The Oscars are right around the corner, on Sunday, March 4th. The event always awards the best of the best, and everyone hopes they can finally have their name engraved on one of the golden statues. Especially this year as they celebrate their 90th anniversary. This year, the competition is stiff with many films going above and beyond in the film world. The most esteemed awards could go to any of the nominees because they are all dynamic and unique. Here are my predictions for the show and what I hope to see.

First off, we have Jimmy Kimmel hosting. I mean, Kimmel is nice— but let’s be honest— whose favorite late night talk show host is Jimmy Kimmel? No one. So, it’s already off to a rocky start in my opinion, but Kimmel may have a few good jokes, and I hope he brings enthusiasm to the show like he has before in the past.

On to the awards, there is the Best Director award. I would personally love to see Christopher Nolan win the award for his work on “Dunkirk.” This film was presented in such a visual and immersive way, where little dialogue and pure emotion dragged you into World War II. But, I think the two people who will actually win the award will be Guillermo del Toro or Jordan Peele. Guillermo del Toro directed “The Shape of Water” and Peele directed “Get Out.” Out of those two, I would prefer to see Peele win for his work on a revolutionary film, which got so much buzz by the public. However, all of the directors did amazing work, so I can’t see myself being disappointed by anyone who is awarded.

The Best Actress nominees are also a little overwhelming just because all of them are so fantastic. Again, my personal pull would be to see Margot Robbie win for her role in “I, Tonya.” She always seems to get snubbed for the awards, but her work in this film is the one that made me the most excited and fall in love with her character. Who do I think will personally win, though? That has to be Frances McDormand, who completely made you feel every emotion by her work in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” She captured audiences across the world as a determined mother trying to figure out who murdered her daughter. I think the other nominees are also amazing, but Meryl Streep has had her time; I think it is time to let some new actresses get the recognition they deserve.

Best Actor nominees fell a bit short for me personally. The only person I personally would love to see win is Daniel Kaluuya, who starred as Chris in “Get Out.” Kaluuya made the movie such the success it was. He carried the role, and brought you along on his journey as Chris Washington. I think the main competitor against him is Gary Oldman, who plays Winston Churchill in “Darkest Hour.” I have not seen this movie yet, but Oldman did win the Golden Globes for his performance as Churchill in this movie, which is a good indicator that he is a strong competitor.

The last category that is held in the highest esteem at the Oscars is Best Picture. This year there are nine nominees and honestly it is hard to choose which one will win. My personal favorite to win would be “Dunkirk,” because the camera work really immerses the viewers into the battle of Dunkirk. It has a clear picture and beautiful visuals.

However, what I think will win is a different story. I can see either “The Shape of Water” or “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” taking home the Oscar. There is just so much hype around the two, and for just cause, as both have clear and beautiful pictures, and the footage is edited seamlessly. Any of the nine nominees could take home this prize and I would be satisfied. It would also be great to just see the underdogs win as well.

The 2018 Academy Awards are definitely not something to miss, especially this year with all of the incredible films that were released. But, let’s be real. Will any Oscars be as great as the year Leonardo DiCaprio finally won?

Looking for something to fill your desire of an endless sugar rush? Look no further, Maplewood’s annual Sweet Tooth Tour is the place to be.

This event is held once a year in late January to help local shops pick up business in the slower months. One buys a ticket from the city of Maplewood for $21 and then can go to 15 different locations in downtown Maplewood to receive a sugary treat at each stop.

This year the ticket price did increase, but it also included a new stop on the tour — Boardwalk Waffles — which equaled out for the cost difference. There is also always an amazing turnout for the event; Manchester boulevard becomes crawling with people in the local shops, even the ones that are not on the tour destination.

Some Maplewood favorites are included in the list that are well known throughout St. Louis such as Strange Donuts, Schlafly Bottleworks and Kakao Chocolate. Others are hidden gems waiting to be discovered like Living Room, Larder and Cupboard, and Great Harvest Bread Co.

