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(11/17/24 11:39pm)
As I took my seat on Friday night at the Academy of Music’s cozy Perelman Theater to hear chamber orchestra Sphinx Virtuosi, I reflected on other concerts I’d attended in this very same venue. Generally reserved for chamber ensemble performances (consorts, quartets, the occasional Baroque soloist), the Perelman is intimate, seating 650 as opposed to the 2,500 that its sister concert hall, Marian Anderson Hall, can manage. I’ve most often received an overwhelming impression of comfort from Perelman concerts: safe musical choices, small ensembles with a homespun feel, cute but at times banal performances … from regional youth orchestras to masterful but familiar solo pieces performed by Yo–Yo Ma, I’ve left the Perelman smiling in appreciation but never in astonishment.
(01/16/25 8:31pm)
You walk into a café, searching for a drink to start your day. A matcha latte feels like a no–brainer, so you go for it, reluctantly swallowing the extra dollar for oat milk since you’ve run out of Lactaids. You insert your card, realizing you’ve spent $7 on a drink, and tell yourself this was a treat for the long week you’ve had (it’s only Tuesday morning). As you recalculate how much you can afford for lunch, the cashier awkwardly calls you back because you forgot something: “Do you want to add a tip?”
(11/17/24 11:46pm)
The roll out for Halsey’s fifth studio album, The Great Impersonator, was anything but subtle. For eighteen days prior to the release, Halsey posted pictures of herself on Instagram dressed as her greatest musical influences. Amongst the greats they dressed up as were Dolly Parton, David Bowie, Fiona Apple, PJ Harvey, Bjork, Britney Spears, Joni Mitchell, and Bruce Springsteen. It was clear from the start that Halsey wanted us to get up close and personal with The Great Impersonator, revealing the significant figures that influenced each track—but this would only be the tip of the iceberg. In The Great Impersonator, Halsey truly rips themselves open, revealing all the light (as well as the darkness) that exists within them and recounting their past few years spent battling with illness, coming to terms with motherhood, and finding love. While some of the tracks, or “impersonations”, on this album fall flat at times, the album as a whole is Halsey's most earnest, intimate, and deeply personal work yet.
(11/22/24 3:48am)
On a quiet morning in Philadelphia, the sun catches on an enormous mural taking over an unassuming carpark wall. Vibrant colors breathe life into the dull concrete, layers of paint whispering stories of history and community. Philadelphia’s walls have become canvases—spaces where we can feel the heartbeat of a city defined by its rich diversity.
(02/24/25 4:36am)
I can hardly imagine my pre–COVID–19 life without ChatGPT. Beyond summarizing dense readings and designing practice tests for upcoming midterms, artificial intelligence has crawled its way into the entertainment industry. With AI art gaining traction in mainstream media—for example, through AI–generated profile pictures and fabricated voiceovers of famous celebrities—the question of whether AI should be used in tandem with creative projects has become a point of contention among artists, critics, and the general public.
(12/01/24 7:56pm)
Phil Elverum is no stranger to misery. His long career as an indie–rock storyteller began with the band D+, before he shot to prominence with The Microphones, singing about the impermanence of life in breathy tones over hot, oppressive instrumentals.
(11/08/24 5:14pm)
On Sept. 13, the Philadelphia Historical Commission (PHC) voted 9–0 to approve the creation of the Washington Square West Historic District, spanning 26 blocks between Walnut and Lombard Streets and 8th and Juniper Streets. Nearly 1,500 residential, commercial, and religious properties fall within the boundaries of the new district, the largest in the city.
(11/12/24 3:01am)
“I was up late night ballin'” at Vince Staples’ Black in America Tour. As hundreds of people swarmed to Franklin Music Hall to see the Californian rapper, all you could see on the stage was a lone, mighty American flag—and considering how much Staples criticizes America in his music, the irony was not lost on fans. It’s safe to say that we were feeling pretty patriotic for Vince.
(11/12/24 3:04am)
Anna Shoemaker is many things: a proud cat owner, a SoundCloud sensation, “Brooklyn's own Olivia Rodrigo”—the list goes on. In the seven or so years she’s been signed to Plus 1 Records, the singer has carved out a “crying in the club”–girl image—relatable and deeply unapologetic, she’s the kind of artist whose lyrics feel like a page from your diary. Her discography is nothing if not brutally honest, a conglomerate of songs on self doubt, young adulthood, and of course, heartbreak. But in the couple years since her debut album Everything is Fine (I’m Only on Fire), the (temporarily) Los Angeles–based pop confessionalist has uncovered another aspect to her accomplished identity—it only took her a couple thousand miles to get there.
(11/22/24 4:13am)
Equipped with a vibrant, natural leadership style, Mert Kayabas (C '28) took over the role of first year class president in late September. His passion and outgoing energy was evident from our first conversation as he expressed his eagerness to uplift the voices of Penn's first years to ensure they feel heard, represented, and connected to one another.
