Apricity / February 2023

The 65th Annual Grammys had social media baffled, angered, and overjoyed-a wide array of emotions. I was a little bored watching the problem, but when the eventful activities started, I was a part of the baffled crew on social media.

Bad Bunny's opening act was outstanding. Even from my TV, I felt like I was vibing in Latin America. Even Taylor Swift was having the time of her life, dancing to almost every performance. The most notable performances that I thoroughly enjoyed were Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit,” which was a classic giving me fall nostalgia, Lizzo’s “Special,” bringing the Grammys crowd to church with her vocals, and Sam Smith and Kim Petra’s devilish performance of “Unholy," giving the girls a taste of Hell. 

About the awards, there were lots of hit-or-misses. A hit was Beyonce making history by being the artist with the most Grammys ever, beating out conductor Georg Solti. Beyonce paved the way for Black women in music, who get constantly overlooked. Lizzo, Adele, Harry Styles, and Bad Bunny winning in their categories was sensational and deserving since they consistently shine in their genres.

However, a miss was Bonnie Raitt winning Song of the Year for “Just Like That." You might be wondering, "who is that?", which was my question and social media's. Bonnie competed against big names like Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Lizzo, and Adele. It was a surprise win. Personally, I think that she was well deserving of the award. Her acceptance speech and even listening to the song convinced me she was Grammy-worthy. “Just Like That" was about the beauties of being an organ donor and how many lives are saved daily through donations. An impactful song like that deserves Song of the Year.

The most major miss during the night was Album of the Year. When Trevor Noah announced Harry Styles, the crowd went ballistic. However, the win was not the thing that audiences were clamoring over; it was the acceptance speech. When Harry Styles said, “...not many people like me win this award”, social media gagged, and so did I. I thought this remark was hypocritical since usually cisgender straight white males are statistically the most awarded for this category, taking up space for musicians of color. TikTok and Twitter felt the same, and discussions rose, even in Ms. Wacker's 2nd Period English Composition class.

Overall, this Grammys was a night to remember, and there will still be unexpected moments in the next one.

Shivneil Pillay

This year’s Grammys outfits were truly memorable. But the celebrity that stuck out, the one that was the talk before Harry Styles, was Cardi B. Miss thang ate and left no crumbs in a gorgeous royal blue cutout gown from Gaurav Gupta’s 2023 Couture Collection. And this beautiful cutout was just the tip of the iceberg.

Cardi B’s second ensemble was a stunner from the future. In a metallic robe, she gave Joan of Arc in the best way. With the matching metallic veil, Cardi B grabbed my attention and vote for this year’s most memorable Grammys fit. 

Nik Smith

Robyn Rihanna Fenty. Viewers could not forget her name after her history-making Super Bowl 57 halftime show.

Rihanna served vocals, looks, and nostalgia at the stadium, making it feel like a Rihanna concert, not an intermission. When the concert began, I was immediately at the edge of my seat from the utter shock I felt when Rihanna opened with one of her most iconic songs, “B**** Better Have My Money." @badgalriri showed why she’s the artist of the generation throughout the performance with her old records: "Umbrella,” “Rude Boy,” “We Found Love,” and “Work.”

The visuals of this concert were awing. Rihanna was on platforms lifted into the sky. I sat shaking, thinking she was going to fall. Her all-red outfit with Fently lipstick told me this show was going to be revolutionary. The background dancers were exceptional with their energy and expression through the songs and their all-white puffer jacket fits. Dancers from the group Royal Family gave the crowd their everything. Notably, dancer Zavion Brown brought the best moves on the floor with flair and matched the crowd's hype. Iconic parts of Riri’s performance included her nailing the vocals for “Work” and twerking along to “Rude Boy." The most impactful part of the show was the ending when Rihanna rubbed her belly when she sang “Diamonds,” signifying another baby on the way. From the beginning, I did realize that she had a little belly under all that red, but I associated it with post-partum weight gain, which was completely normal and healthy. When Rihanna confirmed her pregnancy through a later magazine shoot, the world was ecstatic for Fenty #2. At the same time, the world was a little saddened because her long-awaited album would be postponed for another, give or take, five years.

