Entertainment

CULTURE

‘It’s the craziest feeling ever’: Miami Comedic Relief offers outlet to perform

By Kethan Babu | May 12, 2025

For Miami University students, Wednesday nights in Oxford usually mean grabbing dinner with friends, trekking Uptown for Country Night at Brick Street Bar or getting extra sleep before class in the morning.For members of Miami Comedic Relief, alternating Wednesday evenings mean it’s time to perform.The comedians congregate at Bar 1868 every other week for their show. These members represent the few who had the confidence to perform and stuck with it following their first show.

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CULTURE

The great big boring book: Emily Henry’s “Great Big Beautiful Life”

By Sydney Mulford | May 9, 2025

I am not normally a fan of Emily Henry, but I loved her last two books, “Funny Story” and “Happy Place.” When I first heard the plot for “Great Big Beautiful Life,” I was not immediately hooked, but I was still excited because of her previous books that I enjoyed – and “Great Big Beautiful Life” was certainly hyped up.

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ENTERTAINMENT

‘Thunderbolts*’ tackles mental health struggles

By Stella Powers | May 8, 2025

When people see a Marvel movie, they can typically expect fun action sequences, some comedy and almost always, a post-credit scene. “Thunderbolts*” (now being marketed as “The New Avengers), the latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), delivers all of that. Additionally, it also battles a new villain: mental health.Released on May 2, Marvel’s “Thunderbolts*” stars Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Lewis Pullman as Robert Reynolds, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov, Wyatt Russell as John Walker, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr and more.

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CULTURE

Journey to the land of ‘Anastasia’: Miami’s Stage Left puts on spring musical

By Kaitlin McDowell | May 2, 2025

From April 25-27, Miami University’s on-campus theater organization, Stage Left, transported students and attendees alike to early 20th-century Russia in Wilks Theater for its performance of “Anastasia: The Musical.”The musical, which was fully student-run and produced, combines the history of the Russian Empire and the myth of the real-life Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia for a captivating telling of this story.

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CULTURE

Movies to look out for this summer

By Stella Powers | May 1, 2025

Summer is finally approaching, which means the long-awaited summer blockbuster season is right around the corner. While it may not be “Barbenheimer” summer anymore, here are some films to look forward to once school lets out for the year.

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CULTURE

Movie theater etiquette is still important

By Stella Powers | April 29, 2025

If you’ve been on social media at all recently, chances are you are familiar with the chicken jockey scene from“A Minecraft Movie.” For those of you fortunate enough to have avoided this, fans have been screaming and throwing things after Jack Black delivers the line, “chicken jockey.”When I’m home from school, I work at a movie theater. Because of this, I’m very passionate about movie theater etiquette, something that seems to have been forgotten recently. Look, I’m all for having fun at the movies. It’s part of what makes the group viewing experience so special.But throwing popcorn and making a mess on purpose? That’s just unnecessary.

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CULTURE

Where, oh where, is Wendy Williams?

By Landon Morrison | April 28, 2025

Wendy Williams, the controversial talk show and radio host, dramatically exited her talk show in 2020, and her whereabouts have begun to feel like one of her own hot topic segments.

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CULTURE

What to read when you want to cry

By Shannon Mahoney | April 25, 2025

We’re nearing the end of spring semester, and whether you’re mourning the loss of your senior friends or breaking down about an impossible final, the tears are imminent. In honor of what can be a stressful time, here are some books that are sure to hit you right in the feels.

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CULTURE

Fantasy books to read if you just need an escape

By Ayla Peden | April 22, 2025

For as long as I can remember, I have loved sitting back and reading a nice, cozy book. However, with classes taking up every waking moment, I haven’t been able to read as much as I would prefer. So, I have made it my mission to actually read something other than theories on sociology.As I got back into reading more for myself, I figured that many people may feel the same way. Or, maybe, they need a place to start.

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CULTURE

I did standby for ‘Saturday Night Live’: Here’s how it went

By Stella Powers | April 19, 2025

Seeing “Saturday Night Live” live in the studio has been a dream of mine since I was 14 years old. However, it isn’t exactly easy to do.There are a few ways to be in the studio for the taping of the show, including the lottery and the standby process. At 10 a.m., the Thursday before the show, an online form opens to request standby numbers for both dress rehearsal and the live taping that weekend. The available spots fill up within seconds, so getting through this first step successfully is difficult.If you’re lucky enough to get through the form, you’ll receive standby numbers through email at some point that day that reflect where you’ll be placed in the standby line Friday night.

