San Diego Comic-Con unites fans, studios, pop culture in single bound

About 135,000 people descended on the San Diego Convention Center this weekend to celebrate the 50th annual Comic-Con. San Diego Comic-Con celebrates a wide array of pop culture media over four days every July. Like many conventions, panels were hosted by industry professionals either in celebration or with an aim to educate fans about different […]

Album review: Beyoncé celebrates African culture and new film in ‘The Lion King: The Gift’

This post was updated July 21 at 10:07 p.m. The circle of life continues with Beyoncé’s new album, “The Lion King: The Gift.” “The Lion King” was first released in 1994. Twenty-five years later, the Disney classic is receiving new life with this week’s release of the live-action iteration of the film. And, fittingly, Beyoncé […]

Alumnus guides students through fast-paced set design in summer theater season

Oscar Escobedo and a crew of six students had three hours to strike the set of “H.M.S. Pinafore” before an audience came for a showing of “Crazy for You” on the same stage. This summer, the alumnus is working as the scenic designer for the College Light Opera Company’s 51st festival season, lasting through Aug. […]

Investigative journalist discusses his new book about a ‘hacktivist’ collective

The Cult of the Dead Cow collective started in Texas in 1984. Although its title sounds like a fitting name for a slaughterhouse, the group actually specialized in online hacking, said journalist Joseph Menn. Menn investigated the history and mission of the multidecade hacking group in his new book, “Cult of the Dead Cow: How […]

Second Take: Black lead in ‘Little Mermaid’ remake brings welcome tide of representation

Looks like dreads are the new red. “Grown-ish” actress Halle Bailey and her signature locks have been cast as Ariel in Disney’s live-action remake of the 1989 classic, “The Little Mermaid.” The news of Bailey’s casting ran like wildfire across the internet after director Rob Marshall announced that Bailey, one half of the R&B sister […]

Album review: ‘No.6 Collaborations Project’ shows off Ed Sheeran’s skills spanning genres

This post was updated July 15 at 10:12 a.m. Ed Sheeran’s new album is as fiery as his ginger hair. Sheeran’s fourth full-length release, “No.6 Collaborations Project,” dropped Friday and totes fifteen tracks – each one featuring a different artist. The release follows Sheeran’s 2011 EP fittingly titled, “No.5 Collaborations Project,” which includes 11 artists […]

Student’s sound sculptures explore intersection of technology and art

Dillon Bastan was instructed to draw for an art class – but instead he made his own invention. Such projects are typical for the incoming fourth-year design media arts student, who said he uses his knowledge of programming and circuitry to make art with sound. His projects incorporate music from synthesizers and sounds from the […]