Overall, the halftime show was great, but I wish Rihanna brought more to the table, considering her status. Yes, she was pregnant, but if she was not carrying, I could guarantee a more active performance from her.

Being the first active billionaire to perform at halftime, Rihanna showed that black women are here to stay and constantly break barriers. Also, a huge shoutout goes to the ASL interpreter Justina Miles, who made history as the first deaf woman to perform at the halftime show and brought the most climactic expressions throughout the performance.

Shivneil Pillay

After six years of zero new singles, Riri made a comeback. The Super Bowl was the event to see, not because of the sport but because Rihanna was in the building. Since the headline announced, the icon hinted at a special guest appearance. Though, no one was expecting who showed up. Making them the youngest Super Bowl guest in history, the “expecting” Rihanna showed off her new baby bump in a stunning red ensemble.  

This baby mama ain’t about the drama, starting the show with “B**** Better Have My money”. Ironic considering the singer was gaining no money from the performance. But like the true entrepreneur she is, Rihanna did make sure to hype up her businesses. She put on an amazing performance, while pregnant nonetheless-a true queen. But she wasn’t the only one making moves. The ASL interpreter, Justina Miles, became both the first Black and first fully deaf interpreter in halftime history. She reportedly said that she learned the songs by feeling the beats and rhythms. Needless to say, this year’s Super Bowl was a night to remember. 

Nik Smith

Now that we had survived the first half of the school year, it was time for the Junior Semester Assembly. The Junior Semester Assembly had the unique theme of "Blast to the Past." Nostalgic yet competitive games, such as tug-of-war, trivia, bump, and sharks-and-minnows, brought our 2024 class together. While celebrating and honoring those with perfect (or semi-perfect) attendance and grades, our junior ASB clearly worked hard to give us a memorable experience. The grade-only assembly stimulated a more intimate and involved participation from our peers. It motivated us to survive this semester before we say hello to our senior year.   

Keira Da

A simple talk scheduled with the boss erupted into a raging protest.

On February 6th, cowbells rang, whistles screeched, and air horns blasted outside the streets of Burbank as the familiar Dhar Mann actors raised their voices against the CEO himself, Dhar Mann. Dhar Mann is a multi-millionaire YouTube content creator and entrepreneur who makes videos teaching easy life lessons, such as “What’s in the dark always comes to light.” Every video features the same actors, sometimes as the hero and sometimes as the villain. As many appearances as the crew members made throughout his channel, they claim Dhar Mann did not pay them as much as they hoped.

Actor Colin Borden, on his Tiktok user @colinaborden, explains, “There are a lot of issues at hand here. But one of the main issues is that not a single actor at Dhar Mann Studios can afford rent.” Afraid of getting fired for speaking up, the actors got together and scheduled a meeting with the CEO. (The actors were all contractual employees working directly under Dhar Mann rather than through Dhar Mann Studios. Therefore, they were adamant about a meeting with Dhar Mann, their own boss.) Borden says the meeting was pushed back numerous times, and on the day of the meeting, only HR showed up; Dhar Mann himself did not. The actors walked out of the meeting in frustration, and in one last attempt, the actors emailed Mann again, stating they wanted to express their issues directly to him. Following that week, management declared that there would not be a meeting with him and to forward their concerns to HR.

The actors then decided to take matters into their own hands and raise their picket signs. “I’m protesting because the man never talks to anyone; he silently fires people, and he doesn’t pay anyone what they’re worth,” actor Nick Sarando asserted. The protest lasted for six days. Eventually, Dhar Mann Studios responded to the outcry through a now-deleted Instagram post. The post stated, "For background, we did arrange an in-person hour-long meeting with Actor representatives and 2 of our most Senior Leaders, including our Head of Production, in hopes of understanding concerns prior to any protests. During that meeting, the Actor representatives refused to communicate any concerns and instead walked out (more info in our Story)."

In a later press conference, the actors revealed they, in fact, lost their employment with Dhar Mann. Yet, they expressed their cheerfulness and satisfaction as, after the protest, they successfully held a meeting with Dhar Mann and permanently increased the pay of the remaining studio actors. Dhar Mann’s videos may teach simple, boring morals, but he may have forgotten his most important lesson: “What happens in the dark always comes to light.”

Jesita Sawatdee