Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
November 28, 2025 November 28, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

Arts & Entertainment

W!ZARD RADIO MEDIA / CC BY 3.0 Despite Staff Writer Alicia’s Guevara’s longtime love for actress Sofia Carson, not even her presence could redeem Netflix’s new movie The Life List.

The Life List is a Hallmark dupe not even Sofia Carson could save

By ALICIA GUEVARA | April 17, 2025

On March 28, Netflix’s latest rom-com endeavor was released: The Life List. I’ll admit, I had low expectations. The alliterated title did not inspire high hopes. I love Sofia Carson — the lead actress — but mostly because I watched and loved the Descendants movies as a kid. I was not actually aware that she continued to act after those films. But mainly, my reservations stemmed from how much the plot sounded like it could belong to a made-for-TV Hallmark movie.

STEVEN SIMPSON / PHOTO EDITOR The Heathers (from left to right: Tessa Barcelo, Amelia Blackman and Lindsay Nelson) finally accept Veronica Sawyer (center: Liesel Arauz Vallecillo) into their clique. 

A cult classic comes to life: the Barnstormers perform Heathers

By SAMHI BOPPANA | April 17, 2025

For their spring 2025 musical, the Barnstormers are putting on a production of Heathers: the cult classic musical based on the 1989 film with the same name. I attended the Saturday night performance, and the theater was packed to the brim with excited audience members, although I was able to claim a coveted front row seat. 

STEVEN SIMPSON / PHOTO EDITOR Nick (Audrey Douglas; left), a young biology professor, sucks up to Martha (Katherine Budinger; right), the daughter of the college president.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? I am

By TIMOTHY MCSHEA | April 15, 2025

This past weekend, the Hopkins Theatre Company performed Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, a three-act whirlwind of a play about two academic couples from opposing generations, each catching and delivering snide, passive aggressive comments across a countless number of liquor-filled glasses. 

COURTESY OF HOPKINS AT HOME A faculty panel on April 4 discussed the role of the arts at Hopkins and the current opportunities available for students to get involved. 

Is Hopkins committed to the arts? Panel reflects on arts and the student experience

By NOËL DA | April 14, 2025

On Friday, April 4, a faculty panel titled “Arts and the Hopkins Student Experience” discussed what the arts mean at Hopkins. As audiences both in-person and online began to settle in, they prepared to hear about vital questions such as: What makes the arts valuable? Why should we pursue them, and how? Is Hopkins committed to the arts? 

JIYUN GUO / DESIGN & LAYOUT EDITOR Pick up the new novel Open, Heave by Seán Hewitt!

To watch and watch for: Week of April 14

By ARTS EDITORS | April 13, 2025

As the end of the school year approaches, I’m betting that we’re all in some purgatory state where we dangle tenuously between midterms, more midterms and finals. While caught in this limbo, I hope you look to the Arts & Entertainment’s weekly section: “To watch and watch for,” in search of rescue. 

TOM BRITT / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Collins’ newest addition to The Hunger Games series — Sunrise on the Reaping — holds little of the original trilogy's sociopolitical depth.

The odds were better before: A critical look at Sunrise on the Reaping

By KAYLEE NGUYEN | April 6, 2025

In a world plagued with political turmoil and at a time when dystopian fiction feels less like an escape and more like a reflection of reality, Suzanne Collins returns to Panem with Sunrise on the Reaping. Released on March 18, this 400-page novel follows beloved character Haymitch Abernathy through the deadly ordeals of the 50th Hunger Games. 

JIYUN GUO / DESIGN & LAYOUT EDITOR Katie Kitamura’s latest novel Audition is a compelling work that invites us to examine how we present ourselves and conceal parts of our lives. 

To watch and watch for: Week of April 6

By ARTS EDITORS | April 6, 2025

This edition of “To watch and watch for” has it all: whether you’re looking for an animated adaptation of Charles Dickens, a book about the dark history of Johnson & Johnson, a compelling folk album or a glassblowing workshop you can attend yourself, the Arts & Entertainment section has something for you. So scroll through, take a look and see what excites you!

THE COME UP SHOW / CC BY-ND 2.0 Swedish rapper and singer Bladee has collaborated with experimental producer Ferraro to create what they describe as an "interactive poem," featuring lines generated from Microsoft's Copilot. 

Microsoft, James Ferraro and Bladee release interactive artificial intelligence poem “Sanctuary”

By EDWARD ZHU | April 4, 2025

Microsoft’s “Artifacts” project — a collaboration with TBA Agency — seeks to challenge this narrative about AI and art. Its mission statement is to show that “cutting-edge innovation can amplify deeply personal artistic expression while remaining fundamentally guided by human imagination.” This March, Artifacts worked with various artists to release three innovative projects that utilize open-source AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot. 

PETER O’CONNOR / CC BY-SA 2.0 Integrating elements from a plethora of eras and genres, country-inspired riffs, mellow piano interludes, angelic harp instrumentals and heavy thumping electronic beats, SAYA appears to be a mosaic of musical artistry. 

SAYA: Just comfortably experimental

By SPRUHA DEO | March 28, 2025

When it comes to albums, I unfortunately almost always judge them by their covers. And when it came to Japanese-Canadian star Saya Gray’s debut album SAYA, my judgment did not steer me away. I strongly believe a good album cover should reflect the nature of a record while being visually appealing, and SAYA checks both these boxes. 