(11/08/24 5:17pm)
Collin Wang (C ‘25) radiates passion and confidence in all walks of his life. From his love of visual art and design to his diverse academic pursuits, he is constantly exploring new ways to add meaning and excitement to his life. No matter what he is focused on at the moment, he is constantly dedicated to helping those around him both within Penn and beyond. From just a brief conversation with Collin, it is evident that he is a force of light, wisdom, and entertainment for all of those around him.
(11/08/24 5:18pm)
Philadelphia is a historic city. Passersby could—unbeknownst to them—be stepping in the same place where George Washington once walked or Ben Franklin pondered electricity. We have landmarks to tie us to these moments of the past: the President’s House and Franklin Court. However, for a past that has been marginalized in the history books, it is often easy to walk by without notice. Bob Skiba has been working to change that, creating the Philadelphia LGBT Mapping Project, which documents various landmarks across Philadelphia that are central to LGBT history.
(11/15/24 3:08am)
Since its inception in 1994, HGTV has made a name for itself by popularizing a genre of shows that mix reality TV and home renovation. Successful programs like Fixer Upper and Love It or List It—which follow charismatic duos on their journey to renovate dilapidated houses—have garnered loyal, almost cult followings. The channel has mastered a formula for viewership which blends aspirational, farmhouse–chic design with just the right amount of witty banter and practical advice. This combination has allowed HGTV to become a cultural hallmark, influencing everything from real estate to home decor.
(11/10/24 5:29am)
The crowd stands shoulder to shoulder. Adults in their 40s stake out the back of the venue. Behind them, signed posters of Bruce Springsteen, vintage guitars, and faded Stone Pony flyers dating back 50 years wrap the walls. The younger fans swarm as close to the stage as possible. Inhaler concerts will always be a melting pot of generations, from older fans eager for the live sound of Bono, the 64–year old father of Inhaler’s lead singer Elijah Hewson, to Gen Z enthusiasts hungry for the band’s distinct basement rock sound, which echoes the Arctic Monkeys, Catfish and the Bottlemen, and the Strokes.
(11/20/24 3:05am)
Seam Queen is one of Philadelphia’s greatest spectacles. The fashion competition show is a round–robin of the city’s premier fashion designers and nightlife performers. Hosted the last Sunday of every month at Franky Bradley’s, a Gayborhood favorite, it’s undoubtedly bold and queer. During my evening there, I saw everything from a three–piece burlesque reveal to Björk's “It’s Oh So Quiet” to a sequined male exotic dancer’s recreation of Marilyn Monroe’s love affair with JFK. A suite of chess players surrounding the legendary Mz. Peaches in a floor–length ball gown to an egg–shaped dress with a poppable yolk. The clear winner however? None other than Thomas Lauria.
(11/17/24 11:28pm)
A nurse sits in a long, dark corridor with flickering fluorescent lights, consoling themselves over the death of a patient. Another hospital worker slowly walks up to them and sits beside them. The worker breathes down the nurse’s neck and makes their heart go cold. This worker works at every hospital, and sees every patient. Sometimes, they just poke their head into a patient’s room. But, they’re present every time a patient takes their last breath. This mysterious hospital employee is death, itself. Death intertwines with every aspect of a nurse’s life. Nurses constantly work with death–not only protecting patients from it, but when it’s time, easing them into it.
(11/01/24 2:26pm)
Philadelphia’s bike infrastructure has long been a contentious issue. Ask any cyclist, and they’ll relay stories of weaving in and out of bike lanes due to stopped vehicles, dealing with aggressive drivers, and navigating streets littered with potholes and broken glass. But on Oct. 24, Philadelphia’s City Council unanimously passed a bill that expands and increases fines for vehicles in bike lanes and could mark a turning point in protecting cyclists.
(11/13/24 1:02am)
Dinner in America has had a resurgence of popularity long past its fifteen minutes of online fame, warranting theatrical rereleases two years after its initial release. It’s a deservedly–praised movie with chaotic energy and an unorthodox love story, and though the romanticized clips going viral on TikTok might lure you in, they’re not reflective of the full story.
(10/30/24 4:00am)
Cool lights cast a haunting kaleidoscope of blue and violet, red ropes lay across the paneled floor of the bedroom scene like spilled guts, and garish mirrors amplify the hallucinogenic perception of a possessed object. Winds howl and windows feel like they could be shattered. As the lights dim, my survival instincts viscerally kick in from the cushioned seat of the second row—I fear I’ll be taken by a demon from hell.
(10/30/24 4:00am)
Who else has spent post–midnight hours watching old Saturday Night Live clips instead of studying for that midterm you have in the morning? I bet you’ve watched “Wells for Boys” or “Papyrus”—two of the most viewed SNL sketches of all times. What if I told you they were both written by Julio Torres? Would you even know who that is?
