Homestead High School's student newspaper

The Epitaph

Menu
Wanda and Vision live a warped version of reality inside the Hex.

Marvel tests out new waters with television series WandaVision

By Nitya Kashyap • April 7, 2021

As a huge Marvel fan, I had high hopes for the “WandaVision” television series. Although the show was pretty good, compared to “Avengers Endgame,” which is the sequel to “WandaVison,” it was...

The deeper messages embedded in the plot kept me glued to the show, episode after episode.

‘Firefly Lane’ weaves powerful messages into plot

By Macy Li • March 20, 2021

Filled to the brim with stunning cinematography and sparkling costumes, the new Netflix TV show “Firefly Lane” captivated my attention from the moment I began watching. At first glance, “Firefly...

The red light shines as the word “incomplete” appears on the screen. The three leaders of each unit in Seventeen, Vocal, Hip-Hop and Performance, appear as the song “Intro. New World” starts. A K-Pop boy group, Seventeen held an online concert, “Incomplete,” on Jan. 23, which premiered in 122 different countries. The concert started with a short compilation of small unit stages, which are a small group within Seventeen with two to seven members, featuring songs such as, “BRING IT,” “MY I” and “Flower,” then transitioned into their popular releases, “Fear,” “Fearless,” “Fallin’ Flower,” “THANKS,” “Lie Again” and “Kidult.” These stages had beautiful matching outfits as well as aesthetically pleasing stage sets. One thing that stood out was the transitions between each stage and the remixes of each song. Seventeen is a group who always tries to showcase something different for their fans every performance, and looking at their newly reformed stages left me in a state of awe. Afterward, they moved on to playing their position unit stages (Vocal, Hip-Hop and Performance), “Back it up,” “Habit” and “MOONWALKER,” as well as their age unit stages, “AH! LOVE,” “Light a Flame,” “HEY BUDDY” and “Do Re Mi.” This showcased new remixes of their older songs as well as stages they showed to the public for the first time. During these stages, the members were able to showcase their talents to the audience. I enjoyed this because earlier in the show there was not much time for individual members to shine, due to the large size of the group with 13 members. After the unit stages, Seventeen performed more of their group music and remixes and then moved on to the encore stages, an extended stage after their planned performances. Usually during an encore stage in K-Pop concerts, the artists wear comfortable clothing while singing and interacting with the fans rather than performing a stage with choreography. During the encore, Seventeen was presented with a recording of their fans, Carats, singing their song, “Us, Again.” I started to tear up when I was watching the members tear up while listening to us singing. After the song, the members went around giving speeches about how they were able to grow up through their experiences with the pandemic and promised to present the fans with improved stages in 2021. The concert ended with Seventeen singing “All My Love,” “My My,” “Campfire” and “Healing,” which helped me relax and forget about all the worries I had with my schoolwork. Through the concert, Seventeen once again proved to the public that they are a group with strong vocals and performances. Although they were not able to perform their use of encore stages such as “Very Nice” due to curfew, the concert gave me happiness for three hours, allowing me to recharge and motivate me to work harder after the concert. There are pros and cons to hosting a virtual concert like Seventeen. Having an online concert allows the fans to watch their favorite artists perform even under the circumstances we are in. This also allows fans from all over the world to watch the concert live. Hosting an online concert also allows fans to buy one ticket and share it with their friends and families, spreading the music to others. It also allows fans to comfortably sit in their homes with a couple of snacks, use the restroom, and go on calls if necessary. Finally, online concerts allow groups to use it as an opportunity to present unique stages. For example, Seventeen performed their unit stages with sets such as houses, playgrounds and a jazz bar, which would be hard to move on and off if it was an in-person performance. However, there are some disadvantages, the biggest of those being that fans and artists cannot meet face-to-face. Going to a concert in person is more entertaining for both fans and the artists, especially since artists get the energy to perform from their fans cheering them on. Although the online concert allows more people to watch the concert in their comfort zone, it takes out the whole beauty of cheering on the artists I like with other fans and getting to see the artists live. And artists are not complete without their fans because they give them the energy to perform at a concert and bring them happiness. But under the condition we are under, knowing that their fans will be cheering them on at their homes, they are able to pull through the concert and present spectacular stages to the fans. As Seventeen said, “Incomplete, but we are IN COMPLETE.”

“Incomplete but we are IN COMPLETE”

By Seoyoung Hwang • February 28, 2021

The red light shines as the word “incomplete” appears on the screen. The three leaders of each unit in Seventeen, Vocal, Hip-Hop and Performance, appear as the song “Intro. New World” starts. A...

Books will never be a dying medium as long as people continue to read and write.

Finding escapism in the written word

By Shreya Partha • February 12, 2021

One of the many hobbies I’ve rediscovered during quarantine is the thrill of reading books. Yes, you read that right — reading.  While some may call the hobby outdated, old-fashioned or just plain...

The new season is filled with excitement and three strong female leads dominating the screen.

‘The Crown:’ reputation ruiner or entertainment

By Lia Klebanov • January 18, 2021

As a fascinating drama that lets the public have a fictionalized look at what actually happened behind closed palace doors, season four of “The Crown” does not disappoint. The Netflix original premiered...

Bollywood celebrities endorsing skin lightening products in television advertisements has had a terrible impact on the way dark skin is perceived in Indian society.

Dear Bollywood, please stop promoting colorism

By Nitya Kashyap • January 14, 2021

When I think of Bollywood, I picture glamorous heroes and heroines, dramatic storylines and impressive dance choreography. But there is an uglier side to this industry. Bollywood celebrities to this day...

Anya Taylor-Joy stars as Beth Harmon in the Netflix series 'The Queens Gambit'.

‘The Queen’s Gambit’ a captivating story

By Amber Birrell • January 9, 2021

When I first heard of “The Queen's Gambit” I was skeptical of it but after watching the first episode, I was pleasantly surprised. It felt fresh and new and unlike anything I had ever watched. The...

Netflix successfully creates a new addition to the Holmes movies.

‘Enola Holmes’ is the mystery of the year

By Ashley Orozco • January 7, 2021

As I was scrolling through Netflix trying to find something new to watch, I came across the movie “Enola Holmes.” I hadn't heard much about it, so I decided to give it a try. Little did I know, it...

“Grand Army” centers around the lives of five Brooklyn teens from different backgrounds.

‘Grand Army’ suffers from low-quality writing, bad handling of social issues

By Allen Zhang • January 4, 2021

With different teen drama series like “Euphoria” and “13 Reasons Why,” newcomer “Grand Army” attempts to — and epically fails to — set itself apart from the rest of its companions. “Grand...

Setting up a movie night

Setting up a movie night

By Allen Zhang • December 9, 2020

Growing up in Hollywood: child stars face constant backlash

Growing up in Hollywood: child stars face constant backlash

By Madhavi Karthik • December 6, 2020

When I search for “child stars gone bad,” an extensive list pops up with names like Macaulay Culkin, Jodie Sweetin and Lindsay Lohan. But, in reality, no one really knows what it’s like to grow up...

Ariana Grande’s new album “positions” is what has saved 2020.

Grande moves from ‘Thank u, next’ to ‘Thank u, sex,’ with a twist

By Naomi Baron • November 23, 2020

It’s one thing for an artist to produce good songs, but it takes extraordinary talent for an artist to create an album that conveys a real story with emotions that correlate to their past albums. With...

Load More Stories