Author Spotlight
"Julia Poe"
1.) Oscars name top movies, actors awards
On Sunday night, A-listers from across the entertainment industry gathered to celebrate the 87th Annual Academy Awards. The major winners included “Birdman” for Best Film, Eddie Redmayne for Best Actor and “Glory” by John Legend for Best Song Written for a Film.
The event was hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, but the show was stolen by the winners as they focused their acceptance speeches on social and political issues. First were filmmakers Dana Perry and Ellen Goosenberg, who won Best Documentary for “Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1.” In their acceptance speech, the filmmakers called for more conversation about suicide, saying, “We need to talk about suicide out loud.”
The sentiment was followed up by Graham Moore, the young screenwriter behind the film adaptation “The Imitation Game.” Moore admitted on stage that he attempted suicide at the age of 16, and told everyone watching to “Stay weird” despite the difficulties of growing up different.
As the night went on, the speeches became political. John Legend and Common reminded the audience that “Selma is now because the struggle for justice is now,” touching on multiple points where they still believe racism is occurring in America. When director Alejandro G. Inarritu accepted the award for “Birdman” for Best Picture, he called for equality for Mexican immigrants coming to America.
And Patricia Arquette received a standing ovation from women in the audience when she used her acceptance speech as a platform to call for equal rights for women. Despite being an awards ceremony, this year’s Oscars is remembered now as a political discussion.
2.) NFL hosts annual combine
The annual combine held in Indianapolis, Indiana hosted the top college football recruits from across the country. The event allows coaches and scouts to watch athletes participating in a variety of tests and competitions to gauge their athleticism and abilities on the field.
As expected, quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston were in the spotlight. Mariota gained attention with his physicality, making a 4.52 forty-yard dash time and finishing at the top of almost every drill. Winston proved his worth through his passing, but was noted for being the least physically fit of all the quarterbacks at the combine.
Other breakouts included Trae Waynes, a corner from Michigan State, who ran a forty-yard dash in 4.31 seconds and Clemson defensive end Vic Beasley, who put on 20 pounds of muscle between college season and the combine. Now, all that awaits these top-caliber athletes in the NFL Draft on April 30.
3.) SHARE hosts bubble soccer on Saturday
This weekend, the SHARE organization will host a bubble soccer tournament to raise awareness for the Hillcrest Transitional Services. The SHARE members have been raising money and organizing this event since November, when they were approached by Hillcrest. The tournament will include 20 teams who will play soccer with inflatable balls covering their upper body and torso.
This is what bubble soccer looks like:
4.) NY fashion week
The best and brightest walked in this year’s 2015 New York Fashion Week, which is a testing ground for fashion trends across the world. Designers premiered their clothing lines for this fall, including rapper Kanye West, who collaborated with Adidas to make his own collection. Model Jamie Brewer also made headlines for being the first model with Down Syndrome to walk the New York Fashion Week runway.
5.) Swim team wins state
The boys’ swim team took home the state trophy last weekend in a nail-biting finish. The team was anchored by young swimmers such as freshman Aidan Holbrook, who took home a first place individual medal and multiple other medals throughout the event. After trailing in second place behind Blue Valley North for the majority of the meet, the team cut the point difference to only three points. When senior Benn Schmatz won the breaststroke race, the team took the lead, and a placement in the 400-yard relay cemented the comeback victory.
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