COURTESY OF ARIANA MYGATT Strait reflects on Dream State, a novel by Hopkins Professor Eric Puchner. 

Dream State is a novel that leaves you with one question

By RILEY STRAIT | March 12, 2025

Across literary circles, Oprah Winfrey’s most recent book club selection Dream State by Hopkins Professor Eric Puchner is abducting fans from the real world, making them miss their subway stops. For me, returning to my dorm from Hodson Hall past midnight, I missed the man in a sandy suit with blonde hair and round glasses waving me down for a lighter. This was perhaps an odd occurrence for the backside of Gilman past midnight, but these things don’t matter when Dream State is on the mind.

ROGUE ARTISTS / CC BY 3.0 Lady Gaga’s new album Mayhem is emblematic of a growing resurgence of the Y2K aesthetic.

Addison Rae, Tate McRae and Lady Gaga: Y2K reloaded

By RUBEN DIAZ | March 12, 2025

The early 2000s — an era of low-rise jeans, chunky highlights and the unmistakable sounds of pop-punk anthems — are making a vibrant comeback in today's pop culture. From fashion runways to music charts, the Y2K aesthetic is experiencing a renaissance, captivating a new generation while evoking nostalgia for those who lived through it. This revival isn't just about recycled trends; it's a fusion of past and present, with artists like Addison Rae, Tate McRae, Olivia Rodrigo and even the iconic Lady Gaga leading the charge. 

HAROLD NEAL / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 The 2025 Academy Awards called for unity in a time when natural disasters have threatened Los Angeles, the home of Hollywood.

A recap of the 2025 Academy Awards

By TIMOTHY MCSHEA | March 10, 2025

It is tough to say how this year’s Academy Awards will be remembered. It may very well be seen as a return to prominence for Brody, who experienced a 22-year gap between his Best Actor Oscars. It may also be seen as a massive day for Baker, who has always gained critical acclaim but never won it at the Oscars.

COURTESY OF EMA IWASAKI Once inside An die Musik, staff writer Ema Iwasawki was met with the warm sunny ambience of the stage. The stage was perfectly lit by overhead spotlights cast over all of the instruments. 

Hittin' With The Youngins: A night of improvisational jazz

By EMA IWASAKI | March 10, 2025

An die Musik Live and the Peabody Institute Jazz Department partnered to present a series of “Hittin' With the Youngins” on Thursday, Feb. 27, at An die Musik in Mount Vernon. This series offers the chance for one Peabody student to present their compositions alongside other Peabody musicians and one Peabody Jazz faculty member. Senior Noah Ford — along with faculty member Charenée Wade — presented this night. 

JIYUN GUO / DESIGN & LAYOUT EDITOR This week’s media include 33 Place Brugmann by Alice Austin and the album I Die Where You Begin by Stela Cole! 

To watch and watch for: Week of March 10

By ARTS EDITORS | March 9, 2025

Welcome to another list of upcoming media recommendations! This week’s picks include a movie about a man who can’t feel pain, a historical fiction about an apartment building, a pop album by Stela Cole and a performance of Mozart at the Peabody Institute.

DAVID JONES / CC BY-NC 2.0 Animal Collective's Panda Bear released a new solo album this past week with contributions from all members of the band. 

Animal Collective’s Panda Bear releases Sinister Grift — the quiet reckoning of midlife

By EDWARD ZHU | March 7, 2025

If you are at all familiar with 2000s indie rock or early internet music culture, you’ve likely come across — or at least felt the influence of — Baltimore experimental pop band Animal Collective. Terms like “surreal,” “trippy” and “kaleidoscopic” now feel kind of overused and cliche when describing their music, but albums like Merriweather Post Pavilion or Strawberry Jam undeniably contain a delirious, effortless glee that make them an unmatched benchmark of the modern psychedelic genre.

JIYUN GUO / DESIGN & LAYOUT EDITOR The Arts & Entertainment section recommends Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall as a perfect addition to your To Be Read list.

To watch and watch for: Week of March 2

By ARTS EDITORS | March 2, 2025

If your midterms only let you loose for a limited amount of time, then where better to start than with these personal arts and entertainment recommendations, curated for Hopkins students like you?

NATHAN CONGLETON / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Blake Lively’s legal complaint against Justin Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment during the filming of It Ends With Us, has catalyzed a large, industry-wide debate, in which both stars have been supported and criticized.

Lights, camera, controversy: The Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni scandal

By RUBEN DIAZ | March 1, 2025

Every so often, a story comes along reminding us that while Hollywood thrives on romance and fantasy, it’s also a deeply flawed industry filled with power struggles, questionable decisions and enough scandal to fuel the tabloids for years. Enter Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni and a film adaptation that was supposed to be about breaking cycles of abuse — but might have just exposed another one in the process.

KRITZOLINA / CC BY-SA 4.0 Through a series of open mics, Ashlee Haze has helped many communities find and share their voices.

Ashlee Haze: On open mics, space and poetry

By ISABELLA WANG | February 28, 2025

On February 7th, the second floor of the LaB was set up with rows of chairs, ready for students to take their seats in preparation for the Open Mic that was about to commence. The MC for the night? Kiera “Ashlee Haze” Nelson, a poet and spoken word artist from Atlanta by way of Chicago. 

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