical. But when the leading lady breaks her ankle, Peggy needs to step up and become a star in order to save the show.
This year’s musical features a huge cast, but prominent roles included: Peggy Sawyer (Nora Watson, 11), Billy Lawlor (Nick Ferreira, 11), Dorothy Brock (Olivia Mate, 12), Julian Marsh (Tim Spillane, 11), Maggie Jones (Catalina Mozzo, 10), Bert Barry (Jacob Chaffee, 11), Andy Lee (Luke Hatzis, 10), Abner Dillon (Syed Naqvi, 12), and Ann Reilly (Juliana Hemond, 10).
The cast has been working tirelessly for the past ten weeks in order to prepare for the show. They have spent many days after school memorizing lines, practicing the songs, and most importantly, learning all the new dances that are part of the show.
“All the dancing was really challenging”, said junior Nick Ferreira. “But everyone worked so hard and improved so much, and we can’t wait to bring it all together for opening night”.
The cast were not the only ones putting in the work. The crew spent all those rehearsals painting sets, working with the music, programming the lights, and ultimately working to make sure everything runs smoothly in all aspects of the show.
Members of the cast and crew should be incredibly proud of all the work they put in to bring 42nd Street together, and this weekend they will have the opportunity to bring all that work to life for the very first time on opening night. Trumbull, it’s time to buy your tickets and prepare your applause, because 42nd Street is ready to hit the stage!
Oscars Preview: This Year’s Worst
Raphael Sullivan ’23
EE Staff Writer
Moviegoers might be excited to watch the upcoming Oscars on March 12th. Many great movies will be discussed and rewarded for their incredible storytelling abilities and acting. However, some not-so-great movies will also be showcased. The Oscars are pretty famously rigged, as almost every award show is.
The Emmys nominated the infamous Emily in Paris and the Oscars let Shakespeare in Love beat out Saving Private Ryan. “Over the past four years, best picture winners generated an additional $19 million at the box office”, according to Business Insider. That’s more than 42% of total ticket sales.
The King’s Speech, for example, was initially projected to gross just $30 million, but after its subsequent nomination and victory, it went on to make more than $400 million in the box office.
This year, it’s pretty easy to spot the plants. So I would like to go over which of this year’s nominated movies are plants and who I think will realistically win.
Now, when I talk about “buying” your way into the Oscars, I don’t mean just straight-up giving money to the judges. While I don’t deny that this may happen, the most common practice of bribing includes giving the judges experiences of exclusive interviews. For example, Emily in Paris flew the Grammy judges out to an all expenses paid trip to Paris in order to “watch the production”.
Elvis
Directed by Baz Luhrmann with Austin Butler playing the lead, Elvis. This is an incredibly inaccurate retelling of the life of Elvis Presley. While it is filled with many hit Elvis songs (many of which I am a fan of), Elvis is a failure in both an educational sense and an entertaining one. Many moviegoers leave the theater disappointed at this new biographic film. Elvis most definitely bought its way into the Oscars as I believe it is undeserving of any awards, including best music.
Avatar: The Way of Water
James Cameron’s masterpiece, Avatar was previously the highest-grossing film of all time. While it made a lot of money, Avatar has pretty famously been at the expense of many jokes. The main issue people have with the first was its forget ability. This issue was definitely not fixed in the newest Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water. This movie, much like the previous one, is absolutely stunning– the CGI is groundbreaking. However, this does not make up for the boring plot. Many watchers were forced to drop out halfway due to the extremely slow pacing and lack of real plot. This movie is a step better than Elvis as I do think it deserves recognition for it’s beauty.
Ginny & Georgia: Uneven and Far-Fetched
Alexis Kokosa ’26
EE Staff Writer
Like the popular show, Gilmore Girls, the Netflix hit show, Ginny & Georgia, is based around a teen and her mother. Sixteen year-old Ginny is the daughter of Georgia, who gave birth to Ginny when she was her age. The show revolves around the struggles Georgia has had throughout her life from being a teen mother, and the struggles of her daughter at the ripe age of 16. Ginny & Georgia has its own world rules applied to it. Things that would never happen in real life regularly happen in this show, and while it tries to be realistic, many parts are implausible.
Brianne Howey plays Georgia, a 30-year old single mother of two. The father of her second child, Austin, was sent to jail when Georgia framed him for embezzlement after he abused her. Georgia also murdered two of her husbands, one by accident and one by poison, but it is claimed that both were to protect Ginny. By the way, Georgia is still secretly in love with with Ginny’s father.
Every episode has a new theme and it is hard to keep up with everything: each character has their own life and backstory that’s needed to get through, and it’s so complicated because all we really want to get to is Ginny or Georgia. Ginny is a little hard to listen to sometimes– personally she annoyed me. There is just so much going on in every episode, from Georgia’s love life, to Ginny’s, to her friends’ problems, it was just so much to keep up with. Then bam, cliffhanger at the end.
It’s not that it’s not a good show but there is just so much going on it can get confusing at so many different points in time. It’s hard to move on to the next dramatic problem when we were still stuck on the one that happened a mere five minutes ago. Out of ten I would give it a five. There are some good parts but it is so fast-paced and hard to connect to any of the characters when you’re still connected to the last. And yes, I do think there should be a season three for a chance at redemption. The first was good, the second was bad, maybe there will be a good turning point to change my mind, who knows?
Popular CoHo Titles Recommended
Alexis Kokosa ’26
EE Staff Writer
IT ENDS WITH US
Written from the point of view of Lily Bloom, a 23 year old, who moved to Boston after the death of her father, It Ends With Us, is a highly sought-after title from best-selling author Colleen Hoover who has a number of books that appeal to a crossover young adult audience.