My favorite stop in the tour personally was Foundation Grounds. This year they offered a peanut butter square with half of it dipped in chocolate that was also vegan. It was perfectly fulfilling for my love of the two key ingredients, but I could see it causing issues for people who have a nut allergy. They did not seem to be offering any other options for those who do have these issues.

The underdog this year had to be Pie Oh My. They offered five different slices of pie to choose from for their sample and it is some of the best tasting pie you can get in town. They offer more selections and choices on the tour and appeal to the consumer while keeping in mind allergies, unlike many of the other stops on the route that have no selections.

The flop of the tour this year was Traveling Tea. I love a good tea, even over coffee. This year, though, instead of just offering different tea selections they tried to be creative and recreate Butterbeer from Harry Potter. The idea was smart but mixing tea, cream soda, and milk was not the best idea. It was the most underwhelming treat that was offered and the only one I could not bring myself to finish.

The overall fan favorite of the tour seemed to be Strange Donuts, with their offer of either the Rainbow Pony, which is a regular donut with rainbow sprinkles, or their Chocolate Delight donut which offered a Nutella and chocolate icing. The two options seemed to satisfy the crowds, and they got a full-sized donut compared to previous years where they only gave out the gooey butter cake cookie at half the size of their normal donuts.

This event is the perfect supporter of local businesses and helps generate revenue for the city for them to complete more projects to help better Maplewood. Maplewood holds more events like this for the upcoming year including a coffee crawl and a beer crawl across the city of Maplewood if you are interested in joining in on the festivities.

What is great about this one is how it is a more family-friendly event that everyone of all ages can enjoy, whereas a lot of Maplewood’s other events are not as family friendly or as walkable as the Sweet Tooth Tour. While on this tour, you see everyone from toddlers to grandparents walking up and down Manchester enjoy cupcakes, brownies and more.

Overall, this event was a success and generates a fun atmosphere for everyone to enjoy on a Saturday in January, with that extra sweet to keep you going through the cold months.

Demo-dogs, the Upside Down, and good old Eleven. These are just a few words that immediately stand out to anyone who is an avid watcher of “Stranger Things.” Season 2 of the immensely popular show debuted Oct. 27, and fans went crazy as they awaited the countdown.

The Duffer Brothers, who created, wrote, and directed the show, took the world by storm when the first season of “Stranger Things” appeared on Netflix in mid-July 2016. The show completely swept the awards at the Emmys that year and it was the conversation topic no one could avoid.

Season 2 picks up roughly a year after we last saw the small town of Hawkins, Ind. Last season dealt with the disappearance of Will Byers, and this season followed the repercussions of saving Will from the Upside Down. People also finally realize that Barb’s disappearance is a big deal, and we get a look into the backstory of Eleven.

Bob Newby, played by Sean Astin, is a new character added to the plot this year. He is known as Winona Ryder’s character Joyce Byers’s boyfriend and also the manager at the local RadioShack in town. (Remember, this is the 80s so RadioShack still existed.) He also tries to take on the role of the father figure for Will and Jonathan to help bond them closer as a family and ultimately comes as the wild card for the whole show.

Bob is not the only new character though; there is also Max Mayfield, a girl who recently moved to Hawkins and causes tension in the original group due to Dustin’s and Lucas’s crushes on her and her own independent nature. Max finds herself getting into the middle of a nightmare she never expected by making friends with Lucas, Daniel, Will, and Mike.

Max’s older step-brother, Billy Hargrove, is less thrilled about it than anyone though. Billy starts to add new tension to the show by challenging Steve Harrington for not only his popularity in school but also for harassing Max and her friends.

Steve is also promoted from a minor character to a leading character in season 2, showing his more vulnerable side and care for  Nancy and her brother, Mike, and his friends. Mike, for most of the show, tends to be a moody pre-teen, moping about the loss of Eleven, but he finds himself being the one doing the most out of his friends to help save Will once again.