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CULTURE

‘Alarum’ released following production in Oxford

By Sydney Mulford | April 18, 2025

After nearly a year of anticipation from Miami University students, ‘Alarum,’ the film that took over Oxford’s Uptown areas and Hueston Woods, is out. Starring Sylvester Stallone, Scott Eastwood, Willa Fitzgerald and Mike Colter, ‘Alarum’ was officially released on Jan. 15, but it did not make much of an impact in the box office. 

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CULTURE

‘The White Lotus’ season 3 transports audiences to Thailand

By Stella Powers | April 17, 2025

For those looking for a tropical escape from the gloomy Midwest weather, look no further than Mike White’s “The White Lotus.”Season three of the hit Max series just concluded and was filled with drama. Each season follows a different group of vacationers at a different “White Lotus” resort: season one took place in Hawaii, season two took place in Italy and season three took place in Thailand.

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STYLE

April’s ‘IT Girl’

By Kiser Young | April 16, 2025

The Ides of March came for the world of punk and punk rock in the late ’80s, but with the fertilization of the new millennium and the freckles of spring showers, Amy Taylor has sprouted as April’s IT Girl!

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CULTURE

‘Scream,’ ‘Scooby Doo’ and entrepreneurship: A Q&A with Matthew Lillard

By Stella Powers and Parker Green | April 11, 2025

Matthew Lillard, known for his iconic roles in “Scream,” “Scooby Doo” and “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” has stepped beyond acting and into Dungeons and Dragons, entrepreneurship and more. On April 7, Lillard visited Miami University as part of the school’s lecture series.Prior to his 7:30 p.m. lecture in Hall Auditorium, The Miami Student sat down with Lillard in an exclusive interview to discuss his expansive career.

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CULTURE

Matthew Lillard discusses acting career, new businesses in lecture series

By Stella Powers and Parker Green | April 10, 2025

Students, faculty and community members filled the seats of Hall Auditorium on April 7. Some fans dressed in “Scooby Doo” gear and brought along “Scream” merchandise, celebrating actor Matthew Lillard’s long-standing career.Lillard, star of “Scream,” “Scooby Doo” and “Five Nights at Freddys” gave a lecture at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Moderated by Geoffrey Long, the actor discussed his career, entrepreneurship and the importance of conventions in his life.

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CULTURE

What to read next

By Shannon Mahoney | April 8, 2025

As we head into the second half of spring semester, I’m filled with the urge to procrastinate on all my work and take some time to read a book for fun instead. Here I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite books for you to read when you really should be working on your final essays.

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CULTURE

Duolingo’s “iconic” marketing strategy

By Sydney Mulford | April 7, 2025

About a week ago, my editor sent me a video of Duolingo doing Sabrina Carpenter’s Juno pose from her Paris show. Sure, it was funny, but how was watching Duolingo folded into the “Eiffel Tower” going to make me more inclined to complete my Duolingo math lesson for the day?  Fun fact: it was not successful.

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CULTURE

Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation provides new study on the LGBTQ+ community’s relationship with online spaces

By Ayla Peden | April 4, 2025

Earlier this year, Hopelab partnered with the Born This Way Foundation to conduct a study examining how LGBTQ+ young adults connect with their peers online to explore their identities, find support and build meaningful relationships. The Born This Way Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded by pop star Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta. The foundation works to inspire young people to build a kinder world that supports their mental health and well-being. The foundation uses research, programs and grants to connect people with accessible mental health resources.

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CULTURE

Disney’s ‘Snow White’ is magical and doesn’t deserve the hate

By Stella Powers | April 3, 2025

From a very young age, I dreamed of being a Disney princess. Ballgowns and princess dresses flooded my costume chests, and the Disney version of Pretty Pretty Princess was by far my favorite game. Disney princess DVDs lined my shelves and the Disney FastPlay advertisement constantly replayed in my head. Princesses were my favorite. When I heard they were making a live-action “Snow White” film, I was skeptical. Excited, but skeptical nonetheless. When Rachel Zegler was announced as the star, my excitement grew.

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CULTURE

Best films directed by women

By Stella Powers | March 23, 2025

It’s women’s history month, and through working on this piece, it has come to my attention just how few films are actually directed by women — it’s upsetting. I was barely able to come up with a top 10 list. If I were asked to come up with more films, I’m not sure I would be able to. So many films, including some of my favorite films about women, are directed by men. However, in honor of women’s history month, I decided to highlight some of my favorites.