All was well with Lily until she met the neurosurgeon, Ryle Kincaid, who she eventually falls in love with. Their relationship gets difficult over time when Bloom crosses paths with her first love, Atlas Corrigan.
The way Colleen Hoover addresses each character makes you love them just that much more. I wasn’t sure what to expect as an outcome of this book, but lets just say it was rather shocking. It is a story about domestic abuse and violence with a heartbreaking yet needed ending.
I still am unable to wrap my head around how while It Ends With Us is not considered a romance story–it is 100% a love story first and foremost. It puts you in a spot that forces you to choose yourself over someone you strongly love. Lily Bloom needed to put an end to the continuous violence she was experiencing to help herself in the long-run. I would give this read a 5/5 due to how it pulled at my heart and by how much enjoyment I received from this novel.
Fall Play Underway
Isabella Mercado ‘23
EE Staff Writer
Ali Hassan & Mars Czarnecki rehearse under the watch of their Director, Isabel O’Neil & Stage Manager, Elizabeth Caron. Almost, Maine premiers November 18th & 19th.
Most of us here at Trumbull High are familiar with the spring musicals put on every March, but one of the hidden underground gems of THS Arts is the fall play. While the plays are not as big in extravagance as the spring musicals, they have always been beautiful productions that never receive enough praise. This year, TheSpians is putting on the play Almost, Maine by John Cariani.
One of the unique elements of the fall play is that it is completely student run. This means that leadership positions such as directors, stage managers, designers, producers, and other crew leadership positions are filled by students. Some of these roles are filled by adults in the spring, so the fall productions give students a chance at showing off their leadership qualities, as well as preparing them for a future in theatre if they so choose.
“It’s been so great working with such amazing actors, and it’s awesome to work under the guidance of Mrs Spillane, especially since I want to go into directing later in life,” said Skylar Cuminotto-Reis, one of the directors of Almost Maine.
Anyone with a leadership position works under the guidance of Mrs Spillane and Mr Bracksieck, the THeSpian advisors, so that they are able to ask questions and perform to the best of their abilities. Some leadership was even determined last school year, so that work on the play could begin as soon as this year began.
Lake Compounce’s Phantom Fall Fest Haunts
Lillian Von Kohorn ‘24
EE Staff Writer
Fog machines and dimmed yellow lighting help create a perfect Halloween atmosphere.
The spooky season is upon us, and Lake Compounce has just introduced a brand new way to enjoy it!
As teenagers transition from treat to trick, the 2022 Phantom Fall Fest brings the best of both worlds into their park. From opening time until 6 p.m., all are welcome to enjoy the park’s classic entertainments, great themed food, and flashy Halloween decor. When the clock strikes 6, though, the horrors of the night come out and the park transforms into a full-blown haunted realm. The Phantom Fall Fest features four haunted labyrinths, and three themed “scare-zones”.
The first of the labyrinths, MediEvil, brings you face to face with an inquisitor’s torture chamber. The second, Root of All Evil, takes place in the manor of a mad scientist, and Spirits of the Swamp has you trek through a haunted bayou. Finally, mAlice in Wonderland, the largest of the haunted paths, takes you through the looking glass or down the rabbit hole with a choose your own adventure experience.
Not a huge fan of horror? No problem. There are plenty of other fun Halloween activities, such as the Kid’s Costume Party and the Apple Fritter Eating Contest, for the whole family to enjoy. In fact, according to the General Manager, Jeff Davis, “Even if you’re not into haunted houses, I think you can come here and get just the right level of scare that’s appropriate”.
“It’s a chill yet thrilling experience perfect from a fun night out,” according to one 11th grade Trumbull High School student. “It literally feels like I’m walking through a classic horror movie–but not in the ‘Oh no I’m gonna die type of way,’ you know?”
This aesthetic is due to the constant fog machines and dimmed yellow lighting, creating that perfect Halloween atmosphere even on the clearest of nights.
The Phantom Fall Fest, which will run from September 30th through October 30th, is opened from 6 to 10 p.m. on Fridays, and from noon till 10 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Aside from mAlice in Wonderland, all attractions are free with admission.
Thorne’s Hating Game Not Loved…or Hated
Alexis Kokosa ’26
EE Staff Writer
The Hating Game: A Novel by Sally Thorne
Lucy Hutton works in an office with her so-called ‘enemy’ Joshua Templeman. Everything that transpires there becomes an excuse to show him just how much she hates him–but she isn’t doing too well with that. Lucy doesn’t exactly understand why Joshua hates her so much, but she happily returns the favor. But when an opportunity to gain a promotion comes onto the table, their relationship completely changes. Lucy eventually realizes that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua after all, and Joshua doesn’t hate her. Or is that just another one of their games?
The book’s best character is Helene Pascal, Lucy’s boss. Although her role is small, she’s a funny character who is genuinely likeable from the start all the way through to the finish. The scenes come to life throughout this book, and, overall, it was a pretty good read. One particularly great quote from the text is: “I was always covering for you”. It gave the book just a touch of romance that made it just that much better
Thorne’s writing is not exceptional. The reader can often predict what’s coming, and it got pretty repetitive. Also, the nickname that Joshua gave Lucy made me visibly cringe every time I read it on the paper. Lastly, the amount of times Lucy explained how short she was in different ways just within the first 18 pages was absurd.
Overall, this book would be good for someone who wants a quick read, or is interested in an enemies-to-lovers trope. It would also be good for somebody who is just getting into this style of writing. As someone who has been reading these types of books for quite a while, it definitely wasn’t my favorite, but it was okay.