Nancy, Jonathan, and Steve still have a weird love triangle occurring throughout the second season that is a little bit too much to go along with the basics of the story. Plus, the moment you feel bad for Jonathan you immediately feel bad for Steve, and vice-versa.

Jim Hopper also returns to Season 2 with much more pressing issues—really turning into a part of the “Stranger Things” family, literally. And lastly, the parents—all except for Joyce— really do not seem to care or know where their kids are ever.

This season is filled with the same energy and excitement that Season 1 had. With more character development and the Upside Down meshing into the real world, old faces and new come together once again save Will Byers.

The filming of the show is done wonderfully, keeping the audience on edge and captivated by what will occur next. The visual effects used to create the Upside Down and Demodogs is of an outstanding quality that is far too good for just a television series. And to add to the overall effects, the soundtrack for the show was perfect, tying in retro 80s hits with great suspenseful music that was made specifically for the show.  

Overall, the show lived up to the hype that came with it, which is usually hard to do with a sequel or second season. “Stranger Things” was really able to deliver a full package to fulfill the craving needs fans had for the unique town of Hawkins. Even though the last clip in season two set the show up for a third season, it may worry fans how much they will try to stretch the show out and lose the overall quality that comes with it.

The Avett Brothers made their way back to Chaifetz Arena on Saturday, Oct. 7th, having been here last in June 2016, continuing their True Sadness Tour. The band, composed of Scott Avett, Seth Avett, Bob Crawford and Joe Kwon, came to tour their ninth studio album, “True Sadness.”

The indie-folk-rock sound of the band enticed fans of all ages to Chaifetz, from teenagers to parents with young kids. All  generations gathered under one roof to hear the unique genre that brought them together in the first place.

The Avett Brothers started the show off later than planned, coming on nearly half an hour late, but as soon as the lights were dimmed, the band graced the stage with their charisma. They started off with their song, “Satan Pulls the Strings,” a high-energy tune that almost seemed like an apology to the fans for having to be wait patiently for them. This energy continued with Scott Avett coming out into the crowd within the first three songs and traveling into different sections, sending those sections into a frenzy. He weaved through the audience before finally making his way back to the stage to join the rest of the band once more.

The band kept the energy high for a while, playing songs that would get the crowd up on their feet. Then, about halfway through the show, Seth and Scott, the original Avett brothers, slowed down the show with an acoustic set. The two brothers demonstrated their raw talent and the crowd that was once jumping and full of energy stayed quiet and calm so that their gentle voices could fill the air.

After the acoustic breakdown, the rest of the band came back and immediately ramped up the energy in the crowd again. The light arrangements throughout the sets were phenomenal, capturing the vibe of the concert as it played out in front of the audience. The stage was covered in Persian rugs to give way to the indie vibe they produce, but the stage itself seemed a bit crowded with the four “brothers,” two back-up singers, and drummer. It made it awkward for anyone to move around on stage, leaving them all pretty stationary. Movement from the members could have made the show more entertaining to watch, and would have made the crowd even livelier than they were.

After a whopping 22 songs, the Avett Brothers left the stage. The crowd started a loud standing ovation, and brightened the arena with their cell phone lights to encourage the band to return to the stage. After a few minutes, the band slowly made their way back to the stage and immediately went into a moving tribute for Tom Petty, performing his song, “You Don’t Know How It Feels.” The encore included three more songs, making the final total for their setlist 26 songs, almost double what a normal setlist would include.

Overall, the show consisted of a little bit of everything to satisfy the crowd that was a little bit of everything. The dedication of the crowd just showed how loyal the fans of the Avett Brothers are and how they will always be here waiting for them and their return to St. Louis.

The Head and the Heart graced the stage at the Pageant on Oct.12 , returning to St. Louis on their Signs of Light Tour, which started back in Sept. 2016. The Head and the Heart are known for their unique indie-folk sound that has helped contribute to their rise to fame. The band even recently played Coachella last April.

“Signs of Light” is the band’s third studio album, and they have come a long way from the coffee shops and open-mic nights they started off playing in Seattle.

The band is composed of six members, including the front-liner of the group Jonathan Russell, who helped with the formation of the band back in 2009. Russell and Josiah Johnson are the creators of the band, but Johnson is taking a hiatus in 2016 due to his stuggles with drug addiction. Matt Gervais was selected to fill Johnson’s spot until he is ready to rejoin the band.

The true star of the show seemed to be Charity Rose Thielen, violinist and vocalist for the band, and wife of Matt Gervais. As the only female member, she adds a special flair to their sound. Every time Thielen came to the mic for a solo, the crowd would almost completely drown her out with cheers that filled the venue.

The performance was high-energy, and the mosh pit was filled with excitement and an overflow of intensity as the band performed with tenacity. Russell was dancing on stage and, at one point, lying down completely on the stage to go along with the message of their song, “Let’s Be Still.”

The Head and the Heart also did two covers: Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over” and a song by Tom Petty in light of his recent death. Both songs were renovated to fit with the band’s sound.

Also, to complement the band’s sound, the stage was decorated with little details that helped fit the group’s aesthetic: house plants, a neon pineapple light, dreamcatchers and whimsical drapings over tables. The overall feeling was immersive and gave off the vibes of a local coffee shop, rather than a concert.

At one point, the light focused solely on Russell as he performed a soft acoustic beginning to their song, “Sounds Like Hallelujah.” All the members of the audience remained quiet out of respect and out of pure awe, listening to Russell dazzle them single-handedly before the rest of his band joined him to finish off the song.

Russell also took a minute to express his love for the city of St. Louis and how Miles Davis—one of his inspirations—was born in this city. He elaborated on how St. Louis is a city that has recently been experiencing difficult times, but how every time he steps foot in this city, he feels only immense love. He also encouraged the audience to not mess up the city and keep it and its history safe.

The band eventually came to their encore, and Russell took to the mic once more to give background on their song, “Library Magic.” He explained how this song highlighted the ups and downs of what it was like to be in a band and how Thielen captured those feelings in the song perfectly.

The Head and the Heart soon finished with their two most famous songs, “Shake” and “Rivers and Roads,” which left the audience in a state of excitement and amazement at the harmonies that the band presented. Thielen, in particular, wowed
the crowd with her exceptional high notes that left them begging for more.

Overall, The Head and the Heart put on an entertaining show that enthralled the audience at all times, and the band remained true to themselves throughout the duration of the show.

Harry Styles: an artist known for his immense popularity in the band One Direction, a budding acting career in “Dunkirk” and now his solo career. Styles released his debut solo album titled “Harry Styles” on May 12 of this year. He has since done promotion through various outlets such as “Saturday Night Live” where he appeared as the musical guest and even starred in a few skits. What made his fans most happy was the announcement of his small tour that would include only 29 dates–13 of those dates being the North American leg–all at small venues instead of the stadiums he could easily sell out.

The fourth stop on his tour on Sept. 26 was Chicago where he played the famous Chicago Theatre that holds a mere 3,600 people. The line went down a block and then turned a corner, continuing to go down another block of people waiting for the doors to opened at 7 p.m. Many girls were turned away at the door due to fake tickets, and some girls waited outside, hoping someone would have an extra ticket for them to buy.

Once inside the venue, the buzz and excitement that radiated throughout the crowd was amazing. Styles had asked MUNA, an American electro-pop girl band, to open the show. They helped set the stage for Styles and amped the crowd up for the awaited star.

Styles soon started off the show behind a pink floral sheet, his aesthetic for his album, with soft hums as his shadow was projected onto the sheet. Then, the music started and there stood Styles with his guitar and band, singing his song, “Ever Since New York.” It was easy to pick Harry out from his band members, not just because he was center stage, but because of his green-and-pink-sparkled custom Gucci suit that made the 23-year-old literally radiate light.

The singer flew through the following two songs before finally introducing himself as Harry from England. He showed appreciation for the crowd and even asked for the house lights to be turned on so he could admire the crowd standing before him. He then went into his own rendition of the One Direction song, “Stockholm Syndrome,” stating that if you had seen him before on tour, you may know this song. The crowd went into a frenzy as they say along to the song.

Harry continued entertaining his guests with a few more songs before pausing and acknowledging that whenever he came to Chicago, he was always told he needed to try the pizza. He continued playful banter with the crowd, making them cheer for which famous pizza joint they preferred, and finished in true Harry Styles fashion with a cheesy joke. He then introduced his next song, which he wrote for Ariana Grande, “Just a Little Piece of Your Heart.”

The Englishman quickly transitioned into another One Direction song, a twist on “What Makes You Beautiful,” which got the crowd even more excited than they already were. He soon switched back to an original, and hyped up the crowd with his song “Kiwi,” a rock ‘n’ roll-influenced song that made everyone in the room dance, including Styles himself as he sang to the crowd, “I’m having your baby, it’s none of your business.” Harry also is famous for grabbing a pride flag at all of his shows, even from his days in One Direction, and the man fulfilled fans’ expectations by picking one up from the audience and prancing around stage with it.

Styles then exited the stage, only to reappear for the encore where he started off with his original song, “Meet Me in the Hallway,” a very soft, heartfelt song that made the crowd settle down to hear the man sing. Styles then introduced the next song as one of his favorite songs and began to sing “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac–Styles has done duets with Stevie Nicks before at the Troubadour and has been spotted at Fleetwood Mac concerts in the past. He got the crowd energized and then thanked them all for attending. He made sure to mention his motto “To treat people with kindness” before the notes of Styles’s debuted single “Sign of the Times” began to fill the venue.

Harry performed his show like an artist, not an entertainer.It was just him up there with his guitar, mic and band–no visual effects needed. He stunned the crowd and made sure that no person would leave disappointed; it’s a show fans will look back on and be proud to say they saw in such an intimate venue.

Zayn Malik, also known as the first member of One Direction to go solo, released his new single “Dusk Till Dawn” featuring Sia on Sept. 7 for his impending sophomore album. The music video dropping the same day acquired 9.77 million views in one day, not a record breaker by far, but a good place to start for both artists to generate hype for upcoming albums.

The song itself has a very Sia vibe that is focused on pop and long rifts. Zayn in his premiere album “Mind of Mine” made the conscious effort to stay away from “generated pop,” wanting to distance himself from the music he was making in One Direction. He was mostly using R&B influences, with also a mixture of Pakistani influences. Zayn has started to embrace his pop vibe once again, as seen with his featuring on the Taylor Swift song “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever.”

The music video directed by Marc Webb sets up a coherent story from start to finish, which can be rare to find today. That might be because Webb and his history in the movie and television industry, known for movies such as “(500) Days of Summer,” “The Amazing Spider-Man” and “Gifted.” He also worked with many musicians directing music videos, such as Green Day, Maroon 5, My Chemical Romance, Miley Cyrus and much more. Webb did take a seven-year break from directing music videos, with “Dusk Till Dawn” being his first music video since 2010.

The story highlights Zayn as the star, getting into some mysterious business that the police and other groups want a piece of whatever he has to offer in his briefcase. The story pans out to Zayn trying to go to a drop location to leave a briefcase for his female co-star, Jemima Kirke, but Zayn gets intercepted by the police. In the middle of the music video they cut to an acting scene, which sadly Zayn acts terribly in, where the police are questioning him and ultimately have to let him go, as not having any evidence to hold him. Zayn drives off in his fancy Jaguar, speeding through the streets of Los Angeles, police on his heels still suspecting him. Zayn ultimately leads them to a house that is setup to make the police arrive and inspect it, but it’s not that simple. Zayn calls the police to the house and sets up a trap to make firecrackers go off in the bathroom, so when the other police officers arrive, they are not aware that more police are in there, and after hearing the firing of firecrackers, they begin to shoot at the house. Zayn is then seen driving off into the distance with his female accomplice, having gotten away once again.

The filming in the video is surprisingly captivating, keeping the viewer interested in the story. Was the middle necessary though when they cut the music and made Zayn act? I do not think so. It was a cringe-worthy performance on Zayn’s part and he should really stick to singing. The music video also did not seem to align with the point of the song, but the beat and vibe of the song did align with the story. I also just think it was a chance for Zayn to drive fancy cars throughout LA and act like a wannabe bad boy and he took the opportunity. Sia was also not featured in the music video, and it would have been to their benefit to have included her in the music video, especially since the sound of the song is more her style than Zayn’s, but maybe her schedule just so happened to conflict with shooting which is a high possibility.

“Dusk Till Dawn” may not be a no. 1, but it is definitely a song that showcases both strong vocal abilities of Zayn and Sia. If this a taste of what to expect for Zayn in the future, I can say I’m excited to see what his impending album will bring, especially if he is going back to his pop roots.

LouFest is the traditional two-day music festival that brings local and established bands to Forest Park for St. Louisans to rock-out to while also having access to great local eateries. This tradition has been occurring annually since it was founded in 2010, having many well-known bands, such as the 1975, Hozier and the Killers. This year, though, LouFest was not prepared for the turnout it received on Saturday.

Volunteering behind the scenes for LouFest really showed how drastically unprepared its coordinators  were for the first sold-out day. Another new challenge for LouFest was that where they usually hold the festival at in Forest Park was being renovated, forcing LouFest to relocate to the Muny grounds.This, being a smaller, more compact area, made it more difficult to deal with the crowds in a. It did not help that LouFest was dealing with its first sellout occasion on such tight grounds, causing more people to be squished into a concrete parking lot. The high-tech scanning system wasn’t working either, due to internet outages in forest park, which created a crazy jungle of people trying to get into an already crowded music festival.

Since I was able to work behind the scenes, I was also able to experience just how unorganized the event was. The coordinators did not let volunteers know anything or give them any training. We were barely any help to the general public because we were not properly informed about what was happening. LouFest offered kid scanning bracelets to help keep track of children at the festival, but they were not offered anywhere. They had random people using an information tent just to get out of the sun, and they ran out of pamphlets for the first day within two hours since opening their doors. All of this together, along with other little factors, piled up to make LouFest a disaster.

The only thing that was working for LouFest was their line-up for the day, featuring bands such as Hippo Campus, Spoon, Huey Lewis and the News, Cage the Elephant and Snoop Dog. The three stages, all positioned at a different corner, were all put in odd locations, two being on a hill–with one even having a giant concession stand in the middle of the hill that blocked the stage at many angles–and the other stage located on the concrete parking lot. Moshing at the musical festival in a parking lot for Cage the Elephant was not fun. even though Cage the Elephant put on a great show, they could not lift my spirits from the disappoint of how LouFest was going. I was beginning to wish I were home instead of at the festival that day just because of how underwhelmed I was by the effort put in by LouFest management.

The only thing that made the day better was Snoop Dogg. The crowd was huge, the hill was steep and the concession stand was slightly blocking my view, but once Snoop came on, the festival finally took a turn for the better. Snoop was able to energize the crowd in ways that no other performers were able to do that day. He commanded the stage with hits like “Drop It Like It’s Hot”, “California Gurls”, “Gin and Juice” and “Young, Wild, and Free”. Snoop turned what had been a pretty disappointing day into something that made everything else worth it.

I have attended LouFest before and had great experiences with it, but this year just did not seem to go as planned. Whether it was the new location, or if there were new supervisors who took it over, something needs to be changed for next year. I want to see LouFest build upon its mistakes from this year and make LouFest 2018 something that the people of St. Louis will love. It would be fantastic to see LouFest grow into a nationwide event, but to do that, LouFest must learn how to fix internal issues for next year.